1839 Facts for Kids

The year 1839 was a time of exciting new inventions, important discoveries, and big changes around the world. People saw new ways to communicate, new countries being formed, and important steps forward in science and art.

Important Events of 1839
- Other Events of 1839
People Born in 1839
People Who Died in 1839
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Important Events of 1839

January 19 – The British East India Company took control of Aden. This was an important port city.
January 20 – In the Battle of Yungay, soldiers from Peru and Bolivia fought against soldiers from Chile. The Chilean soldiers won the battle.
February 24 – William Otis received a patent for his steam shovel. This machine made digging much easier and faster.
March 23 – The word "OK" was first used in print. It appeared in a newspaper called the Boston Morning Post. It was short for "oll korrect," meaning "all correct."
March 26 – The very first Henley Royal Regatta took place. This is a famous boat race event.
April 9 – The world's first electric telegraph line for business was built. It ran next to the Great Western Railway line in England. This was a huge step for fast communication.
April 19 – The Treaty of London was signed. This agreement officially made Belgium an independent kingdom.
June 22 – Louis Daguerre received a patent for his Daguerreotype camera. This was an early type of camera that could take pictures. By September, copies of the camera were being sold.
July 1 – Enslaved people on the ship Amistad bravely fought for their freedom against their captors.
November 11 – The Virginia Military Institute opened in Lexington, Virginia, USA. It is a military college.
November 17 – Giuseppe Verdi's first opera, Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, opened in Milan. An opera is a play where the words are sung.

Other Events of 1839

Abd-ul-Mejid became the new emperor of the Ottoman Empire. This was a large and powerful empire at the time.
The state of Mississippi in the U.S. passed a new law. It was the first state law in the country that allowed women to own property. This was an important step for women's rights.
The distance to a star called Alpha Centauri was measured for the first time using a method called parallax. This helped scientists understand how far away stars are.
People began to dig up and study the ancient city of Copán in Central America. This helped us learn about ancient civilizations.
Half of the Limburg province was added to the Netherlands. This created two parts: a Belgian Limburg and a Dutch Limburg.
Abd al-Kader led a fight for independence against the French in North Africa.

People Born in 1839

January 19 – Paul Cézanne, a famous French painter.
February 11 – Josiah Willard Gibbs, an important American physicist and chemist.
February 22 – Francis Pharcellus Church, an American editor and publisher.
March 9 – Phoebe Knapp, an American writer of hymns (religious songs).
March 21 – Modest Mussorgsky, a well-known Russian composer.
April 12 – Nikolai Przhevalsky, a Russian explorer who traveled widely in Central Asia.
July 8 – John Davison Rockefeller, a very successful American businessman and giver of money to good causes.
July 17 – Ephraim Shay, an inventor known for the Shay locomotive (a type of train engine).
December 5 – George Armstrong Custer, an American cavalry officer.

People Who Died in 1839

April 1 – Benjamin Pierce, a U.S. politician.
April 2 – Hezekiah Niles, an American editor and publisher.
April 11 – John Galt, a Scottish novelist (writer of books).
May 17 – Archibald Alison, a Scottish writer.
August 10 – John St Aubyn, a British collector of fossils.
August 22 – Benjamin Lundy, an American who worked to end slavery.
August 28 – William Smith, an English geologist and mapmaker.
November 15 – William Murdoch, a Scottish inventor.
December 3 – Frederick VI, who was the King of Denmark and a former King of Norway.