If you think overheated political rhetoric is something new, consider a classic controversy that rocked American politics long before the appearance of cable channels. The presidential election of 1824 featured four candidates, and when the voting ended in November there was no winner.

The Constitution provides a solution, a presidential election to be held in the House of Representatives. In early 1825 that turned into a monumental drama with three strong characters, Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay, who happened to be the speaker of the house.

When the dust settled, John Quincy Adams was the new president. Andrew Jackson, never known to miss a chance to erupt in anger, denounced the entire affair as "The Corrupt Bargain." Jackson accused Clay of throwing the election to Adams in return for the position of secretary of state in the new Adams administration.

Jackson's accusations could never be proven, but his rage fueled his campaign against John Quincy Adams in the election of 1828, which was arguably the dirtiest campaign ever waged for the American presidency.

Image: Andrew Jackson/Library of Congress

On November 6, 1860 Abraham Lincoln was elected president in one of the most significant elections in American history. Lincoln, who had barely been known outside Illinois a year earlier, had engineered a brilliant campaign which took off after he gave a speech in New York City that made him a suddenly prominent voice against slavery and the politicians who accepted it.

Lincoln was elected without a single electoral vote from the south. And the news of his election as president prompted a number of southern states to make good on their threats to secede from the Union. By the time of Lincoln's inaugural address in March 1861, the first cannon shots of the Civil War were only weeks away.

The 1800s could boast a number of significant elections, but the campaign and election of 1860 will always stand apart. A candidate came from obscurity, stunned a number of more prominent politicians, and won a triumph that would forever resonate.

Photograph: Abraham Lincoln in 1860/Library of Congress

Americans in various places will go the polls and vote on Election Day tomorrow. Ever wonder why a Tuesday in November is designated as Election Day?

The tradition is a throwback to the way people lived more than 200 years ago. Early November provided a chance for people to travel to the polls between bringing in the harvest and settling down for the worst weather of the winter. As for Tuesday, there were concerns about people not having to travel on the sabbath.

In 1845 the US Congress made a tradition the law, mandating that the presidential elections would be held every four years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

And state and local governments still generally follow the 19th century Election Day tradition, which is why a number of elections around the country will be held tomorrow, on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

The British Library is unveiling a major exhibit of 19th century photography designed to show off a sampling of the library's vast photographic collection. The exhibit, titled Points of View, has an online component which can be enjoyed even if you can't get to London.

The exhibit contains several main sections, which focus on such topics as portraits, scientific photographs, and foreign scenes. As might be expected, there are striking images, such as an 1867 photograph of Stonehenge, a portrait of Oscar Wilde staring at the camera, and a classic shot of the hippo which arrived at a London Zoo in 1852 relaxing in its enclosure.

The focus is generally on British subjects, but the travel section naturally includes photos from exotic locales, and there are even some American subjects, such as an Alexander Gardner photograph taken following the Battle of Gettysburg.

The online exhibit will apparently expand beyond what's presently available, with an interactive timeline yet to be unveiled. And the exhibit boasts its own blog.

Points of View, which officially opens at the British Library on Friday, October 30, has already received favorable press coverage, including a rave review in The Times of London.