Timelines of the 1800s

Learn about major events of the 19th century by scanning these comprehensive timelines for each decade of the 1800s.

The decade from 1800 to 1810 represented a time of expansion and exploration in the United States and a time of warfare and turmoil in Europe.

The decade from 1810 to 1820 was marked by the Battle of Waterloo, the British burning the White House, Francis Scott Key writing the Star-Spangled Banner, and a peculiar weather event known as "The Year Without a Summer."

The 1820s were a decade of exciting changes throughout the world. In Ireland, "The Liberator," Daniel O'Connell, passed his sweeping reforms. In the US, Andrew Jackson arrived from the frontier as the nation's president. The Erie Canal changed America profoundly, and in Wales the Menai Suspension Bridge brought in the era of great bridges.

The 1830s was a decade marked by railroad building in America, Opium Wars in Asia, and the ascension to the British throne of the woman who whose name would come to define the century, Queen Victoria.

The 1840s were marked by the Mexican War, the discovery of gold in California, and the launch of the ill-fated Franklin Expedition.

The decade of the 1850s was marked by controversy over slavery in the United States, the Crimean War fought between Russian and European powers,...

A timeline of the 1860s, including the American Civil War, the greatest historical event of the decade, as well as other events around the world.

The 1870s were marked by Custer meeting his end at the Little Bighorn, construction work on the Brooklyn Bridge, Queen Victoria taking an imperial title, and Bismarck provoking the Franco-Prussian War.

The decade of the 1880s represented a time of prosperity contrasted with labor unrest, turmoil in Russia, warfare in Afghanistan, and celebrations for new landmarks in New York City.

The 1890s: A decade of events ranging from the Lizzie Borden murder case, the First Modern Olympics, to the U.S.S. Maine mysteriously exploding.

The campaigns that elected presidents in the 1800s were not always the quaint affairs we imagine them to be. Some of the campaigns were noteworthy for rough tactics, accusations of fraud, and image making that was far from reality.

The 19th century was a time of great progress but was also marked by major disasters, including such famous calamities as the Johnstown Flood, the Great Chicago Fire, and the enormous volcanic eruption at Krakatoa in the Pacific Ocean. Read about the great disasters of the 1800s.

The 19th century was a time of astounding historical events, from disasters that shocked the world to advances in transportation, science, and engineering.