Updated Articles and Resources
- Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation…Created: 2009-11-23 @ 13:00:15 EST Updated: 2009-11-23 @ 13:51:04 EST
A campaign to make Thanksgiving a national holiday finally succeeded when Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for a national day of Thanksgiving at the height of the Civil War, in 1863. P… - On the Origin of Species - Charles Darwin Book Published in 1859 Est…Created: 2009-11-23 @ 09:40:31 EST Updated: 2009-11-23 @ 10:31:39 EST
The British naturalist Charles Darwin published his book On the Origin of Species on November 24, 1859 and profoundly changed the way people considered biology and science in general… - The Second Anglo-Afghan War - British War in Afghanistan in Late 187…Created: 2009-11-16 @ 10:29:01 EST Updated: 2009-11-16 @ 15:23:10 EST
Britain's second war in Afghanistan, fought in the late 1870s, was marked by miscalculations and heroics, and ultimately succeeded in protecting the prize possession of the British Empire, India… - Disasters of the 1800s - Significant 19th Century Disasters…Created: 2009-11-10 @ 09:48:45 EST
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 erup… - The Supernatural 19th Century - The Spooky 1800s - 19th Century Ghos…Created: 2009-10-25 @ 17:44:24 EDT Updated: 2009-10-26 @ 14:24:23 EDT
The 19th century featured a strong presence of the supernatural, despite being a period obsessed with science and technology. These are some of the noteworthy supernatural and spooky events of the … - Great Chicago Fire - The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 Destroyed an Ent…Created: 2009-10-19 @ 12:44:24 EDT
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed a major American city, making it one of the great disasters of the 19th century. And while the famous story of how the first was started when Mrs. OR… - Krakatoa Volcano Eruption - Volcanic Eruption at Krakatoa in 1883 Be…Created: 2009-10-04 @ 21:03:35 EDT
The colossal eruption of the volcano at Krakatoa in the Pacific Ocean became a worldwide weather and media event in 1883. Sunsets around the world were colored red by particles blasted into the atm… - William Henry Jackson and Yellowstone - Photographer William Henry J…Created: 2009-09-23 @ 10:13:32 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - Definition of TranscendentalistCreated: 2009-09-23 @ 10:01:40 EDT
Definition of Transcendentalist… - Henry David Thoreau - Biography of Henry David Thoreau, American Wri…Created: 2009-09-23 @ 09:53:57 EDT
Henry David Thoreau is one of the most beloved and influential writers of the 19th century. As an eloquent voice advocating simple living and thrift, Thoreau stands in contrast to his times. … - John Muir - Biography of John Muir, National Parks Advocate, Father …Created: 2009-09-23 @ 09:49:39 EDT
Scottish-born John Muir was a strong advocate for the US National Parks. He explored in the western United States in the late 1800s and is always associated with California's Yosemite Valley. Muir'… - Artist George Catlin Proposed Creation of National ParksCreated: 2009-09-23 @ 09:48:06 EDT
The American artist George Catlin, who is known for his paintings of American Indians, proposed the creation of National Parks decades before they became a reality. … - History of the Conservation Movement - Conservation Pioneers Helped …Created: 2009-09-22 @ 23:36:23 EDT Updated: 2009-09-23 @ 15:15:13 EDT
The early conservation movement in America grew from the writings of Emerson and Thoreau, and steadily gained traction throughout the mid-1800s until the desire to preserve vast tracts of wildernes… - Jenny Lind - The Swedish Nightingale Jenny Lind Toured America with …Created: 2009-09-21 @ 10:12:44 EDT Updated: 2009-09-21 @ 11:20:45 EDT
When Jenny Lind, an opera singer dubbed The Swedish Nightinagle, was brought to New York by Phineas T. Barnum in 1850 the city went crazy. Crowds numbering in the tens of thousands greeted her, and… - Ralph Waldo Emerson - Biography of Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Tra…Created: 2009-09-18 @ 11:23:28 EDT
Ralph Waldo Emerson was perhaps the most influential American writer of the 19th century, as his essays provoked controversy and thought and he influenced other writers such as Henry David Thoreau … - George Catlin Biography - American Artist George Catlin Painted Ind…Created: 2009-09-15 @ 22:20:58 EDT
The American artist George Catlin became fascinated with American Indians in the early 1800s and traveled extensively to live among them and paint them. He published a classic book on his travels a… - The First National Park - Yellowstone Was Made the First National Pa…Created: 2009-09-07 @ 10:03:50 EDT Updated: 2009-09-07 @ 13:58:29 EDT
The first National Park was Yellowstone, a magnificent wilderness set aside in 1872 to be preserved and protected. … - Definition of Monroe DoctrineCreated: 2009-09-03 @ 13:37:29 EDT Updated: 2009-09-03 @ 13:44:38 EDT
Definition of Monroe Doctrine… - Definition of Era of Good FeelingsCreated: 2009-09-03 @ 10:15:47 EDT Updated: 2009-09-03 @ 13:09:58 EDT
Definition of Era of Good Feelings… - Definition of American SystemCreated: 2009-09-03 @ 10:14:53 EDT
Definition of American System… - George Perkins Marsh - Author of Man and Nature, George Perkins Mars…Created: 2009-08-31 @ 10:12:46 EDT Updated: 2009-08-31 @ 11:13:57 EDT
George Perkins Marsh was the author of Man and Nature, a book published in the mid-1800s which made a strong case for conservation. A brilliant mind and a lover of nature, Marsh, who served as an A… - Margaret Fuller - Biography of Margaret Fuller, American Transcenden…Created: 2009-08-25 @ 14:08:01 EDT
Margaret Fuller was an early feminist writer and editor and an important member of the New England Transcendentalist circle. She counted among her friends Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, … - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 09:45:08 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:27:55 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 09:41:26 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 10:46:48 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 09:31:57 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 10:50:35 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 09:26:24 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 10:45:20 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 09:22:34 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 10:49:35 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 00:25:56 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:25:03 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 00:19:47 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - A Camp in the Yellowstone Photographed by Wi…Created: 2009-08-24 @ 00:05:26 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:33:02 EDT
The stunning photographs William Henry Jackson took in the American west in the early 1870s helped to inspire the movement to create National Parks, and energized people living in the east to becom… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-23 @ 23:31:58 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:30:08 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-23 @ 22:07:16 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:49:18 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-23 @ 21:56:06 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 13:25:19 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - William Henry Jackson - Photographer William Henry Jackson Documente…Created: 2009-08-23 @ 21:45:31 EDT Updated: 2009-08-24 @ 10:51:17 EDT
Photographer William Henry Jackson carried his camera along on official government surveys in the west, and his stunning photography of the Yellowstone area in Wyoming helped inspire the movement t… - Major Events of the 19th CenturyCreated: 2009-08-13 @ 12:48:06 EDT
The 19th century was a time of astounding historical events, from disasters that shocked the world to advances in transportation, science, and engineering… - George Armstrong Custer and His Last Stand - Images of Custer and th…Updated: 2009-11-16 @ 15:29:20 EST
When George Armstrong Custer and the 7th Cavalry attacked an enormous Indian camp and were wiped out, the United States was stunned. Custer had been a famous personage since his days as a dashing y… - British Army in Afghanistan was trapped and massacred in 1842…Updated: 2009-11-16 @ 15:27:55 EST
A British force occupied the Afghan capital of Kabul in the late 1830s, but a revolt forced 16,000 to retreat from the city in January 1842. The columns of British troops were attacked mercilessly … - Election of 1828 - President Andrew Jackson Elected After Dirty Camp…Updated: 2009-11-09 @ 14:30:45 EST
The election of 1828 was one of the dirtiest in American history, and by the time Andrew Jackson won the elecion, charges and accusations had tarnished the reputation of both Jackson and the incumb… - Why is America's Election Day On a Tuesday In November?…Updated: 2009-11-03 @ 15:29:45 EST
The tradition of holding America's presidential election on a Tuesday in November began in the 1800s, and was established in law in the 1840s. … - Tammany Hall - Political Machine Known as Tammany Hall Ran New York …Updated: 2009-11-02 @ 12:56:56 EST
Tammany Hall was political machine that ran New York City through a system of political patronage, and it was the epitome of corrupt politics in the 1800s. Started in the 1780s as a patriotic and s… - Definition of Clipper ShipUpdated: 2009-10-28 @ 14:53:06 EDT
Definition of Clipper Ship… - 19th Century HistoryUpdated: 2009-10-28 @ 10:02:37 EDT
Contacting your guide to 19th century history, Robert J. McNamara… - History of Building the Erie Canal, Waterway Made New York the Empir…Updated: 2009-10-26 @ 11:54:58 EDT
The Erie Canal, built between 1817 and 1825, dramatically transformed the young American nation by making trade possible between the cities of the east coast and the inland territories. The canal w… - Did Mrs. O'Leary's Cow Start the Great Chicago Fire?…Updated: 2009-10-19 @ 12:46:48 EDT
When the great Chicago Fire broke out in 1871 a rumor immediately spread that a cow belonging to a Mrs. O'Leary had kicked over a kerosene lantern and started the inferno. Was the legendary tale of… - Giuseppe Garibaldi, 19th Century Media StarUpdated: 2009-10-12 @ 10:53:00 EDT
The Italian revolutionary and military hero Giuseppe Garibaldi achieved great fame during his lifetime, and has been considered the first media celebrity. His adventures and exploits coincided with… - Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Steamships - Steamship History - Great Wes…Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 21:07:18 EDT
The steamships Great Western, Great Britain, and Great Eastern were three revolutionary steamships designed and built by the brilliant British engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Each ship advanced t… - Ireland's Big Wind, 1839 Storm Helped Irish Get Pensions Decades Lat…Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 21:05:47 EDT
A freak wind storm struck Ireland in January 1839, and became known as the "Big Wind." It was so memorable that decades later, bureaucrats determining who was eligible for old age pension… - The Johnstown Flood - 1889 Flood Destroyed Johnstown, Pennsylvania…Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 21:04:26 EDT
The Johnstown Flood of May 31, 1889 was the biggest news story to hit American since the Civil War. More than 2,000 people were killed when a wall of water sped down a valley and devastated an indu… - Sinking of the S.S. Arctic - Sinking of the Steamship Arctic Stunned…Updated: 2009-10-04 @ 21:02:42 EDT
The sinking of the steamship Arctic, one of the grandest ships afloat in the 1850s, was a disaster that stunned the world in September 1854. The ship, which carried more than 300 people, rammed ano… - Great Swindles of the 19th Century - Swindles of the 1800s…Updated: 2009-09-28 @ 07:12:34 EDT
The 19th century was marked by a number of notorious swindles, including one involving a fictitious county, one connected to the transcontinental railroad, and a number of bank and stock market fra… - Must Reads: Essential Articles and Resources about History1800sUpdated: 2009-09-23 @ 17:46:10 EDT
- Voyage of Charles Darwin Aboard H.M.S. BeagleUpdated: 2009-09-23 @ 17:42:23 EDT
When the British Admiralty sent the ship H.M.S. Beagle around the world in the early 1800s the research vessel carried a "gentleman passenger" whose observations would help lead to his wr… - History of the Brooklyn Bridge - John and Washington Roebling Built …Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 23:33:22 EDT
New York's Brooklyn Bridge was the greatest engineering achievement of its era when it was finished in 1883. During its 14 years of construction skeptics thought it would collapse, but more than 12… - Vintage Books on the Brooklyn Bridge, History of the Great East Rive…Updated: 2009-09-13 @ 22:51:23 EDT
Books about the engineering marvel of its age, the Brooklyn Bridge, began appearing as soon as the bridge opened in 1883. Here are links to some classic titles that can be downloaded for free on th… - Congressman Preston Brooks Beats Senator Charles Sumner Over Slavery…Updated: 2009-09-10 @ 11:47:00 EDT
Tensions over slavery boiled over in May 1856, as attacks in Kansas amounted to a small-scale civil war. And the violence even reached the US Capitol, where a Congressman from South Carolina, Prest… - Kansas-Nebraska Act - 1854 Bill on Slavery Championed by Stephen Dou…Updated: 2009-09-10 @ 10:14:08 EDT
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was envisioned as a compromise over slavery, but it wound up inflaming passions on both sides of the issue and becoming a major stepping stone on the path to Civil W… - Definition of Bleeding KansasUpdated: 2009-09-10 @ 09:59:18 EDT
Definition of Bleeding Kansas, a term coined by Horace Greeley to describe civil strife over the issue of slavery in Kansas in the 1850s… - Definition of Know-Nothing PartyUpdated: 2009-09-02 @ 13:48:15 EDT
Definition of Know-Nothing Party, an American political party…