1796

Events in 1796 5

• 1759 – 1796 Robert Burns Scottish poet Burns wrote lyrical poetry in Scots dialect and became Scotland’s national poet, influencing Romantic literature.
• 1796 – 1875 Camille Corot (1796-1875) Died 22 February 1875, aged 78 Corot was a French landscape and portrait painter whose atmospheric style bridged Neoclassicism and Impressionism. His work influenced the Barbizon school and later generations of plein-air painters.
• 1796 Jenner — smallpox vaccination The first vaccine — immunity without disease In 1796, Edward Jenner of Gloucestershire demonstrated that inoculation with cowpox material provided protection against the deadly smallpox. He called the procedure vaccination (from vacca, cow). This was the first deliberate use of a vaccine and directly led, 184 years later, to the global eradication of smallpox in 1980 — one of the greatest public health achievements in history.
• 1796 – 1855 Nicholas I of Russia (1796-1855) Died 2 March 1855, aged 58 Nicholas I, Tsar of Russia since 1825, died in Saint Petersburg during the Crimean War. His reign had been marked by autocratic rule, suppression of revolts, and territorial expansion. He was succeeded by his son, Alexander II.
• 1796 – 1858 William H. Prescott (1796-1858) Died 28 January 1858, aged 61 Prescott was an American historian best known for his narrative histories of the Spanish conquests of Mexico and Peru. He produced much of his work despite near-blindness resulting from an eye injury suffered in his youth.