1837

Events in 1837 31

• 1765 – 1837 William IV (1765-1837) Died 20 June 1837, aged 71 William IV was King of the United Kingdom and Hanover from 1830 until his death. His reign saw the passage of the Reform Act 1832 and the abolition of slavery in most of the British Empire.
• 1776 – 1837 John Constable Romanticism · England John Constable (June 11, 1776 – March 31, 1837) was an English Romantic landscape painter who captured the English countryside with naturalistic freshness. The Hay Wain is one of the most beloved paintings in British art.
• 1778 – 1837 Gustav IV Adolf The Loss of Finland His failure in the Napoleonic Wars led to the loss of Finland to Russia in 1809, after which he was deposed.
• 1782 – 1837 John Field (1782-1837) Died 23 January 1837, aged 54 John Field was an Irish pianist and composer who invented the nocturne, a lyrical piano form later made famous by Chopin. He spent much of his career in Russia, where he taught and performed to great acclaim.
• 1798 – 1837 Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) Died 14 June 1837, aged 38 Giacomo Leopardi was an Italian poet and philosopher considered one of the most important literary figures of the 19th century. His pessimistic philosophical outlook and lyric poetry profoundly influenced later Italian literature.
• 1799 – 1837 Alexander Pushkin (1799-1837) Died 29 January 1837, aged 37 Alexander Pushkin was a Russian poet and novelist widely regarded as the founder of modern Russian literature. He died of wounds sustained in a duel defending his wife's honor against rumors of an affair.
• 1837 – 1930 Cosima Wagner (1837-1930) Died 1 April 1930, aged 92 Daughter of Franz Liszt and wife of Richard Wagner. After his death she directed the Bayreuth Festival for more than twenty years.
• 1837 Daguerre perfects the first practical photographic process Louis Daguerre develops the daguerreotype, producing a fixed photographic image French inventor Louis Daguerre completed development of a process that could capture a permanent, detailed image on a silver-coated copper plate. The daguerreotype, publicly announced two years later, became the first widely used form of photography.
• 1837 – 1898 Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898) Assassinated 10 September 1898, aged 60 Empress Elisabeth of Austria, known as Sisi, was stabbed to death by Italian anarchist Luigi Lucheni while walking beside Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Her death shocked European royal courts and made her one of the most romanticized figures of the Habsburg monarchy. She had been Empress consort of Austria and Queen consort of Hungary for over four decades.
• 1837 First railway in Russia Tsarskoye Selo Railway Russia's first railway ran 27 kilometres from Saint Petersburg to the imperial residence at Tsarskoye Selo, built essentially as a demonstration for a sceptical court.
• 1837 – 1913 J. P. Morgan (1837-1913) Died 31 March 1913, aged 75 Morgan built J.P. Morgan & Co. into the dominant American banking house of the era and financed the creation of US Steel, General Electric, and other major corporations. He personally organized a bailout of the US Treasury in 1895 and helped stem the Panic of 1907. He died in Rome while travelling in Europe.
• 1837 John Deere builds the first steel plow A new plow design allows efficient farming of thick Midwestern prairie soil Blacksmith John Deere fashioned a plow from a broken steel saw blade that could cut through sticky prairie soil without clogging, unlike existing cast-iron plows. The invention transformed agriculture across the American Midwest and launched Deere's manufacturing company.
• 1837 – 1863 Robert Gould Shaw (1837-1863) Died 18 July 1863, aged 26 Shaw commanded the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, one of the first Black regiments raised in the North during the Civil War. He was killed leading the regiment's assault on Fort Wagner, South Carolina.
• 1837 – 1894 Sadi Carnot (1837-1894) Died 25 June 1894, aged 56 Carnot was President of France when he was stabbed by an Italian anarchist, Sante Geronimo Caserio, during a visit to Lyon on 24 June 1894, and died of his wounds the next day. His assassination was part of a wave of anarchist violence across Europe in the 1890s. He was succeeded as president by Jean Casimir-Perier.
• 1837 Telegraph Electrical Communication The foundation of the global telecommunications network.
• 1837 – 1876 Wild Bill Hickok (1837-1876) Died 2 August 1876, aged 39 James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was a folk hero of the American frontier, known as a gunfighter, lawman, and gambler. He was shot and killed while playing poker in Deadwood, Dakota Territory, on August 2, 1876.
• 1837 – 1920 William Dean Howells (1837-1920) Died 11 May 1920, aged 83 American novelist, literary critic, and editor known as the "Dean of American Letters" for his influence on realist fiction. He edited the Atlantic Monthly and championed writers including Mark Twain and Henry James. His own novels include "The Rise of Silas Lapham."
• 1837 – 1915 Émile Waldteufel (1837-1915) Died 16 February 1915, aged 77 French composer Émile Waldteufel was one of the most popular waltz composers of the late nineteenth century, celebrated for pieces such as "The Skaters' Waltz." He served as pianist to the imperial court of Napoleon III before building an international reputation as a bandleader.
• 1837 Michigan admitted as a U.S. state Michigan becomes the 26th state of the Union Michigan was admitted to the United States as its 26th state after resolving a boundary dispute with Ohio known as the Toledo War. The territory had been settled rapidly following completion of the Erie Canal.
• 1837 Oliver Twist begins serialization Charles Dickens begins publishing Oliver Twist in monthly installments Charles Dickens began serializing Oliver Twist in Bentley's Miscellany, a novel exposing the harsh treatment of orphans and the criminal underworld of London. It became one of the most enduring works of Victorian literature.
• 1837 United States recognizes the Republic of Texas Outgoing President Andrew Jackson formally recognizes Texan independence On his last full day in office, President Andrew Jackson extended formal diplomatic recognition to the Republic of Texas. Mexico did not recognize Texan independence and the move heightened tensions between the two countries.
• 1837 – 1908 Grover Cleveland 22nd & 24th President — only non-consecutive terms Grover Cleveland (Mar 18, 1837 – Jun 24, 1908) was the 22nd and 24th President — the only US president to serve two non-consecutive terms (1885-1889 and 1893-1897). Known for his honesty and opposition to corruption.
• 1837 Panic of 1837 Major U.S. banks suspend specie payments, triggering a severe depression A sudden collapse in cotton prices and speculative land values led New York banks to suspend payments in gold and silver on May 10, 1837. The resulting financial panic caused widespread bank failures and a multi-year economic depression in the United States.
• 1837 Accession of Queen Victoria Eighteen-year-old Victoria becomes Queen of the United Kingdom Following the death of her uncle William IV, Princess Victoria became queen at the age of eighteen. Her reign would last 63 years and come to define an era of British history and global influence.
• 1837 Capture of Osceola Seminole leader Osceola is seized by U.S. forces under a flag of truce General Thomas Jesup ordered the capture of Seminole war leader Osceola during truce negotiations near St. Augustine, Florida. The act was widely condemned as a breach of faith and Osceola died in captivity months later.
• 1837 Mount Holyoke Female Seminary founded Mary Lyon opens one of the first institutions of higher education for women in the U.S. Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in Massachusetts to provide rigorous academic education to women at a time when few such opportunities existed. It is considered the first of the Seven Sisters colleges.
• 1837 Lower Canada Rebellion begins Armed uprising against British colonial rule breaks out in Quebec Patriote rebels led by Louis-Joseph Papineau clashed with British forces, winning an early victory at Saint-Denis before being decisively defeated at Saint-Eustache. The rebellion arose from longstanding grievances over colonial governance and representation.
• 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion William Lyon Mackenzie leads an armed uprising near Toronto A group of reformers led by William Lyon Mackenzie attempted to seize control of the colonial government of Upper Canada. The poorly organized rebellion was quickly suppressed by loyalist militia near Montgomery's Tavern.
• 1837 Winter Palace fire A catastrophic fire destroys much of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg A fire broke out in the Winter Palace, the official residence of the Russian tsars, and burned for three days despite efforts to contain it. Tsar Nicholas I ordered the palace rebuilt, and reconstruction was completed within two years.
• 1837 Battle of Lake Okeechobee U.S. forces fight Seminole warriors in Florida during the Second Seminole War American troops under Colonel Zachary Taylor engaged Seminole and allied fighters in a major battle of the Second Seminole War. Despite heavier American casualties, the Seminoles withdrew and the battle was claimed as a U.S. victory.
• 1837 Burning of the Caroline British forces destroy a U.S. steamboat supplying Canadian rebels, straining American-British relations Canadian loyalist forces crossed into American territory to seize and burn the steamer Caroline, which had been ferrying supplies to rebels involved in the Upper Canada Rebellion. The incident, which caused one American death, became a serious diplomatic dispute between Britain and the United States.