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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1840 | - 1840: Census
Population Act relating to taking of censuses in Britain
- 1840: Last convicts landed in NSW
Last convicts landed in NSW (some say 1842 or 1849, but these probably landed
elsewhere)
- 10 Jan 1840: Penny Postage
Uniform Penny Postage introduced nationally
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| 2 | 1841 | - 1841: Thomas Cook
Thomas Cook starts package tours
- 10 Feb 1841: Penny Red
Penny Red replaces Penny Black postage stamp
- 6 Jun 1841: First full census
June 6: First full census in Britain in which all names were recorded(Population 18.5M)
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| 3 | 1842 | - 1842: Income Tax reintroduced
Income Tax reintroduced in Britain
- 30 Mar 1842: Ether used as an anesthetic
Ether used as an anesthetic for the first time (by Dr Crawford Long in America)
- 29 Aug 1842: Treaty of Nanking
Treaty of Nanking - End of First Opium War - Britain gains Hong Kong
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| 4 | 1843 | - 1843: First Christmas card
First Christmas card in England
- 27 May 1843: Great Hall of Euston station opens
The Great Hall of Euston station opened in London
- 19 Jul 1843: SS Great Britain
Brunel's 'Great Britain' launched
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| 5 | 1844 | - 6 Jun 1844: YMCA founded
YMCA founded in London by Sir George Williams
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| 6 | 1845 | - 1845: Tarmac laid for first time
Tarmac laid for first time (in Nottingham)
- 17 Mar 1845: Rubber band patented
The rubber band patented by Stephen Perry
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| 7 | 1846 | - 10 Sep 1846: Sewing machine is patented
The sewing machine is patented by Elias Howe
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| 8 | 1847 | - 1847: Mormons
US Mormons make Salt Lake City their centre
- Jan 1847: Anesthetic used for the first time in England
An anesthetic used for the first time in England (James Simpson used ether to numb the pain of labour)
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| 9 | 1848 | - 1848: Chewing gum
First commercial production of chewing gum
- 24 Jan 1848: California gold rush
Gold found at Sutter's Mill, California - starts the California gold rush
- 11 Jul 1848: Waterloo station opens
Waterloo railway station in London opens
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| 10 | 1849 | - 1849: Florin introduced
Florin(2 shilling coin) introduced as the first step to decimalisation - which finally occurred in 1971!
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| 11 | 1851 | - 1851: Gold Rush
Gold discovered in Australia
- 1 May 1851: 'Crystal Palace' exhibition
Great exhibition of the works of industry of all nations ('Crystal Palace' exhibition) opened in Hyde Park
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| 12 | 1852 | - 1852: Tasmania
Tasmania ceases to be a convict settlement
- 1852: Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo established in USA
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| 13 | 1853 | - 1853: Vaccination against smallpox
Vaccination against smallpox made compulsory in Britain
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| 14 | 1854 | - 1854: Cigarettes introduced into Britain
Cigarettes introduced into Britain
- 27 Mar 1854: Crimean War
Britain declares war on Russia (Crimean War)
- 25 Oct 1854: charge of the Light Brigade
Battle of Balaklava in Crimea (charge of the Light Brigade)
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| 15 | 1856 | - 1856: End of Crimean War
End of Crimean War
- 29 Jan 1856: Victoria Cross created by Royal Warran
Victoria Cross created by Royal Warrant, backdated to 1854 to recognise acts
during the Crimean War (first award ceremony 26 June 1857)
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| 16 | 1857 | - 1857: Transatlantic cable
Work starts on the laying of the Transatlantic cable
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| 17 | 1858 | - 1858: The great stink
'The great stink' - smell of the River Thames forced Parliament to stop work
- 1858: Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House opens in Covent Garden, London
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| 18 | 1859 | - 25 Apr 1859: Work Started on the Suez canal
Work started on building the Suez canal (opened 17 Nov 1869)
- 4 May 1859: Royal Albert Bridge opened
Brunel's Royal Albert Bridge opened at Saltash giving rail link between Devon
and Cornwall
- 24 Nov 1859: The Origin of Species published
Charles Darwin publishes 'The Origin of Species'
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| 19 | 1860 | - 29 Aug 1860: First tram service in Europe starts
First tram service in Europe starts in Birkenhead
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| 20 | 1861 | - 25 May 1861: American Civil War begins
American Civil War begins
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| 21 | 1862 | - 20 Apr 1862: First pasteurisation test
First pasteurisation test completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard
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