What Happened in 1837

Louis Agassiz shows changes in Alpine glaciers

In 1837 Agassiz was the first to scientifically propose that the Earth had been subject to a past ice age. In the same year, he was elected a... Read more

Charles Darwin First Speech to the Geological Society of London

With Lyell's enthusiastic backing, Darwin read his first paper to the Geological Society of London on 4 January 1837, arguing that the South... Read more

Michigan is the 26th State Admitted to the Union

Michigan entered the Union as the twenty-sixth state on January 26, 1837. More than two hundred years earlier, when French explorer Étienne Brulé... Read more

Charles Dickens publishes The Adventures of Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress (commonly known as Oliver Twist) (1838) is Charles Dickens's second novel. The book was originally... Read more

Thomas Moran Is Born

February 12 marks the birth of painter Thomas Moran (1837-1926). His depictions of Western landscapes inspired Americans to conserve and cherish... Read more

Lincoln is admitted to the Bar

Admitted to the bar in 1837, he moved to Springfield, Illinois that same year and began to practice law with John T. Stuart. With a reputation as... Read more

Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president of the United States

The ailing President Jackson and his Vice President Van Buren rode together to the Capitol from the White House in a carriage made of timbers from... Read more

City of Chicago is Incorporated, Granted City Charter by the State of Illinois

In 1837 Chicago received its first city charter, which divided the city into six wards, allowed for a mayor elected to a one-year term, and legally... Read more

John Burroughs Is Born

Writer John Burroughs was born on April 3, 1837, in Roxbury, New York. Like Henry David Thoreau before him, Burroughs gained a wide following for... Read more

National And Kapodistrian University Of Athens Is Established

Ranked 200th in the world, the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greek: Εθνικόν και Καποδιστριακόν Πανεπιστήμιον Αθηνών), usually... Read more

James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok Born

Frontiersman, lawman, army scout, gambler, and legendary marksman James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, in Troy Grove,... Read more

The Chickasaws Gather At Memphis, Tennessee

Unlike other tribes who exchanged land grants, the Chickasaw received financial compensation from the United States for their lands east of the... Read more

Loss of the SS Home

While making its third voyage from New York to Charleston, the Home struck a sandbar off the Jersey coast. Unaware of the extent of the damage,... Read more

Harriet Powers Is Born

Harriet Powers (October 29, 1837 – January 1, 1910) was an African American slave, folk artist and quilt maker from rural Georgia. She used... Read more

Elijah Parish Lovejoy Is Killed

On November 7, 1837, Elijah Parish Lovejoy was killed by a pro-slavery mob while defending the site of his anti-slavery newspaper The Saint Louis... Read more

Commodore George Dewey Is Born

This flowery tribute captures the sense of romance with which turn-of-the-century Americans regarded the naval hero of the Spanish-American War,... Read more

Amasa J. Parker Writes A Letter To His Wife

On December 31, 1837, Democrat Amasa J. Parker, Congressman from New York, sat down at his quarters in Mrs. Pittman's boarding house in Washington,... Read more