What Happened in 1838

Jamal al-Din al-Afghani is born

Sayyid Jamāl-al-dīn al-Afghānī (Persian: سید جمال الدین الافغاني; actually Sayyid Muḥammad ibn Ṣafdar -سید محمد بن صفدر)(born 1838 - died March 9,... Read more

The First Anglo-Afghan War

The First Anglo–Afghan War lasted from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition... Read more

Charles Dickens publishes The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

Nicholas Nickleby; or, The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby is a comic novel by Charles Dickens. Originally published as a serial from 1838... Read more

Edgar Allan Poe Publishes First Novel "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym"

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) is the only complete novel written by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. The work relates the... Read more

Missouri Mormon War

In August of 1838, Mormons attempting to vote in the town of Gallatin in Daviess County were attacked and kept from the polls. A man named William... Read more

Frederick Douglass Escapes From Slavery

On September 3, 1838, abolitionist, journalist, author, and human rights advocate Frederick Douglass made his dramatic escape from... Read more

Douglass and Anna Murray Arrive in New Bedford

NEW BEDFORD — The arrival of Frederick and Anna Murray Douglass in New Bedford on Sept. 16 of 1838 was unexceptional, but their four-year stay in... Read more

Joseph Smith Jr. Is Imprisoned In Liberty Jail

The Historic Liberty Jail is where Joseph Smith and five other Mormon leaders were held from December 1838 to April 1839. They were helpless while... Read more