What Happened in 1842

Charles Darwin Published "The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs"

The Structure and Distribution of Coral Reefs, Being the first part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. Fitzroy,... Read more

Versailles Rail Accident

The Versailles rail disaster is the first railway accident in France and one of the first in the world. The Versailles rail accident, occurred on... Read more

Thomas J. Jackson is Accepted into the United States Military Academy

In 1842, Jackson was accepted to the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Because of his inadequate schooling, he had difficulty... Read more

Webster-Ashburton Treaty Is Signed

The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, was a treaty resolving several border issues between the United States and the British North... Read more

Abraham Lincoln Weds Mary Todd

On November 4, 1842 Lincoln married Mary Todd, daughter of a prominent slave-owning family from Kentucky. The couple had four sons. Robert Todd... Read more

Charles Sherwood Stratton, aka 'General Tom Thumb' Performs at Barnum's American Museum

Visiting his home state of Connecticut on a cold November night in 1842, the great showman Phineas T. Barnum thought to track down an amazingly... Read more

Hawaiian Independence Recognized by the United States

Faced with the problem of foreign encroachment of Hawaiian territory, His Hawaiian Majesty King Kamehameha III deemed it prudent and necessary to... Read more