What Happened in 1844

Charles Dickens publishes The Chimes

The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, a short novel by Charles Dickens, was written and published... Read more

P. T. Barnum and General Tom Thumb Tour Europe

They passed through a long corridor to a broad flight of marble steps, which led to the picture gallery, and there the Queen and Prince Albert, the... Read more

Joseph Smith Jr. Runs For President Of The United States Of America

The first Mormon to seek the White House was also the first Mormon -- Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the Mormon Church, whose 1844 presidential... Read more

Harriet Tubman marries John Tubman

In 1844 at the age of 25, she married John Tubman, a free African American who did not share her dream. Since she was a slave, she knew there could... Read more

Trinitarios Declare the Independence of the Dominican Republic from Haiti

In 1838 Juan Pablo Duarte founded a secret society called La Trinitaria, which sought the complete independence of Santo Domingo without any... Read more

Edgar Allan Poe Moves to New York and Works for the New York Evening Mirror

One evening in January 1842, Virginia showed the first signs of consumption, now known as tuberculosis, while singing and playing the piano. Poe... Read more

Samuel F. B. Morse Dispatches the First Telegraphic Message

On May 24, 1844, Samuel F. B. Morse dispatched the first telegraphic message over an experimental line from Washington, D.C., to Baltimore. The... Read more

The Newspaper 'The Nauvoo Expositor' Publishes Its Only Issue

On June 7, 1844, William Law, a disaffected Mormon, published the first and only edition of the Nauvoo Expositor. It described in lurid prose all... Read more

The Texas Annexation Treaty Is Defeated

In 1843, President John Tyler came out in support of annexation, entering negotiations with the Republic of Texas for an annexation treaty, which... Read more

Joseph Smith Jr. Is Killed

In the History of the Church the following account is given concerning Joseph Smith's death: 'Immediately there was a little rustling at the... Read more

"Thou Art The Man" Is Published

"Thou Art the Man," originally titled "Thou Art the Man!," is a short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1844. It is an early experiment... Read more

James K. Polk Is Elected

On November 5, 1844, Democratic candidate James K. Polk defeated Whig Party candidate Henry Clay to become the eleventh president of the United... Read more

Karl Friedrich Benz is Born

Karl Friedrich Benz, sometimes spelled as Carl, (November 25, 1844, Karlsruhe, – April 4, 1929, Ladenburg, Germany) was a German engine designer... Read more