What Happened in 1851

Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin Publicly Demonstrates Light Bulbs at Estate

In 1851, Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin publicly demonstrated incandescent light bulbs on his estate in Blois, France. His light bulbs are on permanent... Read more

Mark Twain Takes Work as Printer

The next year, he became a printer's apprentice. In 1851, he began working as a typesetter and contributor of articles and humorous sketches for... Read more

John James Audubon Dies

John James Audubon, naturalist and artist famous for his drawings and paintings of North American birds, died on January 27, 1851, in New York... Read more

Ohio Woman's Rights Convention Meets in Akron

Are not the natural wants and emotions of humanity common too, and shared equally by both sexes? Does man hunger and thirst, suffer cold and heat... Read more

First Installment Of Uncle Tom's Cabin Is Published

On June 5, 1851, Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly began to appear in serial form in the Washington National Era, an abolitionist weekly.... Read more

Thomas J. Jackson Accepts Teaching Position at the Virginia Military Institute

The class of 1842 graduated 16 cadets. Living conditions were poor until 1850 when the cornerstone of the new barracks was laid. In 1851 Thomas... Read more

New York Times Founded

The New York Times was founded on September 18, 1851, by journalist and politician Henry Jarvis Raymond, the second chairman of the Republican... Read more

'Moby Dick' is Published

Its reputation invariably preceding it, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick is a novel like no other. Whether readers expect a subtle work of art, a... Read more

Harriet Tubman guides eleven slave fugitives to Canada

Because the Fugitive Slave Law had made the northern United States more dangerous for escaped slaves, many began migrating further north to Canada.... Read more

Lincoln Represents the Alton & Sangamon Railroad

In 1851, he represented the Alton & Sangamon Railroad in a dispute with one of its shareholders, James A. Barret. Barret had refused to pay the... Read more

Gadsden Secures Land To Serve As The Dividing Line For The Two Californias

Gadsden had supported nullification in 1831, and he advocated secession by South Carolina in 1850 when California was admitted to the Union as a... Read more