Top 10 Headlines of the Nineteenth Century
10.
First Train Operates in England, February 1804
When English inventor Richard Trevithick ran his first, working steam engine along a set
a tracks between the Pen-y-darren ironworks near Merthyr Tydfil to the nearby town of
Abercynon in south Wales in February 1804, he probably had no idea of the impact his
ungainly (and only marginally successful) machine would have.
Within a few decades of that early test run, passenger trains would become the normal mode
of travel for millions throughout century, and would revolutionize travel, industry,
and society.
Reaching their glory years in the latter half of the nineteenth century, the venerable train
remains with us still, though it has long since shed its reputation as the smoke and
steam belching monstrosity it once was, to become the diesel/electric monstrosity it
is today.
9.
Charles Darwin Articulates the Theory of Evolution, 1859
With the publication of Darwin’s naturalist treatise On the Origin of Species, the worlds
of science and religion—which had up to then been largely allies—became bitter enemies.
Darwin’s ideas that life evolved over immense periods of geological time was in such sharp
contrast to Christianity’s teaching that the world that all life was divinely created
about 6,000 years ago, that it not only shook the religious world to its core, but formed
the basis for all modern earth science.
Even though there are still many who continue to challenge Darwin’s theory to this day,
it has been generally accepted by the scientific community as fact and, as such, has had a
profound impact on everything from social engineering to medicine.
This would make 1859, it would seem, the year when modern science first took flight.
8.
Suez Canal Opens, November 1869
While most people may not see how the construction of a simple canal across the Suez Desert might
be considered that big a deal, consider how the ability to sail from Europe directly to
the Orient, without having to round Africa, would have impacted trade on a global scale
a century and a half ago.
The brainchild of French engineer Ferdinand de Lesseps, the 120-mile long canal dramatically
shortened sailing times, and opened parts of the world to trade that had been mere backwaters
beforehand.
Unfortunately, it also left many formerly thriving African ports desolate, as ships
bypassed the continent entirely, slowing coastal Africa’s development substantially.
It wouldn’t be until the opening of the Panama Canal in 1912 that such a dramatic
and far-reaching engineering feat would be equaled again, making the world a much smaller
place than it had been previously.
7.
Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone, March 1876
In this age of cell phones and instant communication, it’s sometimes easy to forget it all started
almost 140 years ago with the invention of the telephone, but this was the invention
that has made our present age of instant communications possible.
Of course, the telegraph had been around for awhile (and was every bit as important an
invention) but with the telephone, the promise of instant voice communication around the
world—and without the need for telegraph operators or the need to know Morse code—became
not only possible, but inevitable.
Interestingly, Bell almost wasn’t the man who invented the telephone.
It seems he had keen competition in one Elisha Gray, whom he beat to the patent office by
a mere two hours.
6.
Battleship Maine Sunk in Havana Harbor, February 1898
While the accidental sinking of an American warship would not seem to be that big a deal,
when the battleship Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor on the evening of February
15th, 1898, killing 274 men and officers, it started a chain of events that would culminate
in the United States going to war with Spain and becoming a colonial power as a result
of that dominating win.
The unfortunate thing about it is that most naval historians today agree that the vessel
was more likely the victim of an accidental magazine explosion than a Spanish mine, the
war being more a result of errant assumption and ardent nationalism on the part of the
United States rather than an act of aggression by Spain (who had neither the resources nor
the motive to want to see war with the States.)
5.
Nelson Defeats French and Spanish Fleets at Trafalgar, October 1805
This massive naval engagement in the waters off Cadiz, Spain in October of 1805 ended
French and Spanish domination of the seas, and paved the way for England to become the
premier naval superpower of the nineteenth century (a title it would not relinquish until
well into the twentieth century.)
The battle also immortalized Admiral Horatio Nelson, who died during the battle and became
one of England’s most legendary heroes.
His flagship, HMS Victory, even survives to this day and serves as a museum in Portsmouth,
England, where it takes in more than 350,000 visitors each year.
4.
President Lincoln Assassinated, April 1865
What the JFK assassination was to twentieth century America, Lincoln’s assassination
at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. on the evening of April 14, 1865 was to nineteenth
century America.
Struck down at the height of his popularity, and only days after overseeing the end of
America’s costliest war, the death of the President sent shockwaves throughout the country
that were to have immense repercussions for decades to come.
Sine Lincoln had advocated a reconciliatory approach to a defeated South, his death opened
the door for a more brutal approach to reconstruction, which did much to extend the bitter feelings
in the Southern states throughout the balance of the century.
Had Lincoln lived, it’s very likely reconstruction would have taken a very different direction,
and the civil rights struggles of the last 150 years would have gone very differently.
3.
Confederate Troops Fire Upon Fort Sumter, April 1861
In direct response to the inauguration of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency, South Carolina
secedes from the Union, and its troops open fire on the Union’s main fort off Charleston,
Fort Sumter.
Its surrender two days later not only led to the eventual secession of eleven southern
states, but proved to be the opening shots in what was to become the bloodiest war in
American history.
Though there were no casualties on either side, it was one of the most seminal events
in American history, one which would divide the nineteenth century into two very distinct
parts: the antebellum pre-industrial first half, and the post-war, industrial second
half.
2.
Lee Suffers Major Defeat at Gettysburg, July 1863
In the key turning point of the Civil War, Confederate General Robert E. Lee is defeated
at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania by Union forces under General George Meade, effectively ending
Lee’s summer offensive into Pennsylvania.
Had it gone the other way, it’s quite possible Lee would have been able to threaten Washington
D.C., and may have even been able to force the North to agree on terms of surrender.
Thus, this is one of those rare pivotal moments in history where everything truly changed.
As it was, the three-day battle marked the beginning of the end for the Confederacy,
who was never again able to threaten the North, and was forced to play defense until inevitable
demise two years later.
1.
Napoleon Defeated at Waterloo, June 1815
In one of the most decisive battles in the history of Europe, an Anglo-Dutch army led
by the Duke of Wellington, and a Prussian army led by Field-Marshal Blücher defeated
Napoleon’s army at the Battle of Waterloo, Belgium.
This finally brought an end to the French Emperor’s expansionist plans, and making
Great Britain the premier power in Europe for the balance of the century.
While it’s always fun to speculate what might had happened had Napoleon been the victor
that day, it’s likely that had the emperor won, France would have been the super power
in Europe for the remainder of the century, reshaping the political and social climate
of Europe in profound ways as a result.