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List of events
Events from the year 1844 in the United States.
Incumbents
Events
- January 15 – The
University of Notre Dame receives its charter from
Indiana.
- February 28 – The "Peacemaker", the largest naval gun in the world, explodes during a demonstration aboard the
USS Princeton on the
Potomac River, killing six, including
Secretary of State
Abel P. Upshur and
Secretary of the Navy
Thomas Walker Gilmer.
- March 12 – The
Columbus and Xenia Railroad, the first railroad that is planned to be built in
Ohio, is chartered.
- May 24 – The first
electrical telegram is sent by
Samuel F. B. Morse from the U.S. Capitol in
Washington, D.C. to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in
Baltimore, Maryland, saying "What hath God wrought".
- June–July – The
Great Flood of 1844 hits the
Missouri River and
Mississippi River.
- June 15 –
Charles Goodyear receives a
patent for
vulcanization, a process to strengthen
rubber.
- June 22 – Influential
North American student
fraternity
Delta Kappa Epsilon is founded at
Yale College.
- June 27 –
Killing of Joseph Smith:
Joseph Smith, founder of the
Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother
Hyrum are killed in
Carthage Jail,
Carthage, Illinois by an armed mob, leading to a
succession crisis in the movement.
John Taylor, future president of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is severely injured but survives;
Willard Richards survives with a light wound.
- July 3 – The U.S. signs the
Treaty of Wanghia with
Qing dynasty China, the first diplomatic agreement between the two nations in history.
- July 25 –
Exclusion Law in
Oregon prohibits African Americans (including slaves) from entering or remaining in the territory
- August 8 – During a meeting held in
Nauvoo, Illinois, the
Quorum of the Twelve, headed by
Brigham Young, is chosen as the leading body of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
- October 22 – The
Great Disappointment:
Millerites (including future members of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church) find that the
Second Coming of
Jesus does not occur as predicted by preacher
William Miller.
- December 4 –
U.S. presidential election, 1844:
James K. Polk defeats
Henry Clay.
- Undated
Births
- March 12 –
Patrick Collins, lawyer, 37th
Mayor of Boston and
U.S. Representatives from
Massachusetts (died
1905)
- April 13 –
John Surratt, suspected involvement in the
assassination of Abraham Lincoln, son of
Mary Surratt (died
1916)
- April 22 –
Lewis Powell, conspirator with
John Wilkes Booth, attempted assassin of
William H. Seward (died
1865)
- May 2 -
Elijah McCoy, inventor of the automatic steam engine lubricator (died
1929)
- June 1 –
John J. Toffey,
Medal of Honor recipient (died
1911)
- June 3 –
Garret Hobart, 24th
vice president of the United States from 1897 till 1899. (died
1899)
- July 9 –
Charles D. Barney, stockbroker (died
1945)
- August 1 –
Levi Ankeny, United States Senator from Washington from 1903 till 1909. (died
1921)
- August 24 –
Charles B. Clark, politician and entrepreneur (died
1891)
- October 11 –
Henry J. Heinz, entrepreneur and founder of the
H. J. Heinz Company (died
1919)
- Full date unknown:
Deaths
- January 13 –
Alexander Porter, United States Senator from Louisiana from 1833 till 1837. (born
1785)
- January 25 –
Horace H. Hayden, first licensed American
dentist (born
1769)
- February 27 –
Nicholas Biddle, financier, last president of the
Second Bank of the United States (born
1786)
- February 28 –
- March 6 –
Gabriel Duvall,
Justice of the
U.S. Supreme Court from 1811 to 1835 (born
1752)
- May 18 –
Richard McCarty, politician (born
1780)
- April 4 –
Charles Bulfinch, architect of the
Massachusetts State House (born
1763)
- April 21 –
Henry Baldwin, Associate Justice of the US Supreme Court from 1830 till 1844. (born
1780)
- June 27
Joseph Smith Jr., religious leader and founder of
Mormonism and the
Latter Day Saint movement (born
1805)
- July 23 –
Christian Gobrecht, third Chief Engraver of the
United States Mint from 1840 to 1844 (born
1785)
- August 15 –
William S. Fulton, United States Senator from Arkansas 1836 till 1844. (born
1795)
- September 14 –
Oliver Holden, composer (born
1765)
See also
References
External links