June 20th, 1837: Queen Victoria began her reign over the United Kingdom, Great Britain, and Ireland. Her reign marked the beginning of the “Victorian Era,” which was known in the United Kingdom as a time of expansion of industry, science, and reach of the British Empire. ...
Historical Timeline
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
August 21st, 1831: Nat Turner launched the largest rebellion of enslaved people in the United States. 50-65 people, mostly white, were killed in Southampton County, Virginia. The state and local militias retaliated by executing over 150 free and enslaved people (including Turner) and creating harsher laws against enslaved people. ...
President Signs Indian Removal Act
May 28th, 1830: President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act which authorized the removal of Native people from the southeast region of the United States. This legislation lead to the Trail of Tears, a twenty-year forced removal of over 60,000 native people including Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Muscogee, and Seminole tribes. Around 10,000 people died traveling the Trail of Tears. ...
First Photo Taken
1827: Frenchman Joseph Nicéphore Niépce captured the oldest surviving photograph (or heliograph) with his new invention, the camera obscura. The photograph depicts a view of the French countryside. ...