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Birth
Queen Victoria was the child of Prince Edward and Princess Victoria.
Her father died in 1820 so her mother was left to care for Victoria by herself. At the time of her birth, Victoria's mother was 32 and her father was 51.
(Coffman 123) -
Baptized
Queen Victoria was baptized Alexandrina Victoria. She preferred to go by Victoria so she eventually dropped Alexandrina. Prince Regent originally declined the first three names that were going to be used for her name, until finally agreeing with Alexandrina.
(Gale Learning) -
Succeeded the Throne
Queen Victoria succeeded the English throne at 18 years old. Her Uncle, King William IV died and she was the rightful heir. None of her Uncles had sons or daughters so she was the next in line for the throne.
(Gale Learning) -
Coronation
Over 400,000 people attended her coronation, just eight days after she succeeded the throe. She was dressed in white satan and red velvet robes for the ceremony in Westminster Abbey. She was handed the orb at the wrong time and the ring was forced on the wrong finger.
(Gale Learning) -
Married Albert Edward
Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert Edward. They had a large ceremony and she had proposed to him, following traditions. She wore a large white dress and they celebrated with a tiered cake. These set new traditions for brides, which still show up in most weddings today as well.
(Gale Learning) -
First Telegraph Message is Sent
Samuel F.B. Morse patented the telegraph in 1837. He sent the first message, using morse code, to the Supreme Court in Washington D.C. He sent the message, "What hath God wrought!" from Baltimore, Maryland. This machine has been improved since then and has had many different forms of communication based off of it.
(Wren 27) -
Visited King Louis Philippe
In 1843, Queen Elizabeth visited King Louis Philippe and became the first English ruler to visit a French ruler in over 400 years. This meeting was a sign of peace between the two countries, who had feuded for many generations. Many people in the countries were against the meeting but eventually changed their opinion.
(Gale Learning) -
Opened her First Parliament
Queen Victoria created more royal traditions when she opened her first Parliament meeting in 1852. She arrived in the Irish Stage Coach, which had been built the year before. She made a speech and the protocols and traditions of her opening of Parliament still continue to be used by English monarchs today.
(Gale Learning) -
Darwin Presents the Theory of Evolution
On this day, Charles Darwin published his book, "On the Origin of Species" which explained his theories of evolution and natural selection. His controversial ideas were widely unpopular for a long time but were eventually accepted as true.
(Ruse 151) -
Albert Edward Died
In 1861, Victoria's husband, Prince Albert Edward died and caused the Queen to go into a period of mourning. For the rest of her life, she lived without a spouse and ruled by herself. She became depressed but continued to change England for the better.
(Gale Learning) -
American Civil War Ends
The American Civil War lasted about five years. The war determined what type of government America would have, either a sovereign national or sovereign states. The Northern states won and kept the whole country as one nation. They also ended the institution of slavery in the United States.
(civilwar.org) -
The First Impressionism Art Exhibit is Opened
A group of artists came together and created an art exhibition to rebel against the antiquated style of art that was popular at the time. The impressionist artists used bright colors, broken brushwork, and emphasis on simple life. This style was very popular for many years.
(Freidrich 99) -
Became the Empress of India
In 1876 she became the Empress of India. She still held the title of Queen of England and remained in England most of the time. The main reason for this title was to increase the power of England. They wanted to increase the amount of land they owned and their money and resources that they were able to get.
(Gale Learning) -
Berlin Conference Divides Africa
The Berlin West Africa Conference divided Africa into many new countries. It was a gathering of European countries who wanted to split apart Africa and decided where borders would be. It allowed different countries to explore Africa and gain more land.
(Wesseling 55) -
The First Public Showing of a Motion Picture
The first motion picture cameras were originally made in the 1890s. Soon after they came out, Edward Muybridge created the first public motion picture. It was of a horse galloping, which set off a line of trip wires as it went by. Every time it hit a wire, a camera would go off. When the pictures were put together, they created a video of the horse galloping.
(Rhode 143) -
Died
Queen Victoria died in her home, Osborne House, in 1901, 40 years after her husband died. She was living on the Isle of Wight at the time and still controlled both India and England. She was known as a great ruler and was seen as one of the best rulers of England by many people. By her death, she changed England from a country mostly full of farms, to a country with many cities and towns spread throughout it.
(Gale Learning)
