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Queen Victoria takes the crown at age 18. Granddaughter of King George III, father died when she was 8, three uncles died, first in line as heir to the throne.
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First electric telegraph is sent between English inventor William Fothergill Cooke and scientist Charles Wheatstone, founder of The Electric Telegraph Company.
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British empire abolishes slavery, 800,000 slaves in the British Caribbean are freed. British government provides damage payment to slave owners, nothing to slaves.
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The People’s Charter (the result of a political and social reform protest movement) calls for a more democratic system, the right to vote for men 21 and older; no property qualification to run for Parliament, annual elections; equal representation; payment for members of Parliament; and vote by secret ballot.
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First modern railroad line, the London-Birmingham Railway, opens and starts the steam-powered railway boom and revolutionizing travel in Britain.
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Queen Victoria marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, her first cousin. She proposed, since she was queen. Married for 17 years, Albert died of typhoid in 1861, and the couple has 9 children.
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The Penny Black, the first postage stamp sold for one penny, is released in Britain, featuring a portrait of Queen Victoria. More than 70 million letters sent in the first year, then tripled in the next two years. Stamp is copied by other countries.
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Charles Dickens publishes A Christmas Carol.
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Ireland’s potato crop begins to rot, causing the Irish Potato Famine lasting 4 years. There are 1 million deaths and 1 million people emigrate out of the country.
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The Great Exhibition, put together by Prince Albert, is opened in London’s Crystal Palace. There were 10,000-plus exhibitors displaying the world’s technological wonders-from false teeth to farm machinery to telescopes. Six million people attend what would later become the first World’s Fair.
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The Vaccination Act makes it mandatory for children born after August 1, 1853, to be vaccinated against smallpox. Parents who do not comply are fined or imprisoned.
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France and Britain declare war on Russia, launching the Crimean War, which largely surrounds the protection of the rights of minority Christians in the Ottoman Empire. History’s most famous nurse, Florence Nightingale, helps reduce the death count by two-thirds by improving unsanitary conditions.
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The controversial On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin is published, presenting his theory of natural selection and questioning the theory of creation.
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Liberal William Gladstone defeats Conservative Benjamin Disraeli to become prime minister, a position he held for four terms. His legacy includes reform for Ireland, establishing an elementary education program, and instituting secret ballot voting.
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Scotsman Alexander Graham Bell is awarded a patent on his invention of the telephone, and three days later, famously makes the first phone call to Thomas Watson, his assistant.
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India, which had been under British rule since 1858, declares Queen Victoria empress, under the direction of Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli.
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An unknown killer, named Jack the Ripper, murders and mutilates five prostitutes in London.
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Queen Victoria dies on the Isle of Wight at age 81, ending the Victorian Era. She is succeeded by Edward VI, her eldest son, who reigned until his death in 1910.
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History.com Editors. “Victorian Era Timeline.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 15 Mar. 2019, www.history.com/topics/19th-century/victorian-era-timeline.
