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World Event #1
From 1812 to 1814, the British and Americans fought the War of 1812 in North America. This was the second war fought between the Americans and the British on American soil (History). -
Event #1
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Landport, England to John and Elizabeth Dickens. He was one of eight children and lived in poverty due to his father's poor sense of money (Haines 3). -
Event #2
At the age of 12, Charles was pulled out of school because his parents couldn't afford it, which left him to support his family by getting a job at a factory. His job was to paste labels on containers of blacking, one of the easier jobs in the factory. Working at the factory and living in poverty made Charles never forget the lives of the working class, a reoccurring topic in his stories (Haines 5). -
World Event #2
In 1830, Joseph Smith founded the Latter Day Saint movement in upstate New York. This would soon become Mormonism (History). -
Event #3
In December of 1833, Dickens had his first story published. "A Dinner at Poplar Walk", which was later renamed "Mr. Minns and his Cousin", was published in Monthly Magazine. This marked the beginning of Charles' writing career (Perdue). -
Event #4
In April of 1836 Charles was married to his first wife, Catherine Hogarth. In January of 1837, 9 months after their marriage, the first of the 10 Dickens children was born. This was the beginning of a happier time of Dickens' life (Info). -
Event #5
In 1837, Dickens began the writing of Oliver Twist in a magazine called "Bentley's Miscellany". Oliver Twist was the first mainstream story of Dickens' career and is to this day still one of his most popular stories. At this point, Dickens was now on his road to success (Biography). -
World Event #3
In 1837 Queen Victoria came to the throne and began the time known as the Victorian Era. She would become the second longest reigning British monarch (Biography). -
World Event #4
In 1838 mass relocation of Native American Indians, specifically the Cherokee, was carried out. This was the peak of what the Cherokee called the “Trail of Tears” (History). -
Event #6
On the 19th of December, 1843, "A Christmas Carol" was published. "A Christmas Carol" would later become Dickens' most recognized novel and even be developed into several movies and television specials more than a century after its initial publishing. This would be the more popular of Dickens' two Christmas novels (Biography). -
World Event #5
In 1846, the Great Potato Famine struck Ireland, leaving thousands of Irish citizens to starve. This led to massive amounts of Irish men, women, and children migrating into the United States in search of a better life (History). -
Event #7
In 1851 Dickens experienced two major tragedies, the deaths of his father and 9 month old daughter. The two deaths of his beloved family members marked yet another period of sadness in Charles' life. This period of sadness inspired some of the darker stories of Dickens' later career (Biography). -
Event #8
1857 was a significant year in Dickens' later love life, he met young actress Ellen "Nelly" Ternan and separated from his wife Catherine. Dickens' relationship with Ternan was a private and intimate one. Dickens stayed with Nelly for the rest of his life (Biography). -
World Event #6
On April 12th, 1861 the American Civil War began. The war was fought between the Union and Confederacy over whether slavery should be abolished or not. It lasted 4 years, ending in 1865 after the Confederacy abolished slavery (History). -
Event #9
1863 was another year of tragedy for Dickens, both his mother and 4th child died. Dickens had lost both of his parents and 2 of his children and was devastated. Dickens' darkened style of writing continued (Biography). -
Event #10
On June 9th, 1870, at the age of 58, Dickens had a stroke and died in Higham, leaving his novel "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" unfinished. 5 years before his death, Dickens had survived a train crash but never fully recovered. Dickens remains one of the most popular and beloved writers of the 19th century (Biography).
