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Charles Dickens publishes Oliver Twist in periodical form
Oliver Twist is notable for Dickens' unromantic portrayal of criminals and their sordid lives.[1] The book exposed the cruel treatment of many a waif-child in London, which increased international concern in what is sometimes known as "The Great London Waif Crisis." -
Victoria becomes queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Privately, Victoria attempted to influence government policy and ministerial appointments. Publicly, she became a national icon, and was identified with strict standards of personal morality. -
William Wordsworth becomes poet laureate
He was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads. -
Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning elope; during their courtship she writes poems included in Songs from the Portuguese
She lived the remainder of her life in Italy, and the couple had a son in 1849. Later, she published her best-known work, Sonnets from the Portuguese. -
Charlotte Bronte publishes Jane Eyre; Emily Bronte publishes Wuthering Heights
These two novels are among the most stunning romantic tales in any language, and here they are both under one volume. A definite must-have for all true romantics at heart. -
Ten Hours Act limits the number of hours that women and children can work in factories
After the Whigs gained power in Parliament, the Ten Hour Bill was passed becoming the Factories Act 1847. This law limited the work week in textile mills for women and children under 18 years of age. -
Alfred, Lord Tennyson becomes a poet laureate
A number of phrases from Tennyson's work have become commonplaces of the English language, including "Nature, red in tooth and claw", and "'Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all." -
Japan opens trade to the West
The opening of Japan to the West by Commodore Matthew C. Perry, U.S.N., profoundly affected the American imagination. In the summer of 1853, Perry presented Japanese ministers with a letter from President Fillmore seeking friendly relations. -
The U.S. Civil War begins
The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, and, after four years of bloody combat, the Confederacy was defeated, slavery was abolished, and the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began. -
Mohandas K. Gandhi is born in India
He was the preeminent leader of Indian nationalism in British-ruled India. Employing non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for non-violence, civil rights and freedom across the world.
