February 21, 1804 — The First Steam Train runs
The first ever steam train was built by Richard Trevithick in Wales in the early 19th century. On its maiden...
May 14, 2021
Science & Technology
November 4, 1804 — Sacajawea joins the Lewis and Clark expedition
Probably the most famous member of Shoshone tribe of North American Indians, Sacajawea (or Sacagawea, depending on your translation) is...
May 4, 2021
October 19, 1806 — Benjamin Banneker dies
Benjamin Banneker was born a free black man in Virginia in 1731 – his mother was also a free black,...
April 24, 2021
March 31, 1838 — Construction of the SS Great Western is completed
Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s design for the SS Great Western, which he designed (with some assistance from Thomas Guppy and other...
January 4, 2021
March 25, 1843 — The Thames Tunnel is opened to the public
The Thames Tunnel, connecting Rotherthithe and Wapping, was the first of its kind – the only tunnel up to that...
December 29, 2020
July 30, 1858 — John Speke names Lake Victoria
A British explorer who, along with his fellow explorer Richard Burton, was among those to search for the source of...
November 14, 2020
November 24, 1859 — “On the Origin of Species” by Charles Darwin is first published
One of the most controversial books in the world, On the Origin of Species (often called Origin of the Species...
November 9, 2020
June 28, 1861 — Burke and Wills die in the Australian outback
Robert O’Hara Burke and William John Wills led an expedition of 18 men with the intention of crossing Australia from...
October 29, 2020
December 8, 1864 — The Clifton Suspension Bridge is opened to the public
The Clifton Suspension Bridge was built more than a century after it had first been proposed, from a design by...
October 4, 2020
October 10, 1871 — The Great Chicago Fire is extinguished
The Great Chicago Fire was not, despite early reports, started by Catherine O’Leary’s cow kicking over a lantern – the...
September 9, 2020
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