1820

Events in 1820 15

• 1820 – 1849 Anne Bronte (1820-1849) Died 28 May 1849, aged 29 English novelist and poet, youngest of the Bronte sisters, known for the novels Agnes Grey and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. She died of pulmonary tuberculosis in Scarborough, where she had traveled hoping the sea air would aid her recovery.
• 1820 – 1840 Antarctica confirmed as a continent The seventh continent discovered by three expeditions Between 1820 and 1840, Russian, British, and American expeditions independently confirmed the existence of a massive continental landmass at the South Pole. Fabian von Bellingshausen, Edward Bransfield, and Nathaniel Palmer all sighted the Antarctic coast in 1820. The continent was confirmed by the Wilkes Expedition in 1840, completing the map of the Earth's major landmasses.
• 1820 – 1895 Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) Died 5 August 1895, aged 74 Friedrich Engels was a German philosopher and revolutionary socialist who co-authored The Communist Manifesto with Karl Marx and financially supported Marx for decades. After Marx's death he edited and published the remaining volumes of Das Kapital. He died in London.
• 1820 – 1903 Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) Died 8 December 1903, aged 83 Herbert Spencer was an English philosopher and sociologist who applied evolutionary theory to society, coining the phrase "survival of the fittest." His work influenced sociology, biology, and political thought across the English-speaking world. He died in Brighton, England, on 8 December 1903.
• 1820 – 1887 Jenny Lind (1820-1887) Died 2 November 1887, aged 67 Jenny Lind was a Swedish operatic soprano known as the "Swedish Nightingale," celebrated for her performances across Europe and a highly successful American tour promoted by P.T. Barnum in the early 1850s. She later retired from the stage to focus on charitable work and teaching. She died in England, where she had settled.
• 1820 – 1863 John F. Reynolds (1820-1863) Died 1 July 1863, aged 42 Reynolds was a Union general regarded as one of the Army of the Potomac's most capable commanders. He was killed by a sharpshooter on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg while positioning his troops.
• 1820 – 1914 John Tenniel (1820-1914) Died 25 February 1914, aged 93 An English illustrator and political cartoonist, Tenniel is best remembered for his original illustrations of Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. He also served as the principal political cartoonist for Punch magazine for over fifty years. His images of Alice remain the definitive visual interpretation of the books.
• 1820 – 1893 John Tyndall (1820-1893) Died 4 December 1893, aged 73 Irish-born British physicist known for explaining why the sky is blue, a phenomenon named the Tyndall effect. He died from an accidental overdose of chloral hydrate administered by his wife.
• 1820 – 1865 Laws of thermodynamics Energy is conserved and entropy always increases The first law of thermodynamics (energy is conserved, Joule and Mayer, 1840s) and the second law (entropy of a closed system always increases, Clausius, 1865) were the most fundamental laws of physics discovered in the 19th century. They explained the limits of steam engines, showed that perpetual motion machines are impossible, and introduced the concept of entropy — disorder that only ever increases in a closed system.
• 1820 Oersted — electromagnetism Electricity and magnetism are the same force In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted of Copenhagen discovered that an electric current in a wire deflected a nearby compass needle — demonstrating for the first time that electricity and magnetism are related phenomena. The discovery launched the entire field of electromagnetism and within months led Ampere to formulate the mathematical laws of the magnetic field. It was the first step toward electric motors, generators, and all electrical technology.
• 1820 – 1906 Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) Died 13 March 1906, aged 86 The American women's suffrage leader died in Rochester, New York, fourteen years before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment she had spent her life campaigning for. She co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association and became one of the most recognized symbols of the movement for women's voting rights.
• 1820 – 1878 Victor Emmanuel II (1820-1878) Died 9 January 1878, aged 57 The first king of a united Italy, he reigned as King of Sardinia before becoming King of Italy in 1861 following unification. He worked with Camillo Cavour and Giuseppe Garibaldi to achieve Italian unification. He died in Rome and was buried in the Pantheon.
• 1820 – 1872 William John Macquorn Rankine (1820-1872) Died 24 December 1872, aged 52 William John Macquorn Rankine was a Scottish engineer and physicist who was a founding contributor to the science of thermodynamics. He developed the Rankine cycle and the Rankine temperature scale, both still used in engineering.
• 1820 – 1891 William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) Died 14 February 1891, aged 71 American Union general famous for his destructive March to the Sea during the Civil War, which helped break the Confederacy's capacity to fight. He later served as Commanding General of the US Army. His scorched-earth tactics made him one of the most controversial commanders of the war.
• 1820 – 1910 Florence Nightingale The Lady with the Lamp Founder of modern nursing during the Crimean War.