1850

1850 in variouscalendars
Gregorian calendar	1850; MDCCCL
Ab urbe condita	2603
Armenian calendar	1299; ԹՎ ՌՄՂԹ
Assyrian calendar	6600
Baháʼí calendar	6–7
Balinese saka calendar	1771–1772
Bengali calendar	1257
Berber calendar	2800
British Regnal year	13Vict. 1– 14Vict. 1
Buddhist calendar	2394
Burmese calendar	1212
Byzantine calendar	7358–7359
Chinese calendar	Kỷ dậuNiên (EarthRooster); 4547 or 4340; — to —; Canh tuất niên (MetalDog); 4548 or 4341
Coptic calendar	1566–1567
Discordian calendar	3016
Ethiopian calendar	1842–1843
Hebrew calendar	5610–5611
Hindu calendars
-Vikram Samvat	1906–1907
-Shaka Samvat	1771–1772
-Kali Yuga	4950–4951
Holocene calendar	11850
Igbo calendar	850–851
Iranian calendar	1228–1229
Islamic calendar	1266–1267
Japanese calendar	Kaei3; ( gia vĩnh ３ niên )
Javanese calendar	1778–1779
Julian calendar	Gregorian minus 12 days
Korean calendar	4183
Minguo calendar	62 beforeROC; Dân tiền 62 niên
Nanakshahi calendar	382
Thai solar calendar	2392–2393
Tibetan calendar	Âm thổ kê niên; (female Earth-Rooster); 1976 or 1595 or 823; — to —; Dương kim cẩu niên; (male Iron-Dog); 1977 or 1596 or 824

Millennium:	2nd millennium
Centuries:	18th century; 19th century; 20th century;
Decades:	1830s; 1840s; 1850s; 1860s; 1870s;
Years:	1847; 1848; 1849; 1850; 1851; 1852; 1853;

1850(MDCCCL) was acommon year starting on Tuesdayof theGregorian calendarand acommon year starting on Sundayof theJulian calendar,the 1850th year of theCommon Era(CE) andAnno Domini(AD) designations, the 850th year of the2nd millennium,the 50th year of the19th century,and the 1st year of the1850sdecade. As of the start of 1850, the Gregorian calendar was 12 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

Events[edit]

January–March[edit]

January 29–Henry Clayintroduces theCompromise of 1850to theUnited States Congress.
January 31– TheUniversity of Rochesteris founded inRochester, New York.^[1]
January–Sacramento floods.^[2]
February 28– TheUniversity of Utahopens inSalt Lake City.
March 5– TheBritannia Bridgeopens over theMenai Straitin Wales.
March 7–United States Senator Daniel Webstergives his "Seventh of March" speech, in which he endorses theCompromise of 1850,in order to prevent a possiblecivil war.
March 16–Nathaniel Hawthorne's historical novelThe Scarlet Letteris published inBoston,Massachusetts.
March 19–American Expressis founded byHenry WellsandWilliam Fargo.
March 31– Thepaddle steamer RMSRoyal Adelaide,bound fromCorktoLondon,sinks in theEnglish Channel.

April–June[edit]

April 4–Los Angelesis incorporated as a city in California.
April 15
- San Franciscois incorporated as a city in California.
- Angers Bridgecollapses in France killing around 226 of the soldiers crossing it at the time.
April 19– TheClayton–Bulwer Treatyis signed by the United States and Great Britain, allowing both countries to share Nicaragua, and not claim complete control over the proposedNicaragua Canal.
April
- Pope Pius IXreturns from exile to Rome.
- Stephen Foster's parlor ballad "Ah! May the Red Rose Live Alway"is published in the United States.
May 23– TheUSSAdvanceputs to sea from New York to search forFranklin's lost expeditionin the Arctic.
May 25– Thehippopotamus Obayscharrives atLondon ZoofromEgypt,the first seen in Europe since Roman times.
June 1
- Thetransportation of British convicts to Western Australiabegins, as the transportation of British convicts to other parts of Australia is phased out, when the shipScindianarrives inFremantle,with 75 male prisoners.
- Thepostage stampissues of Austria begin with a series ofimperforatetypographed stamps, featuring the coat of arms.
- The1850 United States Censusshows that 11.2% of the population classed as "Negro" are of mixed race.
June 3–Kansas City, Missouri,is incorporated byJackson County, Missouri,as theTown of Kansas(traditional date of its founding).

July–September[edit]

July–Taiping Rebellion:Hong Xiuquanorders the general mobilisation of rebel forces inChina.
July 1– St. Mary's School for Boys (the futureUniversity of Dayton) opens its doors inDayton, Ohio.
July 2– Former twice-served British Prime Minister SirRobert Peeldies following a fall from his horse atConstitution Hill, London.
July 9
- Mírzá 'Alí-Muhammad,known as theBáb,is executed by a firing squad in Tabriz, Persia, for claiming to be a prophet.
- Vice PresidentMillard Fillmorebecomes the 13th president of the United States upon the death of PresidentZachary Taylor,aged 65.
July 10– President Millard Fillmore issworn in.
July 17–Vegabecame the first star (other than the Sun) to be photographed.^[3]^[4]
July 19–Margaret Fuller,American journalist (b.1810)
August 28–Richard Wagner'sromantic operaLohengrin(including theBridal Chorus) premieres under the direction ofFranz Liszt,inWeimar.
September 4– TheEusébio de Queirós Lawis passed in theBrazilian Empireto abolish the international slave trade.
September 9
- Californiais admitted as the 31stU.S. state.
- TheNew Mexico Territoryis organized by order of theUnited States Congress.
September 12– A7.9 earthquakeshakes the Chinese province ofSichuankilling more than 20,000 people.
September 13–Piz Bernina,the highest summit of the eastern Alps, is first ascended.
September 18
- TheFugitive Slave Lawis passed by theUnited States Congress.
- Harriet Tubmanbecomes an official conductor of theUnderground Railroad.
September 29– Papal bullUniversalis Ecclesiae:TheCatholichierarchy is re-established inEngland and Wales,byPope Pius IXand futurePope Pius X.

October–December[edit]

October 1– TheUniversity of Sydney(the oldest in Australia) is founded.
October 19– ThePhi Kappa Sigmainternational fraternity is founded, at theUniversity of Pennsylvania.
October 28– DelegateEdward Ralph Maydelivers a speech on behalf of African-American suffrage, to theIndianaConstitutional Convention.
November
- Taiping Rebellion:The first clashes of the Taiping Rebellion occur, between theImperialistmilitia and the Heavenly Army.
- Undergraduates atExeter College, Oxfordarrange a "foot grind" (a cross-country steeplechase), the first organised university athletic event.^[5]
November 29– The treaty known as thePunctation of Olmützis signed inOlomouc.It means diplomatic capitulation ofPrussiato theAustrian Empire,which takes over the leadership of theGerman Confederation.
December 16– Members of theCanterbury Association,the first settlers bound forChristchurch,arrive from England at the port ofLyttelton, New Zealand,aboard theCharlotte JaneandRandolph.

Date unknown[edit]

Dost Mohammad Barakzai,emir of Afghanistan, capturesBalkh.^[6]
The first portion of theOudh Bequestis transferred fromOudh Statein theBritish Rajto theShia Islamholy cities ofNajafandKarbala,inPersia.
TheAmerican system of watch manufacturingis started inRoxbury, Massachusetts,by theWaltham Watch Company.
Bingley Hall,the world's first purpose-built exhibition hall, opens inBirmingham,England.
Allan Pinkertonforms the North-Western Police Agency, later thePinkerton National Detective Agency,in the United States.
The temperance organisation,International Organisation of Good Templars,is established inUtica, New York,as the order of the Knights of Jericho.
Mayer Lehmanarrives from Germany to join his siblings inLehman Brothersdry-goods business (predecessor of the bank) inMontgomery, Alabama.
One of the original segments of the historicPacific Highway (United States)inWashington (state)inClarkandCowlitzcounties is established.^[7]
German physicistRudolf Clausiuspublishes his paper on the mechanical theory of heat ( "On the Moving Force of Heat" ) which first states the basic ideas of thesecond law of thermodynamics.
The city ofManchester,England, reaches 400,000 inhabitants.
From this year until1880,144,000East Indianlaborers go toTrinidadand 39,000 toJamaica.
Ongoing –Great Famine (Ireland)subsides.^[8]