1831
Faraday's Induction
In a Royal Institution basement, Michael Faraday moved a magnet through a coil of copper wire and saw the galvanometer twitch.
The Liberator Begins
William Lloyd Garrison published the first issue of his abolitionist weekly in Boston, declaring "I will not equivocate - I will not excuse - I…
Darwin Sails on the Beagle
A twenty-two-year-old Cambridge graduate with a theology degree and a passion for beetles boarded HMS Beagle at Plymouth as the captain's unpaid companion.
Nat Turner's Rebellion
In Southampton County, Virginia, an enslaved preacher named Nat Turner led a slave revolt that killed some sixty white men, women, and children over two days.
Belgium Gets a King
A national congress in Brussels elected Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg as king of the newly independent Belgians.
Cholera Returns to Europe
The second cholera pandemic, which had been crawling westward along caravan routes for a decade, reached central Europe by summer.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1831?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1831. The most significant is Faraday's Induction: In a Royal Institution basement, Michael Faraday moved a magnet through a coil of copper wire and saw the galvanometer twitch.
What era was 1831 part of?
1831 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1831?
The events from 1831 span Europe and North America.