1843
Ada Lovelace's Notes Published
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, published her translation of an Italian article on Babbage's Analytical Engine, appending notes three times the length of the original. Note G contained an algorithm for computing Bernoulli numbers - the first computer program ever written, for a machine that would never be built in her lifetime.
Ether Anesthesia Glimpsed
In Rochester, a country doctor named Crawford Long used ether to remove a tumor from a friend's neck without pain. He didn't publish. Three years later, William Morton would demonstrate the same thing in Boston and take the credit. Surgery, for the first time in human history, stopped being mostly a matter of speed and screaming.
Britain Annexes Sindh
Sir Charles Napier, defying his orders, conquered the lower Indus valley and reported home with the single Latin word "Peccavi" - "I have sinned." The pun is probably apocryphal but the conquest was real. Sindh was added to the Bombay Presidency, and another Muslim-ruled kingdom had joined the Company's collection.
Maori Wairau Incident
In the South Island of New Zealand, an attempt by British settlers to arrest Chief Te Rauparaha over a disputed land claim ended in a firefight that killed twenty-two Europeans. It was the first serious warning that the Treaty of Waitangi's cozy fictions would not survive actual colonization. Governor FitzRoy's refusal to punish the Maori chiefs enraged the settlers but preserved a fragile peace for several more years.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1843?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1843. The most significant is Ada Lovelace's Notes Published: Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, published her translation of an Italian article on Babbage's Analytical Engine, appending notes three times the length…
What era was 1843 part of?
1843 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1843?
The curated events from 1843 span Europe, North America, South Asia and Oceania.