1851
Great Exhibition Opens
In Paxton's enormous Crystal Palace, Queen Victoria opened a show of manufactures from every corner of the world.
Moby-Dick Published
Herman Melville's enormous, biblical, cetological novel about a mad captain and a white whale sold barely three thousand copies in his lifetime.
Louis-Napoleon's Coup
On the anniversary of Austerlitz, Louis-Napoleon - president of the Second Republic - dissolved the Assembly and called out the army.
Singer Sewing Machine
Isaac Merritt Singer patented a practical foot-treadle sewing machine and, crucially, an installment-plan scheme to sell it to American households.
Want 1851 in context? Print the whole 19th century as a one-sheet timeline chart.
Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1851?
Saeculum lists 4 events from 1851. The most significant is Great Exhibition Opens: In Paxton's enormous Crystal Palace, Queen Victoria opened a show of manufactures from every corner of the world.
What era was 1851 part of?
1851 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1851?
The events from 1851 span Europe and North America.