Year by year · 19th century

1851

1851 in world history: 13 events, 5 births, 12 deaths, 1 work, 2 states founded and 2 that came to an end. 1,059 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 11 March

    Verdi's 'Rigoletto' premieres in Venice

    The opera of a hunchbacked jester was a triumph at La Fenice. Verdi reportedly kept the aria 'La donna è mobile' secret until the final rehearsals, and it was soon sung in the streets.

  2. 12 August

    Isaac Singer patents his improved sewing machine

    Isaac Singer received a US patent for a sewing machine with an up-and-down needle and foot treadle. Sold on instalment plans, Singer machines brought sewing machines into homes worldwide.

  3. 14 November

    Moby-Dick is published in New York

    Harper and Brothers published Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, a month after its London edition. Poorly received at first, the tale of Captain Ahab's pursuit of the white whale is now a classic of American literature.

    New YorkLondon

  4. 24 December

    Fire destroys much of the Library of Congress

    A fire in the Capitol destroyed about 35,000 of the Library of Congress's 55,000 books, including around two-thirds of the collection bought from Thomas Jefferson in 1815.

  5. Battle

    Battle of La Arada

    The Battle of La Arada was fought on 2 February 1851 near Chiquimula in eastern Guatemala.

  6. Event

    Great Exhibition

    The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was an international exhibition held in the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, from May to October 1851.

  7. Battle

    Battle of Viervoet

    The Battle of Viervoet was fought on 30 June 1851 near the Lesotho border between a force led by the British Resident Henry Warden and the Basotho of Moshoeshoe I.

ProfileState898 states with a known seat in 1851Open the atlas at 1851 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1851 5

Died in 1851 12

Works 1

States founded 2

States that came to an end 2

Great speeches

Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a Woman?Sojourner Truth

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1851. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1851
MLA
“1851.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1851. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1851.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1851.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1851’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1851 (Accessed: ).