LANDMARKS OF WORLD HISTORY
A Chronology of Remarkable Natural Phenomena
19th Century 1841-1850
Date
Location
Phenomenon
Description
1841
Nanga Parva, Himalayas
Earthquake
Landslide after earthquake blocked the Indus River; dam burst and flood drowned Sikh army 300 miles downstream
1841 January 8
London
Winter cold
A day temperature of 17° F. in London
1841 January 10
Denmark
Winter cold
Ice on Denmark Sound supported sledges until March 24
1841 January 28
Antarctica
Volcano
James Ross discovers Mount Erebus
1841 March 22
Silesia
Meteorite
A 2 lbs. stone fell at Gruneberg after detonations
1841 April
North Atlantic
Ice
Icefield 100 miles long, surrounded by immense numbers of floes
1841 April - May
-
Planet
A marking ‘like a lunar crater’ on Venus; telescopic
1841 June
Italy
Ball lightning
A reddish yellow fireball during a storm at Milan
1841 June 12
France
Meteorite
A 66 lbs. stone fell at Chateau-Renard after a fireball
1841 June 30
Germany
Fall
A heavy fall of pike, perch, roach, etc. during a storm in North Germany
1841 July 8
England
Fall
‘Enormous numbers’ of fish, frogs and ice fell at Derby
1841 July 21 - 22
Hong Kong
Typhoon
Over 1,000 drowned in Hong Kong harbour
1841 August 17
Tennessee, United States
Fall
Drops of ‘blood’ and foul-smelling matter fell from a red cloud
1841 August 27
Costa Rica
Earthquake
Shock wrecked Cartago; 4,000 killed
1841 October 7
Scotland
Fall
Many fish fell in thunderstorm at Dunfermline
1841 November 5
France
Meteorite
An 11 lbs. stone fell at Bourbon-Vendee
1841 November 15
Langensalza
Bolide
Meteor burst over town with ‘tremendous detonation’
1841 December 5
Silesia
Bolide
Fireball as large as the Moon burst into many ’stars’
1841 December 21
Scotland
Bolide
Fireball twice size of Moon seen from Stirling and Glasgow; exploded
1841 December 25
England
Landslide
8 killed when goods train ran into landslide after heavy rain at Sonning
1842 March 4
Virginia, United States
Tornado
A tornado 1,500 yards wide at Cartersville; track 8 miles long
1842 April 26
Yugoslavia
Meteorites
2 or 3 stones of 6 kg. each fell at Milena after exploding meteor
1842 May 16
North Atlantic
Ice
About 100 icebergs seen at 46° N., 47° W.; one 500 feet high
1842 June 4 (or 3)
France
Meteorite
A 4 lbs. stone fell at Aumieres
1842 June 17 - 18
Western Australia
Tornado
Tornado 400 yards wide cut swathe through a forest at Leschenault
1842 July 4
Spain
Meteorite
A 7 lbs. stony-iron fell at Barea
1842 July 8
Europe
Solar eclipse
Total eclipse, Italy, France, Germany, Russia; ‘bright glory’ round Moon
1842 August 5
Harrogate, Yorkshire
Meteorite?
A hot stone fell. “Whistling’ in air, lightning and thunder
1842 November 22
Washington State, U.S.
Volcano
Mount St. Helens erupted ash
1843
Mongolia
Fall
Millstone-sized ice mass fell during thunderstorm
1843 January 13 - 15
Irish Sea
Gale
107 fishermen drowned
1843 February 8
West Indies
Earthquake
Shock ruined Pont-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe; felt in Barbados and British Guiana
1843 February 27
-
Comet
Perihelion of Great Comet; 81,500 miles from Sun’s surface
1843 February 28
-
Comet
Nucleus of Great Comet visible in daylight, 4° from Sun
1843 March 7
Washington, U.S.A.
Comet
Tail of Great Comet 55° long
1843 March 25
South Carolina
Meteorite
A 13 lbs. stone fell at Bishopsville
1843 June
France
Ball lightning
Fireball entered room via chimney, Paris; ‘played’ about, left via stovepipe, exploded
1843 June
-
Sunspot
Spot 74,000 miles in diameter visible 8 days. Sunspot minimum
1843 June 2
Holland
Meteorite
A 7 kg. stone fell after detonations
1843 August 9
England
Hail
Great hailstorm moved 255 km. from Cotswolds to Norfolk
1843 December 11
France
Meteor
‘Great bolide’ as bright as the Sun; serpentine motion
1843 December 21
France, Switzerland
Bolide
Detonating fireball illuminated countryside, Alsace, Zurich
1844 January
Brazil
Meteorite
Huge mass of hot iron fell with great noise and light, Entre Rios
1844 January
Mexico
Meteorite
A 2.6 lbs. stone fell at Cosina after meteor
1844 January
Argentina
Meteorite
‘Aerolite about 1 cubic yard in mass’ fell at Corritas Pago
1844 March 18
Denmark
Winter cold
Sledge party drove over frozen Denmark Sound from Copenhagen to Sweden
1844 April 29
Ireland
Meteorites
A shower of small stones fell at Killeter; no meteor seen
1844 June 24
Liverpool, England
Fall
Pebbles and eels fell in a thunderstorm
1844 October
France
Fall
A 5 kg. ice block fell at Cette
1844 October 4 - 7
Cuba
Hurricane
All villages destroyed between Havana and Cardenas; 72 ships lost in Havana harbour
1844 November 17
India
Meteor
Brilliant meteors at Bombay on 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st
1844 November 20
France
Bolide
A fireball brighter than the Moon, Laysac; great and numerous detonations
1845
Canada
Volcano?
An eruption in British Columbia
1845 January 16
France
Bolide
A large daylight meteor exploded with great noise
1845 (or 1846) February 19
Columbia
Volcano
Mudflow from Nevado del Ruiz k. 1,000
1845 March 13
London
Late cold
Maximum temperature of 25° F.; minimum 14° F., 14th
1845 June 1
Switzerland
Glacier flood
Advance of Vernaght and Rosenthal glaciers formed lake; lake burst in 15 days, flood laid waste valley
1845 August 19
France
Tornado
Violent tornado with track 15 km. long destroyed Moneuil paper-mills; many killed
1845 September 2
Iceland
Volcano
Eruption of Hekla; lasted through most of 1846
1845 September 10
France
Ball lightning
Fireball emerged from chimney and rolled through several rooms, Salignac; a pig killed
1845 December 3
Mentz
Bolide
Large fireball burst over town with ‘much smoke and noise’
1845 December 20
France
Ball lightning
Fireball descended lightning conductor, Bortyvon; became ‘huge cask of fire rolling along ground’
1846 January 13
-
Comet
Biela’s Comet split into two parts
1846 May 8
Ancona
Meteorites
A shower of stones after explosion, Macerata. One weighed 6 lbs.
1846 May 20
India
Tornado?
‘Storm of dust, wind, rain, thunder and lightning’ destroyed barracks at Loodinah; 81 killed
1846 May 21
England
Hot summer
Beginning of an ‘amazing summer’; hottest since 1780
1846 August 1
England
Thunderstorm
Great storm traversed most of England
1846 August 14
Missouri, United States
Meteorite
A 5 lbs. stone fell at Cape Girardeau
1846 September 23
Germany
Planet
Dr. Gaulle finds Neptune
1846 October 6
West Indies
Hurricane
100s killed and great damage in Cuba
1846 October 17
France
Fall
‘Blood-red rain’ from cloud filled with red dust, Lyon
1846 November 11
New York
Fall
‘Meteor’ seen 5 minutes, Loweville; mass of ‘foetid jelly’ 4 feet in diameter found
1846 December 25
Bavaria
Meteorites
Several stones, weight 17 lbs., fell at Minderthal
1847
Cape Verde Islands
Volcano
Eruption of Fuego after 50 years’ rest. Lava flows desolated island
1847 February 25
Iowa, United States
Meteorites
2½ lbs. stone seen to fall after explosions, Marion; 40 lbs. and 20 lbs. stones found later
1847 May 28
London
Heat
83.5° F. at Greenwich
1847 July 14
Bohemia
Meteorite
A 37 lbs. iron broke through a house roof
1847 October 24
London
Aurora
‘Magnificent aurora’ at Greenwich; great magnetic disturbances
1847 October 31
Bay of Bengal
Earthquake?
Sea wave inundated Kondul Island. No shock mentioned
1847 November 8
London
Late warmth
67° F. at Greenwich
1848 February 15
India
Meteorite
A 4 lbs. stone fell at Dharwar
1848 March 19
Europe
Lunar eclipse
Very bright lunar eclipse; Moon blood-red
1848 March 29
England
Halo complex
Solar halo display; 22° halo, 46° halo, off-centre 22° halo, parhelic circle, contact arcs, parhelia
1848 May 3
France
Mirage?
A ‘city and armies in the sky’ seen for two hours, Vienne dans la Dauphine
1848 June 30
England
Summer cold
A severe frost in the south of England
1848 July 4
France
Meteorite
A 3 kg. stone fell at Marmande
1848 August
-
Sunspot
A spot 183,000 miles in diameter
1848 August 10
England
Summer cold
Severe frost at Uckfield; ice on brooks
1848 August 16
Constantinople
Summer heat
A fire swept Constantinople after a hot dry summer; 200 killed
1848 August 18 - 19
Scotland
Gale
SE’ly gale in NE Scotland drowned 100 fishermen
1848 September 24
France
Fall
Shower of fossil ostracods (minute shelled crustacea), Lyon
1848 November 17
Europe
Aurora
Great red aurora seen as far south as Turkey
1848 December 10
London
Winter warmth
Maximum of 62° F. at Greenwich
1849
Caucasus
Glacier
Advance of the Asau glacier destroyed a forest
1849 February 28
England
Blizzard
Ship Florian wrecked in Thames Estuary; 174 drowned
1849 March 28
India
Obscuration
Thick haze at Hoshungabad to April 2; Sun a ‘disc of silver’; impalpable dust sometimes fell
1849 February - March
Dominica
Earthquakes
Continuous alarming shocks; 24 in one night and 8 in one hour
1849 June 3
Cumberland, England
Summer snow
Snow fell on mountains near Whitehaven
1849 June
Paris
Ball lightning
‘Balloon’ descended and burst; ‘lightnings’ shot out and damaged buildings
1849 August 14
Scotland
Ice meteorite?
Ice mass 20 feet in diameter fell at Balvullich after peal of thunder
1849 September 9
Scotland
Mirage?
“An army and ships in the sky’, afternoon, Lough Foyle
1849 October 31
North Carolina, United States
Meteorite
A 19 lbs. stone fell in Cabarras County after detonations
1849 November 1
South Carolina
Meteors
Meteors and detonations during day; ‘shooting stars’ in evening
1849 November 13
Italy; North Africa
Meteorites
Detonating meteor seen from Italy and Tunis; shower of stones fell on Tripolis
1850 early January
Sudan
Earthquake
Violent earthquake in Equatoria; great ground disturbances
1850 January 5
Italy
Winter cold
Heavy snow in Florence; minimum temperateure of 10° F.
1850 February 5
Italy
Volcano
Eruption of Vesuvius begins; lava-flow 4 miles wide on Feb. 14
1850 February 6
Winter cold
Constantinople
158 persons froze to death, mostly in houses
1850 February 11
England
Bolide
Great meteor passed from Shropshire to Warwickshire; burst 19 miles up. See here
1850 February 15
North Carolina
Fall
‘Flesh and blood’ fell on small area, Simpson County
1850 March 29
Virginia, United States
Fall
‘Blood and flesh’ fell from small reddish cloud, Cloverlea
1850 March 30
England
Gale
Many shipwrecks; Royal Adelaide wrecked off Margate, 300 drowned
1850 April 7
Spain
Lightning
Saragossa Cathedral set on fire by lightning and destroyed
1850 April 18
Ireland
Tornado
A tornado did much damage in Dublin
1850 May
Atlantic Ocean
Ice
An ice field 150 miles long, lat. 46° N.
1850 June 12
Japan
Meteor
A 135 kg. stone fell at Kesen after detonations
1850 August 6
France
Flood
Thunderstorm flooded Paris up to 4 feet deep
1850 August 17
Belgium
Flood
Brussels inundated after heavy rain
1850 September 15
Arctic Canada
Anomalous phenomena
Two spherical bodies seen floating over Wellington Channel ‘for some time’
1850 October 14
Mediterranean
Waterspout
Brig Lady Flora sunk by ‘whirlwind’ 30 miles off Gozo; all hands but one lost
1850 November 30
India
Meteorite
A stone 2 feet in diameter fell at Bissempore
1850 December 14
Ireland
Mirage
‘Aerial Morgana’ seen near the Banmouth
