1851 - Definition and Overview

Events

• January 23 - The flip of a coin determines whether a new city in Oregon is named after Boston, Massachusetts, or Portland, Maine, with Portland winning.
• March 1 - Victor Hugo gives speech at the French national assembly and uses the phrase United States of Europe several times
• March 27 - First reported case of white men seeing Yosemite Valley.
• March 30 - A population census was taken of all people living in the United Kingdom.
• May 1 - The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations in the Crystal Palace, Hyde Park, London is opened by Queen Victoria. It runs until October 18.
• May 15 - Rama IV is crowed King of Thailand.
• July - The immortal game, a famous chess game, is played.
• July 1 - Colony of Victoria separates from New South Wales.
• July 29 - Annibale de Gasparis, in Naples, Italy discovers asteroid 15 Eunomia.
• August 22 - The yacht America wins the first America's Cup race (see Yachting).
• October 18 - The Great Exhibition in London is closed.
• November 13 - The Denny Party lands at Alki Point, the first settlers of what will become Seattle, Washington.
• December 2 - Louis Napoleon, president of France, dissolves French National Assembly and declares a new constitution to extend his term. Later he declares himself as an emperor Napoleon III. End of the Second Republic.
• December 24 - The Library of Congress burns.
• December 29 - The first YMCA opens, in Boston, Massachusetts.

Undated

• Dictator Rosas overthrown in Brazil. New government recognizes independent Paraguay. New Blanco government in Uruguay
• Reuters news service founded.
• Gold discovered in Australia.
• The New York Times is founded.
• Ariel and Umbriel, moons of Uranus, discovered by William Lassell.
• St. Paul's College, Hong Kong is founded.
• Singer Corporation founded

Births

• January 19 - Jacobus Kapteyn, Dutch astronomer
• March 27 - Vincent d'Indy, composer and teacher (+ 1931)
• April 21 - Charles Barrois, geologist
• May 6 – Aristide Bruant, cabaret singer and comedian (d. 1925)
• May 20 - Emil Berliner, telephone and recording pioneer
• October 31 - Princess Louise of Sweden
• Robert Abbe, American surgeon

Deaths

• January 31 - David Spangler Kaufman, American politician, first Jewish Congressman from Texas (b. 1813)
• February 1 - Mary Shelley, author
• March 9 - Hans Christian Ørsted, scientist
• September 10 - Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, educator (b. 1787)
• September 11 - Sylvester Graham inventor of Graham cracker
• December 19 - Joseph Mallord William Turner, English Romantic landscape artist.