1840s

Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s
Years: 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849

Events and Trends

*First signing of the Treaty of Waitangi (Te Tiriti o Waitangi) on February 6, 1840 at Waitangi, Northland New Zealand. The treaty between the British Crown and Māori made New Zealand a British colony and is considered the founding point of modern New Zealand.
*Mexican-American War (1846 - 1848) fought between Mexico and the United States of America. The latter emerges victorious and gains undisputed control over Texas while annexing portions of Arizona, California and New Mexico.
* Wave of revolutions in Europe. Collectively known as the Revolution of 1848. This leads to mass emigration of these refugees into industrial cities of the United States as well as to other locations around the world.
*The Webster-Ashburton Treaty, signed August 9, 1842, settled the dispute over the location of the Maine-New Brunswick border between the United States and Canada.

* Karl Marx writes The Communist Manifesto, first published on February 21, 1848.
* Gideon T. Stewart becomes a Good Templars leader.
* In the midst of the Second Great Awakening, preacher William Miller predicts the Second Advent of Jesus Christ will occur on October 22. Christ's failure to appear became known as the Great Disappointment.
*1844 - Persian Prophet the Báb announces his revelation, founding Bábísm. He announced to the world of the coming of "He whom God shall make manifest." He is considered the forerunner of Bahá'u'lláh, the founder of the Bahá'í Faith.
* Adolph Sax invents the saxophone, receiving the patent on May 17, 1846.

*Introduction of the postage stamp. The first of them is Penny Black, issued by the United Kingdom on May 1, 1840.

Robert Sobel Conquest And Conscience: The 1840's (1971)