1846 - What happened in 1846 ?

January 1846

Monday 05:

The United States House of Representatives votes to stop sharing the Oregon Territory with the United Kingdom.

Wednesday 28:

Battle of Aliwal, India won by British troops commanded by Sir Harry Smith.

February 1846

Thursday 05:

The Oregon Spectator becomes the first newspaper on the Pacific coast of the United States.

Tuesday 10:

Many Mormons begin their migration west from Nauvoo, Illinois.

Thursday 19:

In Austin, Texas the newly-formed Texas state government is officially installed.

March 1846

Friday 27:

Mexican-American War: Siege of Fort Texas.

April 1846

Saturday 25:

Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican-American War.

May 1846

Friday 08:

Mexican-American War: The Battle of Palo Alto – Zachary Taylor defeats a Mexican force north of the Rio Grande in the first major battle of the war.

Wednesday 13:

Mexican-American War: The United States declares war on Mexico.

Sunday 17:

The saxophone is patented by Adolphe Sax.

Sunday 24:

Mexican-American War: General Zachary Taylor captures Monterrey.

June 1846

Wednesday 10:

Mexican-American War: The California Republic declares independence from Mexico.

Sunday 14:

Anglo settlers in Sonoma, California, start a rebellion against Mexico and proclaim the California Republic.

Monday 15:

The Oregon Treaty establishes the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Tuesday 16:

The Papal conclave of 1846 concludes. Pope Pius IX is elected pope, beginning the longest reign in the history of the post-apostolic papacy.

Friday 19:

First baseball game under recognizable modern rules in Hoboken, New Jersey, United States.

July 1846

Tuesday 07:

Mexican War: American troops occupy Monterey and Yerba Buena, thus beginning the United States annexation of California.

Thursday 09:

By an Act of Congress, the Washington, DC area south of the Potomac River (39 mi² or about 100 km²) is returned to Virginia.

August 1846

Monday 10:

The Smithsonian Institution is chartered by the U.S. Congress after $500,000 was given for such a purpose by scientist Joseph Smithson.

Friday 14:

The Cape Girardeau meteorite, a 2.3 kg chondrite-type meteorite strikes near the town of Cape Girardeau in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.

Saturday 22:

The United States annexes New Mexico

September 1846

Thursday 10:

Elias Howe gets a patent for the sewing machine.

Saturday 12:

Elizabeth Barrett elopes with Robert Browning.

Wednesday 23:

Discovery of Neptune by French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Le Verrier and British astronomer John Couch Adams; verified by German astronomer Johann Gottfried Galle

Friday 25:

U.S. forces led by Zachary Taylor captured the Mexican city of Monterrey.

December 1846

Monday 28:

Iowa is admitted as the 29th U.S. state.