1800 – 1810s

Events in the 1800s 10

• 1732 – 1809 Joseph Haydn Father of the Symphony Austrian composer who essentially invented the symphony and string quartet as we know them. He mentored Mozart and taught Beethoven.
• 1780 – 1800 Galvani and Volta — animal electricity and the battery Electricity in living things, and electricity from chemistry Luigi Galvani discovered in 1780 that electric current causes muscle contraction in frogs, suggesting electricity is fundamental to living things. Alessandro Volta's voltaic pile (1800) — the first battery — showed that electricity could be generated chemically without biological tissue. Volta's invention provided the first sustained source of electric current and launched all subsequent electrical and electrochemical science.
• 1783 – 1804 Cayley — principles of aerodynamics Lift, drag and the concept of the fixed-wing aircraft George Cayley of Yorkshire formulated the basic principles of aerodynamics between 1783 and 1804, identifying the forces of lift, drag, and thrust acting on a flying body. He designed the first successful glider and understood that a fixed wing — rather than flapping — was the key to heavier-than-air flight. His 1804 model glider was the ancestor of all subsequent aircraft, including the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer.
• 1800 Herschel discovers infrared radiation Light beyond the visible — the electromagnetic spectrum begins In 1800, William Herschel discovered infrared radiation by passing sunlight through a prism and placing thermometers beyond the red end of the visible spectrum. He found the temperature rose even where no visible light was present, demonstrating the existence of invisible radiation. This was the first discovery of a form of electromagnetic radiation beyond visible light and opened the way to understanding the full electromagnetic spectrum.
• 1801 – 1835 Vincenzo Bellini Bel canto opera master Italian composer whose lyrical operas Norma and La Sonnambula are the pinnacle of the bel canto style, admired by Chopin and Wagner.
• 1802 – 1885 Victor Hugo French novelist and poet Hugo wrote Les Miserables and Notre-Dame de Paris, combining Romantic storytelling with social critique.
• 1803 – 1869 Hector Berlioz Romantic orchestral innovator French Romantic composer who revolutionised orchestration with his Symphonie fantastique and expanded the scope of the orchestra to unprecedented scale.
• 1809 – 1849 Edgar Allan Poe American writer and poet Poe pioneered horror and detective fiction, creating psychologically intense and Gothic narratives.
• 1809 – 1847 Felix Mendelssohn Romantic composer & conductor German Romantic composer who rediscovered Bach, wrote the famous Wedding March and composed the Violin Concerto and Italian Symphony.
• 1809 – 1865 Abraham Lincoln 16th President — saved the Union, abolished slavery Abraham Lincoln (Feb 12, 1809 – Apr 15, 1865) was the 16th President 1861-1865. He led the Union through the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and was assassinated at Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865.