1831

Events in 1831 12

• 1758 – 1831 James Monroe 5th President — Era of Good Feelings James Monroe (Apr 28, 1758 – Jul 4, 1831) was the 5th President 1817-1825, known for the Monroe Doctrine warning European powers against colonising the Americas. He was the last Founding Father president.
• 1831 Faraday — electromagnetic induction Moving magnets generate electricity — the electric generator In 1831, Michael Faraday of London discovered that a changing magnetic field induces an electric current in a nearby conductor — the principle of electromagnetic induction. This led directly to the invention of the electric generator and transformer. Faraday also introduced the concept of the electromagnetic field, which Maxwell later formalised mathematically. Together, Faraday and Maxwell gave us the electrical civilisation.
• 1831 – 1888 Frederick III, German Emperor (1831-1888) Died 15 June 1888, aged 56 Frederick III became German Emperor on his father's death in March 1888 but was already terminally ill with throat cancer. He reigned for only 99 days, earning him the nickname the '99-day Kaiser,' and died on 15 June 1888. His liberal sympathies led many to believe his early death changed the course of German history.
• 1831 – 1862 Frederick Townsend Ward (1831-1862) Died 21 September 1862, aged 30 Ward was an American mercenary who organized and led the Ever Victorious Army, a Western-trained force fighting for the Qing dynasty against the Taiping rebels. He was fatally wounded in battle near Ningbo, China.
• 1831 – 1891 Helena Blavatsky (1831-1891) Died 8 May 1891, aged 59 Russian-born occultist who co-founded the Theosophical Society in 1875. She authored Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrine, blending Eastern religious ideas with Western esotericism. Her writings shaped much of modern alternative spirituality.
• 1831 – 1904 Isabella Bird (1831-1904) Died 7 October 1904, aged 72 Isabella Bird, the English explorer and travel writer, died in Edinburgh. She traveled extensively through Asia, the Americas, and the Middle East, publishing popular accounts such as A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains and Unbeaten Tracks in Japan. In 1892 she became the first woman elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
• 1831 – 1907 Joseph Joachim (1831-1907) Died 15 August 1907, aged 76 Hungarian-born violinist and composer regarded as one of the most significant of the nineteenth century, closely associated with Johannes Brahms, who dedicated his Violin Concerto to him. He led the Berlin Hochschule fur Musik and shaped generations of violinists. He died in Berlin.
• 1831 – 1888 Ludvig Nobel (1831-1888) Died 12 April 1888, aged 56 Ludvig Nobel was a Swedish engineer and industrialist who built a major oil business in Baku, Azerbaijan, and was the brother of Alfred Nobel. He died in Cannes, France, on 12 April 1888. A French newspaper mistakenly published his obituary as that of Alfred Nobel, an episode later credited with prompting Alfred to reconsider his legacy and establish the Nobel Prizes.
• 1831 – 1896 Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (1831-1896) Died 1 May 1896, aged 64 Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ruled Persia for nearly 50 years, the longest reign of any Persian monarch, overseeing early attempts at modernization. He was assassinated on 1 May 1896 by Mirza Reza Kermani while visiting a shrine near Tehran. His death brought his son Mozaffar ad-Din Shah to the throne.
• 1831 – 1890 Sitting Bull (1831-1890) Died 15 December 1890, aged 59 Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota leader who led resistance to US government policy and defeated General Custer's forces at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. He later became a symbol of Native American resistance and briefly toured with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. He was killed by Indian Affairs police during an attempted arrest at Standing Rock, two weeks before the Wounded Knee Massacre.
• 1831 – 1861 Xianfeng Emperor (1831-1861) Died 22 August 1861, aged 30 The Xianfeng Emperor, ruler of Qing China during the Second Opium War and the Taiping Rebellion, died at the Chengde Mountain Resort. His death set off a succession struggle that brought his consort, the future Empress Dowager Cixi, toward power. His young son succeeded him as the Tongzhi Emperor.
• 1831 – 1881 James A. Garfield 20th President — assassinated after 200 days James A. Garfield (Nov 19, 1831 – Sep 19, 1881) was the 20th President, shot by Charles Guiteau on July 2, 1881, just four months into his presidency. He lingered for 79 days before dying, largely due to poor medical treatment.