Dashed left edge = started before June 1844 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond June 1844
Events in June 1844 13
1772 – 1844Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire (1772-1844)Died 19 June 1844, aged 72French naturalist who argued for a single underlying plan in animal anatomy. In 1830 he publicly debated this question with Georges Cuvier. His ideas contributed to early theories of evolution.
1775 – 1844Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême (1775-1844)Died 3 June 1844, aged 68Eldest son of Charles X of France and the last Dauphin. He led the French invasion of Spain in 1823. He nominally held the French throne for about twenty minutes in 1830 before renouncing it, and died in exile in Gorizia.
1777 – 1844Thomas Campbell (1777-1844)Died 15 June 1844, aged 66Scottish poet best known for The Pleasures of Hope and patriotic war lyrics such as "Ye Mariners of England". He also helped found University College London.
1800 – 1844Hyrum Smith (1800-1844)Died 27 June 1844, aged 44American religious leader, elder brother of Joseph Smith and Assistant President of the Latter Day Saint church. He was killed alongside his brother at Carthage Jail.
1805 – 1844Joseph Smith (1805-1844)Died 27 June 1844, aged 38American religious leader who founded the Latter Day Saint movement and published the Book of Mormon. He was killed by a mob while held in Carthage Jail, Illinois.
1844The Pencil of Nature begins publicationFirst commercially published book illustrated with photographsWilliam Henry Fox Talbot published the first instalment of The Pencil of Nature, illustrated with his calotype prints. The work showed how photography could be used in art and in documentation.
1844Last confirmed great auks killedFinal breeding pair taken on Eldey, IcelandFishermen killed the last confirmed pair of great auks on the island of Eldey off Iceland and crushed their egg. The specimens were collected for a dealer. The flightless bird is now regarded as extinct.
1844Silesian weavers' revoltStarving linen weavers riot in Peterswaldau and LangenbielauImpoverished home weavers in Prussian Silesia attacked the houses and warehouses of local textile merchants. Prussian troops crushed the uprising and killed several people. The revolt became a symbol of early industrial misery in German literature, notably in Heine's poem "The Silesian Weavers".
1844YMCA founded in LondonGeorge Williams founds the Young Men's Christian AssociationGeorge Williams and a group of fellow drapery workers founded the Young Men's Christian Association in London. It began as a source of Christian fellowship for young men working in the city. It went on to become one of the largest youth organisations in the world.
1844Texas annexation treaty rejected by US SenateSenate votes down Tyler's treaty with TexasThe US Senate rejected President John Tyler's treaty to annex the Republic of Texas by 35 votes to 16. Opposition was driven by concerns over slavery and the risk of war with Mexico. Texas was eventually annexed by joint resolution the following year.
1844Goodyear patents vulcanized rubberUS patent granted for heat-cured rubberCharles Goodyear received a US patent for vulcanization, a process of curing rubber with sulfur and heat. The process made rubber durable and stable at different temperatures. It became the basis of the modern rubber industry.
1844Kierkegaard publishes The Concept of AnxietyPseudonymous work on dread and freedomSøren Kierkegaard published The Concept of Anxiety under the pseudonym Vigilius Haufniensis in Copenhagen. The book examined anxiety as a condition of human freedom and original sin. It later had a strong influence on existentialist philosophy and psychology.
1844Killing of Joseph Smith at Carthage JailMormon founder shot by a mob in IllinoisJoseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement, and his brother Hyrum were killed by an armed mob that stormed Carthage Jail in Illinois. Their deaths caused a succession crisis in the movement. Brigham Young later led most of the members west to Utah.