Timeline October 1853

Events in October 1853 2

• 1786 – 1853 Francois Arago (1786-1853) Died 2 October 1853, aged 67 Francois Arago was a French physicist, astronomer, and statesman who made major contributions to the study of light polarization and electromagnetism, and briefly served as head of the French executive in 1848. As director of the Paris Observatory he championed Fizeau and Foucault's experiments measuring the speed of light. He died in Paris.
• 1853 Crimean War begins Ottoman Empire declares war on Russia The Ottoman Empire declared war on Russia on 4 October 1853 after a dispute over protection of Christian subjects and holy sites in the Ottoman-controlled Holy Land. Britain and France entered the following year on the Ottoman side, turning a regional dispute into a major European war. The conflict would last until 1856 and claim hundreds of thousands of lives.