1842
Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1790s 1800s 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
Years: 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 - 1842 - 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847
Events
- massacre of Elphinstone's British army on the road from Kabul to Jallalabad, Afghanistan, by Mohammed Akbar, son of Dost Mohammed
- End of Opium War
- British Empire annexes Hong Kong
Births
- February 4 - Arrigo Boito, poet and composer
- May 8 - Emil Christian Hansen, fermentation physiologist
- December 9 - Peter Kropotkin, Russian anarchist
Deaths
- March 30 - Elisabeth Vigee-Lebrun, French painter
- September 15 - Francisco Morazan, President of Central America