1844
Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1790s 1800s 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
Years: 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 - 1844 - 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849
Events
- January 15 - University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana.
- July 3 - The last pair of Great Auks is killed.
- May 23 - Persian Prophet The Báb announces His revelation, founding Bábism
- May 23 - Samuel Morse sends the first telegram with his electrical telegraph.
- November - James K. Polk defeats Henry Clay in the U.S. presidential election
- Swedish chemistry professor Gustaf Erik Pasch invents the safety match
Births
- February 20 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist
- February 21 - Charles-Marie Widor, organist and composer
- May 20 - Henri Rousseau, French naive painter
- May 22 - Mary Cassatt, artist
- May 23 - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Persian religious leader
- October 15 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
- October 22 - Louis Riel, controversial Canadian figure
- October 22 - Sarah Bernhardt, French actress
- November 23 - Karl Benz,German automotive pioneer
Deaths
- Charles Nodier, French writer
- July 27 - John Dalton, English chemist and physicist
- June 27 - Joseph Smith, American religious leader