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1840
Events
January–March
January 3
– One of the predecessor papers of the
Herald Sun
of
Melbourne
, Australia,
The Port Phillip Herald
, is founded.
January 10
–
Uniform Penny Post
is introduced in the United Kingdom.
January 13
– The steamship
Lexington
burns and sinks in icy waters, four miles off the coast of
Long Island
; 139 die, only four survive.
January 19
– Captain
Charles Wilkes
'
United States Exploring Expedition
sights what becomes known as
Wilkes Land
in the southeast quadrant of Antarctica, claiming it for the United States and providing evidence that Antarctica is a complete continent.
January 21
–
Jules Dumont d'Urville
discovers
Adélie Land
in Antarctica, claiming it for
France
.
January 22
–
British
colonists reach New Zealand, officially founding
Wellington
.
February – The
Rhodes blood libel
is made against the Jews of
Rhodes
.
February 5
– The murder of a Capuchin friar and his Greek servant leads to the
Damascus affair
, a highly publicized case of
blood libel
against the Jews of
Damascus
.
February 6
– The
Treaty of Waitangi
, granting British sovereignty in New Zealand, is signed.
February 10
–
Queen Victoria
of the United Kingdom marries her cousin
Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha
.
February 11
–
Gaetano Donizetti
's opera
La fille du régiment
premieres in Paris.
March 1
William Hobson
, the first Governor of New Zealand, suffers a stroke.
Adolphe Thiers
becomes prime minister of
France
.
March 9
– The
Wilmington and Raleigh Railroad
is completed from
Wilmington, North Carolina
to
Weldon, North Carolina
. At 161.5 miles (260 km), it is the world's longest railroad.
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