1840
Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century
Decades: 1790s 1800s 1810s 1820s 1830s - 1840s - 1850s 1860s 1870s 1880s 1890s
Years: 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 - 1840 - 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845
Events
- January 3 - One of the Herald-Sun of Melbourne, Australia's predecessor papers The Port Phillip Herald is founded by George Cavanaugh.
- January 19 - Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming what became known as Wilkes Land for the United States
- January 20 -
- Dumont D'Urville discovers Adélie Land, Antarctica
- Willem II becomes King of the Netherlands
- January 22 - British colonists reach New Zealand. Official founding date of Wellington, New Zealand.
- February 6 - Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, founding document of New Zealand
- February 11 - Gaetano Donizetti's opera La Fille du Regiment premieres in Paris.
- November - William Henry Harrison defeats Martin Van Buren in the U.S. presidential election
- Mount Allison University founded in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.
Births
- February 5 - John Boyd Dunlop, inventor (+ 1921)
- February 11 - Samuel Dana Greene, Lieutenant Commander (Union Navy)
- April 2 - Emile Zola, important writer
- April 22 - Odilon Redon, painter
- November 12 - Auguste Rodin, sculptor
- November 14: Claude Monet, painter
Deaths