Historical eventAugust 41830

James Thompson (surveyor)

American surveyor James Thompson produced the first plat of Chicago for the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commissioners.

Everything on August 4Original source

In context

When
Wednesday, August 4 1830196 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1830s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1830.

Type: human.

What happened

Legacy Chicago at the time of James Thompson's plat; the black dot marks the location of the du Sable house. [ 1 ]    Thompson's plat area    Fort Dearborn    Modern shoreline Chicago appears under various spellings in maps dating from the 17th century and is present in most 18th-century maps of North America. [ 2 ] Jean Baptiste Point du Sable was the first non-indigenous permanent resident of the area, settling at the mouth of the Chicago River no later than 1790.

American surveyor James Thompson produced the first plat of Chicago for the Illinois and Michigan Canal Commissioners.

August 4 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1830James Thompson (surveyor)
  2. 1997Supercentenarian
  3. 2006Sri Lankan civil war
  4. 20062006 Trincomalee massacre of NGO workers
  5. 2007NASA
  6. 2007María del Luján Telpuk
  7. 2014Aboriginal Australians
  8. 2018Crisis in Venezuela
  9. 2018Syrian civil war
  10. 20192019 Dayton shooting
  11. 20202020 Beirut explosion

Also in 1830

  • September 15Liverpool and Manchester RailwayThe Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&M) (depicted), the first locomotive-hauled railway to connect two major cities, opened with the D…
  • July 5Invasion of Algiers (1830)Algiers surrendered to French invaders, ending the Regency of Algiers (coat of arms pictured).
  • August 28Tom Thumb (locomotive)Tom Thumb (replica pictured), the first American-built steam locomotive, took part in an impromptu race against a horse-drawn car in Mary…
  • May 28Andrew JacksonU.S. president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law, authorizing him to negotiate with Native Americans for their remova…
  • April 6Joseph SmithJoseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer and others formally organized the Church of Christ, starting the Latter Day Saint movement.
  • May 24Nursery rhymeThe nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb" was first published as a poem by Sarah Josepha Hale.

Everything we record for 1830 →

Sources

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“James Thompson (surveyor)”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/james-thompson-surveyor-1830-august-4, accessed October 28, 2026.

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Questions about this entry

When did James Thompson (surveyor) happen?

August 4 1830 — 196 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

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