What happened in 1848
13 entries recorded for 1848, listed by date. That was 178 years ago.
1848 at a glance
- Years ago
- 178 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 19th century
- Decade
- 1840s
- Generation born
- Before the named generations
- Entries here
- 13
- Breakdown
- 13 historical events
January
- January 24
James W. Marshall
James W. Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill (reconstruction pictured) in Coloma, California, leading to the California gold rush.
February
- February 2
Mexican–American War
Mexican–American War: During the American occupation of Mexico City, diplomats signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which ended the war and had Mexico cede 1.36 million square kilometres (530,000 sq mi) of territory and the United States pay US$15 million.
March
- March 4
Charles Albert of Sardinia
King Charles Albert of Sardinia signs the Statuto Albertino, which would later serve as the constitution for the Kingdom of Italy.
- March 13
Klemens von Metternich
Klemens von Metternich was forced to resign as the foreign minister of Austria following student demonstrations in Vienna.
April
- April 27
National Assembly (France)
The French National Assembly under Victor Schœlcher proclaims the abolition of slavery within France and it's colonies following the February Revolution.
May
- May 3
Thomas Bateman (antiquary)
Thomas Bateman excavated a high-status barrow, discovering objects including the boar-crested Benty Grange helmet, and the Benty Grange hanging bowl
June
- June 21
Wallachian Revolution of 1848
In the Wallachian Revolution, Ion Heliade Rădulescu and Christian Tell proclaimed a new republican government in present-day Romania.
- June 26
June Days uprising
French authorities suppressed the June Days uprising (pictured), in which workers rioted in response to plans to close the National Workshops.
July
- July 11
London Waterloo station
Waterloo Bridge Station, which later became Britain's busiest railway station by passenger usage, was opened by the London and South Western Railway.
- July 19
Seneca Falls Convention
The two-day Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's-rights and feminist convention held in the United States, opened in Seneca Falls, New York.
September
- September 13
Phineas Gage
An explosion drove an iron rod through the head of railroad foreman Phineas Gage; his survival and recovery influenced 19th-century discussion of psychology and neuroscience.
November
- November 3
Constitution of the Netherlands
A new constitution drafted by Johan Rudolph Thorbecke was proclaimed, limiting the powers of the Dutch monarchy.
December
- December 10
Napoleon III
Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte won France's first presidential election, and was elected as the first and only president of the French Second Republic.
Questions about 1848
What happened in 1848?
This site records 13 entries for 1848, including James W. Marshall on January 24. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1848?
178 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1848 turns 178 this year.
Which century is 1848 in?
1848 falls in the 19th century, in the 1840s.
Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.