Texas gains independence from Mexico and becomes an independent republic, led by Sam Houston
Swedish inventor John Ericcson patents the screw propeller
French publisher Emile de Girardin founds La Press, commencing a new period of free expression in France
Transcendentalism flourishes as a literary and philosophical school in New England
After a two-week siege, the Mexican Army overwhelms the fortified mission in southern Texas called the Alamo; all the defenders are killed, including William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett (March 6)
