Calendar of Literary Facts

1846

  • The U.S. declares war against Mexico, beginning the Mexican War
  • Johann Galle discovers the planet Neptune
  • Painless dentistry is made possible by Dr. William T. G. Morton’s use of ether as an anesthetic
  • British Parliament repeals the Corn Law
  • The Potato Famine in Ireland leads to widespread starvation and emmigration to the U.S. and elsewhere
  • George Sand publishes La Mare au diable (The Haunted Marsh)
  • Henryk Sienkiewicz is born (May 4)
  • Rudolf Eucken is born (January 5)