January 10 Poets Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning begin corresponding January 23 Uniform U.S. election day for president and Vice President authorized January 29 Edgar Allen Poe's "Raven" 1st published (New York City) February 15 William Parsons, Earl of Rosse, 1st uses 72" (183 cm) reflector March 1 President Tyler signs a resolution annexing the Republic of Texas March 3 1st time, U.S. Senate overrides presidential (Tyler) veto March 3 Congress authorizes ocean mail contracts for foreign mail delivery March 3 Florida becomes 27th state March 4 James K. Polk inaugrated at 11th president March 5 Congress appropriates $30,000 to ship camels to western U.S. March 14 -5.3 degrees F (-20.7 degrees C) in Groningen March 17 Bristol man, Henry Jones, patents self-raising flour March 17 Rubber band patented by Stephen Perry of London March 26 Joseph Francis, New York City, patents a corrugated sheet-iron lifeboat March 26 Patent awarded for adhesive medicated plaster, precusor of bandaid March 28 Mexico drops diplomatic relations with US April 2 H L Fizeau and J Leon Foucault take 1st photo of Sun April 10 More than 1,000 buildings damaged by fire in Pittsburgh Pa April 29 Macon B. Allen and Robert Morris, Jr., 1st blacks to open law practice May 2 Domingo Sarmiento publishes "Civilizacion y Barbarie" May 3 1st black lawyer (Macon B. Allen) admitted to bar May 3 Fire kills 1,600 in popular theater in Canton, China May 14 Utrecht-Arnhem Railway opens May 17 Rubber band patents May 20 1st legislative assembly convenes in Hawaii May 28 Fire in Quebec Canada, 1,500 houses destroyed June 1 Homing pigeon completes 11,000 km trip (Namibia-London) in 55 days June 4 Mexican - U.S. war starts June 12 George Abernethy becomes 1st governor of Oregon Country July 4 Henry David Thoreau moves into his shack on Walden Pond July 4 Texas Congress votes for annexation to U.S. July 14 1st postmasters' provisional stamps issued, New York City July 14 Fire in New York City destroys 1,000 homes and kills many July 16 New York Yacht Club holds its 1st regatta September 10 King Willem II opens Amsterdam Stock exchange September 23 1st baseball team, New York Knickerbockers organize, adopt rule code September 23 Hunger strike in Hague September 24 1st baseball team is organized October 10 Naval School (now called U.S. Naval Academy) opens at Annapolis October 13 Texas ratifies a state constitution October 19 Richard Wagners opera "Tannhauser," premieres in Dresden October 20 Opera "Tannhauser" is produced (Dresden) November 4 1st nationally observed uniform election day in US November 15 Opera "Maritana" is produced (London) December 27 Ether 1st used in childbirth in U.S., Jefferson, Ga December 29 Texas admitted as 28th state
