Deaths on August 1

William Joseph Behr, German publicist and academic (b. 1775)

William Joseph Behr (26 August 1775 – 1 August 1851), German publicist and writer.

12 Feb

Australian gold rushes
Edward Hargraves announces he has found gold in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, starting the Australian gold rushes.
11 Mar

Giuseppe Verdi
The first performance of Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi takes place in Venice.
21 May

Colombia
Slavery is abolished in Colombia, South America.
5 Jun

Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery serial, Uncle Tom's Cabin, or Life Among the Lowly, starts a ten-month run in the National Era abolitionist newspaper.
24 Oct

Umbriel (moon)
William Lassell discovers the moons Umbriel, and Ariel, orbiting Uranus.