Deaths on January 8

Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

Died on January 8, 1874

Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg, French historian and archaeologist (b. 1814)

Abbé Charles-Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg (8 September 1814 – 8 January 1874) was a noted French writer, ethnographer, historian, archaeologist, and Catholic priest. He became a specialist in Mesoamerican studies, travelling extensively in the region.

His writings, publications, and recovery of historical documents contributed much to knowledge of the region's languages, writing, history and culture, particularly those of the Maya and Aztec civilizations. However, his speculations concerning relationships between the ancient Maya and the lost continent of Atlantis inspired Ignatius L. Donnelly and encouraged the pseudo-science of Mayanism.

References

Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

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Events on 1874

28 Feb

Tichborne case
One of the longest cases ever heard in an English court ends when the defendant is convicted of perjury for attempting to assume the identity of the heir to the Tichborne baronetcy.
15 Mar

Second Treaty of Saigon
France and Viet Nam sign the Second Treaty of Saigon, further recognizing the full sovereignty of France over Cochinchina.
27 May

Gert Alberts
The first group of Dorsland trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts leaves Pretoria.
7 Nov

Thomas Nast
A cartoon by Thomas Nast in Harper's Weekly, is considered the first important use of an elephant as a symbol for the United States Republican Party.
25 Nov

Panic of 1873
The United States Greenback Party is established as a political party consisting primarily of farmers affected by the Panic of 1873.

Deaths on January 8

Charles Étienne Brasseur de Bourbourg

Died on January 8, 1874

References

Choose Another Date

Events on 1874

Tichborne case

Second Treaty of Saigon

Gert Alberts

Thomas Nast

Panic of 1873