360What happened in 1837?
4 moments from 1837 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- On this day · 25 February 1837
An early electric motor is patented
On 25 February 1837, the American blacksmith Thomas Davenport received one of the first patents for an electric motor, powered by batteries. It was too expensive to succeed at the time. Today electric motors are everywhere, in fans, washing machines, trains and electric cars.
- On this day · 20 June 1837
Victoria becomes Queen
On 20 June 1837, 18-year-old Victoria became Queen of the United Kingdom on the death of her uncle, King William IV. She reigned for almost 64 years, a period of industrial growth, railways and scientific progress now known as the Victorian era.
- 1837 · from The Penny Black, the first postage stamp, comes into use
Rowland Hill proposes postal reform
- 1837 · from The 1830s: the intercity railway and the electric telegraph
Electric telegraph patented