360What happened in 1839?
4 moments from 1839 on 360n60, each told in 60 words or fewer.
- On this day · 23 March 1839
'OK' appears in print for the first time
On 23 March 1839, the Boston Morning Post printed 'o.k.' as a joke abbreviation for 'oll korrect', a playful misspelling of 'all correct'. The fashion for such abbreviations soon faded, but OK survived and spread. It is now one of the most widely used words on Earth.
- On this day · 19 August 1839
Photography is given to the world
On 19 August 1839, the French government announced the details of Louis Daguerre's photographic process, the daguerreotype, and gave it freely to the world. Within months, people everywhere were taking photographs. The date is celebrated as World Photography Day.
- 1839 · from The 1830s: the intercity railway and the electric telegraph
Daguerreotype announced
- 1839 · from Niépce takes the oldest surviving photograph from nature
The daguerreotype is announced