Editing 1840s (section)

== Popular culture ==

=== Literature ===
* [[Charles Dickens]] publishes ''[[The Old Curiosity Shop]]'', ''[[Barnaby Rudge]]'', ''[[A Christmas Carol]]'', ''[[Martin Chuzzlewit]]'', ''[[Dombey and Son]]'' and ''[[David Copperfield]]''.
* [[Nikolai Gogol]]'s ''[[Dead Souls]]'' (Russian: Мёртвые души, Myortvyje dushi) is published in 1842.
* [[Søren Kierkegaard]] publishes his philosophical book ''Enten ‒ Eller'' (''[[Either/Or (Kierkegaard book)|Either/Or]]'') in 1843.
* [[Alexandre Dumas]] publishes ''Les Trois Mousquetaires'' (''[[The Three Musketeers]]'') in 1844 and ''Le Comte de Monte-Cristo'' (''[[The Count of Monte Cristo]]'') in 1844/45.
* [[William Makepeace Thackeray]] publishes ''[[Vanity Fair (novel)|Vanity Fair]]'' in 1848.
* [[July 17]], [[1841]] – First edition of the humorous magazine ''[[Punch (magazine)|Punch]]'' published in [[London]].<ref>{{cite book|title=The History of "Punch"|url=https://archive.org/details/historypunch04spiegoog|first=Marion Harry|last=Spielmann|year=1895|page=27}}</ref>
* [[1843]] – [[Edgar Allan Poe]]'s short story ''[[The Tell-Tale Heart]]'' is first published.
* [[Hans Christian Andersen]] publishes well-known fairy tales, such as ''[[The Ugly Duckling]]'' (1843) and ''[[The Snow Queen]]'' (1844).
* [[January 29]], [[1845]] – "[[The Raven]]" by [[Edgar Allan Poe]] is published for the first time (''[[New York Mirror|New York Evening Mirror]]''), earning him $10.
* [[1845]] – [[Elizabeth Barrett Browning]] writes her ''[[Sonnets from the Portuguese]]'' (1845–1846).
* [[1845]] – [[Heinrich Hoffmann (author)|Heinrich Hoffmann]] publishes a book (''Lustige Geschichten und drollige Bilder'') introducing his character [[Struwwelpeter]], in Germany.
* [[October 16]], [[1847]] – [[Charlotte Brontë]] publishes ''[[Jane Eyre]]'' under the pen name of Currer Bell.
* [[December 14]], [[1847]] – [[Emily Brontë]] and [[Anne Brontë]] publish ''[[Wuthering Heights]]'' and ''[[Agnes Grey]]'', respectively, in a 3-volume set under the pen names of Ellis Bell and Acton Bell.
* [[1848]] – [[Elizabeth Gaskell]] publishes ''[[Mary Barton]]'' anonymously.

=== Theatre ===
* [[February 6]], [[1843]] – The [[Virginia Minstrels]] perform the first [[minstrel show]], at the [[Bowery Amphitheatre]] in [[New York City]].

=== Music ===
* 1840s – [[Franz Liszt]] performs a series of concerts throughout Europe, which generate international euphoria and fascination known as [[Lisztomania]].
* [[February 11]], [[1840]] – [[Gaetano Donizetti]]'s opera ''[[La fille du régiment]]'' premieres in [[Paris]].
* [[June 28]], [[1841]] – [[Ballet]] ''[[Giselle]]'' first presented by the [[Ballet du Théâtre de l'Académie Royale de Musique]] at the [[Salle Le Peletier]] in [[Paris, France]].
* [[March 9]], [[1842]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s third opera ''[[Nabucco]]'' premieres in [[Milan]]; its success establishes [[Giuseppe Verdi|Verdi]] as one of [[Italy]]'s foremost opera writers.
* [[February 11]], [[1843]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s opera ''[[I Lombardi alla prima crociata]]'' premieres at [[La Scala]] in [[Milan]].
* [[November 3]], [[1844]] – [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[I due Foscari]]'' debuts at [[Largo di Torre Argentina|Teatro Argentina]], Rome.
* [[March 13]], [[1845]] – The ''[[Violin Concerto (Mendelssohn)|Violin Concerto]]'' by [[Felix Mendelssohn]] premieres in [[Leipzig]], with [[Ferdinand David (musician)|Ferdinand David]] as soloist.
* [[July 7]], [[1845]] – [[Jules Perrot]] presents the [[ballet]] [[divertissement]] ''[[Pas de Quatre]]'' to an enthusiastic London audience.
* [[June 28]], [[1846]] – The [[Saxophone]] is [[patent]]ed by [[Adolphe Sax]].<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Hugh|last=Hart|title=June 28, 1846: Parisian Inventor Patents Saxophone|url=https://www.wired.com/thisdayintech/2010/06/0628saxophone-patent|magazine=Wired|date=2010-06-28|access-date=2011-12-07}}</ref>
* [[March 14]], [[1847]] – [[Verdi]]'s opera ''[[Macbeth (Verdi)|Macbeth]]'' premieres at [[Teatro della Pergola]] in [[Florence]], Italy.
* [[1847]] – [[Franz Liszt|Liszt]] surprisingly ends his career as a concert [[pianist]] and from then on fully dedicates himself to [[Musical composition|composition]].
* [[1848]] – The Shaker song ''[[Simple Gifts]]'' is written by [[Joseph Brackett]] in [[Alfred, Maine]].
* [[1848]] – [[Richard Wagner]] begins writing the [[libretto]] that will become ''[[Der Ring des Nibelungen]]'' (''The Ring of the Nibelung'').

=== Sports ===
[[File:James_Pollard_-_The_Derby_Pets-_The_Winner_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg|thumb|The [[Epsom Derby]]; painting by [[James Pollard]], c. 1840]]
* [[March 2]], [[1842]] – [[Gaylad (horse)|Gaylad]], ridden by [[Tom Olliver]], wins the [[Grand National]] at [[Aintree Racecourse]].
* [[September 25]] – [[September 27]], [[1844]] – The first ever [[international cricket]] match is played in New York City, [[United States v Canada (1844)|United States v Canadian Provinces]].
* [[Baseball]] – During the 1840s, "[[town ball]]" evolved into the modern game of [[baseball]], with the development of the "[[Knickerbocker Rules|New York game]]" in the 1840s. The [[Knickerbocker Base Ball Club of New York|New York Knickerbockers]] were founded in 1845, and played the first known competitive game between two organized clubs in 1846. The "New York Nine" defeated the Knickerbockers at [[Elysian Fields, Hoboken, New Jersey|Elysian Fields]] in [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], by a score of 23 to 1.

=== Fashion ===
{{Main|1840s in Western fashion}}

[[Image:Windsor modern times detail.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Queen Victoria and the Prince Consort at home, 1841. Her dress shows the fashionable silhouette, with its pointed waist, sloping shoulder, and bell-shaped skirt.]]
Fashion in European and European-influenced [[clothing]] is characterized by a narrow, natural shoulder line following the exaggerated puffed sleeves of the [[1820s in fashion|later 1820s fashion]] and [[1830s in fashion|1830s fashion]]. The narrower shoulder was accompanied by a lower waistline for both men and women.

=== Art ===
* [[1840]] – [[J. M. W. Turner]] first displays his painting ''[[The Slave Ship]]''.