LANDMARKS OF WORLD HISTORY
A Chronology of Remarkable Natural Phenomena
19th Century 1801-1810
Numbers show sources
Date
Location
Phenomenon
Description
1801 January 1
Italy
Asteroid
Discovery by Piazzi of first and largest asteroid, Ceres. (14)
1801 January 3 - 5
Ireland and England
Gale
“Tremendous gale’ from S. or SW. (41)
1801 May 24
Rastadt
Fall?
“Sulphur’ fall during violent hailstorm. (24)
1801 June
County Cork, Ireland
Mirage
Mirage of an ‘unknown city’ seen several hours at Youghal. (7)
1801 June 19
England
Anomalous phenomenon
Hull. A nocturnal luminous body like an ‘immense moon’ divided into several smaller globes. (55)
1801 July
Sodermannland, Sweden
Earthquake
Violent shock overthrew houses and mountains, Eskilstuna; mountain ‘covered with dead fish’. (22)
1801 July 18
England
Anomalous phenomenon
Workingham. Brilliant nocturnal cluster of ‘stars’ emitting lightning flashes. (56)
1801 July 22
Bahamas
Hurricane
“Most dreadful hurricane’ at Nassau; 120 vessels stranded. (44)
1801 August 28
La Gironde, France
Hailstorm
Pigeons’-egg sized hail caused widespread crop destruction. (43)
1801 September 7
Scotland
Earthquake
Almost the whole of Scotland shaken; centred at Comrie, Perthshire. (22)
1801 early November
Europe
Gale and floods
Storm ‘over every part of Europe’. Floods in St. Petersburg, Milan, Gallica and Dalmatia. (39)
1801 November 27
Holland
Gale and storm surge
Storm from 21st to 27th. Amsterdam and Haerlem flooded. (40)
1802 January 4
Italy, Carinthia, Turkey, etc.
Earthquake
Several violent shocks at Trieste and Fiume; ‘sea rose in masses’. (22)
1802 January 21
England
Gale
Storm of wind and rain, ‘most dreadful that can be remembered’, Manchester, Norwich, Doncaster, York, etc. (47)
1802 March 20
France
Flood
Arles flooded after 90 hours’ rain. (48)
1802 March 28
Germany
Asteroid
Discovery of the second largest asteroid, Pallas. (14)
1802 April 30
Spain
Rain flood
The Puentes Dam broke after heavy rain; 607 drowned.
1802 May 8
Hungary
Ice fall
An ice block 1 metre long, 1 metre wide and 60 cm. thick fell during a storm. (16)
1802 June 27
Switzerland and Italy
Hail
Thunder and hailstorm destroyed trees, crops and houses. (49)
1802 June 28
England
Gale
Garnerin’s balloon flew 51 miles in 45 minutes, London-Colchester. (51)
1802 August 15
South America
Earthquake
Violent shock, Cumana; sea agitated, general devastation. (45)
1802 September 19
Gibraltar
Thunderstorm
4 ships of a British squadron in the Bay damaged by lightning. (50)
1802 October 26
Eastern Europe
Earthquake
Violent shocks at Constantinople, Transylvania, Moldavia, Wallachia, Bucharest; felt at Warsaw, Cronstadt, Moscow, etc. (46)
1802 November 7
North Africa
Earthquake
Shock south of Algiers swallowed up a village. Felt 50 miles out to sea. (22)
1802 November 9
England
Sunspots
40 spots visible simultaneously. (2)
1803 January
South America
Volcano
Snows of Cotopaxi ‘dissolved in one night’. (20)
1803 February 3
Noa Kopparbarger, Sweden
Lunar halo complex
‘Blood red’ halo outside black circle; prismatic mock moons and circumzenithal arc.
1803 March 27
Udina, Italy
Fall
Mud rain fell over 12-mile diameter area. (1)
1803 April 26
L’Aigle, France
Meteorites
About 3,000 stones fell after detonating fireball. See here. (12)
1803 May 6 - 8
Ohio, United States
Late cold
4 to 6 inches of snow in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky and the east coast. (19)
1803 July 4
Leicestershire
Ball lightning
Fireball in thunderstorm struck and damaged an inn. Sometimes described as a meteorite.
1803 December 12
France
Earthquake
‘Mont Blanc violently shaken’: landslides and icefalls. (22)
1803 December 13
Maesing, Germany
Meteorite
1.6 Kg stone fell and broke a barn’s rafters. (12, 26)
1804 January 12
Scotland
Gale
HMS York wrecked on Bell Rock in gale, 600 drowned.
1804 February
100 miles S.W. of Iceland
Volcano
Eruption formed island 3 miles in circumference. (57)
1804 February 24
Storm
Europe
A great snow and thunderstorm caused damage in Germany, the Netherlands, and Russia. (22)
1804 April 4
United States
Tornadoes
A group of tornadoes moved ENE from Georgia to South Carolina; 11 killed. (10)
1804 April 5
Scotland
Meteorite
A 10 lb. stone fell at High Possil, Lanarkshire. (12, 25)
1804 July 20
France
Gale
Onshore gale drowned over 2,000 men in review of Napoleon’s invasion flotilla, Channel coast. (13)
1804 August
France
Fall
“Tremendous numbers of little toads’ fell from black cloud near Toulouse. (6)
1804 August 7
Spain
Earthquake
‘3 terrible shocks’, Grenada; Rochetta ruined. (22)
1804 September 1
Germany
Asteroid
Discovery of Juno. (14)
1804 September 3 - 9
United States
Hurricane
Immense damage on coasts of South Carolina and Georgia. (37)
1804 September 21
Puerto Rico
Hurricane
The San Mateo hurricane. (37)
1804 September 24
Jamaica
Tornado
Many trees destroyed on mile-long track. (29)
1804 October 9
United States
Blizzard
“Snow hurricane’, New England; snow 3-4 feet deep, great damage. (19)
1805 January 27
United States
Blizzard
48-hour snowstorm, New York. (19)
1805 February 9 (before)
Rome
Flood
Tiber flood ‘higher than any previous’; water 12 feet deep in streets. Over 100 persons drowned. (52)
1805 June
Constantinople
Meteorites
Several stones fell. (12)
1805 July 26
Italy
Earthquake
Naples, Calabria, Rome, etc. ‘Most destructive’; 26,000 killed. (22)
1805 August 12
Italy
Volcano
Eruption of Vesuvius; lava ran 22,360 feet in 5 hours. (22)
1805 September 6
England
Thunderstorms
Widespread thunderstorms; a ‘ball of fire’ fell near Hythe (Kent). A tornado near Norwich carried a boat 70 yards. (53)
1805 October 22 - 25
Spain
Gale
Gale after Battle of Trafalgar sank 16 captured French and Spanish warships.
1806 March 15
France
Meteorite
Carbonaceous chondrite fell at Alais after detonations, rumblings and screamings. (36)
1806 May 16
France
Tornado
Two tornadoes near Paris; one funnel traversed by luminous tube.
1806 May 17
England
Meteorites?
Large stones said to have fallen at Basingstoke and Glastonbury. (11, 12)
1806 May 19
Atlantic Ocean
Submarine volcano
‘Black columns of smoke’ rose out of the sea, 0º 20’ S., 22º W. (59)
1806 August 8
Siberia
Earthquake
Shock lasting 4 minutes 15 seconds at Krasnojarsk. A mountain replaced by a lake 180 feet deep. ‘Country covered with volcanic ashes’. (22)
1806 September 2
Switzerland
Landslide
A huge rock avalanche from the Rossberg Peak destroyed 4 villages; 457 killed. (23)
1807 February 6 - 7
Southern United States
Cold wave
“Cold Friday’: Mississippi River at lat. 30ºN. frozen on 7th. (19)
1807 February 8
Prussia
Blizzard
E’ly snowstorm swept the battlefield of Eylau. (14)
1807 March 13 (O.S.)
Smolensk, Russia
Meteorite
A 160 lb. stone seen to fall at Peremeschajew. (12, 28)
1807 April 1
United States
Snowstorm
Snow 5 feet deep in New York State. (19)
1807 June 4
United States
Cold summer
Floating ice on Niagara River. (19)
1807 June 26
Luxembourg
Lightning
Fortress magazine exploded after lightning strike; 230 killed. (23)
1807 August 12
England
Tornado
Tornadoes in Cumberland and Norfolk. (8)
1807 October 30
Orkney
Comet
Two comets visible. (27)
1807 December 14
Connecticut
Meteorites
Shower of stones, total weight 330 lbs., fell on Weston after fireball and detonations. (12)
1808 April 19
Italy
Meteorites
Several stones, largest 1 kg., fell at Borgo san Donino. (12)
1808 May 16
Sweden
Anomalous phenomenon
‘Millions’ of spherical bodies crossed the sky for 2 hours. An earthquake and ‘red cloud’ on the same day along the River Pelice (in Italy?). (3, 22)
1808 May 17
Azores
Volcano
Sao Jorge erupted. Over 30 killed by a nuee ardente. (34)
1808 May 22
Moravia
Meteorites
250 stones fell at Stannern. (11)
1808 July 13
England
Heat
“Hot Wednesday’: 96º F at Plaistow, London. (21)
1809 January 22
England
Gale
Many shipwrecks in E’ly ‘hurricane’; about 300 drowned. (17)
1809 January 28
United States
Snow
Snow fell 2 days at Natchez, Mississippi; 10 inches deep on 29th. (19)
1809 February 14
English Channel
Ball lightning
3 lightning balls killed and injured sailors in ship Warren Hastings. (54)
1809 May 28
United States
Windstorm
Destructive ‘wind rushes’ in Ohio River valley. (18)
1809 June 9
England
‘Cloudburst’
“Cascade of water and hail’ on 200-acre area, London. (5)
1809 June 19
South of Rhode Island
Meteorites
Many stones fell into sea. (12)
1809 June 23
France
Fall
Many small toads fell with rain, Poitiers. (5)
1809 July
Sicily
Mirage
“Marine’ form of Fata Morgana observed in Straits of Messina by Ribaud. (4)
1809 December 4
South Africa
Earthquake
4 shocks, Cape of Good Hope: heavy swell came in from Table Bay. Bossen, or Seal Island, ‘disappeared’. (35)
1810 January 14
Hungary
Earthquakes
Many shocks; 177 at Czacbereng up to 19th. Many buildings fell. More shocks on Feb. 3. (22)
1810 January 16
Dept. of Taro, France
Fall
Fall of red snow and shower of live insects ‘of 5 well-known species’.
1810 January 17
Placentia
Fall
Red rain or snow fell heavily in mountains. (33)
1810 February 16
Crete
Earthquake
2,000 killed. Shock felt in Trieste, Naples, Malta, etc. (22)
1810 February 17
Lower Alps
Hailstorm
Goose-egg sized stones weighing a quarter of a pound. 6 persons killed, great loss of livestock.
1810 March 16
India
Hailstorm
Storm in Calcutta with 20 oz. stones; men and cattle killed
1810 March 25
Tenerife
Earthquake
‘Many people perished’ (22)
1810 March 28
United States
Tornado
Tornado reported to be 6 miles wide devastated forests in Georgia. (18)
1810 May 16
South of Paris, France
Tornadoes
Two tornadoes or funnel clouds: first lasted 45 minutes, second ‘traversed by a tube as luminous as the Moon’. (58)
1810 May 17 - 18
France
Hailstorms
Goose-egg sized stones, Villereal, 17th; many injured by hailstones, great crop loss, Colignac, 18th; severe hailstorms, Sainte-Colombe and Codines, 18th.
1810 July 15 (c.)
Bengal, India
Ball lightning?
“Vast fiery cloud’ destroyed 5 villages near Shahabad. (11, 31)
1810 August 10
Ireland
Meteorite
A hot stone fell at Mooresfort, Tipperary. (11, 32)
1810 August 11
Azores
Earthquake
Violent earthquake, St. Michael: houses thrown down. (30)
1810 September 19
Holland
Tornado
Tornado with ‘globe of fire’. (30)
1810 November 23
France
Meteorites
3 stones fell at Charsonville: largest 18 kg. (12)
1810 December 14
England
Tornado
Violent tornado destroyed houses, Southsea, Hampshire. (9)
1810 December 18
England
Tornado
Tornado overturned coach, Diss, Norfolk: 2 injured. (9)
