1847: A Chronicle of Genius, Generosity and Savagery

Bursting with all manner of human life and endeavor, here are 36 true stories that took place around the world in 1847. From American explorers to show-stopping entertainers like Lola Montez and General Tom Thumb; from the famine-starved Irish to persecuted German emigrants; the ivory-tinkling genius of Liszt and Mendelssohn to the horse-bound Comanche warriors of the Texan plains; from American opium magnates in China to the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico; and from ground-breaking inventors to the Arctic explorers and Australian settlers who pushed against the frontiers of the known world. 1847 is a rich and stirring portrait of a chaotic world surging towards the modern age.