Abraham Lincoln was born on 12 February 1809 in Sinking Spring Farm. An American lawyer and politician from Illinois, Lincoln became the 16th president of the United States in 1861, shortly before the southern states seceded and the Civil War began. He led the Union through the war, issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and delivered the Gettysburg Address, a short speech about equality and the nation's purpose. He backed the Thirteenth Amendment, which abolished slavery. Lincoln was re-elected in 1864, and shortly after the Confederate surrender he was shot at Ford's Theatre in Washington by the actor John Wilkes Booth. He is often ranked as one of the greatest American presidents.
Before and after
- 15 January 1809Birth of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
- 19 January 1809Birth of Edgar Allan Poe
- 3 February 1809Birth of Felix Mendelssohn
- 12 February 1809Birth of Charles Darwin
- 12 February 1809Birth of Abraham Lincoln
- 31 March 1809Birth of Nikolai Gogol
- from 10 April 1809 to 14 October 1809War of the Fifth Coalition
- 8 May 1809Battle of Piave River
- 31 May 1809Death of Joseph Haydn
More in Wars, politics & history
- from 1765 to 1783American Revolution
- from 18 June 1812 to 18 February 1815War of 1812
- from 10 May 1857 to 20 June 1858Indian Mutiny of 1857
- from 18 March 1871 to 28 May 1871Paris Commune
- from 1885 to 1914Scramble for Africa
- from 25 April 1898 to 11 August 1898Spanish–American War
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.