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Joseph Smith, Jr.

Joseph Smith, Jr.

Joseph Smith, Jr. (December 23, 1805–June 27, 1844) was the principal founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement, also known as Mormonism, which includes such denominations as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Community of Christ. Smith's followers revere him as a latter-day prophet. Joseph Smith acquired many opponents and many believers throughout his life and is considered to be among the most influential individuals in American history. Smith's teachings were not welcomed by some in the existing Christian community. The doctrines he taught were considered by some to be blasphemy and contrary to their interpretation of The Bible. Others criticized Smith because of his immense political power — during his ministry he was a mayor, an opponent of slavery, and the commander of at least two militias (Zion's Camp and the Nauvoo Legion). Many of his detractors also opposed his practice of polygamy. Tensions with his enemies continuously escalated until June 27, 1844, when Smith and his brother Hyrum were shot and killed by a large mob. Adherents to denominations spawning from the Latter Day Saint movements number in the tens of millions. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is by far the largest denomination, although other denominations of significant size (i.e., The Community of Christ) exist.

Biography

Early life, family, and religious experiences

Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, the fifth child of Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. After attempting to establish roots in various towns in Vermont, but being forced out by three successive years of crop failures, the Smith family settled in western New York, and began working a farm just outside the border of the town of Palmyra . Although young Joseph assisted his father and elder brothers in farming by clearing land, hauling rocks, and other duties, his mother, Lucy, reported that as a boy Joseph was often found in serious reflection thinking about the welfare of his soul. He recorded his feelings at that time in his own words. “During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit. In process of time my mind became somewhat partial to the Methodist sect, and I felt some desire to be united with them; but so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong." At Palmyra, Joseph Smith, Sr., opened a "cake and beer shop," carrying gingerbread, pies, boiled eggs, root-beer and other similar products. town of Palmyra.]] Smith claimed that he had a theophany when he was about fourteen years old, in which God spoke to him. This theophany has become colloquially known as the First Vision. In 1823, when Smith was seventeen, Smith's family report that Joseph described being visited by a heavenly messenger (Moroni) who directed him to a hill near his home where there was said to be buried a set of Golden Plates and other artifacts. The angel, Smith said, had buried the artifacts in about 400 C.E., and had been charged with their protection. By carefully following the messenger's instructions, Smith claimed he would eventually be able to retrieve the Golden Plates, which were said to contain the religious records of former inhabitants of the Americas, engraved in ancient glyphs. Smith was not allowed to receive the plates until 1827. In the meantime, with his father and brothers, he also was said to participate in a number of treasure-seeking expeditions in New York and Pennsylvania, and he met his future wife Emma Hale thusly engaged. Emma's father, a participant in the treasure-seeking company, disapproved of Smith, so the couple eloped in early 1827. After his marriage, Smith returned to Palmyra and moved in with his parents. Four years had passed since Moroni, the angel that had told Smith about the plates, first appeared, with periodic visits occuring in the interim. Finally, in September 1827, the heavenly messenger allowed him to take the gold plates, Smith said, but had strictly forbidden him from showing them to any person without authorization.

1827 to 1831

Soon after Joseph Smith claimed he had the Golden Plates, his focus turned to getting the engravings he said were on them translated. With the financial and moral support of a wealthy Palmyra landowner named Martin Harris, Smith set off with Emma to Harmony, Pennsylvania to live near Emma's family. In Harmony, Smith—working behind a curtain out of view of Emma—began transcribing characters he said were engraved on the plates, and attempting to translate some of them by looking into the "Urim and Thummim", a set of "large spectacles" he said was among the artifacts he acquired from Moroni. Smith's friends at the time say that the spectacles were too large to be worn, and that while viewing them, Smith placed them into his hat and covered his face. Martin Harris came to Harmony in February 1828 to act as Smith's scribe (Roberts 1902, p. 19). By the middle of June 1828, Smith had dictated about 116 manuscript pages of text (Roberts 1902, p. 20), beginning with a story about a man named Lehi in Jerusalem, and ending with a story about King Benjamin, one of his descendants, in the Americas (Smith et al. 1835, sec. 36, v. 41)). Harris, however, who was having marital problems at the time, convinced Smith to allow him to take the manuscript pages home to Palmyra to show his skeptical wife. At about the same time, Emma gave birth to the young couple's first child (Smith 1853, p. 118), but the boy was deformed and stillborn (Howe 1834, p. 269). By the time Smith was able to inquire about the manuscript pages, Harris informed Smith that they were lost. Devastated, Smith returned to Harmony and dictated to Emma his first written revelation, which rebuked him for losing the manuscript pages, but assured Smith that all was not lost, because if Smith repented of what he had done, God would "only cause thee to be afflicted for a season, and thou art still chosen, and wilt again be called to the work" (Phelps 1833, 2:7). As a penalty, Smith claimed the angel took away the plates and the Urim and Thummim, returning them that year on September 22 1828. Between then and the spring of 1829, Smith's translation was sporadic. On April 7, 1829, Smith was joined in Harmony by a new scribe, Oliver Cowdery (Cowdery 1834, p. 14). By at least that time, Smith believed that the work he was dictating from the Golden Plates was a revolutionary and "marvelous work" of religion, and Smith believed Cowdery had a number of "gifts" that would aid in the effort. Cowdery, like Smith, had the "gift" of translating ancient documents, as well as the "gift" of working with the "rod of nature", which would allow him to discern God's will much as Smith had been doing by looking through his seer stones and Urim and Thummim. Cowdery acted as Smith's scribe for the majority of Smith's dictation. According to Cowdery and Smith, on May 15, 1829, John the Baptist appeared and ordained them to the Aaronic Priesthood. They baptized each other immediately thereafter, exercising their new authority. Peter, James, and John also came to them during either May or June 1829 and ordained them to the Melchizedek Priesthood. Latter Day Saints believe that the authority found in these priesthoods was necessary for a complete restoration of Jesus Christ's Ancient Church. When translation was complete, Smith published his dictated work as the Book of Mormon, on March 26, 1830. Later, the subtitle "Another Testament of Jesus Christ" was added. On April 6, 1830, Smith founded the first Latter Day Saint church, and soon organized three branches in the surrounding area of New York.

Life in Kirtland, Ohio

Latter Day Saint To avoid conflict and persecution encountered in New York and Pennsylvania, Smith and Emma moved to Kirtland, Ohio early in 1831. They lived with Isaac Morley's family while a house was built for them on the Morley farm. Many of Smith's followers and associates settled in Kirtland, Ohio, and also in Jackson County, Missouri, where Smith said he was instructed by revelation to build Zion. In Kirtland, the church's first temple was built, and many extraordinary events were reported: appearances by Jesus, Moses, Elijah, Elias, and numerous angels; speaking and singing in tongues, often with translations; prophesying; and other spiritual experiences. Some Mormons believed that Jesus' Millennial reign had come. Even those of other faiths reported a heavenly light "resting" upon the temple. The early Church grew rapidly, but there were often conflicts between the Saints and their neighbors. These conflicts were sometimes violent: On the evening of March 24, 1832 in Hiram, Ohio, a group of men beat and tarred and feathered Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon. They threatened Smith with castration and with death, and one of his teeth was chipped when they attempted to force him to drink poison. The mob action led to the exposure and eventual death of Smith's adopted newborn twins. Sidney Rigdon suffered a severe concussion after being dragged on the ground. According to some accounts, Rigdon was delirious for several days. The reasons for this attack are uncertain, but likely were tied to a sermon given by Rigdon. In his book, Under the Banner of Heaven, author Jon Krakauer links this particular episode to a sexual liaison Smith purportedly had with Benjamin Johnson's 15-year-old daughter, Miranda Nancy Johnson. Krakauer quotes Miranda's older brother Luke Johnson as saying that the mob "had Dr. Dennison there to perform the operation [of castration]; but when he saw the Prophet stripped and stretched on the plank, his heart failed him and he refused to operate." Todd Compton, author of In Sacred Loneliness: The Plural Wives of Joseph Smith reports that evidence of a relationship or marriage between Joseph and Miranda is not compelling. Miranda herself wrote, “Here I feel like bearing my testimony that during the whole year that Joseph was an inmate of my father’s house I never saw aught in his daily life or conversation to make me doubt his divine mission.” (231–32) After tending to his wounds all night and into the early morning, Smith preached a sermon on forgiveness the following day. Though some reports state that members of the mob that had attacked him were present at this sermon, Smith did not mention the attack directly. On January 12, 1838 Smith and Rigdon left Kirtland for Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri, in Smith's words, "to escape mob violence, which was about to burst upon us under the color of legal process to cover the hellish designs of our enemies." Just prior to their departure, many Saints (including prominent leaders) became disaffected in the wake of the Kirtland Safety Society debacle, in which Smith and several associates were accused of various illegal or unethical banking actions. Most of the remaining church members left Kirtland for Missouri.

Plural marriage

:See also: Plural Wives of Joseph Smith, Jr. for a list of Smith's plural wives. Most believe that Smith began practicing a form of polygyny called celestial marriage (later called plural marriage) perhaps as early as 1833. Polygamy (marriage to multiple partners) was illegal in many U.S. States, including Illinois, and was felt by some to be an immoral or misguided practice. Records indicate that Smith and a small number of followers practiced plural marriage during the later years of his life. Joseph's wife Emma was at times ambivalent and at times hostile to the practice. Sources indicate that Joseph concealed at least some of his plural marriages from her. However, she assented to others at various times, and stood as a witness in some of the weddings. After Joseph Smith's death, Emma stated publicly that he had never practiced plural marriage, and her son Joseph Smith III believed that Brigham Young introduced the practice. There is disagreement as to the precise number of wives Smith may have had. One historian, Todd M. Compton, who contends that polygamy was a mistake for the Church, tried to document, using Utah LDS sources, at least thirty-three plural marriages or sealings during Smith's lifetime. It is without question that Joseph had multiple wives (as marriage certificates are available for some); but, as Compton states multiple times in his work "[a]bsolutely nothing is known of this marriage after the ceremony"; that is, it is unclear how many (if any) of these marriages Smith consummated. Information on the intention of some of the sealings is similarly ambiguous; Smith has been sealed to many people, male and female, as a father or a brother with no marital intention or obligation. If these marriage sealings were indeed sexual unions, it would be reasonable to expect some children from them as there were from Smith's marriage to Emma. One of the plural wives made an allegation that Smith had fathered one of her children, but this is disputed, as is the theory that Smith fathered children with some of his plural wives that were raised as though they were the children of their other husbands. Dr. Scott Woodward and others are conducting DNA evidence of possible descendants of Joseph Smith. To date, none of these plural marriages has been shown to have produced genetic offspring of Joseph Smith [3]. The LDS Church believes that polygamy was instituted according to revelation from God to Joseph Smith, claiming parity with the practices of Old Testament figures (e.g. Jacob, David, and Solomon). The LDS Church publicly announced the practice in Utah in 1852, after which the doctrine was generally accepted, but not widely practiced. Plural marriage was later formally discontinued by the LDS Church (new plural marriages were banned by the Church following a revelation to President Wilford Woodruff in 1890), and the Church currently excommunicates members who practice it. The Community of Christ (formerly Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) denied for many years that Smith ever taught or practiced polygamy. More recently, Community of Christ historians have publicly supported the view that Smith taught the doctrine. [4] Many splinter groups of the Latter Day Saint Movement descended from the LDS Church continue to practice plural marriage.

Life in Missouri

Smith's early revelations identified western Missouri as Zion, the place for Mormons to gather in preparation for the second coming of Jesus Christ. Independence, Missouri, was identified as "the center place" ([http://scriptures.lds.org/dc/57/3#3 D&C 57:3]) and the spot for building a temple. Smith first visited Independence in the summer of 1831, and a site was dedicated for the construction of the temple. Soon afterward, Mormon converts—most of them from the New England area—began immigrating in large numbers to Independence and the surrounding area. The Missouri period was marked by many violent conflicts and legal difficulties for Smith and his followers. Many people saw their new LDS neighbors as a religious and political threat. Mormons tended to vote in blocks, giving them a degree of political influence wherever they settled. Additionally, Mormons purchased vast amounts of land in which to establish settlements. The majority of Saints were northerners and held abolitionist viewpoints, including Smith himself, clashing with the pro-slavery persuasions of the Missourians. The tension was fueled by the belief that Jackson County, Missouri, and the surrounding lands were promised to the Church by God and that the Saints would soon dominate it. All of these factors contributed to aggressive mob violence and other harassments. In response to the consistent persecution, a small group of Latter Day Saints organized themselves into a vigilante group called the Danites, led by Dr. Sampson Avard. Smith's exact role in the Danite society is unknown; some suggest that he held a leading or even founding position, while others believe he had no knowledge of the Danites before their existence was publicly recognized. Later, Smith stated that he disapproved of the group and Avard was excommunicated for his activities. Soon the "old Missourians" and the LDS settlers were engaged in a conflict sometimes referred to as the 1838 Mormon War. One key skirmish was the Battle of Crooked River, which involved Missouri state troops and a group of Saints. There is some debate as to whether the Mormons knew their opponents were government officials, but the battle's aftermath was pivotal in Church history. This battle led to reports of a "Mormon insurrection" and the death of apostle David W. Patten. In consequence of these reports and the political influence of pro-slavery politicians, Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an executive order known as the "Extermination Order" on 27 October 1838. The order stated that the Mormon community was in "open and avowed defiance of the laws, and of having made war upon the people of this State ... the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description." The Extermination Order wasn't officially rescinded until 1976 by Governor Christopher S. Bond. Christopher S. BondSoon after the "Extermination Order" was issued, vigilantes attacked an outlying Mormon settlement and killed 17. This event is identified as the Haun's Mill Massacre. Soon afterward, the 2,500 troops from the state militia converged on the Mormon headquarters at Far West. Smith and several other Church leaders surrendered to state authorities on charges of treason. Although they were civilians, the militia leader threatened to try Smith and others in a military tribunal and have them immediately executed. Were it not for the actions of General Alexander William Doniphan in defense of due process, the plans of the militia leaders likely would have been carried out. The legality of Boggs' "Extermination Order" was debated in the legislature, but its objectives were achieved. Most of the Mormon community in Missouri had either left or been forced out by the spring of 1839. Instead of execution, Smith and others spent several months in Liberty Jail awaiting a trial that never came. With shaky legal grounds for imprisonment, guards, likely on the instructions of other authorities, eventually allowed their escape. They joined the rest of the Church in Illinois.

Life in Nauvoo, Illinois

After leaving Missouri in 1839, Smith and his followers made headquarters in a town called Commerce, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi River, which they renamed Nauvoo (meaning "to be beautiful"; - the word is found in the Hebrew of Isaiah 52:7 - Latter Day Saints often referred to Nauvoo as "the city beautiful", or "the city of Joseph"—which was actually the name of the city for a short time after the city charter was revoked—or other similar nicknames) after being granted a charter by the state of Illinois. Nauvoo was quickly built up by the faithful, including many new arrivals. In October 1839, Smith and others left for Washington, D.C. to meet with Martin Van Buren, then the President of the United States. Smith and his delegation sought redress for the persecution and loss of property suffered by the Saints in Missouri. Van Buren told Smith, "Your cause is just, but I can do nothing for you." Work on a temple in Nauvoo began in the autumn of 1840. The cornerstones were laid during a conference on April 6, 1841. Construction took five years and it was dedicated on May 1, 1846; about four months after Nauvoo was abandoned by the majority of the citizens. In March 1842, Smith was initiated as a Freemason (as an Entered Apprentice Mason on March 15, and Master Mason the next day—the usual month wait between degrees was waived by the Illinois Lodge Grandmaster, Abraham Jonas) at the Nauvoo Lodge, one of less than a half-dozen Masonic meetings he attended. He was introduced by John C. Bennett, a Mason from the northeast. Nauvoo's population peaked in 1845 when it may have had as many as 12,000 inhabitants (and several nearly-as-large suburbs) — rivaling Chicago, Illinois, whose 1845 population was about 15,000, and its suburbs.

Controversy in the City Beautiful

Chicago, Illinois ]]On the evening of May 6, 1842, a gunman shot through a window in Governor Boggs' home, hitting him four times. Sheriff J.H. Reynolds discovered a revolver at the scene, still loaded with buckshot and surmised that the suspect lost his firearm in the dark rainy night. Some Saints saw the assassination attempt positively given Boggs' history of acting against the Church: An anonymous contributor to The Wasp, a Mormon newspaper in Nauvoo, wrote on May 28 that, "Boggs is undoubtedly killed according to report; but who did the noble deed remains to be found out." Several doctors—including Boggs' brother—pronounced Boggs all but dead; at least one newspaper ran an obituary. To everyone's great surprise, Boggs not only survived, but gradually improved. The popular press—and popular rumor—was quick to blame Smith's friend and sometime bodyguard Porter Rockwell for the assassination attempt. By some reports, Smith had prophesied that Boggs would die violently, leading to speculation that Smith was involved. Rockwell denied involvement, stating that he would not have left the governor alive if he had indeed tried to kill him. Also at about this time, Bennett had become disaffected from Smith and began publicizing what he said was Smith's practice of "Spiritual Wifery". (Bennett, earlier a pro-polygamy activist, knew of Smith's revelation on plural marriage and encouraged Smith to advocate the practice publicly. When this was rejected by Smith, Bennett began seducing women on his own and was subsequently excommunicated for practicing "Spiritual Wifery"; which, incidentally, is not synonymous with plural marriage.) He stepped down as Nauvoo mayor—ostensibly in protest of Smith's actions—and also reported that Smith had offered a cash reward to anyone who would assassinate Boggs. He also reported that Smith had admitted to him that Rockwell had done the deed and that Rockwell had made a veiled threat on Bennett's life if he publicized the story. Smith vehemently denied Bennett's account, speculating that Boggs—no longer governor, but campaigning for state senate—was attacked by an election opponent. Bennett has been identified as "untruthful" by many historians and is seldom used as a reputable source. Critics suggested that Nauvoo's charter should be revoked, and the Illinois legislature considered the notion. In response, Smith petitioned the U.S. Congress to make Nauvoo a territory. His petition was declined. In February, 1844, Smith announced his candidacy for President of the United States, with Sidney Rigdon as his vice-presidential running mate.

Smith's death

Several of Smith's disaffected associates at Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois—some of whom asserted that Smith had tried to seduce their wives into plural marriage—joined together to publish a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor. Its first and only issue was published 7 June 1844. The paper was highly critical of Smith, expounding the beliefs that he had become a fallen prophet, held too much power as both Mayor of Nauvoo and President of the Church, and that he was corrupting women through the practice of plural marriage. The publication of this material disturbed many of Nauvoo's citizens, and the city council responded by passing an ordinance declaring the newspaper a public nuisance designed to promote violence against Smith and his followers. Under the council's new ordinance, Smith, as Nauvoo's mayor, in conjunction with the city council, ordered the city marshal to destroy the paper and the press on June 10, 1844. The legality of this action was challenged and many accused Smith of violating freedom of the press. Violent threats were made against Smith and the Mormon community. Thomas Sharp, editor of the Warsaw Signal, a newspaper hostile to the Mormons, editorialized: :War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens ARISE, ONE and ALL!!!—Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS! To ROB men of their property and RIGHTS, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. LET IT BE MADE WITH POWDER AND BALL!!! (Warsaw Signal, 12 June 1844, p. 2.) Charges were brought against Smith and he submitted to incarceration in Carthage, the county seat. Smith's brother, Hyrum, and several friends, including John Taylor and Willard Richards, accompanied him to the jail. After a hearing, Smith was released but stayed in the jail at the request of Govenor Dunklin as there were to be additional charges filed the following day. According to Taylor and Richards, Dunklin promised to take Smith back to Nauvoo, however, left Carthage without him. At about 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 1844, a mob of about 200 armed men stormed Carthage Jail. The mob shot and killed Smith and his brother Hyrum, and wounded John Taylor.

Smith's legacy

After Smith's death

Smith's death created a crisis. Their charismatic founder was dead and their hierarchy was scattered on missionary efforts and in support of Smith's presidential campaign. Historian D. Michael Quinn quotes Brigham Young's initial concern after Smith's murder: "The first thing which I thought of was, whether Joseph had taken the keys of the kingdom with him from the earth." Without "the keys of the kingdom", that is, the appropriate Priesthood authority, Young recognized the possibility that the church lacked a divinely-sanctioned leader. Because of ongoing tensions, the state legislature revoked Nauvoo's city charter and it was disincorporated. All protection, public services, self-government and other public benefits were revoked. Those who lived in the former City of Nauvoo referred to it as the City of Joseph after this time, until the city was again granted a charter. Without official defenses, city residents continued to be persecuted by opponents, leading Young to consider other areas for settlement, including Texas, California, Iowa and the Intermountain West.

Succession

Smith left ambiguous or contradictory succession instructions that led to arguments and disagreements among the church's members and leadership, several of whom claimed rights to leadership. An 8 August 1844 conference which established Young's leadership is the source of an oft-repeated legend. Multiple journal and eyewitness accounts from those who followed Young state that when Young spoke regarding the claims of succession by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, he appeared to look or sound like the late Smith. Although many of these accounts were written years after the event, there were contemporary records. D. Michael Quinn wrote: :There were contemporary references to Young's "transfiguration." The Times and Seasons reported that just before the sustaining vote at the afternoon session of the August meeting, "every Saint could see that Elijah's mantle had truly falled upon the 'Twelve.'" Although the church newspaper did not refer to Young specifically for the "mantle" experience, on 15 November 1844 Henry and Catharine Brooke wrote from Nauvoo that Young "favours Br Joseph, both in person, manner of speaking more than any person ever you saw, looks like another." Five days later Arza Hinckley referred to "Brigham Young on [w]hom the mantle of the prophet Joseph has fallen." Most saints followed Young, but some aligned with other various people claiming to be Smith's successor. Many of these smaller groups were spread out throughout the midwestern United States, especially in Independence, Missouri. Reverberations of the succession crisis continue to the present day. Mob violence and conflict continued to grow and threaten the Mormon establishment at Nauvoo. By 1847, the city was deemed unsafe and Brigham Young led many Latter Day Saints out of the United States and into Utah, which was then Mexican territory.

Major teachings

Major prophecies

Smith's claim to be a prophet of God has led to much controversy. Some of his prophecies are listed in Prophecies of Joseph Smith. Smith was a polarizing figure in his time, and he continues to be a focus of controversy between his millions of followers, most of whom revere him as a prophet with the same authority as prophets in the standard Christian cannon, and opponents of Mormonism, who believe he was either delusional or fraudulent. Two months before his death, Smith delivered a discourse on the nature of God at the funeral of a church member named King Follett. Although the address was not properly recorded or approved by Smith as official doctrine, it remains one of his most famous speeches. See King Follett Discourse.

Notes

# see # # Boggs, Extermination Order # #

References

#. #. # Bidamon, Emma Smith (March 27, 1876), letter to Emma S. Pilgrim, published in . #. #. #. #. #. #. #. #. # , republished in . # . # Norwich, Vermont (March 15, 1816), A Record of Strangers Who are Warned Out of Town, 1813–1818 (Norwich Clerk's Office), p. 53, published in , page 666. #. #. #. #. #. #. #. #Smith, Joseph, Jr. (1832) History of the Life of Joseph Smith, in Joseph Smith Letterbook 1, pp. 1–6, Joseph Smith Collection, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, published in . #. #Smith, Joseph, Jr. et al. (1838–1842) History of the Church Ms., vol. A–1, pp. 1–10, LDS Church Archives, Salt Lake City, published in . #. #. #. #. #. #. #. #.

Bibliography

There are hundreds if not thousands of works relating to the life, legacy, or teachings of Joseph Smith, Jr.. Smith is the author of several works of scripture, and several personal histories, letters, and other writings. There have also been several biographies, many of which are highly polemical. Smith is also the main subject of virtually all works dealing with the early Latter Day Saint movement.

External links

-
- [http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,957-1,00.html "Who was Joseph Smith?"] at [http://www.mormon.org/ Mormon.org].
- [http://www.josephsmith.net JosephSmith.net], the official web site on Joseph Smith by the LDS Church.
- [http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/presidents/controllers/potcController.jsp?leader=1&topic=facts Joseph Smith, Jr.: Basic facts], short biography on [http://www.lds.org LDS.org].
- [http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/history/people/joseph_smith/index.htm Encyclopedia of Mormonism articles on Joseph Smith].
- [http://www.helpingmormons.org/Teachings%20of%20the%20Prophet%20Joseph%20Smith.htm Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith] (online text at [http://www.helpingmormons.org/ HelpingMormons.org], a site critical of LDS beliefs).
- [http://www.lightplanet.com/response/1826Trial/1826Trial_Hill.html LDS analysis of Smith's 1826 trial], at [http://www.lightplanet.com/home/ Russell Anderson's home page].
- [http://www.ldsmag.com/photoessay/031111vision.html A Walk Through the Sacred Grove in the Fall], a photo essay at [http://www.ldsmag.com/ Meridian Magazine].
- [http://www.signaturebookslibrary.org/essays/josephsmith.htm A short introduction to Joseph Smith Jr.] Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph, Jr. Smith, Joseph, Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. Smith, Joseph Jr. ja:ジョセフ・スミス・ジュニア ko:조지프 스미스 2세

December 23

December 23 is the 357th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (358th in leap years). There are 8 days remaining.

Events

- 619 - Boniface V becomes Pope
- 1493 - The Latin edition of the Nuremberg Chronicle is published
- 1620 - Construction of Plymouth Colony begins
- 1783 - George Washington resigns as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army at Annapolis, Maryland.
- 1823 - A Visit From St. Nicholas, attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, is first published
- 1888 - Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear.
- 1909 - Albert I of Belgium becomes King.
- 1913 - The Federal Reserve Act becomes law.
- 1916 - World War I: In the Battle of Magdhaba, Allied forces capture a Turkish garrison on the Sinai peninsula.
- 1936 - Colombia becomes a signatory to the Buenos Aires copyright treaty.
- 1947 - The transistor is first demonstrated at Bell Laboratories
- 1954 - The first human organ transplant, of a kidney, was performed by Doctors Murray and Harrison at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston.
- 1964 - Beach Boys' bassist/keyboardist Brian Wilson suffers a nervous breakdown on a flight from Los Angeles to Houston, eventually precipitating his retirement.
- 1972 - The Nicaragua capital city, Managua was struck by a 6.5 magnitude earthquake.
- 1972 - Terry Bradshaw throws the Immaculate Reception pass "to" Franco Harris.
- 1972 - The survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days.
- 1973 - A Sobelair Caravelle passenger jet crashes in Morocco, killing 106
- 1979 - Soviet invasion of Afghanistan: Soviet military units occupy Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan
- 1982 - The Environmental Protection Agency recommends the evacuation of Times Beach, Missouri due to dangerous levels of dioxin contamination
- 1986 - The Scaled Composites Voyager aircraft completes the first non-stop flight around the world without refueling.
- 1990 - Republic of Slovenia votes to secede from Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
- 2004 - An earthquake measured 8.1 on the Richter scale hits Macquarie Island in the Southern Ocean, one day before the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake.

Births

- 1513 - Thomas Smith, English diplomat and scholar (d. 1577)
- 1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
- 1582 - Severo Bonini, Italian composer (d. 1663)
- 1597 - Martin Opitz von Boberfeld, German poet (d. 1639)
- 1613 - Carl Gustaf Wrangel, Swedish soldier (d. 1676)
- 1621 - Edmund Berry Godfrey, English magistrate (d. 1678)
- 1621 - Heneage Finch, 1st Earl of Nottingham, Lord Chancellor of England (d. 1682)
- 1689 - Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, French composer (d. 1755)
- 1732 - Richard Arkwright, English industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
- 1750 - King Frederick Augustus I of Saxony (d. 1827)
- 1777 - Tsar Alexander I of Russia (d. 1825)
- 1790 - Jean François Champollion, French Egyptologist (d. 1832)
- 1804 - Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve, French literary critic (d. 1869)
- 1805 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (d. 1844)
- 1819 - Jan Jakob Lodewijk ten Kate, Dutch poet and clergyman (d. 1889)
- 1822 - Wilhelm Bauer, German engineer (d. 1875)
- 1867 - Madame C. J. Walker, American millionaire (d. 1919)
- 1885 - Pierre Brissaud, French artist (d. 1964)
- 1891 - Alexandr Rodchenko, Russian painter and photographer (d. 1956)
- 1907 - Avraham Stern, Polish-born Zionist leader (d. 1942)
- 1908 - Yousuf Karsh, Turkish-born photographer (d. 2002)
- 1911 - Niels Kaj Jerne, English-born immunologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1994)
- 1918 - Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany
- 1918 - José Greco, Italian-born flamenco dancer (d. 2001)
- 1922 - Micheline Ostermeyer, French athlete and musician
- 1923 - Günther Schifter, Austrian music journalist
- 1923 - Claudio Scimone, Italian conductor
- 1923 - James Stockdale, U.S. Navy admiral
- 1926 - Robert Bly, American poet
- 1931 - Ronnie Schell, American actor
- 1933 - Akihito, Emperor of Japan
- 1935 - Paul Hornung, American football player
- 1936 - Frederic Forrest, American actor
- 1940 - Jorma Kaukonen, American musician
- 1941 - Tim Hardin, American musician (d. 1980)
- 1943 - Mikhail Gromov, Russian-born mathematician
- 1943 - Harry Shearer, American actor
- 1943 - Silvia Sommerlath, Queen of Sweden
- 1944 - Wesley Clark, U.S. general and NATO Supreme Allied Commander
- 1947 - Susan Lucci, American actress
- 1948 - Jack Ham, American football player
- 1949 - Adrian Belew, Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter, Producer
- 1950 - Michael C. Burgess, American politician
- 1952 - William Kristol, American political commentator
- 1956 - Dave Murray, English musician (Iron Maiden)
- 1958 - Victoria Williams, American singer
- 1961 - Carol Smillie, British television personality
- 1963 - Jim Harbaugh, American football player
- 1964 - Eddie Vedder, American musician (Pearl Jam)
- 1969 - Martha Byrne, American actress
- 1970 - Catriona LeMay Doan, Canadian speed skater
- 1971 - Corey Haim, Canadian actor
- 1971 - Tara Palmer-Tomkinson, British socialite
- 1975 - Sky Lopez, American actress
- 1977 - Alge Crumpler, American football player
- 1978 - Andra Davis, American football player
- 1978 - Esthero, Canadian musician and singer
- 1978 - Víctor Martínez, Venezuelan Major League Baseball player
- 1978 - Estella Warren, Canadian model and actress
- 1981 - Beth, Spanish singer

Deaths

- 910 - Naum of Preslav, Bulgarian scholar
- 913 - Conrad of Franconia
- 1230 - Berengaria of Navarre, queen of Richard I of England
- 1556 - Nicholas Udall, English playwright (b. 1504)
- 1568 - Roger Ascham, tutor of Elizabeth I of England
- 1575 - Akiyama Nobutomo, Japanese warrior (b. 1531)
- 1588 - Henry I, Duke of Guise, French Catholic leader (b. 1550)
- 1631 - Michael Drayton, English poet (b. 1563)
- 1646 - François Maynard, French poet (b. 1582)
- 1652 - John Cotton, founder of Boston, Massachusetts (b. 1585)
- 1675 - Caesar, duc de Choiseul, French marshal and diplomat (b. 1602)
- 1722 - Pierre Varignon, French mathematician (b. 1654)
- 1771 - Marie-Marguerite d'Youville, Canadian saint (b. 1701)
- 1761 - Alestair Ruadh MacDonnell, Scottish Jacobite spy
- 1779 - Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol, British admiral and politician (b. 1724)
- 1789 - Charles-Michel de l'Épée, French philanthropist and developer of signed French (b. 1712)
- 1793 - Johann Adolph Hasse, German composer (b. 1699)
- 1795 - Henry Clinton, British general (b. 1730)
- 1805 - Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
- 1834 - Thomas Malthus, English demographer and economist (b. 1766)
- 1846 - Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent, French naturalist (b. 1780)
- 1872 - Theophile Gautier, French writer (b. 1811)
- 1912 - Otto Schoetensack, German anthropologist (b. 1850)
- 1939 - Anthony Fokker, Dutch aircraft manufacturer (b. 1890)
- 1948 - Hideki Tojo, Prime Minister of Japan (hanged) (b. 1884)
- 1953 - Lavrenty Beria, Soviet Communist leader (b. 1899)
- 1970 - Charles Ruggles, American actor (b. 1886)
- 1973 - Charles Atlas, Italian-born bodybuilder (b. 1892)
- 1973 - Irna Phillips, American television writer, director, and producer (b. 1901)
- 1979 - Peggy Guggenheim, American art collector (b. 1898)
- 1982 - Jack Webb, American actor, producer, and director (b. 1920)
- 1992 - Eddie Hazel, American guitarist (Funkadelic) (b. 1950)
- 1994 - Sebastian Shaw, English actor (b. 1905)
- 2000 - Billy Barty, American actor (b. 1924)
- 2000 - Victor Borge, Danish-born comedian and pianist (b. 1909)
- 2004 - P. V. Narasimha Rao, ninth Prime Minister of India (b. 1921)

Holidays and observances

- Japan - The Emperor's Birthday - Birthday of Akihito, the current Emperor of Japan
- Sweden - Birthday of Queen Silvia, an official flag day
- Oaxaca - Night of the Radishes
- Roman Empire - Larentalia, a festival in honor of Larenta
- Ancient Latvia - Ziemassvetki held
- Fans of Seinfeld - Festivus held
- Secular humanism (American) - HumanLight observed

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/23 BBC: On This Day]
- [http://www.tnl.net/when/12/23 Today in History: December 23] ---- December 22 - December 24 - November 23 - January 23 -- listing of all days ko:12월 23일 ms:23 Disember ja:12月23日 simple:December 23 th:23 ธันวาคม

1805

1805 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar).

Events

- January 11 - Michigan Territory is created.
- February 15 - Harmony Society officially formed
- March 1 - Justice Samuel Chase acquitted of impeachment charges by the U.S. Senate
- April 27 - United States Marines and Berbers attack the Tripolitan city of Derna (The "Shores of Tripoli").
- May 26 - In Milan's cathedral, Napoleon I of France crowns himself King of Italy with the Iron Crown of Lombardy
- June 1 - Luigi Boccherini was buried in Italy after being found dead on May 28.
- June - War ends between Tripoli and the United States of America.
- June 4 - The first Trooping the Colour ceremony at the Horse Guards Parade in London
- June 13 - Lewis and Clark Expedition: Scouting ahead of the expedition, Meriwether Lewis and four companions sight the Great Falls of the Missouri River, confirming they are heading in the right direction.[http://www.lewis-clark.org/GREATFALLSVT/FALLSOFMO/2GRANDFALL/gf03_grandfall-barralet.htm]
- October 21 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Trafalgar - British naval fleet led by Admiral Horatio Nelson defeats a combined French and Spanish fleet off the coast of Spain. Admiral Nelson is fatally shot
- November 7 - Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at the Pacific Ocean.
- November 16 - Battle at Schungrabern - Russian army stops the French
- December 2 - Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Austerlitz - French troops under Napoleon decisively defeat a joint Russo-Austrian force.
- December 26 - Peace of Pressburg between France and Austria
- Sweden declares war on France
- Horse Patrol, mounted law enforcement force, founded in London, England
- Napoleon annuls the ten-day week of the French Revolutionary Calendar. He also orders his soldiers to be vaccinated
- King Anouvong becomes ruler of Vientiane.

Ongoing events

- Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)-Third Coalition

Births

- January 8 - Orson Hyde, American religious leader (d. 1878)
- January 27 - Samuel Palmer, English artist (d. 1881)
- March 3 - Jonas Furrer, Swiss politician and first President of the Swiss Confederation (d. 1861)
- April 2 - Hans Christian Andersen, Danish writer (d. 1875)
- June 22 - Giuseppe Mazzini Italian patriot, statesman, and writer (d. 1872)
- July 29 - Alexis de Tocqueville, French historian (d. 1859)
- August 4 - William Rowan Hamilton, Irish mathematician (d. 1865)
- August 29 - Frederick Maurice, English theologian (d. 1872)
- November 14 - Fanny Mendelssohn, German composer and pianist (d. 1847)
- December 22 - John Obadiah Westwood, British entomologist (d. 1893)
- December 23 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American religious leader, founder of Mormonism (d. 1844)

Deaths

- January 9 - Noble Jones, American Continental Congressman (b. 1723)
- January 23 - Claude Chappe, French telecommunication pioneer (b. 1763)
- February 25 - Thomas Pownall, British colonial statesman (b. 1722)
- March 4 - Jean-Baptiste Greuze, French painter (b. 1725)
- May 9 - Friedrich Schiller, German playwright (b. 1759)
- May 25 - William Paley, English philosopher (b. 1743)
- May 28 - Luigi Boccherini, Italian composer (b. 1743)
- June 19 - Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée, French painter (b. 1724)
- August 3 - Christopher Anstey, English writer (b. 1724)
- August 28 - Alexander Carlyle, Scottish church leader (b. 1722)
- October 5 - Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general (b. 1738)
- October 21 - Horatio Nelson, British admiral (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1758)
- December 23 - Pehr Osbeck, Swedish explorer and naturalist (b. 1723)
- John Moore, Archbishop of Canterbury (b. 1730) Category:1805 ko:1805년 ms:1805 simple:1805

June 27

June 27 is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 187 days remaining.

Events

- 678 - Saint Agatho begins his reign as a Catholic Pope.
- 1542 - Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo claims California for Spain.
- 1709 - Peter the Great defeats Charles XII of Sweden at the Battle of Poltava.
- 1759 - General James Wolfe starts siege of Quebec.
- 1806 - The British capture Buenos Aires.
- 1844 - Joseph Smith, Jr. is murdered along with his brother Hyrum in the jail in Carthage, Illinois.
- 1864 - Battle of Kennesaw Mountain in the American Civil War.
- 1867 - The Bank of California opens its doors
- 1893 - Crash of the New York Stock Exchange.
- 1898 - First solo circumnavigation of the globe completed by Joshua Slocum from Briar Island Nova Scotia.
- 1905 - Mutiny on the battleship Potemkin.
- 1950 - The United States decides to send troops to fight in the Korean War.
- 1953 - Joseph Laniel becomes Prime Minister of France.
- 1954 - World's first nuclear power station opens in Obninsk, near Moscow.
- 1957 - Hurricane Audrey kills 500 people in Louisiana and Texas.
- 1966 - The first broadcast of Dark Shadows aired on ABC-TV.
- 1967 - World's first ATM installed in Enfield, London.
- 1972 - ATARI is established by Nolan Bushnell.
- 1974 - U.S president Richard Nixon visits the U.S.S.R.
- 1977 - France grants independence to Djibouti.
- 1979 - Muhammad Ali announces his retirement from boxing.
- 1980 - A commercial DC-9 (Itavia Flight 870) was apparently shot down.
- 1984 - Pierre Elliott Trudeau wins Albert Einstein Peace Prize.
- 1985 - Route 66 ceases to be an official highway.
- 1986 - International Court of Justice finds against the United States in its judgement in the Nicaragua v. United States.
- 1991 - Slovenia, after declaring independence two days previous, is invaded by Yugoslavia troops, tanks, and aircraft.
- 1995 - Jodi Huisentruit, an anchorwoman in Mason City, Iowa disappears, presumably abducted.
- 2001 - International Court of Justice finds against the United States in its judgement in the LaGrand Case.
- 2005 - AMD files broad antitrust complaint against Intel Corporation in US Federal District Court, alleging abuse of monopoly powers and antitrust violations.

Births

1040 to 1899

- 1040 - King Ladislaus I of Hungary (d. 1095)
- 1462 - King Louis XII of France (d. 1515)
- 1550 - King Charles IX of France (d. 1574)
- 1696 - William Pepperrell, British colonial soldier (d. 1759)
- 1717 - Louis Guillaume Lemonnier, French botanist (d. 1799)
- 1838 - Paul von Mauser, German weapon designer (d. 1914)
- 1846 - Charles Stewart Parnell, Irish independence fighter (d. 1891)
- 1850 - Lafcadio Hearn, Greek-born author (d. 1904)
- 1869 - Emma Goldman, Lithuanian-born anarchist and feminist (d. 1940)
- 1869 - Hans Spemann, German embryologist, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (d. 1941)
- 1870 - Frank Rattray Lillie, American zoologist and embryologist (d. 1947)
- 1880 - Helen Keller, American spokeswoman for the deaf and blind (d. 1968)
- 1882 - Eduard Spranger, German philosopher, psychologist, and educator (d. 1963)
- 1884 - Gaston Bachelard, French philosopher and poet (d. 1962)

1900 to 1999

- 1913 - Willie Mosconi, American billiards player (d. 1993)
- 1924 - Rosalie Allen, American singer and disc jockey (d. 2003)
- 1924 - Bob Appleyard, English cricketer
- 1925 - Doc Pomus, American musician and composer (d. 1991)
- 1928 - Rudy Perpich, American politician (d. 1995)
- 1930 - Ross Perot, American billionaire and politician
- 1931 - Charles Bronfman, Canadian industrialist
- 1931 - Martinus J. G. Veltman, Dutch physicist, Nobel Prize laureate
- 1932 - Anna Moffo, American soprano
- 1941 - Krzysztof Kieślowski, Polish film director (d. 1996)
- 1949 - Vera Wang, American fashion designer
- 1951 - Mary McAleese, President of Ireland
- 1955 - Isabelle Adjani, French actress
- 1956 - Heiner Dopp, German field hockey player
- 1958 - Magnus Lindberg, Finnish composer
- 1959 - Clint Boon, English musician (Inspiral Carpets)
- 1962 - Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Hong Kong actor
- 1963 - Meera Syal, English comedian, writer, singer, journalist, and actress
- 1964 - Chuck Person, basketball player
- 1966 - J.J. Abrams, American television writer and producer
- 1970 - Jim Edmonds, baseball player
- 1970 - Vitamin C, American singer
- 1975 - Tobey Maguire, American actor
- 1975 - Daryle Ward, baseball player
- 1977 - Raúl, Spanish footballer
- 1978 - Stefan Arason, Icelandic composer
- 1980 - Kevin Pietersen, English cricketer
- 1983 - Alsou, Russian singer
- 1985 - Svetlana Kuznetsova, Russian tennis player
- 1986 - Drake Bell, American actor and musician
- 1988 - Kate Ziegler, American swimmer
- 1991 - Madylin Sweeten, American actress

Deaths

1149 to 1899

- 1149 - Raymond of Antioch
- 1162 - Eudes II, Duke of Burgundy (b. 1118)
- 1458 - King Alfonso V of Aragon (b. 1396)
- 1574 - Giorgio Vasari, Italian painter and architect (b. 1511)
- 1603 - Jan Dymitr Solikowski, Polish archbishop, writer, and diplomat (b. 1539)
- 1627 - John Hayward, English historian
- 1655 - Eleonore Gonzaga, wife of Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor (b. 1598)
- 1672 - Roger Twysden, English antiquarian and royalist (b. 1597)
- 1720 - Guillaume Amfrye de Chaulieu, French poet (b. 1639)
- 1794 - Wenzel Anton Graf Kaunitz, Austrian statesman (b. 1711)
- 1794 - Philippe de Noailles, duc de Mouchy, French soldier (b. 1715)
- 1829 - James Smithson, English founder of the Smithsonian Institute (b. 1765)
- 1831 - Sophie Germain, French mathematician (b. 1776)
- 1844 - Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (murdered) (b. 1800)
- 1844 - Joseph Smith, Jr. American founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (murdered) (b. 1805)

1900 to 1999

- 1957 - Malcolm Lowry, English novelist (b. 1909)
- 1960 - Lottie Dod, English athlete (b. 1871)
- 1970 - Daniel Kinsey, American hurdler (b. 1902)
- 1991 - Klaas Bruinsma, Dutch drug lord (murdered) (b. 1953)
- 1999 - George Papadopoulos, Greek dictator (b. 1919)

2000 onwards

- 2001 - Tove Jansson, Finnish author (b. 1914)
- 2001 - Jack Lemmon, American actor and film director (b. 1925)
- 2002 - John Entwistle, English bassist (The Who) (b. 1944)
- 2004 - George Patton IV, American general (b. 1923)
- 2004 - Darrell Russell, American race car driver (b. 1968)
- 2005 - Marten Toonder, Dutch cartoonist (b. 1912)

Holidays and observances

- Feast of St Cyril of Alexandria
- National HIV Testing Day in United States
- Stonewall Day (date of many gay pride celebrations, including those in New York City, San Francisco, Toronto, and Madrid)

External links

- [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/27 BBC: On This Day] ----- June 26 - June 28 - May 27 - July 27 -- listing of all days ko:6월 27일 ms:27 Jun ja:6月27日 simple:June 27 th:27 มิถุนายน

1844

1844 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar).

Events

- January 15 - University of Notre Dame receives its charter from Indiana.
- February 27 - The Dominican Republic gains independence from Haiti.
- February 28 - A gun on USS Princeton explodes while the boat is on a Potomac River cruise, killing two United States Cabinet members and several others.
- April - The Fleet Prison for debtors in London is abolished.
- May 23 - Persian Prophet The Báb announces His revelation, founding Bábism.
- May 24 - First electrical telegram sent by Samuel Morse from Baltimore, Maryland to Washington, D.C., saying "What hath God wrought?".
- June 6 - George Williams founds the Young Men's Christian Association in London.
- June 15 - Charles Goodyear receives a patent for vulcanization, a process to strengthen rubber.
- June 27 - Joseph Smith, Jr. is murdered with his brother Hyrum in Carthage Jail, Carthage, Illinois.
- July 3 - The last pair of Great Auks are killed.
- August 8 - During a meeting held in Nauvoo, the Quorum of Twelve, headed by Brigham Young, is created as the leading body of the Mormon Church.
- October 22 - Date predicted by the Millerites for the Second Coming of Jesus; leads to the Great Disappointment.
- November - James K. Polk defeats Henry Clay in the U.S. presidential election
- 3 November - Debut of Giuseppe Verdi's I due Foscari, at Teatro Argentina, Rome.
- November 6 - The Dominican Republic gains its independence from Spain.
- First ever international cricket match is played in New York City between Canada and the United States.
- Swedish chemistry professor Gustaf Erik Pasch invents the safety match
- Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx meet in Paris
- Alexander Dumas Jr meets Marie Duplessis
- Locksmith Alexander Fichet invents the first safe
- Carlos Antonio Lopez becomes dictator of Paraguay
- Abd al-Kader is defeated at Isly in Morocco. The sultan of Morocco soon repudiates his ally.

Births

- February 17 - Aaron Montgomery Ward, American department store founder (d. 1913)
- February 20 - Ludwig Boltzmann, Austrian physicist (d. 1906)
- February 20 - Joshua Slocum, Canadian seaman and adventurer (d. 1909)
- February 21 - Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (d. 1937)
- March 10 - Pablo de Sarasate, Spanish violinist (d. 1908)
- March 18 - Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer (d. 1908)
- March 25 - Adolf Engler, German botanist (d. 1930)
- March 30 - Paul Verlaine, French poet (d. 1896)
- April 16 - Anatole France, French writer, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1924)
- May 17 - Julius Wellhausen, German biblical scholar (d. 1918)
- May 21 - Henri Rousseau, French artist (d. 1910)
- May 22 - Mary Cassatt, American artist (d. 1926)
- May 23 - `Abdu'l-Bahá, Persian religious leader (d. 1921)
- June 3 - Garret A. Hobart, 24th Vice President of the United States (d. 1899)
- July 11 - King Peter I of Serbia (d. 1921)
- July 22 - William Archibald Spooner, British scholar and Anglican priest (d. 1930)
- July 28 - Gerard Manley Hopkins, English poet (d. 1889)
- August 6 - Prince Alfred of the United Kingdom, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (d. 1900)
- August 17 - Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia (d. 1913)
- August 22 - George Washington DeLong, American naval officer and explorer (d. 1881)
- August 23 - Hamilton Disston, American land developer (d. 1896)
- August 29 - Edward Carpenter, English Socialist poet (d. 1929)
- August 30 - Emily Ruete, princess of Zanzibar (d. 1924)
- October 15 - Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (d. 1900)
- October 22 - Louis Riel, Canadian leader (d. 1885)
- October 22 - Sarah Bernhardt, French actress (d. 1923)
- October 23 - Robert Bridges, English poet (d. 1930)
- October 27 - Klas Pontus Arnoldson, Swedish writer and pacirist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1916)
- November 2 - Mehmed V, Ottoman Sultan (d. 1918)
- November 23 - Karl Benz, German automotive pioneer (d. 1929)
- December 1 - Alexandra of Denmark, queen of Edward VII of England (d. 1925)
- December 8 - Émile Reynaud, French science teacher and animation pioneer (d. 1918)
- Abd ar-Rahman Khan, Emir of Afghanistan (d. 1901)

Deaths

- January 25 - Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Count d'Erlon, French marshal (b. 1765)
- January 27 - Charles Nodier, French writer (b. 1780)
- February 27 - Nicholas Biddle, president of the Second Bank of the United States (b. 1786)
- March 8 - King Charles XIV John of Sweden, Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, French Napoleonic general (b. 1763)
- June 27 - Hyrum Smith, American religious leader (b. 1800)
- June 27 - Joseph Smith, Jr., American religious leader (b. 1805)
- July 27 - John Dalton, English chemist and physicist (b. 1766)
- July 28 - Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon I and King of Napes and Spain (b. 1768)
- July 29 - Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, Austrian composer (b. 1791) Category:1844 ko:1844년 ms:1844 simple:1844

Mormonism

Mormonism is a religion, movement, ideology and subculture originating in the early 1800s as a product of the Latter-day Saint movement led principally by Joseph Smith, Jr. It is usually described as a branch of Christianity, which encompasses numerous religious denominations, but Mormonism itself did not stem from the Reformation movement, and is generally understood as much more than a religion. Not easily categorized, Mormonism has been described at various times and in various contexts as "a sect, a mystery cult, a new religion, a church, a people, a nation, or an American subculture" . The term Mormonism is also often used to refer specifically to the theology and subculture of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which is only one (though by far the largest) of the many church organizations that claim to be part of Mormonism. Other prominent churches include the Community of Christ, which sometimes distances itself from the term Mormonism, and the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Mormonism also includes numerous non-denominational adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement, and numerous cultural Mormons who are either non-religious or members of churches outside the Latter Day Saint movement. Most people who associate themselves with Mormonism may be respectfully called Latter Day Saints