1858 in History

This chapter details events that occurred in London in the in the summer of 1858. For Charles Darwin, the hot summer of 1858 was the time of crisis, as it was, for different reasons, for his close contemporaries Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli. Other Victorians of lasting fame, and some whose notoriety did not outlast the stifling summer heat, found themselves intricately involved in political, social, or cultural events of national importance during the short four-month period from May to August 1858. Several far-reaching acts of parliament were debated and passed: on the governance of India, Jewish representation in parliament, the medical profession, marriage and divorce, and — most visibly and nauseatingly — the ‘Great Stink’ for which 1858 is best known.