January 9 » Connecticut becomes the fifth state to ratify the Constitution.
January 20 » The third and main part of First Fleet arrives at Botany Bay. Arthur Phillip decides that Port Jackson is a more suitable location for a colony.
January 26 » The British First Fleet, led by Arthur Phillip, sails into Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) to establish Sydney, the first permanent European settlement on Australia. Commemorated as Australia Day.
March 21 » A fire in New Orleans leaves most of the town in ruins.
May 23 » South Carolina ratifies the United States Constitution as the eighth American state.
June 21 » New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States.
Day of death April 2, 1872
The temperature on April 2, 1872 was about 14.2 °C. There was 0.2 mm of rain. The atmospheric humidity was 71%. Source: KNMI
In The Netherlands , there was from January 4, 1871 to July 6, 1872 the cabinet Thorbecke III, with Mr. J.R. Thorbecke (liberaal) as prime minister.
From July 6, 1872 till August 27, 1874 the Netherlands had a cabinet De Vries - Fransen van de Putte with the prime ministers Mr. G. de Vries Azn. (liberaal) and I.D. Fransen van de Putte (liberaal).
March 5 » George Westinghouse patents the air brake.
June 14 » Trade unions are legalized in Canada.
July 18 » The Ballot Act 1872 in the United Kingdom introduced the requirement that parliamentary and local government elections be held by secret ballot.
November 30 » The first-ever international football match takes place at Hamilton Crescent, Glasgow, between Scotland and England.
December 9 » In Louisiana, P. B. S. Pinchback becomes the first African-American governor of a U.S. state.
December 21 » Challenger expedition: HMSChallenger, commanded by Captain George Nares, sails from Portsmouth, England.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Charles Olson, "Olson's Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/olsons-tree/P17740.php : accessed January 10, 2026), "James Williams (1788-1872)".
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