1. By: Caitlin Sands

2.  1837: Queen Victoria claims the throne  1845: Beginning of the potato famine in Ireland; Ireland’s population decreases by 50%  1848: Cholera epidemic; nearly 2,000 deaths a week  1854: The UK declares war on Russia  1857: The Indian Mutiny; directly results in Great Britain assuming direct control over India  1859: Charles Darwin publishes On The Origin of Species  1888: Jack The Ripper murders 5 prostitutes  1891: The Elementary Education Act makes education for children under the age of 10 free  1901: Death of Queen Victoria

3.  The Victorian Era was a time of great social and economic change, and this was reflected in its poetry  Elizabeth Barret Browning conveyed a message of feminism in her famous poem, Aurora Leigh  Aestheticism emerged during the period  This movement, both in visual and literary art, focused on visual details and beauty in art rather than the moral value or biblical message.