Elijah Murray (born 1837)

In 1837, in the year that Elijah Murray was born, on June 20th, 18-year-old Queen Victoria became the Queen of the United Kingdom upon the death of her uncle William IV - who had died without legitimate heirs. She would reign for more than 63 years, the longest reign of an English monarch until Queen Elizabeth II. Thus began what would be called the "Victorian Era."

In 1844, in June and July, the "Great Flood of 1844" occurred on the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers - the largest flood recorded in that area. The population in the area was sparse at the time, though, so the flood didn't have a lot of economic impact. The biggest loss was to the Wyandot Indians - 100 people died from diseases caused by the flood.

In 1873, on March 3rd, the U.S. Congress enacted the Comstock Law. The law made it illegal to send any "obscene, lewd, or lascivious" material through the U.S. mail. This included erotica, contraceptives, sex toys, abortifacients, information about these items, and "personal letters alluding to any sexual content or information".

In 1883, from August 26th through August 27th, Krakatoa - in Indonesia - erupted. 70% of the island - 163 villages - were destroyed and more than 36,400 people were killed by the eruption and the tsunami resulting from it. It was one of the deadliest volcanic eruptions ever.

In 1902, the Aswan Low Dam (the old Aswan Dam) began construction in Egypt in 1899 and was completed in 1902 - making it the largest masonry dam in the world at the time. The dam was built on the Nile River in order to conserve water and regulate flooding, allowing for population increase along the Nile.