Thomas Locke (1808 - 1889)

Refresh this page to see various historical events that occurred during Thomas' lifetime.

In 1808, in the year that Thomas Locke was born, in late November or early December, the "mystery volcano" erupted. The eruption was so large that it affected air temperatures, the color of the sun, and cloud formations. It is believed the volcano was located in the western Pacific Ocean, somewhere between Indonesia and Tonga. Scientists are still trying to figure out the (exact) where, when, and how.

In 1828, at the age of 20 years old, Thomas was alive when on April 20th, French explorer René Caillié became the first non-Muslim to enter Timbuktu and to later return alive. He gave Europeans a first hand description of the city. He was awarded a prize of 10,000 francs for his trip - offered by the Société de Géographie.

In 1846, by the time he was 38 years old, on June 15th, the Oregon Treaty - between Great Britain and the US - was signed. The Treaty agreed that the 49th parallel would be the border between the United States and Canada. Since the actual border wasn't clear in the Treaty, dispute about what was Canada and what was the US continued for a decade.

In 1867, he was 59 years old when on March 1st, Nebraska became the 37th state in the United States. Due to the Homestead Act, settlers had flooded into the area and the first wave of settlers was so large that Nebraska was immediately able to apply for statehood.

In 1889, in the year of Thomas Locke's passing, on January 15th, the Coca-Cola Company was incorporated - originally as the "Pemberton Medicine Company". The Coca-Cola drink was originally created by John Stith Pemberton, first as a patent medicine and then as a soda fountain drink. Pemberton had sold the company in 1888, shortly before he died.