Dana, Richard Henry

1815 - Richard Henry Dana Jr. was born on the 1st of August Cambridge, Massachusetts.

1834 - He left Harvard to enlist as a common sailor on a voyage around Cape Horn.

1836 - He set foot back in Boston in September.

1837 - After his sea voyage, he returned to Harvard, completing his education.

Became a lawyer, and an expert on maritime law, many times defending common seamen.

1840 - Wrote novel "Two Years before the Mast".

1848 - He became a prominent abolitionist, helping to found the anti-slavery Free Soil Party.

1859 - Visited Cuba while its annexation was being debated in the U.S. Senate.

1882 - He died on 6th of January of influenza in Rome, and is buried in that city's Protestant Cemetery.