for 215 acres on the north bank of Rio Grande, just across from Paso del Norte (present-day Ciudad Juárez), is approved; the first residence is built on what is present-day El Paso, Texas. September 22 – Joseph Smith will claim in 1838 that on this day he took the golden plates from the place where they were stored, and that he began writing down the Book of Mormon from them the following December. October–December September 30 – Battle of Itea: a naval battle fought on in the Gulf of Corinth, during the Greek War of Independence. October 1 – Russo-Persian War, 1826–1828: The Russians under Ivan Paskevich storm Yerevan, ending a millennium of Muslim domination in Eastern Armenia. October 20 – Greek War of Independence – Battle of Navarino: British, French, and Russian naval forces destroy the Turko-Egyptian fleet in Greece. This is the last naval action to be fought under sail alone. November – The term "socialist" is coined by Robert Owen in his London periodical, The Co-operative Magazine and Monthly Herald. November 24 – Voting is completed in elections for France's 430 member Chamber of Deputies. The Ultraroyalistes, supporters of King Charles X, lose their 233-seat majority and finish with 180 seats, the same number as the opposition Doctrinaires. December 20 – Mexico passes its first "expulsion law", providing for citizens of Spain to be expelled within the next six months, and to remain barred from re-entry until the Kingdom of Spain recognizes Mexico's 1810 declaration of independence. Ultimately, because of all the exemptions within the expulsion act, only 1,779 of the 6,610 Spaniards were required to leave. Date unknown Laos: King Anouvong of Vientiane leads the Laotian Rebellion against Siam, and successfully attacks Nakhon Ratchasima (the Siamese later invade Vientiane, and nearly destroy the whole city). Messenger of Peace built on Rarotonga by English Congregationalist John Williams to spread Christianity to Samoa and the Society Islands on behalf of the London Missionary Society. Englishman John Walker invents the first friction match, which he names Lucifer. Egypt: Cairo University School of Medicine is established as the first African medical school in the Middle East. John James Audubon begins publication of the 10-volume The Birds of America, in the United Kingdom. Births January–June January 7 – Sir Sandford Fleming, Scottish-Canadian engineer, inventor (d. 1915) January 10 – Amanda Cajander, Finnish medical reformer (d. 1871) January 28 – Jean Antoine