Contemporary events

1785

Birth of Charles-Xavier Thomas, at  Colmar , 8 rue Rapp, son of Joseph Antoine Thomas, doctor, and of Françoise-Xavier Anselin. 

Departure of Lapérouse for the Pacific

1795

May

Birth of Frasquita Garcia de Ampudia Alvarez , who later became his wife

The "sans-culottes".... . Death of Louis XVII, 10 years old

1804

Napoleon is annointed Emperor the 2nd December 1804.
Napoleonic campaigns.
Vidocq! hooligan, then policeman!

1809

Army administrator. Chief cashier for rations

1810

Manager of Headquarters rations store in Seville .
First meeting with Frasquita Garcia de Ampudia, who will become his wife.

1812

Retreat from Russia , Berezina

1813

Chief Superintendent of stores for the armies operating in Spain .

Spain is hotting up!

1814

Rations Inspector for the French army.

Napoleon, dethroned, leaves for Elba .
Louis XVIII in power!

1815

Napoleon: return from Elba . Defeat at Waterloo . Exile in Saint Helena.

1816

Agent and Pricipal Officer for rations for the allied troops, in Colmar . Thomas lives in the rue de l'Imprimerie. Birth of his first son, François-Louis-Charles.

"Le radeau de la Méduse " by Géricault

1819

Sept.

Creation of the Phoenix Insurance Company. Thomas is named General Manager for 15 years.

Authorisation for insurance companies to extend their activities to fire cover..

1820

Feb.

Thomas resigns from Phoenix , following a disagreement.  

Patent N° 1420 of 18th November, 1820
Model T1820

1821

Apr.

Knight of the Legion of Honour.

Death of Napoleon, on 5th May at Saint Helena . Foundation of the Ecole des Chartes.

1822

Bulletin of the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale
Texts by Francoeur and Hoyau

Egypt revealed by Champollion

Modèle T1822

1823

Purchase of the building at 13, rue du Helder, in Paris . The arithmometer is mentioned in German scientific literature (Dingler's Polytechnisches Journal)

Niepce invents photography.

1824

Death of Louis XVIII. Charles X succeeds him.

1829

Dec.

Foundation of the Compagnie du Soleil. Thomas remains its General Manager until his death. He holds 25 % of the capital.

The Navy adopts steam power! First tubular locomotive, built by Marc Seguin.

1832

Death of his father, Joseph-Antoine

Cholera epidemic in Paris . L'Orient by Delacroix ...

1834

Nov.

Thomas joins the "Committee of Insurance Company Managers" to agree on a common tariff.

George Sand breaks with Alfred de Musset ..

1837

Dec.

Purchase of the Château de Champfleury, at Carrières-sous-Poissy for the sum of 40,500 Francs.

Opening of the "Paris - Saint-Germain" railway line

1840

Disaster insurance becomes profitable

Inauguration of the Colonne de  Juillet, place de la Bastille

1843

Creation of the Aigle insurance company

Schools take up gymnastics!

1844

His brother, Henri-Louis Thomas, becomes General Manager of Soleil

"The Three Musketeers" by Alexandre Dumas

National Exhibition of 1844

1846

Re-insurance agreement between Soleil and Aigle.

The Holy Virgin appears at La Salette. The planet Neptune is discovered by Johann Galle.

1847

His son, Joseph Thomas d'Alvarez, takes over the management of Aigle.

Death of Marie Duplessis, "la dame aux camélias" (Camille).

Model T1848

Patent N° 8282 of 25th April, 1849

1850

 Aug.

 Purchase of the  Château de Maisons-Laffitte for 170,000 Francs.

Death of Honoré de Balzac.

1850

Nov.

Creation of the mixed liability company Hoart & Co. Thomas holds 60 %

Patent N° 10990 (6261*) of 8th December, 1850
Model T1850

English patent N° 13,504 of 10th February, 1851

1851

Major report by Benoît on the arithmometer. 16 digit machines are already built.

Louis Napoleon crossed the Rubicon!

1851

A superb machine is presented to Marie-Thérèse Louise de Bourbon Parme, regent of the Duchies of   Parma and Piacenza

Coup d'état of 2nd December.

1851

Gold medal of the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale.
Silver medal at the Universal Exhibition in London

Second Empire !

1851

 Aug.

Certificate of addition to Patent 10990 (to be developed)

1851

Déc.

His Majesty, theSa Majesté le Bey of Tunis, gives him the Diamond Nicham 2nd class. Did Thomas give an arithmometer to the Bey of Tunis ?

Model T1852

1852

First instruction manuals! (Hoart & Co)
First serial numbers!

New Constitution !

1852

The prince president (later, Napoleon III) gives him a gold snuffbox with his crest.
The Duke of Nassau gives him a diamond ring .

1852

Death of his brother, Henry-Louis Thomas.
Louis Thomas, Duke of Bojano, succeeds him as Deputy General Manager.

1852

Aug.

His Majesty, the King of the Netherlands , makes him a Knight of the Ordre de la Couronne de Chêne.

1852

Dec.

His Holiness, Pope Pius IX, makes him a Commander of the Ordre de Saint Grégoire le Grand.

1853

Dec.

His Majesty, the King of Greece, gives him the Croix de
Chevalier du Sauveur

New Caledonia becomes French

Model T1856

1854

April

The Grand Duke of Tuscany gives him a hereditary peerage through the male line by letters patent.

1854

July

His Majesty, the King of Sardinia makes him a Knight of the
Ordre des Saints Maurice et Lazare.

Crimean War

1854

Soleil absorbs Le Globe, La Lyonnaise, La Palladium and La Nivernaise (1854-55)

1854

L'Académie des Sciences gives its approval to the arithmometer. It is admitted to the Concours de Mécanique of 1855.

Piano arithmometer
Universal Exhibition of 1855

1855

Le Verrier, manager of the Observatoire de Meudon, congratulates him. Verrier had received an arithmometer in 1854
as a gift.

Siege of Sebastopol

1857

Aug.

Promoted to the rank of Officier de la Légion  d'honneur !

"Les fleurs du mal"  by Baudelaire banned! Certain parts are considered scandalous…..

1857

Relinquishment of the system of "participation" which put shareholders and participants into opposition to each other.

Model T1858

1858

Thomas introduces the turns counter ("compteur de tours") into
his machines

First aerial photographs by Nadar

Model T1860

1860

Sept.

Purchase of Château de Mairé ( Vienne ) on the banks of the Creuse for 621,000 francs

Baron Haussmann transforms Paris !

1861

Pierre-Albert Dalmas, MP for Ille et Vilaine, gives up his job as Secretary to Napoleon III to chair Soleil from 1863 to 1866 and from 1868 to 1876.

"La Blanchisseuse", by Honoré Daumier

1863

June

Thomas buys a plot of land at 156, Bd Haussmann, on which he
has a town-house built. 11 servants work there. The stables hold 6 horses and 6 carriages!

France makes Cambodia a protectorate. "Déjeuner sur l'herbe" by Manet

1864

Special disaster insurance policy

Inauguration of the transatlantic line. Sensational speech by Thiers

Patent N° 68923 of 30th December, 1865
Model T1865

1868

Compagnie du Soleil moves from 13 rue du Helder to 44-46
rue de Châteaudun, Paris IXe.

Velocipede race. Pierre Michaux creates the pedals.

1869

Plan to extend his activities to life insurance. The plan will only be put into effect in 1872 by his son, Louis Thomas de Bojano.

Telegraphic cable under the Atlantic . Sarah Bernhardt enchants Paris.

1870

March

Death of Thomas de Colmar at the age of 84, at home at 156 Bd Haussmann. He held 81% of the capital of Soleil

Workers' strike at Creusot fails.

Inventory!
A stock of 229 10, 12, 16 and 20 digit machines remains in the workshops at 16, rue de la Tour des Dames.

1870

Louis Thomas de Bojano is named General Manager of Soleil.

War! Napoleon III surrenders

1872

Louis Thomas de Bojano starts offering life insurance in Soleil

Around the World in 80 Days / Jules Verne

1877

Sale of the Château de Maisons-Laffitte

The electric battery by Leclanché

Patent N° 138912 of 29th September, 1880
Model T1880

1881

May

Death of Louis Thomas. Mr le Comte de Rancy, grandson of Thomas de Colmar, succeeds him.

Primary schools made free of charge / Jules Ferry

1887
1889

Payen puts his name on the arithmometers. Gold medal at the Universal Exhibition of 1889

Gauguin in Pont-Aven !

Model Payen P1

1894

The family loses the management of the Groupe Aigle-Soleil

1896

The arithmometer box is fitted with an inclining system

The Senate rejects income tax!

Model Payen P3

1900

Gold medal at the Universal Exhibition

The corset becomes more supple ....

Patent N° 394.781 of 6th  December, 1907

1912

The city of Colmar names one of its streets after Charles-Xavier Thomas!

The Bonnot gang is eliminated. The postman, Cheval, has finished his palace ...

1915

Sale of the Maison Payen to Alphonse Darras

Inventory Daras 1915
What remains in the workshops at 16, rue de la Tour des Dames

1915

Darras inventory including the workshops at 16 rue de la Tour des Dames

1920

June

Exhibition of calculating machines at the Société d'Encouragement pour l'Industrie Nationale for the centenary of the arithmometer.

Supression of abortion. Lebanon is created by France .

1931

A bust of Thomas par Clésinger, a replica of the bronze one which decorated the board room of Soleil-Aigle, is given to the town of Colmar .

Colonial Exhibition.