Wells Observes Nitrous Oxide Effect
Horace Wells observed the analgesic effects of nitrous oxide at a demonstration and investigated its use in dentistry.
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03
Horace Wells Biography and Timeline
Follow Horace Wells through 3 dated historical records for United States of America.
Horace Wells, historical timeline
A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.
3Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1844–1845Years on this page
1844
Wells Receives Painless Tooth Extraction
Wells underwent a tooth extraction under nitrous oxide, providing an early practical demonstration of dental anaesthesia.
1845
Wells Demonstration Proves Unconvincing
A public demonstration of nitrous oxide by Horace Wells failed to persuade observers that reliable anaesthesia had been achieved.
Records, sources and methodology
These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.