1800 CE

Robert Owen becomes manager of the New Lanark spinning mills. The first voting, albeit indirect, begins in the 1800 United States presidential election as voters in the state of New York make their selections for the New York state legislature, which in turn will vote on October 31 for the state's 12 presidential electors. A majority of state legislature members are from the Democratic-Republican Party, rather than the Federalist Party. At the time, only 4 of the 16 U.S. states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia) have a popular vote for the presidential electors and the President. The other 12, including New York, have a popular vote for the state legislature, but not for the president. At the time, neither of the major parties have picked their nominees for president and vice president. The result will not be certified until February, 1801. Napoleon and his French army (40,000 men)—not including the field artillery and baggage trains—(35,000 light artillery and infantry, 5,000 cavalry) begin crossing the Alps. He selects the shortest route through the Great St Bernard Pass, and invades after five days traversing the northern region of Italy.

In the 1800s, the 19th century.

Geopolitics & Diplomacy

February 7 – A public plebiscite in France confirms Napoleon as First Consul, by a substantial majority.source
April 2 – The Treaty of Constantinople establishes the Septinsular Republic, the first autonomous Greek state since the Fall of the Byzantine Empire.source
April 2 - Treaty of Constantinople (1800)Russia source
April 3 – The first voting, albeit indirect, begins in the 1800 United States presidential election as voters in the state of New York make their selections for the New York state legislature, which in turn will vote on October 31 for the state's 12 presidential electors. A majority of state legislature members are from the Democratic-Republican Party, rather than the Federalist Party. At the time, only 4 of the 16 U.S. states (Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia) have a popular vote for the presidential electors and the President. The other 12, including New York, have a popular vote for the state legislature, but not for the president. At the time, neither of the major parties have picked their nominees for president and vice president. The result will not be certified until February, 1801.source
June 3 – U.S. President John Adams moves to Washington. Because the President's Mansion is still under construction, President Adams takes up residence at Tunnicliffe's City Hotel near the unfinished U.S. Capitol Building.source
June 6: The Althingi is formally dissolved, with the National High Court being established the following year.Iceland source
July 2 – The Union with Ireland Act 1800 is passed by the Parliament of Great Britain; the Irish Parliament passes similar legislation in the following month, uniting the two kingdoms and abolishing the Parliament of Ireland.source
August 1 – King George III gives royal assent to the second Act of Union to unite the Kingdom of Great Britain and Kingdom of Ireland (both ruled by him) into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, effective on January 1, 1801.source
August 4 – The 2nd United States Census is conducted. It finds 5,308,483 people living in the U.S. of which 893,602 are slaves.United States source
August – Upper Canada expands westward and further into the interior, as the first settlers arrive at the upper Grand River.Canada source
September 30 – The Convention of 1800, or Treaty of Mortefontaine, is signed between France and the United States of America, ending the Quasi-War.source
October 1 – Third Treaty of San Ildefonso: Spain returns Louisiana (New Spain) to France, in return for the Tuscany area of Italy.source
November 1 – U.S. President John Adams becomes the first President of the United States to live in the Executive Mansion (later renamed the White House).source
November 17 – The United States Congress holds its first Washington, D.C., session.source
19 November – The first copper coins are circulated in New South Wales. To prevent their removal from the colony they were issued at double their face value, that is a coin valued at one penny in England was deemed to represent twopence in New South Wales.Australia source
December 3 – The 1800 United States presidential election: The Electoral College casts votes for president and Vice President that result in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr, requiring a contingent election which will select Jefferson as president.source
16 December – Denmark enters a pact of neutrality with Sweden and Russia, and on 18 December also with Prussia.Denmark source
In 1800, Argentina was performing well economically, slightly wealthier than the United States and Cuba.Argentina source
The Government Gazette started printing in the Cape Colony.South Africa source

Conflict & Security

January 1 – Quasi-War: Action of 1 January 1800 – A naval battle off the coast of Haiti, between four United States merchant vessels escorted by naval schooner USS Experiment, and a squadron of armed barges manned by Haitian pirates (known as picaroons), under the command of general André Rigaud, ends indecisively.source
March 17 – The British Royal Navy ship of the line, HMS Queen Charlotte, catches fire off the coast of Capraia, with the loss of 673 lives.source
April 6 – War of the Second Coalition: Siege of Genoa – General André Masséna is surrounded by 40,000 Austrian troops under Field Marshal Michael von Melas and blockaded by a strong British squadron under Lord Keith.source
April – United Irish Uprising in Newfoundland.Canada source
May 14 – Second Coalition: French forces under General Louis-Alexandre Berthier are halted by 400 Austro-Piedmont soldiers, at Fort Bard in the Aosta Valley.source
May 15 – Napoleon and his French army (40,000 men)—not including the field artillery and baggage trains—(35,000 light artillery and infantry, 5,000 cavalry) begin crossing the Alps. He selects the shortest route through the Great St Bernard Pass, and invades after five days traversing the northern region of Italy.source
May 21 – President John Adams issues general amnesty for the Pennsylvania Dutch farmers who participated in Fries's Rebellion.United States source
June 4 – War of the Second Coalition: Siege of Genoa: The French army is evacuated from Genoa. Marshal André Masséna is allowed to march out, with all the honours of war. A portion of his force joins General Louis-Gabriel Suchet, and the rest is conveyed in British ships to Antibes.source
June 14 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Marengo: Napoleon Bonaparte defeats the Austrian army (some 30,000 men) under General Michael von Melas near Marengo. The arrival of French reinforcements under General Louis Desaix reverses the battle. A late counterstroke turns a near-defeat into a political and strategic triumph. Desaix dies during the battle. Napoleon strengthens his position as First Consul and becomes the 'savior of France'. The Austrians lose 6,000 men killed or wounded and some 8,000 prisoners of war. The French lose over 5,000 men (25% total casualties).source
June 15 – Convention of Alessandria (Armistice of Marengo): Austria agrees to evacuate much of Italy and suspends military operations.source
June 19 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Höchstädt – General Jean Victor Marie Moreau leads French forces to victory, opening the Danube passageway to Vienna.source
19 June – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Höchstädt – General Jean Victor Marie Moreau leads French forces to victory, opening the Danube passageway to Vienna.Germany source
June 27 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Neuburg – General Claude Lecourbe leads French forces to victory, securing control of the Danube from Austria.source
August 30 – The plot by African-American blacksmith and slave Gabriel Prosser to seize Richmond, Virginia, and guide a slave uprising, is thwarted by a massive downpour on the evening that it is set to begin; two other slaves have revealed Prosser's plans to authorities, who have prepared to follow him to the rendezvous point and arrest the conspirators, so that "neither the geographical extent of the plot nor the number of insurgents in the conspiracy was revealed"; eventually, 25 slaves, including Prosser, will be captured, tried and hanged.source
August – the 93rd (Sutherland Highlanders) Regiment of Foot is first mustered by William Wemyss at Strathnaver; in September they are sent from Fort George via Aberdeen to Guernsey and in October formally gazetted into the British Army.Scotland source
September 4 – Siege of Malta (1798–1800): The French garrison in Valletta surrenders to British troops, who had been called at the invitation of the Maltese. The islands of Malta and Gozo become the Malta Protectorate.source
4 September – Siege of Malta (1798–1800): The French garrison in Valletta surrenders to British troops who have been called at the invitation of the Maltese. The islands of Malta and Gozo become the Malta Protectorate.United Kingdom source
November 22 – War of the Second Coalition: Hostilities resume.source
December 3 – War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Hohenlinden – The French army defeats Habsburg and Bavarian troops.source
December 18 - Annexation of Kingdom of Kartli-KakhetiRussia source
December 24 – The Plot of the rue Saint-Nicaise fails to kill Napoleon Bonaparte.source
24 December - Plot of the Rue Saint-Nicaise, assassination attempt on Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris.France source
December 25 – The Armistice of Steyr is signed between French and Imperial forces in Germany, ending active hostilities of the War of the Second Coalition in Germany.source
War of the Second Coalition: Battle of Montebello: French forces under General Jean Lannes defeat the Austrians at Montebello. Lannes distinguishes himself in battle; the Austrians lose 659 killed and 1,445 wounded. The French claim only 600 casualties, but a more realistic assessment is that they suffer about 3,000 losses.source
The Argentine Army, suspicious of invasion, increases its force to 14,141 soldiers.Argentina source

Exploration & Expansion

March 26 – British Royal Navy officer Henry Waterhouse first charts the Antipodes Islands.source
March: HMS Reliance, Captain Henry Waterhouse, discovers and charts the Antipodes Islands.New Zealand source
11 May: The Betsey, Captain John Myers, leaves Port Jackson for Peru. En route she visits Hauraki for three days to collect timber. On board are two pākehā women, the first to visit the North Island.New Zealand source
26 June – Major Joseph Foveaux is appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Norfolk Island.Australia source
August - Owen Davies and John Hughes arrive in Ruthin to superintend the Wesleyan Methodist mission to Wales.Wales source
October 7 – French privateer Robert Surcouf leads the 150-man crew of his corvette Confiance 1797 ship to capture the 40-gun, 437-man British East Indiaman Kent 1799 ship in the Indian Ocean.source
3 December – The brig Lady Nelson and Lt. James Grant arrive in Southern Australia; Grant names Cape Northumberland, Cape Banks, Mount Schanck and Mount Gambier.Australia source
Alexander Mackenzie, the explorer, joins XY Company.Canada source
Kronprinsessegade is established in Copenhagen.Denmark source
Ndlambe and his people settle west of the Fish River, previously cleared of AmaXhosa by the Dutch.South Africa source

Religion & Belief

March 14 – Papal conclave, 1799–1800: cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti succeeds Pius VI as Pius VII, the 251st pope. He is crowned on March 21, in Venice.source
4 July – St. Nicolas Church, one of the four Medieval churches in Copenhagen, is closed.Denmark source
16 July – Richard Johnson and Samuel Marsden open a church school in Kissing Point (Ryde).Australia source
1 August - The Naval Temple on The Kymin at Monmouth is dedicated.Wales source
27 November – Walter Scott's first original poems, "Glenfinlas" and "The Eve of St. John", are published.Scotland source
December 24 – Pierre Coudrin and Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie found the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Paris.source
Samuel Marsden becomes the principal, and at the time only remaining, chaplain for New South Wales.New Zealand source
William Ouseley - Epitome of the Ancient History of PersiaWales source
Thomas Charles introduces the practice of allowing Calvinistic Methodist congregations to elect their own elders.Wales source
John Jones - A Development of ... Events calculated to restore the Christian Religion to its ... PurityWales source

Economy & Finance

January 1 – The Dutch East India Company dissolves.source
21 January - decree abolishing the commissioners of the Treasury and entrusting the service to Bertrand Dufresne, director general subordinate to the Minister of Finance Martin-Michel-Charles Gaudin.France source
13 February - Foundation of the Banque de France.France source
May 30 – Bar of Quebec is founded.Canada source
Inflation reaches an all-time recorded high of 36.5%.United Kingdom source
Richard Fothergill goes into partnership with Samuel Homfray at Tredegar. Jeremiah Homfray begins leasing mineral lands at Abernant, Cwmbach, and Rhigos.Wales source

Technology & Infrastructure

1 January – Robert Owen becomes manager of the New Lanark spinning mills.Scotland source
8 January – first soup kitchens open in London.United Kingdom source
12 August – start of construction of the Military Road across the Wicklow Mountains.Ireland source
14 August - Trollhätte Canal, later a part of the Göta Canal, is inaugurated.Sweden source
7 December – Grant names Cape Otway; the Lady Nelson becomes the first ship to cross Bass Strait from the west.Australia source
December - The Brecon Canal opens between Brecon and Talybont.Wales source
A semaphore line, also known as an optical telegraph, is established between Copenhagen and Schleswig, with 23 reply stations across Zealand, Funen and Als.Denmark source
New bridges built at Thurso and Wick and Sir John Sinclair plans development of Thurso.Scotland source

Science & Discovery

February 11 – Infrared radiation is discovered by astronomer Sir William Herschel.source
February 22 – The Baker rifle, designed by Ezekiel Baker, is selected by the British Board of Ordnance as a new standard.source
March 20 – Alessandro Volta describes his new invention, the voltaic pile, the first chemical battery, in a letter to the Royal Society of London.source
Infrared radiation is discovered by William Herschel.United Kingdom source

Health & Medicine

22 March – Company of Surgeons granted a royal charter to become the Royal College of Surgeons in London.United Kingdom source
June 2 – The first smallpox vaccination is made in North America, at Trinity, Newfoundland.source
The Cape Colony government launches the Cape Town Gazette and African Advertiser, restricting press freedom with heavy fines.South Africa source
Conrad Malte-Brun is sent into exile for his pamphlets which contained outright criticism of the government, something which the new censorship laws forbade.Denmark source
Dr. John Milner Barry introduces vaccination in Cork.Ireland source
Royal Cornhill Hospital established as Aberdeen Lunatic Asylum.Scotland source

Crime & Justice

August 30 – Gabriel Prosser's slave revolt in Richmond, Virginia is postponed due to weather. Word of his plan reaches Virginia's governor, James Monroe, who calls in the state militia. Gabriel is later captured and hanged on October 10 along with 23 other slaves.United States source
7 September – Joseph Holt is arrested on suspicion of raising an Irish insurrection.Australia source
Thomas Jones - A Cardiganshire Landlord's Advice to his TenantsWales source

Climate & Environment

15 February – "Meal mob" riot over bread prices in Glasgow.Scotland source

Culture & Society

April 2 – Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 premieres at the Burgtheater, in Vienna.source
2 April – Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 premieres at the Burgtheater, in Vienna.Germany source
April 24 – The U.S. Library of Congress is founded in Washington, D.C.source
April 24 – The U.S. Library of Congress is founded.United States source
14 June – Friedrich Schiller's historical drama Mary Stuart has its première in Weimar.Scotland source
July 10 – Fort William College is established by Lord Wellesley, British Governor-General of India, in Calcutta, to promote Bengali, Hindi and other vernaculars of the Indian subcontinent.source
November 1 – Middlebury College is granted its charter by the Vermont General Assembly.source
December – Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz introduces a Christmas tree at a party for children at Windsor.United Kingdom source
The first Icelandic cookbook, A Simple Cooking Pocket for Older Manna Housewives, was published.Iceland source
The first theatre building in Norway; Komediehuset på Engen was built.Norway source
Chevalier Guard Regiment foundedRussia source
Edward Charles becomes official "bard" of the Gwyneddigion Society.Wales source

Births

January 1 – Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, English landowner (died 1857)source
January 7 – Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States (died 1874)source
January 11 – Ányos Jedlik, Hungarian physicist, inventor of the dynamo (died 1895)source
January 17 – Caleb Cushing, American statesman, diplomat (died 1879)source
26 January – Johann Gerhard Oncken, German Baptist preacher (died 1884)Germany source
February 1 – Brian Houghton Hodgson, English civil servant (died 1894)source
March 4 – William Price, Welsh physician, eccentric (died 1893)source
March 10 – George Hudson, English railway financier (died 1871)source
March 13 – Mustafa Reşid Pasha, Turkish statesman, diplomat (died 1858)source
April 15 – James Clark Ross, British naval officer, explorer (died 1862)source
May 9 – John Brown, American abolitionist (died 1859)source
May 13 – Morteza Ansari, Iranian Shia jurist.Iran source
18 July (in England): William Williams, first Bishop of Waiapu. 'Williams, William', from An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, edited by A. H. McLintock, originally published in 1966.New Zealand source
July 31 – Friedrich Wöhler, German chemist (died 1882)source
October 26 – Helmuth von Moltke the Elder, German field marshal (died 1891)source
December 3 – France Prešeren, Slovenian romantic poet (died 1849)source
December 29 – Charles Goodyear, American inventor of the vulcanization process (died 1860)source
Dalmacio Vélez Sársfield (February 18, 1800 – June 30, 1875) – lawyerArgentina source

Deaths

3 January – Count Karl-Wilhelm Finck von Finckenstein, Prime Minister of Prussia (born 1714)Germany source
January 20 – Thomas Mifflin, first Governor of Pennsylvania (born 1744)source
February 27 – Adélaïde of France, French princess (b.1732)source
March 1 – John Hazelwood, English-born officer in the U.S. Continental Navy (born 1726)source
March 21 – William Blount, U.S. statesman (born 1749)source
March 21 – William Blount, politician (born 1749)United States source
May 18 – Alexander Suvorov, Count of Rymnik (born 1729)source
May 18 - Alexander Suvorov, general, born 1730Russia source
May 29 – Charlotte Slottsberg, Swedish ballerina (born 1760)source
June 14 – French general Jean-Baptiste Kléber is assassinated in Cairo by Syrian Kurdish Muslim student Suleiman al-Halabi.source
June 30 – Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney, British politician (born 1732)source
July 18 – John Rutledge, governor of South Carolina (born 1739)source
August 25 – Elizabeth Montagu, English literary critic (born 1718)source
October 10 – Gabriel Prosser, American slave revolutionary (born approx. 1776)source
October 28 – Artemas Ward, American Major General in the American Revolutionary War, Congressman from Massachusetts (born 1727)source
November 25 – Francisco Bouligny, former military governor of Spanish Louisiana (born 1736)source
25 November – Francisco Bouligny, Spanish Army officer and colonial administrator (born 1736)Spain source
December 27 – Hugh Blair, Scottish Presbyterian preacher, man of letters (born 1718)source