References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1790 January 2 Joseph A Feuchtmayer (Feichtmayer) German rococo sculptor, dies. [1] Mozart's opera "Cosi fan tutti" premieres, Vienna. [1] January 6 Johann Trier composer, dies at 73. [1] January 7 Antonio Corbisiero composer, dies at 69. [1] January 8 George Washington delivers first "State of the Union" address. [1] John Stinstra Dutch baptist vicar, dies at 81. [1] January 11 Statisten and Vonckisten unite as Belgium. [1] January 26 Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" premieres in Vienna. [1] January 30 Lifeboat first tested at sea, by Mr Greathead, the inventor. [1] February 1 Supreme Court convenes for the first time (New York City, New York). [1] February 11 Society of Friends petitionsUS Congress for abolition of slavery. [1] February 14 Capel Bond composer, dies at 59. [1] February 18 Wilhelm Gottfried Enderle composer, dies at 67. [1] February 19 Jean-Baptiste Krumphultz composer, dies at 47. [1] February 20 Joseph II Emperor of Holy Roman empire, dies at 48. [1] February 21 Johann Friedrich Kloffler composer, dies at 64. [1] March 1 First US census authorized. [1] March 13 John Martin, first American-born actor, performs in Philadelphia. [1] March 21 Thomas Jefferson reports to President Washington in New York as Secretary of State. [1] March 22 Thomas Jefferson becomes the first US Secretary of State. [1] March 26 US Congress passes Naturalization Act, requires two-year residency. [1] March 27 The shoelace invented. [1] April 3 Revenue Marine Service (US Coast Guard), created. [1] April 10 Robert Gray is first American to circumnavigate the Earth. [1] US Patent system is established. [1] April 17 Benjamin Franklin US, (Poor Richard's Almanac), dies at 84. [1] April 30 Colonial troops occupy Bonni's marroon village. [1] May 21 Thomas Warton English poet (Oxford sausage), dies. [1] May 26 Territory South of River Ohio created byUS Congress. [1] May 27 Jeremiah Carlton laziest man in history, heir to a large fortune at 19 goes to bed and stayed there for next 70 years, dies at 89. [1] May 29 Rhode Island becomes last of original 13 colonies ratifying Constitution. [1] May 31 US copyright law enacted. [1] June 9 First book copyrighted under the constitution, Philadelphia Spelling Bk. [1] July 9 The Swedish navy is victorious over the Russian navy at Svenskund. Over two days, Swedes sink or capture 50-64 Russian ships, killing or capturing 7,000-9,000 men. Swedes lose only four ships and under 200 men. [7] July 16 US Congress establishes District of Columbia. [1] July 26 US passes Assumption bill making US responsible for state debts. [1] July 31 First US patent granted, to Samuel Hopkins for a potash process. [1] August 1 First US census (population of 3,939,214). [1] August 4 US Coast Guard founded as Revenue Cutter Service. [1] August 9 Columbia becomes first US flagged ship to voyage around the world. [1] August 10 Robert Gray's Columbia, completes first American around world voyage. [1] August 14 Sweden and Russian come to peace at Värälä. Neither side gains any territory. Russia agrees to not interfere with Sweden's constitution. [7] October 23 Slaves revolt in Haiti (later suppressed). [1] October 28 New York gives up claims to Vermont for $30,000. [1] November 11 Chrysanthemums are introduced into England from China. [1] December 2 Austrian army occupies Brussels. [1] December 6 US Congress meets in Philadelphia, new temporary US capitol. [1] December 16 Ludwig August Lebrun composer, dies at 38. [1] December 17 Aztec calendar stone discovered in México City. [1] December 20 First successful US cotton mill to spin yarn (Pawtucket Rhode Island). [1] December 22 Russian troops occupy Ismail on Turks. [1] 1791 February 16 Richard earl d'Alton Austria General of South Netherlands, commits suicide at 58. [1] February 17 Messier catalogs M83 (spiral galaxy in Hydra). [1] February 25 First Bank of US chartered. [1] March 3 First Internal Revenue Act (taxing distilled spirits and carriages). [1] US Congress establishes US Mint. [1] March 4 First Jewish member of US Congress, Israel Jacobs (Pennsylvania), takes office. [1] President Washington calls the US Senate into its first special session. [1] Vermont admitted as 14th state (first addition to the 13 colonies). [1] March 9 George Hayward, Us, surgeon, first to use ether. [1] March 10 John Stone, Concord Massachusetts, patents a pile driver. [1] Pope condemns France's Civil Constitution's treatment of the clergy. [1] March 11 Samuel Mulliken, Philadelphia Pennsylvania, is first to obtain more than one US patent. [1] March 21 Captain Hopley Yeaton of New Hampshire becomes first commissioned officer in USN. [1] April 19 Richard Price nonconformist minister/writer (Alabi's World), dies. [1] May 9 Francis Hopkinson US writer/music/lawyer, dies at 53. [1] May 16 In Near Moodus, Connecticut, an earthquake occurs, the largest historical earthquake in Connecticut. Reported felt at Boston, Massachusetts, and New York City, New York. [53] May 28 Joseph Schmitt composer, dies at 57. [1] May 30 Ildephons Haas composer, dies at 56. [1] June 20 King Louis XVI caught trying to escape French Revolution. [1] July 5 José María Narváez discovers Point Grey, now in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1] August 22 Haitian Revolution begins. [1] August 26 John Fitch grants US patent for his working steamboat. [1] September 30 Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" premiers in Vienna. [1] October 1 First session of the new French legislative assembly. [1] November 15 First Catholic college in US, Georgetown, opens. [1] December 4 Britain's Observer, oldest Sunday newspaper in world, first published. [1] December 5 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composer, dies in Vienna, Austria, at 35. [1] December 12 Bank of the US opens. [1] December 15 First US law school established at University of Pennsylvania. [1] Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gave its approval. [1] December 17 New York City traffic regulation creates first one-way street. [1] 1792 January 9 Russia and Turkey sign Peace of Jassy. [1] January 10 Jean-Louis Laruette composer, dies at 60. [1] February 7 Austria and Prussia sign anti-French covenant. [1] D Cimarosa's opera "Il Matrimonio Segreto" premieres in Vienna. [1] February 20 US postal service created; postage 6-12.5 cents, depending on distance. [1] February 21 US Congress passes Presidential Succession Act. [1] February 23 Humane Society of Massachusetts incorporated (erected life-saving stations for distressed mariners). [1] Joseph Haydn's 94th Symphony in G, premieres. [1] Joshua Reynolds English portrait painter (Simplicity), dies at 68. [1] March 1 US Presidential Succession Act passed. [1] March 3 Robert Adam Scottish architect (Syon House, Middlesex), dies at 63. [1] March 4 Oranges introduced to Hawaii. [1] March 10 John Stuart third earl of Bute/English premier (1760-63), dies at 78. [1] March 16 In Sweden, Jakob Johan Anckarström, former Captain of the Lifeguards, makes an assassination attempt on the King at the Stockholm Opera House. King Gustav III is shot just above the hip. Anckarström was hired by a group of nobles. (The King dies of the wound 13 days later.) [1] [7] March 24 Benjamin West (US) becomes president of Royal Academy of London. [1] March 29 King Gustav III King of Sweden (1771-92), dies of wounds from assassination attempt. [1] [7] April 1 Gronings feminist Etta Palm demands women's right to divorce. [1] April 2 US Congress establishes Philadelphia mint; US authorizes $10 Eagle, $5 half-Eagle and $2.50 quarter-Eagle gold coins and silver dollar, half dollar, quarter, dime and half-dime. [1] April 5 George Washington casts first presidential veto. [1] April 14 France declares war on Austria, starting French Revolutionary Wars. [1] April 20 France declares war on Austria, Prussia and Sardinia. [1] April 24 "La Marseillaise" composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle. [1] April 25 Guillotine first used, executes highwayman Nicolas J Pelletier. [1] Johann Friedrich Gottlieb Beckmann composer, dies at 54. [1] Nicolas J Pelletier Frenchman, first to be guillotined. [1] April 30 Hans Adolf Friedrich von Eschstruth composer, dies at 36. [1] John Montague 4th Earl of Sandwich English Naval minister, dies at 73. [1] May 3 Carlo Zuccari composer, dies at 87. [1] May 7 Aert Schouman Dutch bird/portrait painter, dies at 82. [1] Captain Robert Gray discovers Grays Harbor (Washington). [1] May 8 British Captain George Vancouver sights, names Mount Rainier Washington. [1] US establishes military draft. [1] May 11 Columbia River discovered and named by US Captain Robert Gray. [1] May 12 Toilet that flushes itself at regular intervals is patented. [1] May 16 Denmark abolishes slave trade. [1] May 17 24 merchants form New York Stock Exchange at 70 Wall Street. [1] May 19 Russian army enters Poland. [1] May 24 George Brydges first baron Rodney/Admiral, dies. [1] Jakob M R Lenz writer (That Soldier), dies. [1] June 1 Kentucky admitted as 15th US state. [1] June 4 Captain George Vancouver claims Puget Sound for Britain. [1] June 12 George Vancouver discovers site of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1] June 21 Vancouver meets Spanish ships Sutil and Mexicana off Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. [1] July 11 Prussia army moves into French territory. [1] July 30 500 Marseillaisian men sing France's national anthem for first time. [1] August 10 Mobs in Paris attack the palace of Louis XVI. [1] September 20 French defeat Prussians at Valmy. [1] September 21 First French Republic declared. [1] September 22 Origin of French Republican Era. [1] October 2 Baptist Missionary Society forms in London. [1] October 13 Washington lays cornerstone of the Executive Mansion (White House). [1] November 14 Captain George Vancouver is first Englishman to enter San Francisco Bay. [1] December 5 George Washington re-elected US President, John Adams Vice-President. [1] December 8 First cremation in US, Henry Laurens. [1] December 11 France's King Louis XVI goes on trial, accused of treason. [1] December 12 In Vienna, Ludwig van Beethoven (21) receives first lesson in music composition from Franz Joseph Haydn. [1] December 15 First life insurance policy issued in US (Philadelphia). [1] Joseph Martin Kraus composer, dies at 36. [1] December 17 Opening of first legislative assembly of Lower Canada in Québec City. [1] 1793 January 1 Francesco Guardi Italian painter, dies at 80. [1] January 4 Bengt Lidner Swedish poet (Medea/Yttersa domen), dies at 35. [1] January 9 Dutch Prince Willem V establishes two brigades Drive Artillery. [1] Jean Pierre Blanchard makes first balloon flight in North America (Philadelphia). [1] January 19 French King Louis XVI sentenced to death. [1] January 21 Louis XVI French king (1774-93), beheaded by revolutionaries at 38. [1] Prussia and Russia sign partition treaty (Poland divided). [1] January 23 Second partition of Poland, between Prussia and Russia. [1] Humane Society of Philadelphia (first aid society) organized. [1] February 1 France declares war on England and Netherlands. [1] Patent granted Ralph Hodgson, New York, for oiled silk and linen. [1] February 2 William Aiton English botanist (Kew Gardens), dies at 61. [1] February 6 Carlo Goldoni Italian author (L'avaro), dies at 85. [1] February 11 Prussian troops occupy Venlo Netherlands. [1] February 12 First US fugitive slave law passed; requires return of escaped slaves. [1] February 24 French troops conquer Breda. [1] February 25 First cabinet meeting (At George Washington's home). [1] March 4 French troops conquer Geertruidenberg Netherlands. [1] Isaac Ouwater Amsterdam painter/cartoonist, dies at 44. [1] President Washington's second inauguration, shortest speech (133 words). [1] March 18 Second Battle at Neerwinden: Austria army beats France. [1] March 21 Johann Michael Schmidt composer, dies at 51. [1] March 26 Pro-royalist uprising in Vendée region of France. [1] April 1 Volcano Unsen on Japan erupts killing about 53,000. [1] April 9 Ernestus Weinrauch composer, dies at 62. [1] April 15 Bank of England hands out first £5-note. [1] April 17 Battle of Warsaw. [1] April 22 President George Washington attends opening of Rickett's, first circus in US. [1] April 29 Cornerstone laid for Groningen's new townhall. [1] April 30 Lorenzo Fago composer, dies at 88. [1] May 7 Johan A Zoutman Dutch Lieutenant Admiral (battle of Doggersbank), dies at 68. [1] Pietro Nardini composer, dies at 71. [1] May 13 Martin Gerbert composer, dies at 72. [1] May 19 Netherlands captures French island of Saint Maarten (held until 1795). [1] May 21 Curaçao Island Council forbids criticism on House of Orange. [1] May 25 Father Stephen Theodore Badin is first US Roman Catholic priest ordained. [1] May 30 Georges Couthon chosen member of French Committee the Salut Public. [1] June 20 Eli Whitney applies for a cotton gin patent. [1] June 24 First republican constitution in France adopted. [1] July 13 French revolutionary writer Jean Paul Marat murdered by Charlotte Corday. [1] September 18 Washington lays cornerstone of Capitol building. [1] October 16 Marie Antoinette queen of France, beheaded in France. [1] October 28 Eli Whitney applies for a patent on the cotton gin. [1] October 31 Execution of the Girondins at Paris, during the Reign of Terror. [1] November 8 Louvre in Paris, opens. [1] November 26 Republican calendar replaces Gregorian calendar in France. [1] December 6 Marie Jeanne Becu comtesse du Barry mistress of Louis XV, beheaded. [1] December 9 Noah Webster establishes New York's first daily newspaper, American Minerva. [1] December 13 Johann Joachim Christoph Bode composer, dies at 63. [1] December 14 First state road authorized, Frankfort Kentucky to Cincinnati Ohio. [1] December 20 Joseph Legros composer, dies at 54. [1] December 23 Thomas Jefferson warned of slave revolts in West Indies. [1] December 28 Louis Earl of Bylandt Dutch admiral, dies at about 75. [1] 1794 January 13 US Congress changes US flag to 15 stars and 15 stripes. [1] January 14 Dr Jessee Bennet of Edom Virginia, performs first successful Cesarean section operation on his wife. [1] January 16 Edward Gibbon historian (Decline and Fall), dies in London at 56. [1] February 4 French National Convention proclaims abolishment of slavery. [1] February 10 Joseph Haydn's 99th Symphony in E, premieres. [1] February 11 First session of US Senate open to the public. [1] February 14 First US textile machinery patent granted, to James Davenport, Philadelphia Pennsylvania. [1] February 28 US Senate voids Pennsylvania's election of Abraham Gallatin. [1] March 3 First performance of Joseph Haydn's 101st Symphony in D. [1] Richard Allen founded AME Church. [1] March 4 Henri D count de Larochejacquelin Fr Royalist Army leader, dies at 21. [1] March 5 Rámon de la Cruz Spanish playwright/translator, dies at 62. [1] March 11 Royal Theatre in London's Dury Lane opens. [1] March 14 Eli Whitney is granted a patent for the cotton gin. [1] [5] March 22 US Congress bans US vessels from supplying slaves to other countries. [1] March 23 Josiah Pierson patents a "cold-header" (rivet) machine. [1] Lieutenant-General Tadeusz Kosciuszko returns to Poland. [1] March 27 US Congress authorizes the President "to provide a naval armament" (US Navy). [1] March 28 Louvre opens to the public (although officially opened since August). [1] March 29 Marie-J-A-N C Condorcet mathematician (Theory of Comets), dies at 50. [1] April 5 Georges-Jacques Danton French revolutionary leader, guillotined at 34. [1] Marie Jean Hérault de Séchelles French author/politician, dies. [1] April 8 Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicholas-Caritat mathematician dies. [1] April 13 Sébastien-Roch-Nicolas Chamfort French playwright, commits suicide at 53. [1] April 21 New York City formally declares coast of Ellis Island publically owned, so they can build forts to protect New York City from British. [1] April 27 William Jones British Orientalist/jurist, dies at 47. [1] May 6 Haiti, under Toussaint L'Ouverture, revolts against France. [1] Jean-Jacques Beauvarget-Charpentier composer, dies at 59. [1] May 8 Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier chemist (identified oxygen), guillotined. [1] US Post Office established. [1] May 10 Elisabeth princess of France, beheaded at 30. [1] May 17 Hard frost in southern New England. [1] May 18 Second battle of Bouvines (France-Austria). [1] June 5 US Congress prohibits citizens from serving in foreign armed forces. [1] June 30 Battle of Fort Recovery, Ohio. [1] July 17 African Church of Saint Thomas in Philadelphia, dedicated. [1] Richard Allen organizes Phila's Bethel African Meth Episcopal Church. [1] July 28 Maximilien Robespierre Fr revolutionary/avocat (1781), guillotined. [1] Robespierre and 22 other terrorists executed to thunderous cheers. [1] August 1 Whiskey Rebellion begins. [1] August 20 General Mad Anthony Wayne routes Indians at Fallen Timbers, Ohio. [1] November 19 Jay Treaty, first US extradition treaty, signed with Great Britain. [1] November 21 Honolulu Harbor discovered. [1] December 8 First issue of the Herald of Rutland VT published. [1] December 15 Revolutionary Tribunal abolished in France. [1] December 30 French troops conquer Grave Netherlands. [1]