1791 facts for kids

The year 1791 began on a Saturday according to the Gregorian calendar. It was a time of big changes around the world, with new laws, inventions, and important events shaping history.

Key Events of 1791

• January 25 – The British Parliament passed a law called the Constitutional Act of 1791. This law split the large colony of Quebec in North America into two parts: Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
• March 2 – A new communication machine called a semaphore was shown to the public in Paris, France. It used signals to send messages over long distances.
• March 4 – Vermont officially became a state in the United States. It was the 14th state to join the country.
• May 3 – In Europe, the Parliament of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth created the Constitution of third May. This was one of the first modern, written constitutions in Europe.
• June 20 – The French Royal Family, including King Louis XVI, tried to escape from Paris in disguise. However, they were caught and brought back.
• July 14 – The Priestley Riots took place in Birmingham, England. These were protests against people who supported the French Revolution.
• July 17 – A sad event called the Champ de Mars Massacre happened during the French Revolution. People protesting were shot by soldiers.
• August 4 – The Treaty of Sistova was signed. This agreement officially ended the wars between the Ottoman Empire and the Habsburg Empire.
• August 6 – The famous Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, was finally finished. It is a well-known landmark today.
• August 26 – John Fitch received a patent in the United States for his invention, the steamboat. This was a big step for water travel.
• September 25 – Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén founded the Mission Santa Cruz. This was the twelfth mission built in the California mission chain.
• September 30 – The famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's new opera, called Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), was performed for the first time in Vienna.
• October 9 – Father Fermín Francisco de Lasuén founded another mission, the Mission Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. This became the thirteenth mission in the California chain.
• December 4 – The very first issue of The Observer newspaper was published. It was the world's first Sunday newspaper.
• December 15 – The states in the United States approved ten new amendments to the United States Constitution. These became known as the Bill of Rights, which protects important freedoms for people.

Other Events in 1791

• The first ship from America reached Japan.
• A rebellion of enslaved people began in Haiti.

Important Births in 1791

Many important people were born in 1791:

• January 15 – Franz Grillparzer, a famous Austrian writer.
• January 28 – Louis Joseph Ferdinand Herold, a French composer.
• February 12 – Peter Cooper, an American businessman, inventor, and helper of others.
• February 21
  • Carl Czerny, an Austrian composer and piano teacher.
  • John Mercer, a chemist and industrialist.
• April 23 – James Buchanan, who later became the 15th President of the United States.
• April 27 – Samuel Morse, an American inventor known for the telegraph and Morse code.
• July 26 – Franz Xaver Wolfgang Mozart, an Austrian composer and pianist, and the son of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
• September 5 – Giacomo Meyerbeer, a German composer.
• September 21 – István Széchenyi, an important Hungarian politician and writer.
• September 22 – Michael Faraday, a brilliant British scientist who studied electricity and magnetism.
• September 26 – Théodore Géricault, a famous French painter.
• November 11 – Josef Munzinger, a member of the Swiss government.
• December 26 – Charles Babbage, a British mathematician and inventor who is often called the "father of the computer."

Famous Deaths in 1791

Some well-known people passed away in 1791:

• March 2 – John Wesley, an English preacher who founded Methodism.
• May 9 – Francis Hopkinson, an American who signed the Declaration of Independence.
• December 5 – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a very famous Austrian composer. He wrote many operas and symphonies.

Images for kids

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  Samuel Morse, the inventor of Morse code.

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  Michael Faraday, a scientist who studied electricity.

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  Charles Babbage, known as the "father of the computer."

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  James Buchanan, who became a US President.

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  Honoré Gabriel Riqueti, comte de Mirabeau, a French revolutionary.

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  Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a famous composer.

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  Translation of Voltaire

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  A scene from the Priestley Riots.

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  The Declaration of Pillnitz.

See also

In Spanish: 1791 para niños