1800 Facts for Kids

The year 1800 was a very important time in history. It was a special kind of year called a leap year in the Julian calendar, but it was a regular year in the Gregorian calendar. At the start of 1800, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar. The Julian calendar was still used in some places until 1923.

In March 1800, the Julian calendar added an extra day for its leap year, but the Gregorian calendar did not. This made the Julian calendar fall one more day behind, so the difference became 12 days. This difference lasted until February 1900.

Key Events of 1800
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Key Events of 1800

World Population Grows

The world's population reached 1 billion people in 1800. This was a huge number for the time!

New Pope Elected

On March 14, Cardinal Barnaba Chiaramonti was chosen to be the new pope. He became known as Pius VII.
He was officially made pope on March 21.

Important Institutions Founded

On April 24, the U.S. Library of Congress was started. This library is now one of the biggest in the world.

Political Changes in Europe

On May 5, Great Britain passed the Act of Union. This law joined Great Britain and Ireland together. They became the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on January 1, 1801. King George III signed this important act in August.

Napoleon's Campaigns

On May 15, Napoleon Bonaparte led his army across the Alps mountains. He then invaded Italy.
On June 14, Napoleon's army fought the Austrian troops in the Battle of Marengo. Napoleon won this battle near Marengo, Italy.
On December 3, the French army fought the Austrians again in the Battle of Hohenlinden. The French won this battle too.
On December 24, someone tried to attack Napoleon in Paris, but the attempt failed.

Health and Science Discoveries

On June 2, the first smallpox vaccination happened in North America. This took place in Trinity, Newfoundland.
Alessandro Volta invented the voltaic pile. This was the first chemical battery.
The infrared radiation was discovered by Wilhelm Herschel. This is a type of light we cannot see.

Other Notable Events

On June 27, Pascha Jussuf Karamanli of Tripoli declared war on Sweden. He showed this by cutting down the flagpole at the Swedish consulate.
On September 5, British troops took over the island of Malta. The French had been controlling Malta before this.
On November 1, U.S. President John Adams became the first president to live in the Executive Mansion. This building was later named the White House.
On November 17, the U.S. Congress held its first meeting in Washington, DC.
On December 24, Pierre Coudrin and Henriette Aymer de la Chevalerie started a religious group. It was called the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary in Paris.
The Althing of Iceland was ended. This was the world's oldest parliament.