On February 1, 1793, the French National Convention declared war on Great Britain and the Dutch Republic (Netherlands), following the execution of King Louis XVI on January 21, 1793 and the formation of the First Coalition against France.
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What Happened in March?
The first Olympic games, the founding of dynasties, and legendary battles. Explore historic milestones from March that influenced today's world. Dates for earlier events may be approximate.
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George Washington’s is inaugurated for his second term in office, on March 4, 1793, in the Senate Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia, PA. then the nation's capital, in a simple and brief ceremony featuring the shortest inaugural address in U.S. history at only 135 words.
Eli Whitney was granted a U.S. patent on March 14, 1794 for the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the American cotton industry. The machine was developed to speed up the removal of seeds from raw cotton, dramatically increasing production efficiency, and transforming the South’s economy.
The cotton gin, mechanically separated seeds from fiber, increasing the daily processing from one pound to roughly 50–55 pounds per person., massively speeding cotton production and intensifying demand for enslaved labor. Patent laws were difficult to enforce at the time, and unauthorized versions spread quickly. Whitney filed a number of lawsuits against those who copied their design. but he struggled to win his cases. Eventually Whitney shifted to a licensing system, collecting fees from states and manufacturers.
Ludwig van Beethoven made his official public debut as a pianist on March 29, 1795, in Vienna at age 24, at the Burgtheater. He showcased his own compositions, establishing his reputation as a virtuoso pianist and talented composer in Vienna.
Napoleon Bonaparte marries Josephine de Beauharnais, in a civil ceremony in Paris, on March 9, 1796. Napoleon was an up-and-coming general at the time, while Josephine was a wealthy widow with two children. It was the beginning of their tumultuous 13 year marriage marred by jealousy, infidelity and immense pressure to produce an heir. The couple divorced in 1810, but maintained a close bond until her death in 1814.
John Adams was inaugurated as the second President of the United States on March 4, 1797, in the House of Representatives Chamber of Congress Hall in Philadelphia, PA. George Washington attended the ceremony, providing a significant symbol of peaceful, democratic transition.
Sir Ralph Abercromby lands in Egypt with British troops during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Napoleon's French revolutionary troops invaded Switzerland and occupied Bern, dissolving the Old Swiss Confederacy of Thirteen Cantons. This action replaced the aristocratic, decentralized structure with the centralized Helvetic Republic. The intervention created instability, leading to the the Act of Mediation in 1803, bringing back a modified cantonal system.
Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third President of the United States on March 4, 1801, in Washington, D.C. Jefferson’s address called for unity with the famous phrase, "We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists".
The U.S. Military Academy is established by Congress at West Point on March 16, 1802, at the site of a Revolutionary-era fort built to protect the Hudson River Valley from British attack.
The Treaty of Amiens is signed between England and France on March 25, 1802 briefly ending hostilities during the French Revolutionary Wars, during which Britain restored most colonial possessions, and France agreed to withdraw from parts of Italy.
The Treaty of Amiens is signed on March 25, 1802, by France and Britain and representatives from Spain and the Batavian Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars It temporarily end hostilities between France and the United Kingdom; however the peace ended on May 18, 1803, when Britain declared war again, starting the Napoleonic Wars.
Ohio is admitted to the United States Union, on March 1, 1803, becoming the 17th State. View list of Admission
The Lewis and Clark Expedition starts their return trip to St. Lewis on March 23, 1806 after spending the 1805–1806 winter at "Fort Clatsop" near the mouth of the Columbia River, in today's Oregon State, close to the city of Astoria; where the Expedition built the fort, which served as their encampment until their return.
The Fort encampment was named after the Clatsop local Native Americans who advised Lewis and Clark as to the best location for them to build their Winter encampment. The fort had been built in just over three weeks after their arrival on December 8, 1805.
The importation of slaves into the United States is banned on March 2, 1807 by an act of Congress, taking effect on January 1, 1808, banning the importation of enslaved people into the United States. The law, signed by President Thomas Jefferson, did not end slavery in the U.S. and allowed for the continuation of the domestic slave trade, which increased as the enslaved population grew through natural reproduction.
The British Parliament passed the Slave Trade Act on March 25, 1807 abolishing slave trade throughout the British Empire; establishing a penalty of £120 per slave for ship captains violating the law. However, slaves in the colonies (excluding areas ruled by the East India Company) were not freed until 1838 – and only after slave-owners, rather than the slaves themselves, received compensation. More
Charles IV of Spain abdicates in favor of his son Ferdinand VII on March, 19, 1808. The change was short lived as as Napoleon Bonaparte intervened, forcing both father and son to relinquish the throne to him in May 1808.
The Kingdom of Bavaria becomes the first German state to adopt a constitution.
Percy Bysshe Shelley and a fellow student Thomas Jefferson Hogg are expelled from the University of Oxford on March 25, 1811, for publishing "The Necessity of Atheism and for their refusal to disavow authorship and responsibility for distribution.
A massive 7.7 earthquake on the Richter scale hits Caracas, Venezuela, destroying 90% of Caracas and killing an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people.