Events Date 1812 | History by KabAstro

Napoleonic Wars

Jan 9 Swedish Pomerania (Germany) seized by Napoleon

Jan 12 1st cargo arrives in New Orleans by steam, from Natchez

Wellington Storms Ciudad Rodrigo

Jan 19 Peninsular War: After a ten day siege, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, orders British soldiers of the Light and third divisions to storm Ciudad Rodrigo

British infantry storm the Spanish fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo during the Peninsular War

Jan 23 7.8 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri
Feb 7 8.2 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri

Byron's Maiden Speech

Feb 7 Poet Lord Byron (6th Baron Byron) makes his maiden speech in House of Lords

Feb 11 Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a redistricting bill - first "gerrymander"

Argentine History

Feb 27 The flag of Argentina, created by Manuel Belgrano, is first raised at Rosario

Argentine Politician and Military Leader Manuel Belgrano

Mar 11 Citizenship granted to Prussian Jews
Mar 14 US Congress authorizes war bonds to finance War of 1812
Mar 15 1st Russian settlement in California at Russian River
Mar 19 The first Spanish constitution is enacted, one of the earliest constitutions ever promulgated

Massive Earthquake in Caracas, Venezuela

Mar 26 Earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale destroys 90% of Caracas, Venezuela and kills an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 people

Caracas lies in ruins after the deadly 1812 earthquake

Apr 5 British storm Badajoz fortress in Extremadura, Spain, held by French & Spanish
Apr 30 (Eastern) Louisiana admitted as 18th US state
May 8 US passes 1st foreign aid bill, authorizing up to $50K to assist victims of Caracas, Venezuela earthquake of March 26

British PM Assassinated

May 11 British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated by John Bellingham in the lobby of the House of Commons, London. Ironically, descendants of both later stand for the same seat in Parliament at the same time but neither win.

An artist's impression of Spencer Perceval's fatal shooting. Photograph: Hulton Archive

May 11 Waltz introduced into English ballrooms; some observers consider it disgusting and immoral

Perceval Assassin Hung

May 18 John Bellingham, a Liverpool merchant who assassinated British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval on May 11, is hung for the crime at the Old Bailey in London

Assassin of Spencer Perceval John Bellingham

Jun 4 Louisiana Territory officially renamed "Missouri Territory"

PM Robert Jenkinson

Jun 8 Robert Jenkinson becomes Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after Spencer Perceval's assassination

Jun 17 Cannon duel fought between the British fort of Rusteburg and the kraton (palace) of Yogyakarta on the island of Java [1]
Jun 18 War of 1812 begins as the US declares war against Britain

Event of Interest

Jun 20 British Governor Stamford Raffles storms the kraton (palace) of Yogyakarta on Java, capturing its ruler Hamengkubuwono III [1]

British Statesman and Founder of Singapore Stamford Raffles

Battle of Beaver Dams

Jun 22 Upon learning of plans by the Americans to execute a surprise attack, Laura Secord walks 32 km to warn British troops, results in a British surprise victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams

Jun 24 Napoleon Bonaparte's Grand Armée numbering half a million begin their invasion of Russia by crossing the Nieman River
Jul 11 US invades Canada (Detroit frontier)
Jul 12 US forces led by General Hull invade Canada (War of 1812)
Jul 22 Duke of Wellington defeats French at Battle of Salamanca, Spain
Jul 23 Battle of Mogilev: first significant fighting during Napoleon's invasion of Russia results in minor French victory
Aug 1 Rare tornado hits Westchester County, NY

Brownstone Creek Ambush

Aug 5 War of 1812: Tecumseh's Native American force ambushes Thomas Van Horne's 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat

Native American Leader of the Shawnee Tecumseh

Aug 12 Duke of Wellington's troops enter Madrid
Aug 16 General Hull surrenders Detroit and Michigan territory to British forces under the command of Major General Sir Isaac Brock, who capture Fort Detroit with the help of Indigenous warriors led by Tecumseh
Aug 19 US warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere
Aug 22 Swiss traveller Johann Ludwig Burckhardt is the 1st European to rediscover the Nabataean city of Petra (modern Jordan)
Sep 3 World's first cannery (Donkin, Hall and Gamble) opens in London, England to supply food to the Royal Navy
Sep 7 Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Bonapartre wins a pyrrhic victory against Russian General Mikhail Kutuzov in the most ferocious battle of the Napoleonic era, 70,000 are killed

Great Fire of Moscow

Sep 14 Great Fire of Moscow begins as Napoleon approaches the city and retreating Russians burn it - fire continues to burn for five days

Napoleon retreats from Moscow as it burns, in a painting by Viktor Mazurovsky

Sep 15 Napoleon Bonaparte and his French army reach the Kremlin in Moscow, where they watch the flames of the Great Fire of Moscow spread and grow
Sep 18 Great Fire of Moscow burns out after 5 days, 75% of the city destroyed and 12,000 killed
Oct 13 Battle of Queenstown Heights: British forces defeat United States forces attempting to invade Canada
Oct 14 Work on London's Regent's Canal starts.
Oct 19 Napoleon Bonaparte and his Grande Armée begin their retreat from Moscow numbering just 100,000 (started campaign with 500,000)
Oct 22 Duke of Wellington seizes Burgos, Spain
Oct 23 Failed coup against French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
Oct 24 Napoleonic Wars: The Battle of Maloyaroslavets takes place near Moscow, French army then forced to retreat through the snow towards Smolensk
Oct 25 US frigate United States captures British vessel Macedonian
Nov 3 French Napoleonic armies defeated at Vyazma by a Russian force commanded by General Miloradovich
Nov 17 Napoleonic Wars: Battle of Krasnoi during Napoleon's retreat from Moscow
Nov 25 Mexican insurgents capture strategic city of Oaxaca from Royalist forces during Mexican War of Independence
Nov 29 Napoleon's Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia

James Madison Re-elected

Dec 2 James Madison re-elected President of the US, Elbridge Gerry Vice-President

4th US President and Founding Father James Madison

Dec 4 Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, patents a horse-drawn mower
Dec 11 1st newspaper on Curacao (Curacao Gazette & Commercial Advertiser)
Dec 14 The French invasion of Russia, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, officially ends with the French having lost as many as 530,000 people