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1812
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1812 the film 1812 (1912 film)
1812
250px|thumb|May 11: British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval is assassinated.
250px|thumb|September 15: Moscow's Military Governor Rostopchin orders the Russian capital to be evacuated and burned down in advance of Napoleon's invasion.
thumb|right|March 16 – April 6: Siege of Badajoz
1812
Events
January–March
January 1 – The Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire.ÖNB-ALEX - Justizgesetzsammlung https://alex.onb.ac.at/cgi-content/alex?aid=jgs&datum=10120003&seite=00000275 2024-03-13 alex.onb.ac.at
January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo is stormed by the Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington.lipscombe 2019 http://www.nick-lipscombe.net/Papers/Ciudad%20Rodrigo%20-%20A%20Paper.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124616/http://www.nick-lipscombe.net/Papers/Ciudad%20Rodrigo%20-%20A%20Paper.pdf 9 February 2019 28 May 2021 The Sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo 1810 & 1812
February 7 – The last New Madrid earthquake strikes New Madrid, Missouri, with an estimated moment magnitude of over 8.The Enigma of the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811–1812. Johnston, A. C. & Schweig, E. S. Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Volume 24, 1996, pp. 339–384. Available on SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
February 12 – Napoleon I authorizes the usage of Mesures usuelles, the basis of the metric system.http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/metro/aquoisert/metre.htm Un historique du mètre fr Denis Février Ministère de l'Economie, des Finances et de l'Industrie 2011-03-10 2011-02-28 https://web.archive.org/web/20110228185545/http://www.industrie.gouv.fr/metro/aquoisert/metre.htm dead
February 13 – The first Chilean newspaper Aurora de Chile deals with political philosophy, and stands in favor of the new national government.Early Relations of the United States with Chile John J. Johnson The Pacific Historical Review 13 3 266 JSTOR September 1944 10.2307/3635952 3635952
February 27
Argentine War of Independence: Manuel Belgrano raises the Flag of Argentina (which he designed) in the city of Rosario, for the first time. Grandes protagonistas de la Historia Argentina: Manuel Belgrano Luna Félix 2004 Grupo Editorial Planeta Argentina 77 es 950-49-1247-8
English poet Lord Byron gives his first address as a member of the British House of Lords, in defense of Luddite violence against industrialism, in his home county of Nottinghamshire.https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/lords/1812/feb/27/frame-work-bill#S1V0021P0_18120227_HOL_7 Frame Work Bill. (Hansard, 27 February 1812) Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) 23 June 2023 14 May 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230514082629/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/lords/1812/feb/27/frame-work-bill#S1V0021P0_18120227_HOL_7 27 February 1812 live
February 24 – Prussia and France sign the Treaty of Paris, a military alliance.Hannsjoachim W. Koch A History of Prussia Routledge Oxford 1978 193–194 2014
March 14 – France and Austria sign the Treaty of Paris.
March 15 – Luddites attack the wool-processing factory of Frank Vickerman in West Yorkshire.
March 16–April 6 – Siege of Badajoz (Peninsular War): The Anglo-Portuguese Army, under the Earl of Wellington, besieges Badajoz, Spain and forces the surrender of the French garrison.Fletcher Ian 2001 In Hell before Daylight: The Siege and Storming of the Castle of Badajoz, March–April 1812 Spellmount Ltd. 1-873376-26-X
March 19 – The Cortes of Cádiz creates the first modern Spanish constitution.Thiessen, Heather. "Spain: Constitution of 1812." Encyclopedia of Latin American History and Culture, vol. 5, p. 165. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.
March 26
120px|thumb|The original Gerrymander
In the United States, the Boston Gazette prints a political cartoon coining the term Gerrymander, after former Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry's approval (on February 11) of legislation creating oddly shaped electoral districts, designed to help incumbents win re-election.Griffith Elmer The Rise and Development of the Gerrymander yes 6o2HAAAAMAAJ 73 72–73 Chicago Scott, Foresman and Co 1907 45790508
The 1812 Caracas earthquake destroys Caracas, capital of Venezuela.Nacimiento de una nación; Terremoto de 1812 http://www.fpolar.org.ve/Encarte/fasciculo7/fasc0709.html https://web.archive.org/web/20060820151845/http://www.fpolar.org.ve/Encarte/fasciculo7/fasc0709.html August 20, 2006 spanish
April–June
April 4 – U.S. President James Madison enacts a 90-day embargo on trade with the United Kingdom.
April 8 – The capital of Finland is moved from Turku to Helsinki, when Russia's Tsar Alexander I signs an edict moving the Government Council of the Grand Duchy of Finland.http://www.helsinki200.fi/en/helsinki-1812-2012/1812-emperor-alexander-i-promotes-helsinki-capital-grand-duchy/ Helsinki 200: 8 April 1812 Emperor Alexander I promotes Helsinki to the capital of the Grand Duchy. August 1, 2017 August 10, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170810032003/http://www.helsinki200.fi/en/helsinki-1812-2012/1812-emperor-alexander-i-promotes-helsinki-capital-grand-duchy/ dead
April 30 – Louisiana is admitted as the 18th U.S. state.List Of 50 States In Order Of Statehood https://thefactfile.org/united-states-by-statehood/ 2025-07-13 The Fact File en-US
May 11 – Assassination of Spencer Perceval, the British Prime Minister, by John Bellingham, in the lobby of the British House of Commons in London. Treherne Philip The Right Honourable Spencer Perceval https://archive.org/stream/righthonourables00trehuoft#page/n7/mode/2up T. Fisher Unwin London 1909 193–194 5825009 live https://web.archive.org/web/20160408120735/https://archive.org/stream/righthonourables00trehuoft 2016-04-08
May 16 – Russian field marshal Mikhail Kutuzov signs the Treaty of Bucharest, ending the Russo-Turkish War (1806–12) and annexing Bessarabia to Imperial Russia.
May 25 – Felling mine disaster: A mine explosion at the Felling colliery near Jarrow, England, leaves 96 dead.
June 1 – War of 1812: U.S. President James Madison asks the U.S. Congress to declare war on the United Kingdom.
June 4 – Following Louisiana's admittance as a U.S. state, the territory previously known by that name is renamed the Missouri Territory.
June 16 – New York State charters the City Bank of New York (later Citibank).
June 18 – The United States declaration of war upon the United Kingdom begins the War of 1812 between the U.S., Britain and Canada.
June 20 – British troops under Robert Rollo Gillespie sack the Yogyakarta Royal Palace.
June 22 – French declaration of war on Russia.
June 24 – Napoleon's Grande Armée crosses the Neman River, and invades Russia.Lieven D. C. B. 2010 Russia against Napoleon https://archive.org/details/russiaagainstnap00liev_0 15 April 2021 Viking 134 9780670021574
July–September
July 12 – Americans invade Canada at Windsor, Ontario.
July 18 – Russia's Patriotic War – Battle of Klyastitsy: Kulnev defeats Oudinot, but sustains a mortal wound.
July 19 – Beethoven and Goethe meet each other in Teplice, Bohemia.
July 22 – Peninsular War – Battle of Salamanca: British forces led by the Earl of Wellington defeat French troops near Salamanca, Spain.
August 5 – War of 1812: Tecumseh's Indian force ambushes Thomas Van Horne's 200 Americans at Brownstone Creek, causing them to flee and retreat.
August 12 – Peninsular War: The combined English and Portuguese army under the command of Wellington enters Madrid, following the Battle of Salamanca.
August 15 – War of 1812 – Battle of Fort Dearborn: Potawatomi warriors overrun the United States fort in Illinois Territory.
August 16 – War of 1812: American General William Hull surrenders Fort Detroit, without a fight, to the British Army.
August 16–18 – Battle of Smolensk: The Grande Armée (180,000 men) under Emperor Napoleon I defeats the Russian army on the road to Moscow.
August 19 – War of 1812: Constitution defeats the British frigate Guerriere 1806 2, off the coast of Nova Scotia. The British shot is said to have bounced off Constitutions sides, earning her the nickname "Old Ironsides". 978-0-393-05847-5 70291925 New York Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the U.S. Navy Toll Ian W. W. W. Norton 2006 350 https://archive.org/details/sixfrigatesepich00toll
August 24 – Siege of Cádiz: Marshal Jean-de-Dieu Soult abandons the two-and-a-half-year siege at Cádiz. He withdraws eastward with his forces to join King Joseph Bonaparte and Louis-Gabriel Suchet in Valencia.Glover, Michael (2001). The Peninsular War 1807-1814, p. 120. London: Penguin. 0-14-139041-7.
September 7 – Napoleonic Wars – French invasion of Russia – Battle of Borodino: The bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars so far ends in a tactical victory for Napoleon. There are at least 70,000 casualties, with a minimum of 6,562 dead from the French Grande Armée alone.Kuehn John T. The Battle of Borodino: Napoleon Against Kutuzov (review) The Journal of Military History 26 October 2008 72 4 1295–1296 10.1353/jmh.0.0141 161057504 https://muse.jhu.edu/article/251445 5 September 2020 en 1543-7795 subscription
September 14 – French invasion of Russia and Fire of Moscow: Napoleon's troops enter Moscow, which is deliberately set on fire by Muscovites, on orders of Fyodor Rostopchin. Later accounts report that France lost 40,000 troops during four days of fire between September 17 and 20, and that 20,000 Russian soldiers were killed in what would be described in 1876 as "the greatest example in history of national self-sacrifice for the destruction of an invader.""Fires, Great", in The Insurance Cyclopeadia: Being an Historical Treasury of Events and Circumstances Connected with the Origin and Progress of Insurance, Cornelius Walford, ed. (C. and E. Layton, 1876) p. 67
October–December
October 9 – War of 1812: American naval forces under Lieutenant Jesse Duncan Elliott capture two British warships, Detroit 1812 6 and Caledonia 1807 6.
October 12 – The capital of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania is permanently moved from Lancaster to Harrisburg.I. Daniel Rupp, History of Lancaster County: To which is Prefixed a Brief Sketch of the Early History of Pennsylvania(Gilbert Hillis, 1844; reprinted by Heritage Books, 1990) p. 434
October 13 – War of 1812 – Battle of Queenston Heights: As part of the Niagara campaign in Ontario, Canada, United States forces under General Stephen Van Rensselaer are repulsed from invading Canada by British and native troops, led by Sir Isaac Brock (who dies during the battle).
October 18–20 – Second Battle of Polotsk – Russians attack and defeat a Franco-Bavarian force in Belarus.
October 19 – Napoleon I begins his retreat from Moscow.
October 21 – Siege of Burgos: British troops under Arthur Wellington are forced to abandon the siege of Burgos after a month. Meanwhile, Joseph Bonaparte makes plans to recapture Madrid. He assembles an army led by Louis-Gabriel Suchet and Jean-de-Dieu Soult to drive Wellington out of central Spain.Smith, Digby (1998). The Napoleonic Wars Data Book, p. 397. London: Greenhill. 1-85367-276-9.
October 23 – Malet coup of 1812: General Claude François de Malet attempts unsuccessfully to overthrow the Napoleonic régime in Paris.
October 24 – Napoleonic Wars – Battle of Maloyaroslavets: An inconclusive encounter between the French vanguard and a Russian force leads Napoleon to decide to retreat along the same line as his advance, with disastrous results.
November 3 – Napoleonic Wars – Battle of Vyazma: The rearguard of Napoleon's retreating army is defeated.
November 5 – 1812 United States presidential election: James Madison defeats DeWitt Clinton.
November 10 – 1812 United Kingdom general election: The Tory Party is victorious, under Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool.
November 15–18 – Napoleonic Wars – Battle of Krasnoi: Napoleon's retreating army is again defeated in a series of skirmishes.
December 8 – The M6.9–7.5 San Juan Capistrano earthquake affects Alta California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong) to IX (Violent), killing 40 parishioners at Mission San Juan Capistrano.
December 14 – The French invasion of Russia comes to an end as the remnants of the Grande Armée are expelled from Russia.
December 18 – The first Spanish Christmas Lottery is drawn, in Cádiz; it will be continuing more than two centuries later. The first Lotería Nacional was drawn on March 4.https://www.selae.es/en/web-corporativa/quienes-somos/la-empresa/historia.corporativa History Loterías y Apuestas del Estado 2024-12-11
December 20 – The first volume of Grimms' Fairy Tales is published in Germany.
December 21 – The Ventura earthquake hits Alta California 13 days after the San Juan Capistrano earthquake but only one person is killed.Toppozada Tousson R. Real Charles R. Bezore Stephen P. Parker David L. Preparation of isoseismal maps and summaries of reported effects for pre-1900 California earthquakes 1981 U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 81-262 10.3133/ofr81262
December 29 – War of 1812: Constitution defeats the British frigate Java 1811 6, off the coast of Brazil.
December 30 – The Convention of Tauroggen is signed.
Date unknown
The Bishop James Madison Society is founded at the College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Woodford Reserve Bourbon whiskey distillery, established in 1780 along Glenn's Creek in Woodford County, Kentucky, passes to the control of Oscar Pepper.
The Ranikot Fort is reconstructed in Sindh.
Approximate date – Battle of Shela: The people of Lamu Island are victorious against those from other parts of the Kenya coast.
Births
thumb|110px|Charles Dickens
thumb|right|110px|Henry Wilson
thumb|right|110px|Fernando Wood
thumb|right|110px|Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn
January 6 – Melchora Aquino, Filipino revolutionary hero (d. 1919)
January 13 – Victor de Laprade, French poet, critic (d. 1883)
February 3 – William Fraser Tolmie, Scottish-Canadian scientist, politician (d. 1886)
February 7 – Charles Dickens, English novelist (d. 1870)Norman Page Charles Dickens: Family History https://books.google.com/books?id=xf2QqVI19b8C&pg=PA23 1999 Psychology Press 978-0-415-22233-4 23
February 11 – Alexander Hamilton Stephens, Vice President of the Confederate States of America (d. 1883)
February 15 – Charles Lewis Tiffany, American jeweler, co-founder of Tiffany & Co. (d. 1902)The Ministers Manual: A Study and Pulpit Guide https://books.google.com/books?id=foM9AAAAYAAJ 1961 Harper 5
February 18 – Nils Johan Berlin, Swedish chemist, professor (d. 1891)
February 29 – Sir James Milne Wilson, Premier of Tasmania (d. 1880)
March 1
Nicolae Kretzulescu, 2-time prime minister of Romania (d. 1900)
Augustus Pugin, English-born architect (d. 1852)
March 6 – Aaron Lufkin Dennison, American watch manufacturer (d. 1895)
March 22 – Stephen Pearl Andrews, American anarchist, abolitionist (d. 1886)
March 27 – William Robinson (Canadian architect), Canadian architect and land surveyor (died 1894)History of the County of Middlesex, Canada
https://archive.org/details/historyofcountyo00torouoft/page/980/mode/2up?q=%22new+ross%22
W. A. & C. L. Goodspeed
Toronto and London
1889
980
April 14 – George Grey, Portuguese-born British colonial governor, 11th Premier of New Zealand (d. 1898)
April 16 – Juraj Dobrila, Croatian bishop and national revivalist (d. 1882)
April 20 – Pauline Åhman, Swedish harpist (d. 1904)
April 22 – Solomon Caesar Malan, Genevan orientalist (d. 1894)
April 23 – Frederick Whitaker, English-New Zealand lawyer, politician, 5th Prime Minister of New Zealand (d. 1891)
April 27
Friedrich von Flotow, German composer (d. 1883)The New Kobbé's Opera Book Ebury Press 1997 9780091814106 231
William W. Snow, American politician (d. 1886)
April 29 – Emilie Högquist, Swedish dramatic star (d. 1846)
May 6 – Madame Restell, American abortion provider (d. 1878)
May 7 – Robert Browning, English poet (d. 1889)John Bryson Robert Browning https://books.google.com/books?id=vtjXAAAAMAAJ 1967 British Council and the National Book League 978-0-582-01106-9 5
May 12 – Edward Lear, English artist, nonsense poet (d. 1888)John Lehmann Edward Lear and his World https://books.google.com/books?id=0yL9jd5mxkMC 1977 10
May 27 – George K. Teulon, English-Texian journalist and freemason (d. 1846)Bannerman W. Bruce https://books.google.com/books?id=m1xIAAAAYAAJ Miscellanea Genealogica et Heraldica II 4th series 1908 Mitchell, Hughes and Clarke, 140 Wardour Street W. London 204 Google Books
June 9 – Johann Gottfried Galle, German astronomer (d. 1910)
June 13 – Gustavus H. Scott, American admiral (d. 1882)
June 14 – Fernando Wood, American politician (d. 1881)
July 2 – Nathaniel de Rothschild, French wine grower (d. 1870)
July 3 – Selina Jenkinson, British aristocrat (d. 1883)
July 8 – Louisa Hamilton, Duchess of Abercorn (d. 1905)
July 31 – Amélie of Leuchtenberg, Empress consort of Brazil (d. 1873)
August 8 – John Rodgers, American admiral (d. 1882)
August 25
Percival Drayton, United States Navy officer (d. 1865)
Nikolay Zinin, Russian organic chemist (d. 1880)
August 27 – Bertalan Szemere, 3rd Prime Minister of Hungary (d. 1869)
September 2 – William Fox, 2nd Premier of New Zealand (d. 1893)
September 18 – Herschel Vespasian Johnson, American politician (d. 1880)
October 12 – Ascanio Sobrero, Italian chemist (d. 1888)
October 20 – Austin Flint I, American cardiologist (d. 1886)
November 14 – Aleardo Aleardi, Italian poet (d. 1878)
November 19 – Edmond Jurien de La Gravière, French admiral, naval historian, and biographer (d. 1892)
December 6 – Ana María Martínez de Nisser, Colombian heroine and writer (d. 1872)
December 8 – Henry Varnum Poor, American financial analyst (d. 1905)
December 14 – Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning, British Viceroy of India (d. 1862)
December 17 – Vilhelm Petersen, Danish painter (d. 1880)
December 24 – Karl Eduard Zachariae von Lingenthal, German jurist (d. 1894)
Deaths
thumb|right|110px|Spencer Perceval
thumb|110px|Mayer Amschel Rothschild
January 23 – Robert Craufurd, British general (mortally wounded in battle) (b. 1764)
February 2 – Isaac Titsingh, Dutch scholar, merchant-trader and ambassador (b. 1745)
March 7 – Isaac Swainson, English botanist (b. 1746)
March 11 – Philip James de Loutherbourg, English artist (b. 1740)
April 14 – William Nicholas (officer), English army officer, at the Siege of Badajoz (b. 1785)
April 15 – Michael Atkins, Irish actor and theatre manager (b. 1746)
April 20 – George Clinton, 4th Vice President of the United States (b. 1739)
April 25 – Edmond Malone, Irish scholar (b. 1741)
May 11 – Spencer Perceval, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (assassinated) (b. 1762)
May 12
Martha Ballard, American diarist and midwife (b. 1734 or 1735)
Charles Sturt, English politician (b. 1763)
May 18 – John Bellingham, British assassin of Spencer Perceval (b. 1769)
May 27 – Manuela Gandarillas, Bolivian freedom fighter (born c. 1740s)Américas, vol.52, pp.28, 31, Organization of American States, 2000.
July 4 – Victurnien-Jean-Baptiste de Rochechouart de Mortemart, French general and politician (b. 1752)
August 1 – Yakov Kulnev, Russian military leader (b. 1763).
August 12 – Anna Strong, Patriot spy during the American Revolutionary War (b. 1740)
August 30 – George Mathews, American army officer and politician (b. 1739)
September 2 – Cornélie Lebon (née de Brambilla), Belgian born French engineer (b. 1769)
September 13 – Leonardo Bravo, Mexican general who fought in the Mexican War of Independence, father of Nicolas Bravo, executed (b. 1764)http://mexicolindoyquerido.com.mx/mexico2/science/60-biografias-de-la-independencia-de-mexico/1753-biografia-de-leonardo-bravo Biografía de Leonardo Bravo April 25, 2017 May 31, 2019 Mexico Lindo y Querido es January 16, 2021 https://web.archive.org/web/20210116072924/http://mexicolindoyquerido.com.mx/mexico2/science/60-biografias-de-la-independencia-de-mexico/1753-biografia-de-leonardo-bravo dead
September 19
Auguste-Jean-Gabriel de Caulaincourt, French general (b. 1777)
Mayer Amschel Rothschild, German banker (b. 1744)
September 21 – Emanuel Schikaneder, German dramatist, actor and singer (b. 1751)
September 24
Pyotr Bagration, Russian general and prince of Georgian origin (b. 1765)
Juana Galán, Spanish heroine (b. 1787)
October 13 – Isaac Brock, British general (killed in action) (b. 1769)
December 15 – Schneur Zalman, Polish rabbi and founder of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement (b. 1745)
December 20 – Sacagawea, Shoshone guide (b. ca. 1788)
December 24 – George Beck, American artist and poet (b. 1749)
References
Further reading
Historical Reference Book Louis Heilprin Louis Heilprin New York D. Appleton and Company 1885 Chronological Table of Universal History 2027/wu.89097349187?urlappend=%3Bseq=145 http://hdl.handle.net/2027/wu.89097349187?urlappend=%3Bseq=145 1812 HathiTrust
External links
Category:Leap years in the Gregorian calendar