| January 9 | Swedish Pomerania (Germany) seized by Napoleon |
| January 12 | 1st cargo arrives in New Orleans by steam, from Natchez |
| January 23 | 7.8 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri |
| February 7 | 8.2 earthquake shakes New Madrid, Missouri |
| February 7 | Lord Byron makes his maiden speech in House of Lords |
| February 11 | Massachusetts Governor Gerry signs a redistricting bill-1st "gerrymander" |
| March 3 | U.S. passes 1st foreign aid bill (aids Venezuela earthquake vicitims) |
| March 11 | Citizenship granted to Prussian Jews |
| March 14 | Congress authorizes war bonds to finance War of 1812 |
| March 15 | 1st Russian settlement in California, Russian River |
| March 26 | Earthquake destroys 90% of Caracas; about 20,000 die |
| April 5 | Brits storm Badajoz fortress, held by French and Spanish |
| April 30 | Eastern Louisiana admitted as 18th U.S. state |
| May 11 | Waltz introduced into English ballrooms. Most observers consider it disgusting and immoral. No wonder it caught on! |
| May 25 | Earthquake destroys Caracas, Venezuela |
| June 4 | Louisiana Territory officially renamed "Missouri Territory" |
| June 12 | Napoleon invades Russia |
| June 18 | War of 1812 begins as U.S. declares war against Britain |
| June 22 | Napoleon's Grand Army invades Russia |
| July 11 | U.S. invades Canada (Detroit frontier) |
| July 12 | U.S. forces led by General Hull invade Canada, War of 1812 |
| July 22 | Duke of Wellington defeats French at Battle of Salamanca, Spain |
| July 23 | Battle of Mogilev Russia-Napolean fights Czar Alexander I |
| August 1 | Rare tornado hits Westchester County, New York |
| August 12 | Duke of Wellington's troops enter Madrid |
| August 16 | General Hull surrenders Detroit and Michigan territory to England |
| August 19 | U.S. warship Constitution defeats British warship Guerriere |
| September 7 | Battle at Borodino: Napoleon-Kutuzov |
| September 14 | Napoleon occupies Moscow and fires start (fire extinguished on the 19th) |
| September 15 | French army under Napoleon reaches Kremlin, Moscow |
| September 16 | Fire of Moscow |
| September 18 | Fire in Moscow destroys 90% of houses and 1,000 churchs |
| October 13 | Battle of Queenstown Heights, British beats U.S. attempt to invade Canada |
| October 19 | Napoleon begins his retreat from Moscow |
| October 22 | Duke of Wellington seizes Burgos Spain |
| October 23 | Failed coup against emperor Napoleon |
| October 25 | U.S. frigate United States captures British vessel Macedonian |
| November 29 | Napoleon's Grand Army crosses Berezina River in retreat from Russia |
| December 2 | James Madison re-elected president of U.S., E Gerry vice-pres |
| December 4 | Peter Gaillard of Lancaster, Pennsylvania patents a horse-drawn mower |
| December 11 | 1st newspaper on Curaeao (Curaeao Gazette and Commercial Advertiser) |
