1790

1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar, the 1790th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 790th year of the 2nd millennium, the 90th year of the 18th century, and the 1st year of the 1790s decade. As of the start of 1790, the Gregorian calendar was 11 days ahead of the Julian calendar, which remained in localized use until 1923.

Quick Facts

1790 in various calendars
Gregorian calendar	1790 MDCCXC
Ab urbe condita	2543
Armenian calendar	1239 ԹՎ ՌՄԼԹ
Assyrian calendar	6540
Balinese saka calendar	1711–1712
Bengali calendar	1196–1197
Berber calendar	2740
British Regnal year	30 Geo. 3 – 31 Geo. 3
Buddhist calendar	2334
Burmese calendar	1152
Byzantine calendar	7298–7299
Chinese calendar	己酉年 (Earth Rooster) 4487 or 4280 — to — 庚戌年 (Metal Dog) 4488 or 4281
Coptic calendar	1506–1507
Discordian calendar	2956
Ethiopian calendar	1782–1783
Hebrew calendar	5550–5551
Hindu calendars
- Vikram Samvat	1846–1847
- Shaka Samvat	1711–1712
- Kali Yuga	4890–4891
Holocene calendar	11790
Igbo calendar	790–791
Iranian calendar	1168–1169
Islamic calendar	1204–1205
Japanese calendar	Kansei 2 (寛政２年)
Javanese calendar	1716–1717
Julian calendar	Gregorian minus 11 days
Korean calendar	4123
Minguo calendar	122 before ROC 民前122年
Nanakshahi calendar	322
Thai solar calendar	2332–2333
Tibetan calendar	阴土鸡年 (female Earth-Rooster) 1916 or 1535 or 763 — to — 阳金狗年 (male Iron-Dog) 1917 or 1536 or 764

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Events

January–March

January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City.^[1]
January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took part in the Brabant Revolution at the end of 1789, sign a Treaty of Union, creating the United States of Belgium.
January 14 – U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton submits his proposed plan for payment of American debts, starting with $12,000,000 to pay the foreign debts of the confederation, followed by $40 million for domestic debts, and $21.5 million for the war debts of the states. The plan is narrowly approved 14-12 in the Senate, and 34-28 in the House.^[2]
January 15 – Fletcher Christian & 8 mutineers aboard the Bounty land on Pitcairn.
January 26 – Mozart's opera Così fan tutte premieres in Vienna.
January 30
- The first boat specialized as a rescue lifeboat is tested on the River Tyne in England.
- Olowalu Massacre: American Captain Simon Metcalfe opens fire with cannon towards villagers in canoes, killing about one hundred Hawaiians, and wounding many others.^[3]
February 1 – In New York City, the Supreme Court of the United States convenes for the first time.^[4]
February 4 – Louis XVI of France declares to the National Assembly that he will maintain the constitutional laws.
February 11 – Two Quaker delegates petition the United States Congress for the abolition of slavery.
February 25 – North Carolina cedes its western territories (modern day Tennessee) to the federal government.^[2]
March 1 – The first United States Census is authorized; it is held later in the year.^[2]
March 4 – France is divided into 83 départements, which cut across the former provinces, in an attempt to dislodge regional loyalties based on noble ownership of land.
March 6 – The New York legislature consents to the admission to the Union of a new state, Vermont, formed within the boundaries of New York, contingent upon the successful conclusion of negotiations concerning disputed real-estate claims, and the boundary between the two states.
March 21 – Thomas Jefferson reports to President George Washington in New York, as the new United States Secretary of State.

April–June

April 10 – The United States patent system is established.
May 13 – Battle of Reval: Gustav III of Sweden sends the battlefleet to eliminate the Russian squadron wintering at Reval (Estonia), but is defeated; 8 Russians, 130 Swedes are killed, up to 520 captured, 1 ship is burnt, another captured.
May 17–18 – Battle of Andros: An Ottoman–Algerian fleet destroys the fleet of the Greek privateer Lambros Katsonis.
May 26 – Congress passes an act to govern the creation of states from the "Southwest Territory", from which Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi will be formed.^[2]
May 29 – Rhode Island ratifies the United States Constitution, and becomes the last of the 13 original states to do so.^[2]
June 9 – Royal assent is given to establishment of the port of Milford Haven in Wales.
June 20 – Compromise of 1790: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton come to an agreement: Madison agrees to not be "strenuous" in opposition for the assumption of state debts by the federal government; Hamilton agrees to support the capital site being above the Potomac.
June 23 – The alleged London Monster is arrested in London; he later receives 40 years for 10 assaults.

July–September

July – Louis XVI of France accepts a constitutional monarchy.
July 9 – Russo-Swedish War – Second Battle of Svensksund: In a massive Baltic Sea battle of 300 ships, the Swedish Navy captures one third of the Russian galley fleet: 304 Swedes are killed, 3,500 Russians killed and 6,000 captured, 51 Russian galleys and other rowing craft are sunk and 22 are taken.
July 10 — The U.S. House of Representatives votes 32–29 to approve creating the District of Columbia from portions of Maryland and Virginia for the eventual seat of government and national capital.^[2]
July 12 – French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is passed. This completes the destruction of the monastic orders, legislating out of existence all regular and secular chapters for either sex, abbacies and priorships.
July 14 – French Revolution: Citizens of Paris celebrate the unity of the French people and the national reconciliation, in the Fête de la Fédération.
July 16 – U.S. President George Washington signs the Residence Act into law, establishing a site along the Potomac River as the District of Columbia and the future site of the capital of the United States. The move comes after the bill is narrowly approved on July 1 by the Senate, 14 to 12, and on July 9 by the House, 32 to 29.^[5] At the same time, plans are made to move the national capital from New York to Philadelphia until the Potomac River site can be completed.
July 26 – Alexander Hamilton's Assumption Bill, giving effect to his First Report on the Public Credit, is passed in the United States Congress, allowing the federal government to assume the consolidated debts of the U.S. states.
July 27 – The Convention of Reichenbach is signed between Prussia and Austria.
July 31 – Inventor Samuel Hopkins becomes the first to be issued a U.S. patent (for an improved method of making potash).
August 4 – A newly passed U.S. tariff act creates the system of cutters for revenue enforcement (later named the United States Revenue Cutter Service), the forerunner of the Coast Guard.
August 14 – The Treaty of Värälä ends the Russo-Swedish War.
September 25 – The Peking Opera is born, when the Four Great Anhui Troupes introduce Anhui opera to Beijing, in honor of the Qianlong Emperor's 80th birthday.
September 30 – Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor starts to rule.

October–December

October 7 – Commissioners appointed by the New York legislature announce the successful conclusion of negotiations between New York and Vermont, concerning disputed real-estate claims, and the consent of New York's legislature to the admission to the Union of the state of Vermont as the 14th State (which was formed within what New York claimed as its territory, under an Order in Council, that King George III issued on July 20, 1764).
October 10 – At least 3,000 people die in Algeria when an earthquake and tsunami strikes the city of Oran. The city is destroyed and Spanish forces eventually flee in 1792.^[6]
October 20 – The Harmar Campaign ends in a defeat of U.S. Army General Josiah Harmar and Colonel John Hardin by the Western Confederacy of Indians, led by Chief Mihšihkinaahkwa of the Miami tribe and Weyapiersenwah of the Shawnee at Kekionga (now Fort Wayne, Indiana).^[2]
October–December – Vincent Ogé leads a rebellion of freed blacks in Saint-Domingue. The rebellion is suppressed and Ogé executed.
November 24 – France's Constituent Assembly passes a law requiring all Roman Catholic priests to swear an oath of acceptance of the new French Constitution.^[7]
November 27 – U.S. President George Washington and his wife, Martha Washington, arrive in the new temporary U.S. capital, Philadelphia, and take up residence at the President's House located at 524 Market Street.^[8]
December 2 – Holy Roman Empire forces recapture Brussels, bringing an end to the short-lived United States of Belgium and restoring the Austrian Netherlands.^[9]^[10]
December 6 – The United States Congress opens its first session in the new temporary U.S. capital in Philadelphia.^[11]
December 10 – The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars begin in New South Wales, Australia, as a result of deterioration in relations and increasing colonization.
December 17 – The Aztec calendar stone is discovered at El Zócalo, Mexico City.
December 22 – Russo-Turkish War (1787–92): The Turkish fortress of Izmail is stormed and captured by Alexander Suvorov and his Russian armies. During Suvorov's storm of Izmail, 26,000 Turkish soldiers lose their lives.
December 26 – Louis XVI of France gives his public assent to Civil Constitution of the Clergy during the French Revolution.