January 6
January 6
Frontiersman Jedediah Smith is born
Jedediah Strong Smith, one of America’s greatest trapper‑explorers, is born in Bainbridge, New York. Smith explored a stunningly large area of the American West during his short life. He began…
A Year In History: 1799
This Year in History:
1799
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
July 15
July 15
Rosetta Stone found
Although there is some debate about the exact date, on what was likely July 15, 1799, during Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign, a French soldier discovers a black basalt slab inscribed…
November 12
November 12
First recorded meteor shower in North America
On November 12, 1799, Andrew Ellicott, an early American astronomer, witnesses the Leonids meteor shower from a ship off the Florida Keys. Ellicott wrote in his journal that the “whole…
December 14
December 14
George Washington dies
George Washington, the American revolutionary leader and first president of the United States, dies at his estate in Mount Vernon, Virginia. He was 67 years old. George Washington was born…
