What Happened in 1802

Humphry Davy Creates the First Incandescent Light

The Davy lamp is a safety lamp with a wick and oil vessel burning originally a heavy vegetable oil, devised in 1815 by Sir Humphry Davy. It was... Read more

West Point Military Academy Is Established

On March 16, 1802, Congress approved legislation establishing the United States Military Academy at West Point, one of the oldest military service... Read more

Toussaint L'ouverture Signs A Treaty With The French In Cap-Haïtien

Denying that he was trying to reinstate slavery, Napoleon sent his brother-in-law General Charles Leclerc with thousands of troops and numerous... Read more

Slavery Is Restored In Guadeloupe

Political conflicts in Guadeloupe and in Saint-Domingue grew with the restoration of slavery on May 20, 1802, and the defection of leading French... Read more

Martha Washington Dies

On May 22, 1802, the first of first ladies, Martha Dandridge Custis Washington died of a severe fever. When she married George Washington in... Read more

After Initially Fighting with France Against the Rebellion, Dessalines and Pétion Switch Sides and Fight for Haiti's Freedom

For a few months the island was quiet under Napoleonic rule. But when it became apparent that the French intended to re-establish slavery (because... Read more

Alexandre Petion Joins The Nationalist Force

Political conflicts in Guadeloupe and in Saint-Domingue grew with the restoration of slavery on May 20, 1802, and the defection of leading French... Read more

Beethoven Writes the Heiligenstadt Testament

The Heiligenstadt Testament is a letter written by Ludwig van Beethoven to his brothers Carl and Johann at Heiligenstadt (today part of Vienna) on... Read more

The Treaty Of Fort Confederation Is Signed

The Treaty of Fort Confederation was signed on October 17, 1802 between the Choctaw (an American Indian tribe) and the United States Government.... Read more