Eleven Ships Struck Their Colors: Camperdown, 1797
On October 11, 1797, Admiral Adam Duncan smashed a Dutch fleet off Camperduin, capturing eleven ships and killing France's planned invasion of the British Isles.
Tagged: 1790s
The Tree That Built Wall Street: The Buttonwood Agreement
On May 17, 1792, twenty-four brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement on Wall Street, a one-page pact that became the founding document of the New York Stock Exchange.
The Oath in the Market Square: Poland's Last Stand Begins
On March 24, 1794, Tadeusz Kościuszko swore an oath in Kraków's market square — and launched Poland's doomed, glorious fight for freedom.
The Dinner-Table Deal That Built Washington, D.C.
On July 16, 1790, George Washington signed the Residence Act, creating a brand-new national capital on a swampy stretch of the Potomac River.
The Revolution Eats Its Maker
On July 28, 1794, Maximilien Robespierre — the architect of the Reign of Terror — was guillotined in Paris, ending the bloodiest chapter of the French Revolution.
The Eight-Year-Old Who Helped Defeat Smallpox
On May 14, 1796, Dr. Edward Jenner inoculated 8-year-old James Phipps with cowpox, proving the principle behind the world's first vaccine.