1803
Louisiana Purchase
Desperate for cash and done with his American dreams, Napoleon sold 828,000 square miles to Jefferson for fifteen million dollars - about four cents an acre.
Britain Declares War on France
The Peace of Amiens collapsed over Malta, Hanover, and mutual bad faith.
Battle of Assaye
On a baking plain in the Deccan, Arthur Wellesley - the future Duke of Wellington - led an outnumbered Anglo-Indian force against the Maratha guns and won…
Marbury v. Madison
Chief Justice John Marshall, in a dry little case about a judicial commission never delivered, announced that the Supreme Court could strike down acts…
Haitian Yellow Fever Kills Leclerc
Napoleon's expedition to retake Saint-Domingue was melted by tropical disease.
Lewis Picks Clark
Meriwether Lewis wrote to William Clark, an old army friend in Indiana, inviting him to co-command the expedition Jefferson had just funded.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1803?
Saeculum lists 6 events from 1803. The most significant is Louisiana Purchase: Desperate for cash and done with his American dreams, Napoleon sold 828,000 square miles to Jefferson for fifteen million dollars - about four cents an acre.
What era was 1803 part of?
1803 falls within the Industrial Age (1801-1900). Steam, empire, and the unmaking of the old order.
Which regions saw notable events in 1803?
The events from 1803 span North America, Europe and South Asia.