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Thomas Jefferson takes his seat as the third U.S. president, where he will stay until 1809.
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Napoleon Bonaparte surrenders after a devastating loss at the Battle of Waterloo, ending the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.
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The Missouri Compromise precariously balancing the practice of enslavement holds the Union together, temporarily at least
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A tragic siege at the Alamo becomes a legendary battle in the Texas War for Independence.
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Ireland is ravaged by the Great Famine, spurring one of the great migrations of people to the U.S.
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The United States is divided because of the Civil War.
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A hero of the Civil War, Ulysses S. Grant (1822–1885) becomes president of the United States.
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The Brooklyn Bridge opens with a huge celebration, and the crush of visitors results in a disaster a week later.
