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Established as a legislative library in 1800, it grew into a national institution in the nineteenth century, a product of American cultural nationalism. Since World War II, it has become an international resource of unparalleled dimension and the world's largest library. -
Thomas Jefferson took his seat as the third U.S. president, where he stayed until 1809. -
U.S. founding fathers Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton fight a duel; Hamilton is killed and Burr is ruined. -
Napoleon Bonaparte surrendered after a devastating loss at the Battle of Waterloo, ending the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. -
The Missouri Compromise, precariously balancing the practice of enslavement, holds the Union together, at least temporarily. -
A tragic siege at the Alamo becomes a legendary battle in the Texas War for Independence. -
U.S. President James K. Polk confirms that quantities of gold have been discovered and Gold Fever strikes the thousands of people who rush to California. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act breaks the previous compromises over enslavement. -
President Ulysses S. Grant establishes Yellowstone Park as the first National Park. -
Lt. Colonel George A. Custer meets his end in an ill-considered fight with assembled Indigenous troops at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.