Year 1793: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1793. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, U.S. economic data, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. President of the United States: George Washington (Independent-Virginia)
2. Vice President: John Adams (Federalist Party-Massachusetts)
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Jay (New York)
4. In 1793, the second U.S. Congress was in session until March 4, when the third U.S. Congress convened. The Senate “had a pro-administration majority, and the House had an anti-administration majority.”
5. Inflation rate: 3.13%
6. $100.00 in 1793 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,363.84 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.52% per year” between 1793 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 3,263.84%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 2.973% of what it could purchase back in 1793.
7. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 97% of its value since 1793.
8. Consumer price index (CPI): 9.900
9. In 1793, there were 15 U.S. states. In order of admission to the Union, they were Delaware (1787), Pennsylvania (1787), New Jersey (1787), Georgia (1788), Connecticut (1788), Massachusetts (1788), Maryland (1788), South Carolina (1788), New Hampshire (1788), Virginia (1788), New York (1788), North Carolina (1789), Rhode Island (1790), and Kentucky (1792).
10. American companies established in 1793 included the Bank of Pennsylvania and the Tontine Coffee House (a New York City-based coffeehouse located at 88 Wall Street).
11. Farmers accounted for about 90% of the U.S. labor force.
12. In 1793, American food prices were “significantly” lower than they are today, but they comprised a much larger percentage of the average worker's annual income, which was around $65 per year. For example, in 1793, butter cost between 12 and 15 cents a pound. Today, the average retail price for a pound of butter in the U.S. ranges between $4.25 and $4.60, an increase of 3,541.17% to 3,066.67% over 233 years.
13. On January 21, King Louis XVI of France was executed by guillotine in Paris, “following his conviction for high treason by the newly formed National Convention during the French Revolution.”
14. On January 23, the Humane Society of Philadelphia, the nation’s first "first aid" emergency organization, was incorporated.
15. On February 2, the New Theatre, the first American theater built specifically for stage productions, opened on Chestnut Street in Center City Philadelphia.
16. On February 12, Congress passed the first fugitive slave law, “requiring all states, including those that forbid slavery, to forcibly return enslaved people who have escaped from other states to their original owners.”
17. On March 4, President George Washington began his second term as the U.S. president.
18. On March 14, Eli Whitney received a U.S. patent for the cotton gin.
19. On May 25, Father Stephen Theodore Badin became the first Roman Catholic priest to be ordained in the United States. He was ordained by Bishop John Carroll in Baltimore, Maryland.
20. On June 10, the first public zoo opened in Paris.
21. On June 11, Robert Haeterick of Pennsylvania received the first U.S. patent for a cast-iron stove.
22. On August 1, France became the world’s first country to use the metric system.
23. On August 10, the Louvre officially opened in Paris as the Musée Central des Arts.
24. On August 21, Benjamin Rush, a well-known physician in Philadelphia, warned the city’s mayor about the rapid onset of a yellow fever epidemic that ultimately claimed an estimated 5,000 lives.
25. On September 18, George Washington laid the cornerstone for the United States Capitol building, “the home of the legislative branch of American government. The building would take nearly a century to complete.”
26. On September 29, the sport of tennis was first mentioned in the English publication, Sporting Magazine.
27. On October 16, nine months after the execution of her husband—King Louis XVI of France—French Queen Marie Antoinette was beheaded.
28. On December 9, Noah Webster founded New York City's first daily newspaper, the American Minerva.
29. On December 14, the Kentucky General Assembly authorized the construction of America’s first state road, connecting Frankfort, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.
30. Key fiction books published in 1793 included Charlotte Turner Smith’s The Emigrants, Charlotte Turner Smith’s The Old Manor House, and Eliza Parsons’ The Castle of Wolfenbach.
31. Noteworthy dramatic works for the year included John O'Keeffe’s The London Hermit, John O'Keeffe’s The World in a Village, and Frederick Reynolds’ How to Grow Rich.
32. Famous people born in 1793 were Sam Houston (a U.S. senator and governor of Texas), Stephen Austin (the “Father of Texas”), and Thomas Addison (British physician).
33. Famous people who died in 1793 included John Hancock (American statesman), Louis XVI (French king), and Marie Antoinette (French queen).
34. In 1793 as well, the words “bewilderment,” “bindery,” “blank check,” “cassette,” “chief executive,” “dressmaker,” “emphasize,” “espionage,” “federated,” “four-in-hand,” “florescence,” “grand piano,” “houseboy,” “peewee,” “pillow slip,” “point of view,” “steeplechase,” “summer school,” “telegraph,” and “warm-blooded” all appeared in print for the first time.
35. Beef: $2.00 to $3.00 per 100 pounds
36. Butter: 12 to 15 cents a pound
37. Chickens: 12 cents each
38. Coffee: 25 cents to 33 cents per pound
39. Corn: 50 cents per bushel
40. Flour: $5.00 per barrel
41. Milk: Eight cents a quart
42. Oats: 33 cents per bushel
43. Salt Pork: Eight cents per pound
44. Turkeys: 50 cents each
45. Wheat: $1.00 to $1.25 per bushel

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1793_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1793
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1793
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1793_in_literature
5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1793.html
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/1793.html
7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1793
8. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1790.html
9. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1793
10. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1793

Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.

© 2026 Gregory DeVictor