Year 1804 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read is a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1804. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, famous births and deaths, U.S. economic news, entertainment trivia, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. President of the United States: Thomas Jefferson (DR-Virginia)
2. Vice President: Aaron Burr (DR-New York)
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Marshall (Virginia)
4. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Nathaniel Macon (DR-North Carolina)
5. The 8th U.S. Congress was in session, and both chambers had a Democratic majority.
6. Inflation rate: 4.42%
7. $100.00 in 1804 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,822.20 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.52% per year” between 1804 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,722.20%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.543% of what it could purchase back in 1804.
8. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 96% of its value since 1804.
9. $1.00 in 1804 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $28.22 today.
10. $5.00 in 1804 is equivalent in spending power to around $141.11 today.
11. $10.00 in 1804 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $282.22 today.
12. $50.00 in 1804 is equivalent in spending power to around $1,411.10 today.
13. As mentioned above, $100.00 in 1804 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,822.20 today.
14. $500.00 in 1804 is equivalent in spending power to around $14,111.02 today.
15. Finally, $1,000.00 in 1804 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $28,222.03 today.
16. Consumer price index (CPI): 11.800
17. American companies established in 1804 included the Bank of Virginia (a financial services institution) and the Fort Pitt Foundry (a Pittsburgh-based iron foundry located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Smithfield Street).
18. In 1804, there were 17 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), Vermont (1791), Kentucky (1792), Tennessee (1796), and Ohio (1803). (It’s worth noting that no new states were admitted to the Union during 1804.)
19. On February 15, New Jersey became the last northern state to abolish slavery.
20. On February 18, the Ohio legislature approved establishing Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, as the first university in the Buckeye State.
21. On February 18, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, became America’s first land-grant college.
22. On March 13, British economist Thomas Robert Malthus married Harriet Eckersall.
23. On March 26, Congress mandated the relocation of Native Americans from east of the Mississippi to Louisiana to facilitate the organization of the Territory of Orleans as part of the Louisiana Purchase.
24. On May 14, the Lewis and Clark Expedition departed from St. Louis for the Pacific Coast, as commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson.
25. On July 11, Vice President Aaron Burr wounded former Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton during a pistol duel in Weehawken, New Jersey.
26. On July 12, former United States Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton died after being shot by Vice President Aaron Burr during a pistol duel on July 11.
27. On December 2, Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor of France during a ceremony at Notre Dame de Paris officiated by Pope Pius VII.
28. On December 3, in the 1804 U.S. presidential election, incumbent President Thomas Jefferson defeated statesman and military officer Charles C. Pinckney.
29. Key fiction book published in 1804: Rachel Hunter’s The Unexpected Legacy
30. Notable nonfiction works for the year included Thomas Brown’s Inquiry into the Relation of Cause and Effect.
31. Cornish author and children’s writer Eliza Fenwick published Mary and Her Cat.
32. Top dramatic works for the year included Richard Cumberland’s The Sailor's Daughter.
33. Famous people who were born in 1804 included Franklin Pierce (U.S. president), Jim Bridger (explorer), John Deere (entrepreneur), Nathaniel Hawthorne (novelist), and Zerah Colburn (child math prodigy).
34. Famous people who died in 1804 were Immanuel Kant (German philosopher) and Joseph Priestley (British chemist who discovered oxygen).
35. In 1804, the words “algebraic number,” “barometric pressure,” “chaise lounge,” “cutting edge,” “Dakota,” “face card,” “foreign policy,” “Kentuckian,” “life-and-death,” “point of departure,” “prairie wolf,” “sarcoma,” “turntable,” “vice presidency,” and “whole wheat” all appeared in print for the first time.

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1804_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1804
3. https://www.onthisday.com/weddings/date/1804
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1804_in_literature
5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1804.html
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/1804.html
7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1804
8. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1804
9. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1804-1810.html
10. https://gratefulamericanfoundation.org/what-religious-text-was-published-in-america-on-march-26th/

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