Year 1807: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1807. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, famous birthdays and deaths, retail prices, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. President of the United States: Thomas Jefferson (DR-Virginia)
2. Vice President: George Clinton (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)—Until March 4
5. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR-Massachusetts)—Beginning on October 26
6. The 9th U.S. Congress was in session until March 4. On that date, the 10th U.S. Congress convened, and both chambers had an overwhelming Democratic-Republican majority.
7. Inflation rate: -4.92%
8. $100.00 in 1807 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,870.86 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.54% per year” between 1807 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,770.86%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.483% of what it could purchase back in 1807.
9. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 97% of its value since 1807.
10. $1.00 in 1807 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $28.71 today.
11. $5.00 in 1807 is equivalent in spending power to around $143.54 today.
12. $10.00 in 1807 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $287.09 today.
13. $50.00 in 1807 is equivalent in spending power to around $1,435.43 today.
14. As mentioned above, $100.00 in 1807 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,870.86 today.
15. $500.00 in 1807 is equivalent in spending power to around $14,354.31 today.
16. Finally, $1,000.00 in 1807 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $28,708.62 today.
17. Consumer price index (CPI): 11.600
18. American companies established in 1807 included Domino Foods (a sugar refining company founded in New York City) and Rogers Orchards (a Connecticut-based agricultural produce company).
19. In 1807, 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 1807.)
20. On January 11, Ezra Cornell, one of the founders of the Western Union Telegraph Company and a “guiding force” in establishing Cornell University, was born in Westchester Landing, New York (now the Bronx).
21. On January 24, American author Washington Irving launched his satirical magazine, Salmagundi, in New York City.
22. On January 28, London's Pall Mall became the world’s first street to be lit by gaslight.
23. On February 19, former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested in Alabama “on charges of plotting to annex Spanish territory in Louisiana and Mexico to be used towards the establishment of an independent republic.”
24. On February 21, future U.S. President Martin Van Buren married Hannah Hoes in Catskill, New York.
25. On March 2, Congress passed a law to “prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States . . . from any foreign kingdom, place, or country.” The law would go into effect at the beginning of 1808.
26. On August 17, Robert Fulton inaugurated the first commercial steamboat service with the launch of his North River Steamboat, which embarked on its inaugural 150-mile journey from New York City to Albany.
27. On September 1, former U.S. vice president Aaron Burr was acquitted of plotting “to annex parts of Louisiana and Spanish territory in Mexico to be used toward the establishment of an independent republic.”
28. On November 24, Mohawk Chief Thayendanegea—also known by his English name, Joseph Brant—died at his home in Burlington, Ontario.
29. Key fiction books published in 1807 included Anna Maria Porter’s The Hungarian Brothers and Rachel Hunter’s Family Annals.
30. Notable nonfiction works for the year included Sydney Smith’s Letters on the Subject of the Catholics and Thomas Paine’s The Age of Reason.
31. In 1807, British bookseller Benjamin Tabart published the first printed version of The History of Jack and the Bean-Stalk.
32. Famous people who were born in 1807 included David Alter (inventor), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (poet), and Robert E. Lee (career military officer).
33. Famous people who died in 1807 were Jeanne Baret (French explorer) and Sophie von Laroche (German novelist).
34. In 1807, the words “abolitionism,” “chromium,” “console table,” “deplete,” “doorbell,” “drum major,” “Elizabethan,” “finite difference,” “horsepower,” “irreplaceable,” “lemon yellow,” “monkey wrench,” “nursery rhyme,” “potassium,” “rest house,” “rose fever,” “submersible,” “taproom,” “utilize,” and “watercooler” all appeared in print for the first time.
35. 100 apple trees: About $6.67
36. 100 pounds of hay: Around 40 cents
37. One bushel of buckwheat: About 40 cents
38. One bushel of oats: Around 33 cents
39. One bushel of potatoes: About 50 cents
40. One bushel of salt: Around $2.40
41. One bushel of wheat: About $1.33
42. One pound of butter: Around 13 cents
43. One pound of tobacco: About 13 cents
44. One quart of soap: Around seven cents
45. Three and one-half pounds of cheese: About 47 cents
46. Three bushels of ashes: Around 27 cents
47. Three deerskins: About $3.47
48. Three pounds of flax: Around 40 cents
49. Two pounds of bread: About 13 cents
50. Two yards of tow cloth: Around 80 cents

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1807_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1807
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1807
4. https://www.onthisday.com/weddings/date/1807
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1807_in_literature
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1807.html
7. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/1807.html
8. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1807
9. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1806-1810.html
10. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1807

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