Year 1810 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read is a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1810. 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: James Madison (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: Joseph Bradley Varnum (DR-Massachusetts)
5. The 11th U.S. Congress was in session, and both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
6. Inflation rate: 0.00%
7. $100.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,707.48 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.54% per year” between 1810 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,607.48%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.693% of what it could purchase back in 1810.
8. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 96% of its value since 1810. $1.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $27.07 today. $5.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to around $135.37 today. $10.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $270.75 today. As mentioned above, $100.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to around $2,707.48 today. Finally, $1,000.00 in 1810 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $27,074.80 today.
9. Consumer price index (CPI): 12.300
10. American companies and brands established in 1810 included Black, Starr & Frost (a jewelry company), The Hartford (an insurance company), Old Overholt (a whiskey brand), and the Pacific Fur Company.
11. In 1810, 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 1810.)
12. The U.S. population was 7,239,881. The most populated cities were New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, and Charleston. Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and North Carolina were the most populous states.
13. The African American population in the U.S. was an estimated 1,377,808.
14. January 18 to 19: The temperature in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, dropped from 54°F on Thursday afternoon to -12°F on Friday morning, surprising local residents and farmers.
15. On February 11, French emperor Napoleon I married his second wife, Marie-Louise of Austria.
16. On April 17, Lewis Mills Norton of Goshen, Connecticut, was issued the first U.S. patent for “pineapple cheese.”
17. On May 3, the English poet Lord Byron successfully swam across the “tumultuous” Hellespont Strait in Turkey.
18. On June 23, New York City merchant John Jacob Astor founded the Pacific Fur Company in Astoria, Oregon.
19. On July 4, America’s first agricultural periodical, The Agricultural Museum, began publishing.
20. On August 6, the third U.S. Census began. Secretary of State Robert Smith supervised the day-to-day census operations and reported the results to President Madison and Congress.
21. On August 25, British merchant Peter Durand was granted the world’s first patent for preserving food in tin cans.
22. On September 16, Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence “with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or ‘Cry of Dolores.’”
23. On October 1, the first state fair in the United States, the Berkshire Cattle Fair, was held in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
24. On October 27, the United States annexed the Republic of West Florida.
25. In 1810, the first steam-powered flour mill began operating in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
26. According to the U.S. Census, there were 350 gristmills in the United States. (It’s worth noting that a gristmill is “a facility used to grind cereal grains—such as wheat, corn, or barley—into flour, meal, or animal feed.”)
27. The first Oktoberfest was celebrated in Munich, Germany.
28. Key fiction books published in 1810 included Ann Hatton’s Cambrian Pictures, Emma Parker’s A Soldier’s Offspring, Jane Porter’s The Scottish Chiefs, Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Zastrozzi, and Robert Huish’s The Mysteries of Ferney Castle.
29. Notable nonfiction works for the year were Lucy Aikin’s Epistles on Women, Exemplifying their Character and Condition in Various Ages and Nations, with Miscellaneous Poems; and William Wordsworth’s Guide to the Lakes.
30. Noteworthy poetic works for 1810: Percy Bysshe Shelley’s and Elizabeth Shelley’s Original Poetry by Victor and Cazire and Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake
31. Top dramatic works for the year included James Sheridan Knowles’ Leo, or The Gypsy, and Joanna Baillie’s The Family Legend.
32. Famous people who were born in 1810 included Asa Gray (botanist), Frédéric Chopin (composer), Phineas Taylor Barnum (entrepreneur), Pope Leo XIII (religious leader), and Robert Schumann (composer).
33. Famous people who died in 1810 were Joseph-Michel Montgolfier (inventor) and Henry Cavendish (physicist).
34. In 1810, the words “all-night,” “amortization,” “at all costs,” “axe to grind,” “chlorine,” “colloquialism,” “dress shirt,” “drum roll,” “editor in chief,” “eulogize,” “fire extinguisher,” “fish tank,” “French cuff,” “heat lightning,” “interest-bearing,” “kilometer,” “midnight blue,” “milliliter,” “monetary unit,” “rough-and-tumble,” “second class,” “tachometer,” and “wagon train” all appeared in print for the first time.
35. Bacon: About 10 to 12 cents a pound
36. Beef: Around five or six cents for 1.5 pounds
37. Corn: About 50 cents per bushel
38. Rye or corn meal: 100 pounds for around $3.00
39. Salt: One quart for about 12 cents
40. Whiskey: Around 75 cents a gallon

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1810_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1810
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1810
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1810_in_literature
5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1810.html
6. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/deceased/1810.html
7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1810
8. https://www.onthisday.com/weddings/date/1810
9. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1810
10. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1806-1810.html
11. https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1810-1819
12. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1810

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