Year 1812 Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read is a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1812. 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)—Until April 20, when he passed away. The vice-president’s office was vacant for the rest of the year.
3. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: John Marshall (Virginia)
4. Speaker of the House of Representatives: Henry Clay (DR-Kentucky)
5. The 12th U.S. Congress was in session, and both chambers had a Democratic-Republican majority.
6. Inflation rate: 1.53%
7. $100.00 in 1812 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,503.91 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.52% per year” between 1812 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,403.91%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.994% of what it could purchase back in 1812.
8. It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost 96% of its value since 1812. $1.00 in 1812 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $25.04 today. $5.00 in 1812 is equivalent in spending power to around $125.20 today. $10.00 in 1812 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $250.39 today. As mentioned above, $100.00 in 1812 is equivalent in spending power to around $2,503.91 today. Finally, $1,000.00 in 1812 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $25,039.10 today.
9. Consumer price index (CPI): 13.300
10. American companies established in 1812 included Citibank (a New York City-based bank) and Phoenix Iron Works (an iron manufacturer located in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania).
11. In 1812, there were 18 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), Ohio (1803), and Louisiana (1812).
12. On January 23, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake shook New Madrid, Missouri.
13. On February 7, an 8.2 magnitude earthquake rattled New Madrid, Missouri, and caused a “so-called fluvial tsunami” in the Mississippi River, which caused the river to run backward for several hours.
14. On February 7, British writer Charles Dickens was born. He authored 15 novels, including A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, and Great Expectations.
15. On February 7, British poet Lord Byron made his “maiden speech” in the House of Lords.
16. On February 11, Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signed a “redistricting bill,” which later became known as the first "gerrymander.” A gerrymander is “the deliberate manipulation of electoral district boundaries to favor one political party or group over another.”
17. On April 20, U.S. Vice President George Clinton (DR-New York) passed away. Historically, he was the first vice president to die in office and is the only vice president to have served under two U.S. presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
18. On April 30, Louisiana became the 18th U.S. state.
19. On May 11, deranged English businessman John Bellingham assassinated British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.
20. On May 11, the waltz debuted in English ballrooms, which caused a nationwide uproar because it challenged strict social norms.
21. On June 16, Samuel Osgood founded the City Bank of New York, later renamed Citibank, in New York City.
22. On June 18, the War of 1812 began when the United States declared war on Great Britain. History.com tells us that in the War of 1812, “the United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, in a conflict that would have an immense impact on the young country’s future. Causes of the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. The ratification of the Treaty of Ghent on February 17, 1815, ended the war but left many of the most contentious questions unresolved.” Nevertheless, many U.S. citizens “celebrated the War of 1812 as a ‘second war of independence,’ beginning an era of partisan agreement and national pride.”
23. War of 1812: On August 16, American General William Hull surrendered Fort Detroit and his army to the British without a fight.
24. War of 1812: On August 19, the U.S. Navy frigate Constitution (aka Old Ironsides) defeated the British frigate Guerrière “in a furious engagement off the coast of Nova Scotia.”
25. War of 1812: On October 13, British and Indian forces under the command of Sir Isaac Brock defeated the Americans at the Battle of Queenstown Heights, in Ontario, Canada.
26. On December 4, Peter Gaillard of Pennsylvania received a U.S. patent for a horse-drawn mowing machine.
27. On December 20, brothers Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm published the first volume of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
28. According to U.S. Census data, there were around 350 gristmills in the United States in 1812. A gristmill is a facility that grinds cereal grains, such as barley, corn, or wheat, into animal feed, flour, or meal.
29. In 1812, French industrialist Benjamin Delessert developed “the first successful process to extract sugar from sugar beets.”
30. Key fiction books published in 1812 included Grimm’s Fairy Tales (Volume 1), Jane West’s The Loyalists: An Historical Novel, and Maria Edgeworth’s The Absentee.
31. Swiss children’s author Johann David Wyss published The Swiss Family Robinson.
32. British children’s writer Barbara Hofland published The History of a Clergyman's Widow and Her Young Family.
33. Notable nonfiction works for the year were John Galt’s Cursory Reflections on Political and Commercial Topics and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s A Declaration of Rights.
34. Noteworthy poetic works for 1812: Lord Byron’s Childe Harold's Pilgrimage and Percy Bysshe Shelley’s The Devil's Walk: A Ballad
35. Famous people who were born in 1812 included Charles Dickens (novelist), Edward Lear (poet), Esther Hobart Morris (lawyer), Robert Browning (poet), and Rudolf von Alt (painter).
36. Famous people who died in 1812 were George Clinton (U.S. vice president), John Bellingham (English merchant who assassinated British Prime Minister Spencer Perceval), Mayer Amschel Rothschild (founder of the Rothschild banking dynasty), Sacagawea (interpreter for the Lewis and Clark Expedition), and Spencer Perceval (British prime minister who was assassinated).
37. In 1812, the words “account payable,” “account receivable,” “boron,” “chloride,” “coffee shop,” “congressional district,” “dress rehearsal,” “featherweight,” “gerrymander,” “gerrymandering,” “Irish setter,” “jailhouse,” “know-nothing,” “lower-class,” “out-and-outer,” “polarization,” “self-defeating,” “sunroom,” “time-saving,” “tomfoolery,” “turkey shoot,” and “washbasin” all appeared in print for the first time.
38. Corn: About 50 cents per bushel
39. Rye or corn meal: 100 pounds for around $3.00
40. Whiskey: Around 75 cents a gallon

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_in_the_United_States
2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1812
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1812
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1812_in_literature
5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1812.html
6. https://www.onthisday.com/deaths/date/1812
7. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1812
8. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1812
9. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1811.html
10. https://www.onthisday.com/date/1812
11. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1812

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