The United States declares war on Britain; fighting in North America and at sea ends with the Treaty of Ghent and no change in borders.
The European powers meet in Vienna to reorder the continent after the Napoleonic Wars, redrawing the map of Europe and establishing a balance of power.
Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States who led the country through the Civil War, is born in Kentucky.
British and Prussian forces defeat Napoleon Bonaparte, ending the Hundred Days and the Napoleonic Wars.
The British fleet under Admiral Nelson defeats the combined French and Spanish fleets, securing British naval supremacy; Nelson is killed in the battle.
Stamford Raffles signs a treaty establishing a British East India Company trading post at Singapore, beginning the modern port city.
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark lead an expedition across the American West to the Pacific coast and back.