The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress and, in practice, the national library of the country. It was established by an act signed by President John Adams as the federal government prepared to move to the new capital at Washington, and it was first housed in the Capitol. British troops burned the building in 1814 and destroyed the collection, and Thomas Jefferson then sold his personal library, one of the finest in the country, to restart it. The collection expanded enormously in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and is now one of the largest libraries in the world, with books, manuscripts, maps, recordings and films. Its main building, the Thomas Jefferson Building, opened in 1897.
Before and after
- from 1800 to 1863Underground Railroad
- 7 January 1800Birth of Millard Fillmore
- 18 January 1800Founding of Bank of France
- from 20 April 1800 to 4 June 1800Siege of Genoa
- 24 April 1800Founding of Library of Congress
- 1 November 1800Construction of White House
- 1801Discovery of niobium
- from 1 January 1801 to 12 April 1927United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
- 1801Discovery of vanadium
More in Society, economy & sport
- from 10 June 1815 to 24 August 1866Founding of German Confederation
- 17 February 1863Founding of International Committee of the Red Cross
- 17 May 1865Founding of International Telecommunication Union
- 14 September 1867Karl Marx publishes Das Kapital
- 29 November 1899Founding of FC Barcelona
- 30 June 1908Tunguska event
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.