1808

Centuries: 18th century - 19th century - 20th century

Decades: 1750s 1760s 1770s 1780s 1790s - 1800s - 1810s 1820s 1830s 1840s 1850s

Years: 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 - 1808 - 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813

Events

• January 1 - Importation of slaves into the United States is banned
• February 11 - Anthracite coal first burned as fuel, experimentally.
• February - Russia issues an ultimatum to Sweden, to join France, Denmark and Russia and attacks Finland.
• March 26 - Charles IV of Spain abdicates in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII
• April 6 - John Jacob Astor incorporates the American Fur Company.
• May 3 - The fortress of Sveaborg is lost by Sweden to Russia, during the Finnish War.
• November - Swedish troops evacuate Finland. Tsar Alexander I of Russia proclaims Finland a part of Russia.
• November - James Madison defeats Charles C. Pinckney in U.S. presidential election
• Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Mustafa IV (1807-1808) to Mahmud II (1808-1839)
• December - Napoleon invades Spain

Ongoing events

• Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815)-Peninsular War/Finnish War

Year in topic

• 1808 in literature
• 1808 in music
• 1808 in science

Births

• January 27-David Strauss, German theologian
• February 5 - Carl Spitzweg, painter (+ 1885)
• February 26 - Honoré Daumier, painter, illustrator, lithograph and sculptor (+ 1879)
• October 6 - King Frederick VII of Denmark

Deaths

• March 13 - King Christian VII of Denmark
• May 18 - Elijah Craig, important to the invention of bourbon whiskey

Heads of states

• China - Jiaqing Emperor of China, Qing Dynasty (reigned from February 9, 1796 to September 2, 1820)
• Denmark -
  1. Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway (1766-1808)
  2. Frederick VI, King of Denmark (1808-1839) and Norway (1808-1814)
• France - Napoléon I, Emperor of the French (1804-1814)
• Ottoman Empire -
  1. Mustafa IV, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1807-1808)
  2. Mahmud II, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire (1808-1839)
• Prussia - Frederick William III, King of Prussia (1797-1840)
• Spain -
  1. Charles IV, King of Spain (1788-1808)
  2. Joseph Bonaparte, King of Spain (1808-1813)
• Russia - Alexander I, Tsar of Russia (1801-1825)
• United States - Thomas Jefferson, President of the United States (March 4, 1801 to March 4, 1809)