WHAT ALL HAPPENED JANUARY TO AUGUST 1789
Find out what all happened January to August 1789

William Herschel discovers a new moon of Saturn: Enceladus. (28. August 1789)

President George Washington arrives in Philadelphia after his inauguration to elaborate welcome at Gray's Ferry just after noon first inauguration of George Washington (20. April 1789)

Georgetown College, the first Catholic University in the United States, is founded in Georgetown, Maryland (now a part of Washington, D.C.) (23. January 1789)

The first American novel, The Power of Sympathy or the Triumph of Nature Founded in Truth, is printed in Boston, Massachusetts. (21. January 1789)

In France, the Estates-General convenes for the first time since 1614. (5. May 1789)

Jacques Necker is dismissed as France's Finance Minister sparking the Storming of the Bastille. (11. July 1789)

In France, the Third Estate declares itself the National Assembly. (17. June 1789)

French Revolution: citizens of Paris storm the Bastille. (14. July 1789)

George Washington is unanimously elected as the first President of the United States by the U.S. Electoral College. (4. February 1789)

Alexander Mackenzie finally completes his journey to the mouth of the great river he hoped would take him to the Pacific, but which turns out to flow into the Arctic Ocean. Later named after him, the Mackenzie is the second-longest river system in North America. (14. July 1789)

The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen is approved by the National Constituent Assembly of France. (26. August 1789)

In France members of the National Constituent Assembly take an oath to end feudalism and abandon their privileges. (4. August 1789)

On the balcony of Federal Hall on Wall Street in New York City, George Washington takes the oath of office to become the first elected President of the United States. (30. April 1789)

French revolutionary and radical journalist Camille Desmoulins gave a speech in response to the dismissal of Jacques Necker France's finance minister the day before. The speech calls the citizens to arms and leads to the Storming of the Bastille two days later. (12. July 1789)

The first U.S. federal government agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs, is established (it will be later renamed Department of State). (27. July 1789)

James Madison introduces twelve proposed amendments to the United States Constitution in the House of Representatives; by 1791, ten of them are ratified by the state legislatures and become the Bill of Rights; another is eventually ratified in 1992 to become the 27th Amendment. (8. June 1789)

Whiskey distilled from maize is first produced by American clergyman the Rev Elijah Craig. It is named Bourbon because Rev Craig lived in Bourbon County, Kentucky. (14. June 1789)

In New York City, the first Congress of the United States meets, putting the United States Constitution into effect. The United States Bill of Rights is written and proposed to Congress. (4. March 1789)

Mutiny on the Bounty: HMS Bounty mutiny survivors including Captain William Bligh and 18 others reach Timor after a nearly 7,400 km (4,600 mi) journey in an open boat. (14. June 1789)

Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta. (10. July 1789)