Napoleon signed a decree reintroducing older French units of measurement alongside the metric system, bowing to public resistance.

Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice was published anonymously in London, introducing Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy to the world.

Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's fleet defeated a British squadron on Lake Erie, securing American control of the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.

Composer Giuseppe Verdi was born in the small village of Le Roncole, Italy, and would become the towering figure of Italian opera.

Napoleon's forces retreated after the four-day Battle of Leipzig, the largest battle in Europe before World War I, shattering French dominance over Germany.