The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded in 1802, and it is the oldest of the five American service academies. The Army has occupied the site since establishing a fort there in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City. West Point's academic program grants the Bachelor of Science degree with a curriculum that grades cadets' performance upon a broad academic program, military leadership performance, and mandatory participation in competitive athletics.
1st US Military Academy at West Point is established through Congressional act (opened July 4, 1802)
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the...
Historical Significance
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army.
Events Before
Italian monk Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres
Giuseppe Piazzi was an Italian Catholic priest of the Theatine order, mathematician, and astronomer.
Thomas Jefferson is the first US President to be inaugurated in Washington, D.C.
The first inauguration of Thomas Jefferson as the third president of the United States was held on Wednesday, March 4, 1801.
Battle of Copenhagen: British naval forces led by Horatio Nelson destroy the Danish fleet during the Napoleonic Wars
The British Army during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars experienced a time of rapid change.
First Barbary War: The Barbary pirates of Tripoli declare war on the United States of America (first US foreign war)
The First Barbary War (1801–1805), also known as the Tripolitan War and the Barbary Coast War, was a conflict during the 1801–1815 Barbary Wars, in which the United States fought against Ottoman…
France & Austria sign Peace of Luneville
France & Austria sign Peace of Luneville
Events After
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam
John Hawkins and Richard French patent the reaping machine
John Hawkins and Richard French patent the reaping machine
The Louisiana Purchase is announced to the American people by President Thomas Jefferson
The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803.
The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London
The Surrey Iron Railway, arguably the world's first public railway, opens in south London
US Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase (French: Vente de la Louisiane, lit. 'Sale of Louisiana') was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803.
More from the 1800s
The dissolution of the Dutch East India Company comes into effect
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874.
Italian monk Giuseppe Piazzi discovers the dwarf planet Ceres
Giuseppe Piazzi was an Italian Catholic priest of the Theatine order, mathematician, and astronomer.
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Roy
Emperor Gia Long orders all bronze wares of the Tây Sơn Dynasty to be collected and melted into nine cannons for the Royal Citadel in Huế, Vietnam
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolut
Jean-Jacques Dessalines declares Saint-Domingue (Haiti) independent from France, ending the 13-year-long Haitian Revolution; becoming the only state ever founded by formerly enslaved people and without slavery
Frequently Asked Questions
- What happened on March 16, 1802?
- The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army. The academy was founded in 1802, and it is the oldest of the five American service academies. The Army has occupied the site since establishing a fort there in 1780 during the American Revolutionary War, as it sits on strategic high ground overlooking the Hudson River 50 miles (80 km) north of New York City.
- Why is 1st US Military Academy at West Point is established through Congressional ac... significant?
- The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York, that educates cadets for service as commissioned officers in the United States Army.