On This Day
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US Congress creates the Department of War and the United States Lighthouse Establishment

The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and...

The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 1852 and 1910. The new agency was created following complaints of the shipping industry of the previous administration of lighthouses under the Treasury's Lighthouse Establishment, which had had jurisdiction since 1791, and since 1820, been under the control of Stephen Pleasonton.

The quasi-military board first met on April 28, 1851, and with its establishment, the administration of lighthouses and other aids to navigation would take their largest leap toward modernization since the inception of federal government control.

Historical Significance

The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.

Events Before

  1. Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect

    Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect

  2. First elements of the First Fleet, carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia, arrive at Botany Bay to establish a

    First elements of the First Fleet, carrying 736 convicts from England to Australia, arrive at Botany Bay to establish a penal colony

  3. Captain Arthur Phillip and British colonists hoist the Union Flag at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, now celebrated as Aus

    Captain Arthur Phillip and British colonists hoist the Union Flag at Sydney Cove, New South Wales, now celebrated as Australia Day; referred to as Invasion Day by First Nations people

  4. US Constitution comes into effect when New Hampshire is the 9th state to ratify it

    The United States Constitution has served as the supreme law of the United States since taking effect in 1789.

  5. Prussia joins the Anglo-Dutch alliance to form the Triple Alliance to prevent the spread of the Russo-Swedish War of 178

    Prussia joins the Anglo-Dutch alliance to form the Triple Alliance to prevent the spread of the Russo-Swedish War of 1788-90

Events After

  1. First US President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address

    The 1790 State of the Union Address was the inaugural State of the Union address, delivered by President George Washington to the United States Congress on January 8, 1790, at the Senate Chamber of…

  2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" premieres at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "Cosi Fan Tutte" premieres at the Burgtheater in Vienna, Austria

  3. King Gustav III leads Swedish naval forces to victory over the Russian Baltic fleet during the Second Battle of Svensksu

    King Gustav III leads Swedish naval forces to victory over the Russian Baltic fleet during the Second Battle of Svensksund, destroying or capturing one-third of the Russian ships and ending the Russo-Swedish War

  4. French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic Church in France under the cont

    French Revolution: The Civil Constitution of the Clergy is adopted, putting the Catholic Church in France under the control of the state

  5. Danish Crown Prince Frederick (Later Frederick VI) marries his cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel at Gottorp Castle

    Danish Crown Prince Frederick (Later Frederick VI) marries his cousin Marie Sophie of Hesse-Kassel at Gottorp Castle

More from the 1780s

John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of L

John Walter publishes the first issue of his newspaper "The Daily Universal Register," which is renamed "The Times" of London in 1788

Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect

Emperor Joseph II's order for the Jews of Galicia, Austria, to adopt family names comes into effect

Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Han

Future US Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Marshall (27) weds Mary Willis Ambler (16) at his cousin's home in Hanover County, Virginia, until her death in 1831

British naval expedition led by Benedict Arnold burns Richmond, Virginia

The military career of Benedict Arnold in 1781 consisted of service in the British Army.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 7, 1789?
The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.S. federal government, under the Department of Treasury, responsible for the construction and maintenance of all lighthouses and navigation aids in the United States, between 1852 and 1910. The new agency was created following complaints of the shipping industry of the previous administration of lighthouses under the Treasury's Lighthouse Establishment, which had had jurisdiction since 1791, and since 1820, been under the control of Stephen Pleasonton.
Why is US Congress creates the Department of War and the United States Lighthouse Es... significant?
The United States Lighthouse Board was the second agency of the U.

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August 7 in HistoryYear 1789