Louisiana Purchase

Historical eventApril 301803

Louisiana Purchase

The United States purchased France's claim to the Louisiana Territory for 80 million francs, or less than US$.03 per acre ($.07/ha).

Everything on April 30Original source

In context

When
Saturday, April 30 1803223 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
19th century · 1800s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: From 1803.

What happened

The Louisiana Purchase was the acquisition of the territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River's drainage basin west of the river. In return for $15 million, or approximately $18 per square mile ($7/km2), the United States nominally acquired a total of 828,000 sq mi of land now in the Central United States. However, France only controlled a small fraction of this area, most of which was inhabited by Native Americans;

April 30 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1803Louisiana Purchase
  2. 2000Canonization
  3. 2004The New Yorker
  4. 2004Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse
  5. 2008Yekaterinburg
  6. 20092009 attack on the Dutch royal family
  7. 2009Chrysler
  8. 2012Assam ferry sinking
  9. 2013Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
  10. 2014April 2014 Ürümqi attack
  11. 20212021 Meron crowd crush

Also in 1803

  • November 30Balmis ExpeditionAn expedition led by Francisco Javier de Balmis departed A Coruña, Spain, with the aim of vaccinating millions in South America and Asia…
  • February 24Marbury v. MadisonIn Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court declared an act of Congress unconstitutional for the first time, forming the basis of judicial r…
  • September 23Maratha EmpireMaratha troops were defeated by forces of the British East India Company at the Battle of Assaye, one of the decisive battles of the Seco…
  • April 26L'Aigle (meteorite)Thousands of meteor fragments fell over L'Aigle, France, becoming a milestone in the understanding of meteorites.

Everything we record for 1803 →

Sources

Cite this page

“Louisiana Purchase”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/louisiana-purchase-1803-april-30, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Louisiana Purchase happen?

April 30 1803 — 223 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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