Events January–March January 9 – The Treaty of Jassy ends the Russian Empire's war with the Ottoman Empire over Crimea. February 18 – Thomas Holcroft produces the comedy The Road to Ruin in London. February 20 The Postal Service Act, establishing the United States Post Office Department, is signed by President George Washington. Parliament House, Dublin catches fire during a legislative session. "Although in imminent danger of the roof falling in," it is noted later, "the House did not adjourn until a proper motion had been put and carried in the affirmative." March 1 – Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, the last emperor, takes office. March 7 – A settlement is formed in Sierra Leone in West Africa as a home for freed slaves. March 16 – Assassination of Gustav III: King Gustav III of Sweden is shot in the back by Jacob Johan Anckarström, at a midnight masquerade at the Royal Opera in Stockholm; he lives until March 29, and is then succeeded by his 14-year-old son, Gustav IV Adolf. March 20 – A new capital of North Carolina, and seat of the newly formed Wake County, is established after North Carolina State senator and surveyor William Christmas submits his design for the city. A few months later, the capital is officially named Raleigh, in honor of Sir Walter Raleigh. March 25 – The National Legislative Assembly (France) agrees that the guillotine should be used for judicial executions. April–June April 2 – The Coinage Act is passed, establishing the United States Mint. April 5 – United States President George Washington vetoes a bill designed to apportion representatives among U.S. states. This is the first time the presidential veto is used in the United States. April 20 – France declares war against Austria, beginning the French Revolutionary Wars and the War of the First Coalition. April 21 – Tiradentes, a leading figure in the Inconfidência Mineira conspiracy, is executed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. April 25 Highwayman Nicolas Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine in France. La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, is composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. May 11 – Robert Gray's Columbia River expedition: Captain Robert Gray, on the Columbia Rediviva, becomes the first white man to discover the mouth of the Columbia River. May 17 – The Buttonwood Agreement is signed, beginning the New York Stock Exchange. May 18 – War in Defence