Dashed left edge = started before May 1804 ·
Dashed right edge = ongoing beyond May 1804
Events in May 1804 3
1804William Pitt the Younger Returns as Prime MinisterPitt replaces Henry Addington amid the Napoleonic WarsOn 10 May 1804, William Pitt the Younger returned to office as Prime Minister of Great Britain, succeeding Henry Addington, whose government had struggled to manage the renewed war with France. Pitt led Britain through the formation of the Third Coalition against Napoleon until his death in 1806.
1804Lewis and Clark Expedition DepartsThe Corps of Discovery sets out from St. Louis to explore the American WestOn 14 May 1804, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark led the Corps of Discovery up the Missouri River from near St. Louis, beginning a journey to explore the Louisiana Purchase territory and seek a route to the Pacific. The expedition mapped vast stretches of previously uncharted land and established relations with numerous Native American nations.
1804 – 1814Reign of Emperor Napoleon IEmperor of the FrenchNapoleon crowned himself Emperor and created a vast European empire before his eventual defeat.