George Washington
Commanded the Continental Army in the War of Independence, forced the British surrender at Yorktown and became the first president in 1789.
| Lived | 1732 – 1799 |
| Known as | First president of the United States |
| Birthplace or main place | Westmoreland County, Virginia |
| Places on the map | Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., New York |
Westmoreland County, VirginiaSee the world of George Washington in the interactive map
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 1700) | At death (map of 1783) |
|---|---|---|
| Westmoreland County, Virginia | Virginia | United States of America |
| Philadelphia | Virginia | United States of America |
| Washington, D.C. | Virginia | United States of America |
| New York | New Amsterdam | United States of America |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1776 | The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence | Philadelphia |
| 1787 | The Constitutional Convention drafts the US Constitution | Philadelphia |
| 1789 | Washington is sworn in here as the first president | New York |
| 1790 | Becomes the temporary US capital | Philadelphia |
| 1790 | Congress chooses a site on the Potomac for the capital | Washington, D.C. |
Battles and sites of the time
- Battle of Plains of Abraham · 1759
- Battle of Lexington and Concord · 1775
- Battle of Yorktown · 1781
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| 1711 – 1799 | Qianlong Emperor | Qing emperor |
| 1724 – 1804 | Immanuel Kant | Philosopher |
| 1729 – 1796 | Catherine the Great | Empress of Russia |
| 1706 – 1790 | Benjamin Franklin | Scientist and statesman |
| 1743 – 1826 | Thomas Jefferson | Third president of the United States |
| 1749 – 1832 | Johann Wolfgang von Goethe | Writer |
| 1728 – 1779 | James Cook | Navigator |
| 1694 – 1778 | Voltaire | Enlightenment writer |
| 1712 – 1778 | Jean-Jacques Rousseau | Philosopher |
| 1746 – 1792 | Tiradentes | Forerunner of Brazilian independence |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.