June 6 — Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin was born in Moscow.
May 20 — Honoré de Balzac was born, a French writer and author of the grand epic The Human Comedy.
The Italian and Swiss campaigns of A.V. Suvorov. The victories of the Russian troops in Northern Italy and of the Russian fleet during Admiral F.F. Ushakov’s Mediterranean campaign almost completely eliminated French dominance in the region. Great Britain and Austria, fearing a strengthening of Russia’s influence, insisted on the withdrawal of Russian troops from Italy. Suvorov carried out the crossing of the “Devil’s Bridge,” over the Reuss River in the area of the St. Gotthard Pass, thrown across a narrow gorge 22–23 m deep. To prevent the enemy from destroying it, Suvorov sent two groups of jägers, who had to ford the mountain river, climb the rocks, and come out to the rear of the French. The high level of training and the heroism of the soldiers enabled them to carry out this order.
In the spring, the Tsarskoye Selo papermaking mill was going through dramatic times: the foreigner Heinrich Gavikh, who worked at the factory and was the only one who knew the secret of mixing dyes for the paper intended for printing 5- and 10-ruble banknotes, died. This secret, “in case of death or other unforeseen circumstances,” had been written down by Gavikh, and the description was kept in a sealed packet by the state bailiff of the Tsarskoye Selo factory, Johann Tesin. After Gavikh’s death, the description was opened—and it “was found that no one knows the characters indicated therein and cannot understand them, from which, as must be concluded from this, the said master acted deliberately and contrary to honor and conscience.” A difficulty arose as to how to continue producing the banknotes, because of the two assistants of the deceased master, one had died before him, and the other proved unable to continue making the necessary dyes. The factory administration was saved from this predicament by the worker Yeremey Sukhikh. This master, a state peasant of Vologda Governorate who had worked with Gavikh for a long time, alone knew “where and exactly what materials for this work were purchased by Master Gavikh,” and he managed, “with no small benefit to the treasury,” after several trials, to explain the method of preparing the dyes.
For this, by special order of Emperor Paul, he was transferred to the category of hired workers with remuneration of 500 rubles per year, significantly higher than he had received before. It was decided, “moreover, since the making of colored paper cannot always take place, then on occasion to employ him, Sukhikh, in some other work at the mill as well, for which he will prove most capable.”
December 23 — Karl Bryullov was born, a Russian artist.