Lafayette (Marquis de) is born in Auvergne, France.

The Marquis de Lafayette arrives in Boston in 1777, makes his way to Philadelphia, and is made a major-general in the Colonial army, a move that is not popular with Bostonian James Lovell, who remarks, “It seems that French officers have a great fancy to enter our service without being invited.” Sent back to Boston by George Washington, Lafayette is unsuccessful at convincing the storm-battered French fleet, docked in Boston for repairs, to attack the British in Newport, Rhode Island. After distinguishing himself during the remainder of the Revolutionary War, Lafayette receives a warm welcome on his returns to Boston in 1780* and 1824.* He dies in Paris on May 20, 1834, and is buried at Picpus Cemetery.