Events

Britain didn't wait for France. That's the real story. American negotiators Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, and John Jay secretly broke their alliance instructions and dealt directly with the British — cutting France out entirely. The preliminary articles signed in Paris on November 30, 1782, handed the new nation everything east of the Mississippi. France, which had bankrolled the whole war, learned about it afterward. And the boundary lines drawn that day? They'd fuel disputes, wars, and territorial tensions for another century.

Spain handed over Louisiana to France — and France had already sold it. The ink wasn't even dry before Napoleon's deal made the whole handover almost pointless. Pierre de Laussat, the French colonial prefect, accepted the keys to New Orleans on November 30, then surrendered them again on December 20. He governed French Louisiana for exactly 20 days. One man, one territory, two ceremonies. But here's the thing: Spain didn't even know France had sold it until after the deal was done.