Politics

Boston residents agree not to import those items taxed by the Townshend Acts.

Government

With the Townshend Acts, Britain imposes taxes on imports of tea, glass, paper, and dyestuffs.

Government

Presidents: John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), sixth President of the United States, is born on July 11, in Massachusetts.

Government

Presidents: Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), seventh President of the United States, is born in Waxhaw, South Carolina on March 15.

Science

Joseph Priestly (1733-1804) proposes an electrical inverse-square law.

Inventions

The astronomer David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) invents a planetarium.

Education

The first of the weekly numbers of the "Encyclopedia Britannica" is published; 100 are planned.

Education

Higher Education: King’s College in New York City opens the second of America’s medical schools.

Education

Austrian emperor Joseph II (1741-1790) and his mother, Maria Theresa (1717-1780), introduce educational reforms.

Arts and Letters

Essay: Adam Ferguson (1723-1816) publishes "An Essay on the History of Civil Society."

Adams, Abigail

A son, John Quincy (1767-1848), is born to John and Abigail Adams on July 11th.

Jackson, Rachel

Rachel Donelson (1767-1828), future wife of President Andrew Jackson (1767-1845), is born in Virginia on June 15.

Economics

Women''s Firsts: Anne Catherine Hoof Green (c.1720-1775) takes over her late husband''s printing and newspaper business, becoming the first American woman to run a print shop.

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779) sails on the first circumnavigation of the world; he returns in June 1771.

Discovery

Starting in North Carolina, Daniel Boone (1734-1820) makes his first exploration west of the Appalachian Mountains, traveling along the present-day Kentucky-West Virginia border.

Popular Culture

American Theatre: The first professional production of a native play, 'The Prince of Parthia,' by Thomas Godfrey (1736-1763) is mounted in Philadelphia.

Religion

The Jesuits are expelled from Spain and France.

Politics

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) of Massachusetts writes a Circular Letter opposing taxation without representation.

Politics

Boston citizens refuse to quarter British troops.

Government

The Massachusetts Assembly is dissolved for refusing to assist in the collection of taxes.

Government

Native Americans: treaties are negotiated between Great Britain and the six nations of the Iroquois.

War

Revolutionary War: British troops sail to Boston, and two regiments come ashore to take up quarters in the city.

Medicine

Smallpox inoculations in Norfolk, VA cause riots.

Education

Higher Education: The medical school at Philadelphia College graduates its first physicians.

Arts and Letters

The Royal Academy is founded in London, with painter Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) as president.

Adams, Abigail

A second daughter, Susanna (1768-1770), is born December 28 to Abigail and John Adams. The Adams family moves to Boston.

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Payne (1768-1849), future wife of President James Madison (1751-1836), is born on May 20 in Guilford County, North Carolina.

Monroe, Elizabeth

Elizabeth Kortright (1768-1830), future Wife of President James Monroe (1758-1831), is born on June 30 in New York City, the first of ten First Ladies born in New York, the "mother state" of presidential wives.

Economics

Sheet music is published and sold in Boston.

Economics

Anne Catherine Green (c.1720-1775) is formally appointed provincial printer for the province of Maryland.

Discovery

Explorer James Cook (1728-1779) investigates islands in the south Pacific, and observes a transit of Venus in order to determine the size of the solar system.

Daily Life

Newspapers: The "Boston Gazette" publishes “The Liberty Song,” possibly America''s first patriotic song.

Religion

The first Methodist Church is established in New York City.

Government

The Privy Council in London decides to retain the duty on tea in the American colonies.

Government

The Virginia Assembly is dissolved.

Government

San Diego is founded by Franciscan Friar Juniper Serra (1713-1784).

Science

Charles Bonnet (1720-1793) suggests an evolutionary theory.

Science

New mathematical symbols, such as pi are introduced by Leonhard Euler (1707-1783).

Science

David Rittenhouse (1732-1796) plots the orbits of Venus and Mercury.

Inventions

James Watt (1736-1819) patents his steam engine.

Inventions

Frenchman Nicholas Cugnot (1725-1804) builds a steam carriage.

Education

The Academie de Coiffure is established in France by Legros de Rumigny, who teaches hairdressing and wig-making skills.

Education

The first day nursery opens at Steintal, Alsace.

Education

Higher Education: Native American Education: Dartmouth College is established to educate Native Americans.

Jefferson, Martha

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) begins building Monticello in Albemarle County, Virginia.

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Payne’s (1768-1849) father, John Payne, moves his wife and family back to his wife's family plantation at Cole's Hill, Virginia.

Economics

The first American-made printing fonts are produced by silversmith Abel Buell (1742-1822).

Economics

Henry William Stiegel (1729-1785) opens his glass works in Manheim, Pennsylvania.

Discovery

Daniel Boone (1734-1820) explores the Cumberland Gap.

Daily Life

The first lightning rod conductors are installed on high buildings.

Government

The British Parliament repeals the Townshend Acts, but retains the duty on tea. The Quartering Act is not renewed.

War

Revolutionary War: The “Boston Massacre” occurs.

Medicine

John Warren and several other Harvard students form a society for the secret dissection of animals; this society later becomes the Massachusetts Medical Society.

Inventions

African American Inventors: Benjamin Bannecker (1731-1806) builds a wooden clock that keeps accurate time for more than 50 years.

Education

Higher Education: The College of Charleston is established in South Carolina as the first municipal college.

Education

Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) publishes a mathematics textbook, "Introduction to Algebra."

Arts and Letters

Painting: Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788) paints “The Blue Boy.”

Ideas

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) writes "Thoughts on the Causes of the Present Discontent."

Adams, Abigail

Susanna Adams (1767-1770), second daughter of Abigail and John Adams, dies at 13 months of age on February 4. It is widely reported that she was "sickly" from birth (usually a way of saying either that the cause was an unknown infection or that no one really knew what was wrong).

Adams, Abigail

A second son, Charles (1770-1800), is born to Abigail and John Adams on November 30. John Adams is asked to defend the British soldiers involved in the Boston Massacre; he does, and they are acquitted.

Economics

U.S. Population: The American colonies’ population is estimated at 2.2 million.

Economics

"The New England Psalm Singer," by William Billings (1746-1800), marks the beginning of publishing of American compositions.

Discovery

James Bruce (1730-1794) discovers the source of the Blue Nile.

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779) discovers Botany Bay in Australia.

Science

Luigi Galvani (1737-1798) discovers the electrical nature of the nervous impulse.

Science

Joseph Priestly (1733-1804) discovers that plants convert carbon dioxide into oxygen.

Medicine

New York Hospital is founded.

Education

The Encyclopedia Britannica publishes its first edition.

Education

An edict in Spain requires the modernization of textbooks.

Ideas

The first issue of "Transactions," the journal of the American Philosophical Society, is published.

Economics

Sir Richard Arkwright (1732-1792) produces the first spinning mill in England.

Daily Life

Quaker Susanna Wright (1697-1784) acts as a legal counselor, unofficial magistrate, and physician for her neighbors in Pennsylvania.

Religion

The first separate Baptist Association was formed at a meeting in Orange County, Virginia.

Law

Slavery: An English court rules that a slave is free on landing in England.

Politics

Samuel Adams (1722-1803) forms the Committees of Correspondence in Massachusetts for action against Great Britain.

Politics

The Boston Assembly demands rights of colonies, threatens secession.

Science

Daniel Rutherford (1749-1819) and Joseph Priestly (1733-1804) discover nitrogen.

Science

Caroline Herschel (1750-1848), with her brother, William Herschel (1738-1822) assists in the first sightings of eight comets and 14 nebulae.

Science

Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) clarifies the basic principles of optics, acoustics, mechanics, and astronomy.

Inventions

John Hobday of Virginia, invents the threshing machine.

Education

The first schoolhouse west of the Allegheny Mountains is built in Schoenbrunn, Ohio, by Moravian missionaries.

Education

Higher Education: Education of Women: Women’s Colleges: Salem Academy is founded in North Carolina and is chartered as a college in 1866.

Arts and Letters

Painting: Charles Wilson Peale (1741-1827) completes a life-sized portrait of George Washington.

Adams, Abigail

A third son, Thomas Boylston (1772-1832), is born to Abigail and John Adams on September 15.

Jefferson, Martha

Martha Wayles Skelton (1748-1782) marries Thomas Jefferson on New Year's Day, when she is 23.

Jefferson, Martha

Martha "Patsy" Washington Jefferson Randolph (1772-1836), daughter of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, is born September 27.

Discovery

James Bruce (1730-1794) traces the Blue Nile to its confluence with the White Nile.

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779) leaves England on his second voyage; this time he approaches the Antarctic Circle.

Sports

The first military ski competitions are held in Norway.

Religion

The Inquisition is abolished in France.

Politics

The Virginia House of Burgesses appoints a Provincial Committee of Correspondence.

Politics

The Boston Tea Party takes place, dumping 340 chests of tea into Boston harbor in a protest against the duty on tea.

Government

Presidents: William Henry Harrison (1773-1841), 9th Presdident of the United States, is born on February 9 in Berkeley, Virginia.

Medicine

Mental Health Movement: An early mental hospital, the Public Hospital for Persons of Insane and Disordered Minds, opens in Williamsburg, VA.

Education

Museums: The Charleston (VA) Library Society opens the first American museum of natural history.

Arts and Letters

Drama: Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) writes the play, "She Stoops to Conquer."

Arts and Letters

Poetry: Women''s Firsts: Women''s Firsts: Black poet Phillis Wheatley (c.1753-1784) publishes "Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral," the first published works by an African American poet.

Arts and Letters

Dance: A dance class begun in Moscow later becomes the Bolshoi Ballet Company.

Washington, Martha

Martha "Patsy" Parke Custis (1754-1773), second daughter of Martha Washington and John Parke Custis, and stepdaughter of George Washington, dies suddenly of epilepsy on June 19.

Adams, Abigail

Abigail Adams (1744-1818) establishes a friendship with Mercy Warren (1728-1814), sister of James Otis (1725-1783).

Economics

Transportation: Oliver Evans (1755-1819) proposes steam-powered “horseless carriage.”

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779), captains the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle.

Daily Life

Dancing: The waltz becomes fashionable in Vienna.

Daily Life

310 street lamps are installed and kept lighted in Boston from October to May.

Religion

Pope Clement XIV (1705-1774) dissolves the Jesuit Order.

Religion

The first annual conference of American Methodists meets in Philadelphia.

Politics

The Virginia House of Burgesses calls a Continental Congress to meet at Philadelphia.

Government

General Thomas Gage (1721-1787) arrives from England to be Royal Governor of Massachusetts.

Government

Parliament passes the Coercive Acts (Intolerable Acts); the port of Boston is closed.

War

Revolutionary War: George Washington (1732-1799) orders a military campaign against the Iroquois.

Science

Johann G. Gahn (1745-1818) isolates manganese.

Science

Karl W. Scheele (1742-1786) discovers chorine and barium.

Medicine

Austrian physician Franz Mesmer (1734-1815) uses hypnosis for health purposes.

Medicine

Native Americans: Benjamin Rush (1745-1813) describes Indian medical practices.

Inventions

Scotsman James Watt (1736-1819) builds first "modern" stationary steam engine

Education

Swiss educator Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827) founds a school for orphaned and neglected children in Zurich (Switzerland).

Education

Education of Women: Leonhard Usteri founds the first school for girls in Zurich, Switzerland.

Ideas

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) writes his first important work, "A Summary View of the Rights of British America."

Washington, Martha

Jacky Custis (1755-1781) leaves King's College to marry Eleanor Calvert of Maryland and settle at Abingdon, his estate up the river from Mount Vernon.

George Washington attends the First Continental Congress, meeting in Philadelphia, as a delegate from the Virginia colony.

Adams, Abigail

John Adams (1735-1826) goes to the first Continental Congress.

Jefferson, Martha

Jane Randolph Jefferson (1774-1775), daughter of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, is born on April 3.

Economics

English silversmith Hester Bateman (c. 1709-1794) registers her hallmark in London’s guildhall.

Daily Life

Magazines: The Royal American Magazine is the first to use illustrations regularly, some engravings contributed by Paul Revere (1735-1818).

Sports

Cricket: The rules for cricket are first drawn up.

Religion

The Quebec Act, to secure Canada’s loyalty to Great Britain, establishes Roman Catholicism in Canada.

Religion

Anne Lee (1736-1784) of Massachusetts settles in New York to begin a spiritualist revival (the Shakers).

Government

Native Americans: The Continental Congress establishes a Committee on Indian Affairs, appointing commissioners to create peace treaties with the Indians.

War

Revolutionary War: George Washington becomes Commander-in-Chief, a navy is authorized.

War

Revolutionary War: The American Revolution begins on April 19, with the battles at Lexington and Concord; the Battle of Bunker Hill follows shortly.

War

Revolutionary War: England hires 29,000 German mercenaries for war in North America.

War

Revolutionary War: Fort Ticonderoga is captured from the British.

Science

Joseph Priestley (1733-1804) discovers hydrochloric and sulfuric acids.

Medicine

Digitalis is used for the first time as a diuretic in dropsy (water retention in the body).

Medicine

Epidemics: A world-wide epidemic of influenza occurs.

Inventions

James Watt (1736-1819) perfects his invention of the steam engine.

Inventions

David Bushnell (1742-1824) invents a one-man, hand-operated submarine, the “American Turtle.”

Ideas

Edmund Burke (1729-1797) writes his “Speech on Conciliation with America.”

Ideas

Patrick Henry (1736-1799) gives his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech.

Washington, Martha

George Washington (1732-1799) attends the Second Continental Congress, where he accepts command of the Continental Army. In December, Martha (1731-1802) joins him at his headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Jefferson, Martha

Jane Randolph Jefferson (1774-1775), second daughter of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, dies at seventeen months in September.

Madison, Dolley

Dolley Payne (1768-1849) attends school with her brothers at the Cedar Creek Friends meetinghouse in Virginia.

Adams, Louisa

Louisa Catherine Johnson (1775-1852), future wife of President John Quincy Adams (1767-1848), is born in London on February 12. She is the first First Lady to be born outside of the United States.

Harrison, Anna

Anna Tuthill Symmes (1775-1864), future wife of President William Henry Harrison ((1773–1841) is born in Flatbrook, New Jersey on July 25.

Economics

American Money: American colonists issue paper currency for the Continental Congress to finance the Revolutionary War.

Economics

The colonies supply nearly 15% of the world’s iron.

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779) returns from his second voyage.

Daily Life

The song “Yankee Doodle” becomes popular as a rallying song to taunt the British.

Daily Life

Women’s Firsts: Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816) became the first woman postmaster in the country (in Baltimore).

Sports

Native Americans: Indians in Florida are described as playing lacrosse, using a deerskin ball and deerskin nets on sticks.

Popular Culture

Sarah Siddons (1755-1831) appears for the first time at the Drury Lane Theatre in London.

Popular Culture

American Theatre: Colonial government regulations curb sport and entertainment during the Revolution; theatres close.

Social Issues

Slavery: Thomas Paine (1737-1806) writes "African Slavery in America."

Reform

Abolition Movement: The first abolition society in the U.S. is organized in Philadelphia by Anthony Benezet (1713-1784); Benjamin Franklin becomes its president in 1787.

Reform

Women''s Rights Movement: American political philosopher Thomas Paine (1737-1806) proposes women’s rights in an article in the Pennsylvania Magazine.

Government

The Declaration of Independence, drafted by The Continental Congress, is signed on July 4.

Government

The Second Continental Congress names the new nation the United States of America.

War

Revolutionary War: The British army occupies New York City.

War

Revolutionary War: George Washington (1732-1799) crosses the Delaware River, defeating the Hessian troops at Trenton, NJ.

Education

Higher Education: Phi Beta Kappa is founded at the College of William and Mary.

Arts and Letters

Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) writes "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire."

Ideas

Adam Smith (1723-1790) writes "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations."

Ideas

Thomas Paine’s (1737-1806) "Common Sense" is published.

Washington, Martha

Again, Martha Washington joins her husband at his headquarters in New York. She lends her name to a formal effort to recruit more women to volunteer on behalf of the Continental Army, especially to sew uniforms and knit warm clothes for the troops.

Adams, Abigail

(1744-1818) writes a letter to John in which she tells him to “remember the ladies” when writing the Declaration of Independence.

Economics

Transportation: Railroad History: English tram road is laid down with cast iron angle bars on timber ties.

Discovery

James Cook’s (1728-1779) third voyage to the Pacific begins.

Discovery

Franciscan friars Dominguez and Escalante (1769–1779) explore route from New Mexico to California.

Daily Life

Disasters: Fire destroys most of the old parts of New York City.

Religion

San Francisco is established by Spanish missionaries.

Social Issues

Native Americans: Cherokee leader Nancy (or Nanye’hi) Ward (c. 1738-1824) heads the Woman’s Council and sits as a member of the Council of Chiefs.

Reform

Women's Suffrage Movement: New Jersey grants women the right to vote (revoked in 1807).

Government

The Continental Congress adopts the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union.

Government

American Flag: On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress passes the first Flag Act which states: "That the flag of the United States be made of thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation."

War

Revolutionary War: The Marquis de Lafayette’s (1757-1834) French volunteers arrive in America.

War

Revolutionary War: British General John Burgoyne (1722-1792) is defeated and surrenders to the Americans at Saratoga, NY.

Science

Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier (1743-1794) proves that air consists mainly of oxygen and nitrogen, and coins the term oxygen.

Medicine

George Washington (1732-1799) orders his soldiers to be inoculated against smallpox.

Arts and Letters

Drama: Playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) writes the comedy "The School for Scandal."

Washington, Martha

Martha spends some time in her husband’s camp in Morristown, Pennsylvania.

Jefferson, Martha

The only Jefferson son was born May 28 and died a short while later on June 14. Over the course of time, this child's name has been lost.

Economics

Women''s Firsts: Baltimore postmaster Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816) is the first person to print the Declaration of Independence.

Daily Life

Women’s Firsts: Mary Katherine Goddard (1738-1816) became the first printer to offer copies of the Declaration of Independence that included the signers' names.

Religion

The New Testament of the Bible is published in English for the first time in America.

Religion

The chapel of the San Juan Capistrano mission, the oldest building still in existence in California, is built.

Social Issues

Slavery: Vermont abolishes slavery, becoming the first colony to do so.

Social Issues

Civil Rights Movement: New York enfranchises all free propertied men regardless of color or prior servitude.

Government

Congress ratifies a treaty with France and rejects a British peace offer.

Government

Slavery: An Act of Congress prohibits the import of slaves into the U.S.

War

Revolutionary War: British Tories and Indians massacre inhabitants of Wyoming Valley, PA and Cherry Valley, NY.

War

Revolutionary War: Mary McCauley (1754-1832) (Molly Pitcher), carries water to American soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth; she then mans her husband’s cannon when he is killed.

Medicine

William Brown (1748-1792), Virginia physician, publishes "Pharmacopoeia," a guide to medicines and drugs.

Inventions

Joseph Bramah (1748-1814) from Yorkshire constructs an improved water closet (toilet).

Education

Phillips Andover Academy is founded in Massachusetts, with a broader curriculum than the Latin Grammar School.

Washington, Martha

During the bitter winter at Valley Forge, Martha Washington endeared herself to the soldiers as she brought food and warm clothing to the freezing men and worked hard to get local women to do the same.

Adams, Abigail

A sixth child is stillborn to Abigail (1744-1818) and John Adams (1735-1826).

Jefferson, Martha

Mary "Polly" "Maria" Jefferson (1778-1804), daughter of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, is born on August 1.

Economics

American Money: The dollar sign ($) is created by Oliver Pollack.

Discovery

James Cook (1728-1779) discovers Hawaii (then called the Sandwich Islands).

Social Issues

Native Americans: Frances Slocum (1773-1847) is captured by Delaware Indians; she is discovered in 1835 but refuses to return to her family, preferring to die where “the Great Spirit will find me.”

Social Issues

Slavery: Rhode Island forbids the removal of slaves from the state.

Social Issues

Slavery: Virginia prohibits the importation of slaves.