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Years: 1773 1774 1775 - 1776 - 1777 1778 1779

Decades: 1740s 1750s 1760s - 1770s - 1780s 1790s 1800s

Centuries: 17th century - 18th century - 19th century 1776 in topic: Arts Architecture - Literature - Music Other topics Canada - Mexico - Science Lists of leaders: Colonial governors - State leaders From Categories: births - deaths

This article is about the year 1776. For the musical, see 1776 (musical)

1776 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar).

Events

• January 10 - Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
• March 17 - American Revolutionary War: British forces evacuate Boston, Massachusetts after George Washington places artillery overlooking the city.
• March 28 - Juan Bautista de Anza finds the site for the Presidio of San Francisco.
• May 1 - Former Jesuit Adam Weishaupt founds the Bavarian Illuminati (Order of the Illuminati) in Ingolstadt, Bavaria.
• May 6 - Battle of Prague Prussian king Frederick the Great triumphs over Austrian army.
• June 7 - Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Continental Congress a resolution calling for a Declaration of Independence.
• June 8 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Trois-Rivières - American invaders are driven back at Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
• June 12 - Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason adopted by the Virginia Convention of Delegates.
• June 15 - Delaware Separation Day - The Delaware General Assembly votes to suspend government under the British Crown.
• June 17 - Lt. Jose Joaquin Moraga leads a band of colonists from Monterey Presidio, landing on June 29 and constructing the Mission Dolores of the new Presidio of San Francisco.
• July 2 - The final (despite minor revisions) U.S. Declaration of Independence is written.
• July 4 - American Revolutionary War: United States Declaration of Independence.
• July 8 - The U.S. declaration of Independence is signed.
• July 9 - An angry mob in New York City topples the equestrian statue of George III in Bowling Green.
• July 12 - Captain James Cook sets off from Plymouth England on his third, and fatal, expedition to the Pacific Ocean.
• August 15 - First Hessian troops land on Staten Island to join British forces
• August 27 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Long Island - Washington's troops routed in Brooklyn by British under William Howe.
• September - First running of the St. Leger Stakes horse race in England.
• September 6 - Hurricane hits Guadeloupe, killing more than 6000.
• September 7 - World's first submarine attack. American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor.
• September 11 - American Revolutionary War: abortive peace conference between British and Americans on Staten Island.
• September 15 - American Revolutionary War: British land on Manhattan at Kip's Bay.
• September 16 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Harlem Heights
• September 22 - American Revolutionary War: Nathan Hale executed in New York City for espionage.
• October 7 - Crown Prince Paul of Russia marries Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg.
• October 9 - Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California.
• October 11 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Valcour Island - On Lake Champlain near Valcour Island, a British fleet led by Sir Guy Carleton defeats 15 American gunboats commanded by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold. Although nearly all of Arnold's ships are destroyed, the two day-long battle will give Patriot forces enough time to prepare defenses of New York City.
• October 28 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of White Plains - British forces arrive at White Plains, attack and capture Chatterton Hill from the Americans.
• November 16 - American Revolutionary War: Hessian mercenaries under Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen capture Fort Washington from the American Continentals.
• December 5 - The Phi Beta Kappa society is founded at the College of William and Mary.
• December 7 - Marquis de Lafayette attempts to enter the American military as a major general.
• December 23 - Thomas Paine, living with Washington's troops begins publishing The American Crisis, containing the stirring phrase, "These are the times that try men's souls."
• December 25 - American Revolutionary War: Gen. George Washington orders the first issue of The Crisis read to his troops on Christmas Eve, then at 6 PM all 2600 of them march to McKonkey's Ferry, cross the Delaware River and land on the Jersey bank at 3 AM.
• December 26 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Trenton - Washington's troops surprise the 1500 Hessian troops under the command of Col. Johan Rall at 8 AM outside Trenton and score a victory, taking 1000 prisoners while suffering only 6 wounded.

• Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations
• Edward Gibbon publishes The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
• Austria abolishes death penalty and torture and decriminalizes witchcraft
• British begin to use old ships docked close to shore as temporary prisons, prison junks

Births

• January 24 - E.T.A. Hoffmann, German writer, composer, and painter (d. 1822)
• February 11 - Joannis Capodistrias, Greek governor of Troezen (d. 1831)
• March 10 - Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Queen of Prussia (d. 1810)
• April 1 - Sophie Germain, French mathematician (d. 1831)
• June 11 - John Constable, English painter (d. 1837)
• August 9 - Amedeo Avogadro, Italian chemist (d. 1856)
• Muttusvami Dikshitar, Indian composer

Deaths

• March 10 - Élie Catherine Fréron, French critic (b. 1719)
• March 10 - Niclas Sahlgren, Swedish merchant and philanthropist (b. 1701)
• March 26 - Samuel Ward, American politician (b. 1725)
• March 24 - John Harrison, English clockmaker (b. 1693)
• April 29 - Edward Wortley Montagu, English traveler and writer (b. 1713)
• May 4 - Jacques Saly, French sculptor (b. 1717)
• June 10 - Leopold Widhalm, Austrian luthier (b. 1722)
• June 20 - Benjamin Huntsman, English inventor and manufacturer (b. 1704)
• July 7 - Jeremiah Markland, English classical scholar (b. 1693)
• July 10 - Richard Peters, English-born clergyman (b. 1704)
• August 2 - Louis François I, Prince of Conti, French military leader (b. 1717)
• August 25 - David Hume, Scottish philosopher (b. 1711)
• October 17 - Pierre François le Courayer, French theologian (b. 1681)
• November 17 - James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer (b. 1710)
• Francis Salvador, American patriot (b. 1747)

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