1776
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:''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: Kingdom of Great Britain|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 Illuminati|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 - United States|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 of Great Britain|George III in Bowling Green (New York City)|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 Hessians|Hessian troops land on Staten Island to join British forces
August 27 - American Revolutionary War: Battle of Long Island - George Washington|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, New York|Staten Island.
September 15 - American Revolutionary War: British land on Manhattan at Landing at Kip's Bay|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 Kingdom of Great Britain | British fleet led by Sir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester|Guy Carleton defeats 15 United States|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 - Kingdom of Great Britain | British forces arrive at White Plains, attack and capture Chatterton Hill from the United States | Americans.
November 16 - American Revolutionary War: Hessian mercenaries under Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen capture Fort Washington from the American United States|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
35th and last volume of Diderot's ''Encyclopédie'' published
Births
January 24 - Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann|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 (cleric)|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 (1710-1776)|James Ferguson, Scottish astronomer (b. 1710)
Francis Salvador, American patriot (b. 1747)
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