The world in
What happened in 1776?
14 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
- Industrial Revolution
A transition in manufacturing processes that began in Great Britain around the 1760s and spread to continental Europe and the United States by about 1840. It was marked by the replacement of human and animal power with machinery and of handicraft with factory production, signaling a historic shift from agrarian to industrial society.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
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Caucasian WarThe Caucasian War was a 19th-century conflict of conquest by the Russian Empire against various peoples of the North Caucasus, lasting from 1817 to 1864. Imam Shamil led fierce resistance, repeatedly repelling Russian attacks, until the fall of Gunib and his capture in 1859. The war ended with the final subjugation of the Circassians and the annexation of the region in 1864.
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Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian WarIn 1763, the Russian Empire invaded Circassia and occupied Mozdok, prompting the Circassian people to organize a resistance movement to preserve their independence, marking the beginning of the Russo-Circassian War. This conflict became the longest war in the history of the Caucasus and of Russia, ending in 1864 with the defeat of Circassian forces.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Public domain ↗
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Founding of the Bolshoi TheatreIn 1776, the Bolshoi Theatre was founded in Moscow. Before the October Revolution, it was part of the Imperial Theatres of the Russian Empire.
Founding of the Pinacoteca di BreraThe Pinacoteca di Brera was established in the late 18th century in Milan, Italy, sharing Palazzo Brera with the Brera Academy. It later became a major public gallery for Italian paintings from the 13th to the 20th century.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Jean-Christophe BENOIST / CC BY 3.0 ↗
Foundation of Tsaritsyno PalaceIn 1776, Catherine II commissioned the construction of Tsaritsyno Palace in the southern outskirts of Moscow, designed by architect Vasily Bazhenov. The palace became the centerpiece of the eponymous park.
Foundation of the Kremlin SenateIn 1776, construction began on the Senate building within the Moscow Kremlin. It was originally built for the Moscow branch of the Governing Senate, the highest judiciary and legislative office of Imperial Russia, and later housed Soviet and Russian governmental bodies, reflecting the continuity of Russia's central administration.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Presidential Press and Information Office / CC BY 4.0 ↗
North America
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American RevolutionThe American Revolution was a political and military struggle in the latter half of the 18th century, in which the Thirteen North American Colonies of Great Britain revolted against British rule and established the United States of America. The resistance began with colonial opposition to British taxation without parliamentary representation. The Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 opened the Revolutionary War, after which the Continental Congress created the Continental Army under General Washington. The Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776. The decisive Siege of Yorktown in 1781 forced Britain to negotiate, culminating in the 1783 Treaty of Paris that recognized American independence.
Adoption of the United States Declaration of IndependenceOn July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia unanimously adopted the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the thirteen colonies' independence from Britain and justifying it. The document became a founding text of the United States, widely circulated and globally influential.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: original: w:Second Continental Congress ; reproduction: William Stone / Public domain ↗
Battle of Long IslandThe Battle of Long Island (also known as the Battle of Brooklyn) was fought on August 27, 1776, at the western edge of Long Island. It was the largest land battle of the American Revolutionary War and the first major engagement after the Declaration of Independence. The British defeated the Continental Army and secured the strategically important Port of New York for the rest of the war.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Domenick D'Andrea / Public domain ↗
Battle of TrentonOn December 26, 1776, George Washington led the Continental Army across the Delaware River to surprise Hessian troops garrisoned at Trenton, New Jersey. The Americans achieved a swift victory, capturing nearly two-thirds of the enemy with minimal losses. The battle revived the army's waning morale and encouraged re-enlistments.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Published by U.S. Government Printing Office; painting by Hugh Charles McBarron, Jr. (1902-1992) / Public domain ↗
Siege of BostonThe Siege of Boston, lasting from 1775 to 1776, was the opening phase of the American Revolutionary War. American patriot militia and the newly formed Continental Army, commanded by George Washington, surrounded Boston, preventing the British garrison from moving by land. After eleven months, the British were forced to evacuate by sea.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Michael Angelo Wageman / Public domain ↗
South Asia
First Anglo-Maratha War beginsIn 1775, the British East India Company and the Maratha Empire went to war over a succession dispute. The Company backed the deposed Raghunathrao as peshwa, leading to intermittent, inconclusive fighting until 1782. The highly mobile Marathas avoided decisive defeat. It ended with the Treaty of Salbai: both sides returned captured territories, and the British withdrew support for Raghunathrao. The peace lasted two decades until the Second Anglo-Maratha War.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Amit20081980~commonswiki / CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗
Sub-Saharan Africa
Foundation of the House of Slaves on Gorée IslandIn 1776, the House of Slaves was founded on Gorée Island, Senegal, later becoming a key memorial to the Atlantic slave trade.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Adolphe d'Hastrel (C.E.1805-1874) / Public domain ↗
Around 1776
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Founding of Kew Gardens
- Establishment of the British Convict System in Australia
- Completion of the Jantar Mantar observatory complex
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Creation of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm
- Construction of Hwaseong Fortress Begins
- Construction of the Palace of Mafra begins
- Founding of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew