| 1770 AD Cook Claims Australia for Britain James Cook the English explorer on board the Endeavor, sights the East Coast of Australia. He lands at Botany Bay and claims the land for England. |
| 1770 AD Townshend Acts Repealed-The British parliament repeased the Townshend duties on all but tea. Falling colonial imports and raising opposition convinced the British government that its policies were not working. The British government, led by Prime Minister Lord North, maintained the taxes on tea, in order to underscore the supremacy of parliament. |
| 1770 AD Boston Massacre Occurs -A group of British soldiers fired on a mob of colonial protesters. The protesters provoked the British by hailing insults, snowballs, and chunks of ice at the sentries guarding the custom house. One of the British soldiers opened fire, and soon eleven of the colonists were hit, five of whom died. |
| 1772 AD First Partition of Poland Russia, Prussia and Austria agreed on the partition of Poland. Under the terms of the agreement Poland lost half of its territory. Russia received White Russia, Austria received Galicia south of the Vistual River and Prussia received West Prussia and Ermeland. |
| 1772 AD Cutter Gaspee Burned by Colonist- On the afternoon of June 9th, 1772 the British revenue schooner the Gaspee ran aground, south of Providence, Rhode Island. That night eight boatloads of men led by merchant John Brown stormed the ship. After overwhelmong the crew they bunred the ship. The British government announced that when the perpetrators were caught they would be tried in England and not in the colonies. None of the perpetrators were discovered by the British. |
| 1773 AD Boston Tea Party -In continued protest of the policy of taxation on goods entering the colonies, specifically against the Tea Act of 1773, Boston colonists began boycotting tea. The governor refused to allow arriving merchants to leave the harbor with their tea. On the night of December 16th, patriots dressed up as Indians, boarded the merchant ship and threw the tea into Boston harbor, depriving the Crown of the ability to levy a tax on tea. |
| 1774 AD Coercive Acts The British were shocked by the destruction of the tea in Boston Harbor and other colonial protests.
The British parliament gave its speedy assent to a series of acts that became known as the "Coercive Acts"; or in the colonies as the "Intolerable Acts". These acts included the closing of the port of Boston, until such time as the East India tea company received compensation for the tea dumped into the harbor. The Royal governor took control over the Massachusetts government and would appoint all officials. Sheriffs would become royal appointees, as would juries. In addition, the British took the right to quarter soldiers anywhere in the colonies. |
| 1774 AD Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji On July 21, 1774 the Treaty of Kuchuk Kainarji was signed between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. The treaty ended the conflict between Russia and the Ottomans . Under the terms of the agreement Russia was granted the right to intervene in the affairs of Moldovia. In addition Crimea was declared independent. Russia obtained several ports on the Black Sea andwas named the official protector of the Orthodox Christians living in the Ottoman Empire. |
| 1774 Ad First Continental Congress Meets- The first Continental Congress met in Philadelphia, from September 5th to OCtober 26th 1774. The Congress sat in Carpenters Hall. They affirmed the right of the colonies to life, liberty and property. Fifty-six delegates attended, half of whom were lawyers. |
| 1775 AD Lexington and Concord -Forewarned by Paul Revere, American militiamen fought 700 British troops on April 19, 1775. The battle broke out at Concord. Seventy–three British soldiers were killed, and over two hundred were wounded. The Americans lost 49 soldiers and suffered 39 wounded. This marked the true beginning of the Revolutionary War. |
| 1775 AD Battle of Bunker Hill-The Americans occupied Bunker Hill overlooking Boston on the evening of June 16th. The British, commanded by General Gage, had no choice but to attack the Americans. On the afternoon of the 17th, Gage's forces attacked. In a hard fought battle, the American were forced to withdraw. While the British were victorious, they suffered heavy losses. |
| 1775 AD- King Geoge Declares the Colonies in Revolt-On April 23, 1775 King George III of Great Britain declared, "The colonies are in open and avowed rebellion. The die is now cast. The colonies must either submit or triumph." |
| 1776 AD Watt Builds Steam Engine -In 1776 James Watt developed a steam engine. The Watt steam engine made the industrial revolution possible. |
| 1776 AD Declaration of Independence (USA) - Twelve colonies voted in favor of the Declaration of Independence. New York abstained. This Declaration stated that the colonies were free and independent states, absolved of all allegiance to England. It made official what had already been happening, as the War of Independence was in full swing. |
| 1776 AD Battle of New York, Battle of Valcour Bay, Battle of Trenton |
| 1777 AD- Battle of Princeton, British Capture Ft Ticonderoga, Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown, Battle of Orinsky, Battle of Bennington |
| 1777 AD Battle of Saratoga - On July 1st, British forces approached Fort Ticonderoga on Lake Champlain. The fort was commanded by General Schuyler. After putting up a token defense, Schuyler moved his forces to Fort Edward on the Hudson. British forces, under the command of General Burgoyne, advanced slowly on Fort Edwards, arriving after three weeks, and captured the fort. Remaining at the fort for almost another month, Burgoyne sent 800 of his men to Vermont to obtain supplies. These troops were defeated by local militia. With autumn approaching, Burgoyne knew that he had to reach Albany. American forces, now under the command of General Gates, fortified themselves along the way. A final battle was fought at Freeman's farm, where the Americans were victorious once again. Burgoyne withdrew to fortified positions at Saratoga. When it became clear to Burgoyne that there would be no relief force from the South, he surrendered his troops to the Americans. This proved to be the turning point of the war. |
| 1778 AD The War of Bavarian Succession Begins - The War of Bavarian Succession broke out when Frederick the Great, king of Prussia declared war on Austria, and invaded Bohemia. The war became known as the Potato war as the sides spent most of their time disrupting the other sides supply lines as opposed to fighting each other. |
| 1778 AD Battle of Monmouth |
| 1778 AD France Signs Treaty of Alliance with US - On February 6, 1778 France signed a treaty of alliance with the United States of America. France recognized the independence of the US and offered further aid. |
| 1779 AD Bonne Homme Richard vs Serapis |
| 1779 AD Cook Dies James Cook was killed by natives in Hawaii. Cook was considered the preeminent explorer of his time, and by introducing a regime of fresh fruit he eliminated scurvy from his ships. |
