References are numbered in [brackets], which are listed here. A number after the dot gives the page in the source.

Last updated: 2008 April 30.

1770 January 1 Date of action in the opera "Madeleine". [1] January 13 De Beaumarchais' "Les Deux Amis" premieres in Paris. [1] January 19 Battle of Golden Hill (Lower Manhattan). [1] February 22 Christopher Snider 11, Boston, becomes first martyr of US Revolution. [1] February 26 François Hanot composer, dies at 72. [1] Giuseppe Tartini Italian composer/violinist, dies at 77. [1] March 5 Blanche Kelso Bruce sworn in as a US Senator (Mississippi). [1] Boston Massacre, British troops kill five in crowd; Crispus Attackus becomes first black to die for American freedom. [1] Crispus Attuks slave, is first of five killed during Boston Massacre. [1] March 27 Giovanni B Tiepolo Italian painter (Banquet of Cleopatra), dies at 73. [1] April 9 Captain James Cook discovers Botany Bay (Australia). [1] April 12 Townsend Acts repealed. [1] April 19 Amsterdam buys Van Aerssens family 1/3 part of Suriname. [1] Captain James Cook first sees Australia. [1] Esprit Joseph Antoine Blanchard composer, dies at 74. [1] April 20 Captain Cook arrives in New South Wales. [1] April 28 Marie AC de Camargo Spanish/Italian/Belgian dancer, dies at 60. [1] April 29 Captain James Cook in the Endeavor arrives at and names Botany Bay, Australia. [5] (April 28 [1]) May 4 Christian Gottfried Krause composer, dies at 51. [1] May 9 Charles Avison composer, dies at 61. [1] May 10 Charles Avison composer, dies at 61. [1] May 16 Marie Antoinette (14) marries future King Louis XVI (15) of France. [1] June 3 Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo founded in California. [1] June 11 Captain Cook runs aground on Australian Great Barrier Reef. [1] June 28 Quakers open a school for blacks in Philadelphia. [1] December 5 James Stirling Scottish mathematician (Formula of Stirling), dies at 78. [1] December 9 Gottlieb Theophil Muffat composer, dies at 80. [1] December 10 Theophil "Gottlieb" Muffat German court organist/composer, dies at 80. [1] 1771 January 11 Jean-Baptiste de Boyer marquis d'Argens, French author, dies at 66. [1] January 22 Spain cedes the Falkland Islands to Britain. [1] February 8 Augusta von Saxen-Gotha German prince Frederick Louis of Wales, dies. [1] February 12 King Adolf Frederick of Sweden dies. His son Prince Gustav becomes King Gustav III. [1] [7] February 16 Messier presents his original list of 45 M-objects to French Academy. [1] March 1 Isfrid Kayser composer, dies at 58. [1] March 22 Gottlieb W Rabener German author (Bremer Beiträge), dies at 56. [1] May 7 Samuel Hearne explores the Copper Mine River of Canada. [1] July 14 Mission San Antonio de Padua founded in California. [1] September 8 Mission San Gabriel Archangel forms in California. [1] December 26 Claude A Helvétius French encyclopedist (L'esprit), dies at 56. [1] 1772 January 1 First traveler's checks issued (London). [1] February 10 Jozef Wenceslas monarch of Liechtenstein/general, dies at 75. [1] Louis Tocqué French painter, dies at 75. [1] February 12 Yves de Kerguelen of France discovers Kerguelen Archipelago, India. [1] February 17 First partition of Poland-Russia and Prussia, joined later by Austria. [1] March 2 Robert J Pothier French lawyer, dies at 73. [1] March 11 George Reuter composer, dies at 63. [1] March 13 Gotthold Lessing's "Emilia Calotti" premieres in Brunswick. [1] April 15 Karel Jozef ruler of Batthyányi, dies at 73. [1] April 19 Johann Peter Kellner composer, dies at 66. [1] April 30 John Clais patents first scale. [1] May 1 Gottfried Achenwall German lawyer/statistics/economist, dies at 52. [1] May 11 Amsterdam theater destroyed by fire, 18 killed. [1] Joseph Kerckhoff Limburg surgeon/robber captain, hanged. [1] June 9 First Protestant church west of Penn (in Ohio) holds communion. [1] June 10 Burning of the Gaspée, British revenue cutter, by Rhode Islanders. [1] June 22 Slavery outlawed in England. [1] August 5 First partition of Poland, between Austria, Prussia and Russia. [1] August 11 Explosive eruption blows 4,000' off Papandayan Java, kills 3,000. [1] August 31 Hurricane destroy ships off Dominica. [1] September 1 Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa forms in California. [1] December 12 Johann Gottfried Seyfert composer, dies at 41. [1] December 22 Moravian missionary constructs first schoolhouse west of Allegheny. [1] December 28 Ernst J Earl van/of Biron Russian duke of Courland, dies at 82. [1] 1773 January 6 Massachusetts slaves petition legislature for freedom. [1] January 12 First US public museum established (Charleston South Carolina). [1] January 17 Captain James Cook becomes first to cross Antarctic Circle (66 degrees 33' S). [1] February 20 Charles Emanuel I King of Sardinia/Duke of Savoy (CE III), dies at 71. [1] February 26 Construction authorized for Walnut Steet jail (Philadelphia) (first solitary). [1] March 1 Jan Wagenaar Dutch historian, dies at 63. [1] Luigi Vanvitelli [Louis van Wittel], Italian architect, dies at 72. [1] March 12 Jeanne Baptiste Pointe de Sable found settlement now known as Chicago. [1] March 18 Oliver Goldsmith' "She Stoops to Conquer" premieres in London. [1] April 19 Florian Johann Deller composer, dies at 43. [1] April 27 British Parliament passes the Tea Act (eventually leads to Boston Tea Party on December 16). [1] May 8 Ali Bey Egyptian Mameluk head, dies. [1] May 24 Jan Zach composer, dies at 73. [1] July 20 Scottish settlers arrive at Pictou, Nova Scotia (Canada). [1] September 11 Benjamin Franklin writes "There never was a good war or bad peace.". [1] December 16 Big tea party in Boston harbor-Indians welcome (Boston Tea Party). [1] December 26 Expulsion of tea ships from Philadelphia. [1] 1774 January 11 Messier adds M51 (spiral galaxy in Canes Venatici) to his catalog. [1] January 21 Mustapha III sultan of Turkey (1957-74), dies at 56. [1] January 30 Captain Cook reaches 71 degrees 10' S, 1820 km from South pole (record). [1] Frantisek Ignac Antonin Tuma composer, dies at 69. [1] Jean-Pierre Guignon composer, dies at 71. [1] February 10 Andrew Becker demonstrates diving suit. [1] Florian Leopold Gassmann composer, dies at 44. [1] February 22 English House of Lords rules authors do not have perpetual copyright. [1] March 4 William Herschel becomes the first to sight the Orion Nebula. [1] [5] March 7 British close port of Boston to all commerce. [1] March 25 English Parliament passes Boston Port Bill. [1] March 28 Britain passes Coercive Act against Massachusetts. [1] April 4 Oliver Goldsmith Irish poet (She Stoops to Conquer), dies at 17. [1] April 19 CW Glucks opera "Iphigenia in Aulis", premieres in Paris France. [1] April 23 Christian Wilhelm Ernst Dietrich painter, dies. [1] April 30 Pope Clement XIV proclaims a universal jubilee. [1] May 3 Heinrich A Fouqué Prussian general (7 year war), dies at 76. [1] May 10 Louis XV king of France (1715-74), dies at 64. [1] Louis XVI ascends to throne of France. [1] May 20 Britain gives Québec, Labrador and territory north of the Ohio. [1] May 23 Chestertown tea party occurs (tea dumped into Chester River). [1] May 28 First Continental Congress convenes (Virginia). [1] June 1 British government orders Port of Boston closed. [1] June 13 Rhode Island becomes first colony to prohibit importation of slaves. [1] July 12 Citizens of Carlisle, Penn. pass a declaration of independence. [1] August 1 Priestly discovers oxygen. [1] September 5 First Continental Congress assembles, in Philadelphia. [1] October 14 First Continental Congress is first to declare colonial rights (Philadelphia). [1] October 26 First Continental Congress adjourns in Philadelphia. [1] December 2 Johann Friedrich Agricola German (court)composer/organist, dies at 54. [1] December 13 First incident of the Revolution-400 attack Fort William and Mary, New Hampshire. [1] Susanne K von Klettenberg German friend of Goethes mother, dies at 50. [1] December 14 Massachusetts militiamen successfully attacked arsenal of Fort William and Mary. [1] December 16 François Quesnay French personal physician of Louis XIV, dies at 80. [1] December 18 Jews expelled from Prague, Bohemia and Moravia by Empress Maria Theresa. [1] 1775 January 8 John Baskerville English printer/type designer, dies at 68. [1] January 10 Jemeljan Pugatshov Russian kosak leader/"czar Peter III", dies. [1] January 11 Francis Salvador becomes first Jew elected to office in America (South Carolina). [1] Yemelyan Pugachov Don Cossack rebel, executed by tsarist Russia. [1] January 15 Giovanni Battista Sammartini composer, dies. [1] January 17 Nine old women burnt as witches for causing bad harvests, Kalisk, Poland. [1] R B Sheridan's "Rivals" premieres in London. [1] January 22 Marshal Oscar von Lubomirski expels Jews from Warsaw Poland. [1] January 25 Americans drag cannon up hill to fight British (Gun Hill Road, Bronx). [1] February 8 Leidse University 400th anniversary dinner. [1] February 9 English Parliament declares Massachusetts colony is in rebellion. [1] February 15 Angelo Braschi chosen as Pope Pius VI. [1] February 22 First US joint stock company (to make cloth) offers shares at £10. [1] Jews expelled from outskirts of Warsaw Poland. [1] March 6 First Negro Mason in US initiated, Boston. [1] March 19 Four people buried by avalanche for 37 days, three survive (Italy). [1] Poland and Prussia sign trade agreement. [1] March 22 Edmund Burke presents his 13 articles to the English parliament. [1] March 23 Patrick Henry proclaims "Give me liberty or give me death". [1] April 14 First abolitionist society in US organizes in Philadelphia Pennsylvania. [1] April 18 Paul Revere and William Dawes warn "the British are coming!". [1] April 19 Minutemen Captain John Parker orders not to fire unless fired upon. [1] Revolution begins-Lexington Common, shot "heard round the world". [1] April 20 British begin siege of Boston. [1] April 23 The opera "Il Ré Pastore" is produced (Salzburg). [1] May 7 Turkish state of Bukovina secedes from Austria. [1] May 10 Second Continental Congress convened in Pennsylvania; issues paper currency for first time. [1] Second Continental Congress names George Washington, supreme commander. [1] Green Mountain Boys capture Fort Ticonderoga NY-American Revolution. [1] May 20 Citizens of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina declare independence of Britain. [1] June 7 United Colonies change name to United States. [1] June 12 First naval battle of Revolution-Unity (Am) captures Margaretta (Br). [1] June 14 US Army founded. [1] June 15 George Washington appointed commander-in-chief of American Army. [1] June 17 Battle of Bunker Hill (actually it was Breed's Hill). [1] June 22 First Continental currency issued ($3,000,000). [1] June 23 First regatta held on Thames, England. [1] July 3 Washington takes command of Continental Army at Cambridge, Massachusetts [1] July 10 Horatio Gates, issues order excluding blacks from Continental Army. [1] July 16 John Adams graduates Harvard. [1] July 17 First military hospital approved. [1] July 22 George Washington takes command of the troops. [1] July 25 Maryland issues currency depicting George III trampling Magna Carta. [1] July 26 Benjamin Franklin becomes first Postmaster General. [1] August 5 First Spanish ship, San Carlos, enters San Francisco Bay. [1] August 22 King George III proclaims colonies to be in open rebellion. [1] September 25 American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen captured. [1] October 8 Officers decide to bar slaves and free blacks from Continental Army. [1] October 13 Continental Congress orders construction of a naval fleet. [1] October 16 Portland, Maine burned by British. [1] October 23 Continental Congress approves resolution barring blacks from army. [1] October 27 US Navy established. [1] November 7 Lord Dunmore, promises freedom to male slaves who join British army. [1] November 10 US Marine Corps established by Congress. [1] November 12 General Washington forbids recruiting officers enlisting blacks. [1] November 13 American Revolutionary forces capture Montreal. [1] December 3 First official US flag raising (aboard naval vessel Alfred). [1] December 22 Continental navy organized with 7 ships. [1] December 25 Pope Pius VI encyclical on the problems of the pontificate. [1] December 28 Peter A van de Parra Governor-General of (Netherlands Indies), dies at 61. [1] December 31 Battle of Québec; Americans unable to take British stronghold. [1] General Richard Montgomery dies fighting the British. [1] 1776 January 1 General George Washington hoists Continental Union Flag. [1] January 2 First revolutionary flag displayed. [1] Austria ends interrogation torture. [1] January 5 Assembly of New Hampshire adopts its first state constitution. [1] January 10 "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, published. [1] January 16 Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks. [1] February 8 Wolfgang von Goethes' "Stella" premieres in Hamburg. [1] February 17 First volume of Gibbon's "Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" published. [1] March 2 Americans begin shelling British troops in Boston. [1] March 3 US commodore Esek Hopkins occupies Nassau Bahamas. [1] March 17 British forces evacuate Boston to Nova Scotia during Revolutionary War. [1] March 25 Continental Congress authorizes a medal for General George Washington. [1] April 1 Friedrich von Klinger's "Sturm und Drang", premieres in Leipzig. [1] April 3 Washington receives honorary Ll.D. degree from Harvard College. [1] April 12 Halifax resolution for independence adopted by North Carolina. [1] April 15 Duchess of Kingston found guilty of bigamy. [1] April 19 Jacob Israel Emden [Jacob ben Tswi] German rabbi, dies at 78. [1] April 22 Johann Adolph Scheibe German music theroist/composer, dies at 67. [1] April 24 Carolus van de Abeele Flemish Jesuit, dies at 84. [1] Giuseppi Paolucci composer, dies at 49. [1] May 1 Adam Weishaupt founds the secret society of Illuminati. [1] May 2 France and Spain agree to donate arms to American rebels. [1] May 4 Rhode Island declares independence from England. [1] May 6 James Kent composer, dies at 76. [1] May 12 Turgot, French minister of Finance, resigns. [1] May 13 Anton de Haen medical Ratio medendi, dies at 71. [1] June 7 Richard Lee (Virginia) moves Declaration of Independence in Continental Congress. [1] June 10 Continental Congress appoints a committee to write a Declaration of Independence. [1] June 12 Virginia adopts Declaration of Rights. [1] June 28 Charleston, South Carolina repulses British sea attack. [1] Thomas Hickey American sergeant convicted of treason, hanged. [1] June 29 Mission Dolores founded by San Francisco Bay. [1] Va state constitution adopted and Patrick Henry made governor. [1] July 1 First vote on the Declaration of Independence. [1] July 2 Continental Congress resolves "these United Colonies are and of right. [1] July 4 Declaration of Independence-US gains independence from Britain. [1] July 6 Declaration of Independence announced on front page of the "PA Evening Gazette". [1] July 8 Colonel John Nixon gave first public reading of Declaration of Independence. [1] July 9 Declaration of Independence read aloud to General Washington's troops in New York. [1] August 2 Formal signing of the Declaration of Independence. [1] August 27 British defeat Americans in Battle of Long Island. [1] August 28 Battle of Long Island. [1] August 29 Americans withdraw from Manhattan to Westchester. [1] September 7 The World's first submarine attack occurs, as the American submersible craft Turtle attempts to attach a time bomb to the hull of the British flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor. [5] September 9 Continental Congress renames "United Colonies," "United States". [1] September 10 George Washington asks for a spy volunteer, Nathan Hale volunteers. [1] September 12 Nathan Hale leaves Harlem Heights Camp (127th St) for spy mission. [1] September 15 British forces capture Kip's Bay Manhattan during the Revolution. [1] September 17 Presidio of San Francisco forms as a Spanish fort. [1] September 21 Great fire in New York. [1] Nathan Hale spied on British for American rebels, hanged. [1] September 22 Nathan Hale executed as a spy by the British. [1] October 9 Father Francisco Palou founds Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California. [1] [5] October 11 Brigadier General Arnold's Lake Champlain fleet defeated by British. [1] October 12 British Brigade begins guarding Throgg Necks Road in the Bronx. [1] October 18 Colonel John Glover and Marblehead regiment meet British Forces in Bronx. [1] In a New York bar decorated with bird tail, customer orders "cock tail". [1] October 28 Battle of White Plains; Washington retreats to New Jersey. [1] November 1 Mission San Juan Capistrano founded in California. [1] November 16 Hessians capture Fort Washington, Manhattan. [1] November 18 Hessians capture Fort Lee, New Jersey. [1] December 5 Phi Beta Kappa, first American scholastic fraternity (William and Mary College), is founded. [1] December 8 George Washington's retreating army crosses Delaware River from New Jersey. [1] December 19 Thomas Paine published his first "American Crisis" essay, in which he wrote, "These are the times that try men's souls". [1] December 23 Continental Congress negotiates a war loan of $181,500 from France. [1] Thomas Paine writes "These are the times that try men's souls". [1] December 25 Washington crosses Delaware and surprises and defeats 1,400 Hessians. [1] December 26 Battle of Trenton-major British defeat. [1] George Washington defeats Hessians at Trenton. [1] Johann Gottlieb Rall Hessian colonel/mercenary, dies in battle. [1] December 31 Rhode Island establishes wage and price controls to curb inflation: Limit is 70 cents a day for carpenters, 42 cents for tailors. [1] 1777 January 1 Emanuele Barbella composer, dies at 58. [1] January 3 Washington defeats British at Battle of Princeton, New Jersey. [1] January 12 Mission Santa Clara de Asis founded in California. [1] January 15 People of New Connecticut (Vermont) declare independence from England. [1] January 16 Vermont declares independence from New York. [1] January 18 San Jose California founded. [1] February 5 Georgia becomes first US state to abolish both entail and primogeniture. [1] February 13 Marquis de Sade arrested without charge, imprisoned in Vincennes fortress. [1] February 16 Messier adds M53 to his catalog (globular cluster in Coma Berenice). [1] February 21 English ambassador Joseph Yorke demands dismissal of Governor John de Graaff for saluting US flag. [1] March 1 Georg Christoph Wagenzeil Austria (court)composer/pianist, dies at 62. [1] March 22 John Bartram father of American botany, dies at 77. [1] April 12 Claude-Prosper J de Crébillon French writer (Le sopha), dies at 70. [1] April 14 New York adopts new constitution as an independent state. [1] April 16 Battle of Bennington-New England's Green Mountain Boys rout British. [1] April 20 New York adopts new constitution as an independent state. [1] April 26 Sybil Ludington, 16, rode from New York to Connecticut rallying her father's militia. [1] May 1 RB Sheridans "School for Scandal" premieres in London. [1] May 12 First ice cream advertisement (Philip Lenzi-New York Gazette). [1] May 13 University library at Vienna opens. [1] May 16 Button Gwinnet US revolutionary leader, dies from wounds. [1] June 13 Marquis de Lafayette lands in US. [1] June 14 Continental Congress adopts Stars and Stripes replacing Grand Union flag. [1] July 6 British General Burgoyne captures Fort Ticonderoga from Americans. [1] July 8 Vt becomes first state abolishing slavery, adopts male sufferage. [1] July 31 Marquis de Lafayette, 19, made major-general of Continental Army. [1] August 4 Retired British cavalry officer Philip Astley establishes first circus. [1] August 16 Americans defeat British in Battle of Bennington, Vt. [1] September 11 Battle of Brandywine, Pennsylvania; Americans lose to British. [1] September 19 Battle of Freeman's Farm (Bemis Heights) or first Battle of Saratoga. [1] September 20 Paoli massacre. [1] September 26 British troops occupy Philadelphia during the American Revolution. [1] September 27 Battle of Germantown; Washington defeated by the British. [1] September 30 US Congress, flees to York Pennsylvania, as British forces advance. [1] October 4 Battle of Germantown. [1] October 7 Americans beat Brits in second Battle of Saratoga and Battle of Bemis Hts. [1] October 17 British General John Burgoyne surrenders at Saratoga, New York. [1] November 15 Articles of Confederation adopted by Continental Congress. [1] December 2 British General Howe plots attack on Washington's army for December 4. [1] December 8 Captain Cook leaves Society Islands. [1] December 12 Albrecht von Haller Swiss physician/biologist/author, dies at 69. [1] December 17 France recognizes independence of English colonies in America. [1] George Washington's army returns to Valley Forge Pennsylvania. [1] December 18 First national Thanksgiving Day, commemorating Burgoyne's surrender. [1] December 19 Washington settles his troops at Valley Forge Pennsylvania for the winter. [1] December 30 Maximilian III Jozef elector of Bayern (1745-77), dies at 50. [1] 1778 January 4 Charles D J Eisen French engraver/painter, dies at 57. [1] January 10 Carolus Linnæus "Carl von Linné" Swedish botanist/explorer/"Father of Taxonomy", dies at 70. [1] January 18 Captain James Cook becomes the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands." [1] [5] January 20 First American military court martial trial begins, Cambridge Massachusetts. [1] January 27 Piccinni's opera "Roland" premieres, Paris. [1] February 5 Articles of Confederation ratified by first state, South Carolina. [1] February 6 England declares war on France. [1] France recognizes US, signs treaty of aid in Paris; first US treaty. [1] February 14 "Stars and Stripes" arrives in foreign port for first time (France). [1] February 15 Johann Gottlieb Gorner composer, dies at 80. [1] February 23 Baron von Steuben joins the Continental Army at Valley Forge. [1] February 28 Rhode Island General Assembly authorizes enlistment of slaves. [1] March 5 Thomas A Arne English composer (Alfred, Rule Britannia), dies at 67. [1] March 7 Captain James Cook first sights Oregon coast, at Yaquina Bay. [1] March 15 Nootka Sound, Vancouver Island discovered by Captain Cook. [1] March 22 Captain Cook sights Cape Flattery, in Washington state. [1] March 30 Playwright Voltaire crowned with laurel wreath. [1] April 1 Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, creates "$" symbol. [1] April 7 Johann Balthasar Kehl composer, dies at 52. [1] April 8 Pieter Teyler van der Hulst Dutch founder (Teyler Museum), dies at 76. [1] April 22 James Hargreaves inventor (spinning jenny), dies. [1] May 11 William Pitt Sr English premier (1756-61, 66-68), dies at 69. [1] May 30 Voltaire [François-Marie Arouet] French writer (Candide), dies at 42. [1] June 19 Washington's troops finally leave Valley Forge. [1] June 24 David Rittenhouse observes a total solar eclipse in Philadelphia. [1] June 28 Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey. [1] Mary Ludwig Hayes "Molly Pitcher" aids American patriots. [1] July 3 British forces massacre 360 men, women and children in Wyoming, Pennsylvania. [1] August 9 Captain Cook passes through Bering Strait. [1] August 31 British kill 17 Stockbridge indians in the Bronx during Revolution. [1] November 11 Iroquois Indians in New York kill 40 in Cherry Valley Massacre. [1] November 26 Captain Cook discovers Maui (Sandwich Islands). [1] December 29 English troops occupy Savannah, Georgia. [1] 1779 January 17 Captain Cook's last notation in ship's log Discovery. [1] January 20 John Burman Dutch botanist/director (botanical gardens), dies at 71. [1] January 23 Charles Messier catalogs M56 (globular cluster in Lyra). [1] January 31 Charles Messier adds M57 (Ring Nebula in Lyra) to his catalog. [1] February 2 Georg Philipp Kress composer, dies at 59. [1] February 7 William Boyce composer, dies at 67. [1] February 14 James Cook British explorer, murdered by natives in fracas with Hawaiians. [1] February 16 William Boyce English organist/composer (Cathedral Music), dies. [1] February 24 George Rogers Clark captures Vincennes IN from British. [1] February 27 Jan Nepveu Dutch Governor-General of Suriname (1769-79), dies at 59. [1] March 11 US army Corps of Engineers established (first time). [1] April 6 Tommaso MFS Traetta Italian opera composer (Farnace), dies at 52. [1] May 11 John Heart US farmer (signed Declaration of Independence), dies at about 68. [1] May 13 War of Bavarian Succession ends. [1] June 15 General Anthony Wayne captures Stony Point, Bronx. [1] June 20 Battle of Stone Ferry. [1] September 23 John Paul Jones' "Bon Homme Richard" defeats 'HMS Serepis'. [1] September 27 John Adams negotiates Revolutionary War peace terms with Britain. [1] October 11 General Casimir Pulaski dies. [1] December 6 Jean-Baptiste Siméon Chardin French still life painter, dies at 80. [1] December 15 Manuel Jeronimo Romero de Avila composer, dies at 62. [1] December 18 Jan Punt engraver/illustrator/actor (Gideonschool), dies at 68. [1] December 23 Benedict Arnold court-martialed for improper conduct. [1] December 28 Gennaro Manna composer, dies at 64. [1] December 31 English fleet beat Dutch Merchant vessels. [1]