The era of
Subscribe1770s
8 recaps across 5 years of the decade. Reconstructed from contemporary coverage, archives, and the public record.
1773Boston Tea Party
American colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor, escalating tensions toward revolution.
1774Louis XVI's Election as French King
Accession of Louis XVI marked the beginning of the end for absolute monarchy, setting the stage for revolutionary upheaval.
1775American Revolutionary War Begins
Lexington and Concord's opening shots launched the conflict that would birth the first modern democratic republic and inspire global independence movements.
1775Battles of Lexington and Concord
The opening skirmishes of the American Revolutionary War marked the first military engagements between colonial militia and British regulars, yet remain unrecapped.
1776American Revolution Declared
The Declaration of Independence articulated Enlightenment ideals of popular sovereignty and triggered the first modern democratic revolution.
1776James Watt's Steam Engine
Practical steam engine patent unleashed industrialization and transformed global manufacturing, transportation, and economic organization.
1776American Declaration of Independence
Thirteen colonies formally told Britain to get lost.
1777Battle of Saratoga
The American victory at Saratoga convinced France to formally enter the Revolutionary War, shifting the global balance of power.
Before
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After
The 1780s →