| January 18 | Captain James Cook stumbles over Sandwich Islands (Hawaiian Islands) |
| January 20 | 1st American military court martial trial begins, Cambridge, Mass |
| January 27 | Piccinni's opera "Roland" premieres, Paris |
| February 5 | Articles of Confederation ratified by 1st state, South Carolina |
| February 6 | England declares war on France |
| February 6 | France recognizes U.S., signs treaty of aid in Paris; 1st U.S. treaty |
| February 14 | "Stars and Stripes" arrives in foreign port for 1st time (France) |
| February 23 | Baron von Steuben joins Continental Army at Valley Forge |
| February 28 | Rhode Island General Assembly authorizes enlistment of slaves |
| March 7 | Captain James Cook 1st sights Oregon coast, at Yaquina Bay |
| March 15 | Nootka Sound, Vancouver Is discovered by Captain Cook |
| March 22 | Captain Cook sights Cape Flattery, in Washington state |
| March 30 | Playwright Voltaire crowned with laurel wreath |
| April 1 | Oliver Pollock, a New Orleans businessman, creates "$" symbol |
| June 18 | British Redcoats evacuate Philadelphia |
| June 19 | Washington's troops finally leave Valley Forge |
| June 24 | David Rittenhouse observes a total solar eclipse in Philadelphia |
| June 27 | Liberty Bell came home to Philadelphia after the British had left |
| June 28 | Battle of Monmouth, New Jersey (General Washington beats Clinton) |
| June 28 | Mary Ludwig Hayes "Molly Pitcher" aids American patriots |
| July 3 | British forces massacre 360 men, women and children in Wyoming, Pa |
| July 3 | Prussia declares war on Austria |
| July 8 | George Washington headquarters at West Point for his Continental Army |
| August 3 | Teatro alla Scala opens in Milan |
| August 9 | Captain Cook reaches Cape Prince of Wales, Bering straits |
| August 31 | British kill 17 Stockbridge indians in Bronx during Revolution |
| September 4 | City Amsterdam signs trade agreement with U.S. rebels |
| September 17 | 1st treaty between the U.S. and Indian tribes signed (Fort Pitt) |
| October 3 | Captain Cook anchors at Alaska |
| November 11 | Iroquois Indians in New York kill 40 in Cherry Valley Massacre |
| November 26 | Captain Cook discovers Maui in the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii |
| December 29 | English troops occupy Savannah, Georgia |
