January 14 Congress ratifies peace treaty between U.S. and England January 20 Hostilities cease in Revolutionary War February 1 William Herschel announces star Lambda Herculis as apex February 3 Spain recognizes U.S. independence February 4 Worst quake in 8 years kills some 50,000 (Calabria, Italy) February 5 Earthquakes ravage Calabria, killing 30,000 Sweden recognizes U.S. independence March 5 King Stanislaus Augustus Poniatowski grants rights to Jews of Kovno April 3 Sweden and U.S. sign a treaty of Amity and Commerce April 8 Catharina II of Russia annexes the Krim April 9 Tippu Sahib drives out English from Bednore India May 4 Herschel reports seeing a red glow near lunar crater Aristarchus May 30 Benjamin Tower of Philadelphia publishes 1st daily newspaper in U.S. June 4 Montgolfier brothers launch 1st hot-air balloon, unmanned June 5 Joseph and Jacques Montgolfier make 1st public balloon flight June 8 Laki Volcano in southern Iceland begins 8-month eruption July 15 1st steamboat, Pyroscaphe, 1st run in France July 24 Georgia becomes a protectorate of tsarist Russia July 29 Skaptar Volcano on Iceland erupts killing about 9,000 August 27 1st hydrogen balloon flight (unmanned); reaches 900 m altitude September 3 Treaty of Paris signed (ending U.S. Revolutionary War) October 6 Benjamin Hanks patents self-winding clock October 15 Jean Pilatre de Rozier makes captive-balloon ascent November 1 Continental Army dissolved; George Washington's "Farewell Address" November 2 General Washington bids farewell to his army November 3 Washington orders Continental Army disbanded November 21 Pilatre de Rozier and Marquis d'Arlandes make 1st free balloon flight November 23 Annapolis Maryland, becomes U.S. capital (until June 1784) November 25 Britain evacuates New York City, their last military position in US December 1 Charles and M N Roberts ascend 2,000' in hydrogen balloon J van North launches unmanned balloon December 4 General Washington bids officers farewell at Fraunce's Tavern, New York City December 7 Theatre Royal opens in Covent Garden, London William Pitt, Jr. (24) becomes British premier December 9 1st execution at English Newgate-jail December 18 English king George III fires government of Portland December 19 English government of Pitt, Jr. forms December 23 Washington resigns as U.S. Army's commander-in-chief December 31 Import of African slaves banned by all of the Northern states
