The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the 13 colonies free from Britain.
The first clashes between colonial militia and British troops in Massachusetts begin the American Revolutionary War.
British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the Continental Army at Saratoga, a victory that helps bring France into an alliance with the Americans.
Colonists protesting British taxation dump an entire shipment of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor.
The explorer James Cook was killed in a clash with Hawaiians at Kealakekua Bay during his third voyage.
General Cornwallis surrenders to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending major fighting in the American Revolutionary War.
British soldiers fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five people and heightening tensions between the colonies and Britain.