1775
Lexington and Concord
At dawn on Lexington green, a British column found 77 militiamen in formation. A shot was fired - no one knows by whom - and eight Americans died. Further on at Concord the militia turned the redcoats back; by sunset of that long April day they had shot the army's advance to pieces along sixteen miles of road.
James Watt Partners with Matthew Boulton
At Boulton's Soho Manufactory near Birmingham, Watt finally found the capital and precision machining to build his engines at scale. Their first commercial installations pumped water out of Cornish tin mines. Boulton told Boswell, 'I sell here, sir, what all the world desires - POWER.' The partnership would last twenty-five years and produce over five hundred engines that powered mines, mills, and the dawn of industrial capitalism.
Second Continental Congress Convenes
The Congress reassembled in Philadelphia's State House. It adopted the New England militias, sent an 'Olive Branch Petition' to George III (who refused to read it), and named George Washington commander-in-chief. A continent was improvising a country in committee rooms, one vote at a time. Washington left for Cambridge before the ink dried, arriving to find a ragged army besieging the British garrison in Boston.
Battle of Bunker Hill
Massachusetts farmers, entrenched on Breed's Hill above Charlestown, were told not to fire until they saw the whites of the British eyes. They inflicted a thousand redcoat casualties - half of Howe's attacking force - before running out of powder. A tactical defeat so expensive it felt like a victory.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1775?
Saeculum lists 4 curated events from 1775. The most significant is Lexington and Concord: At dawn on Lexington green, a British column found 77 militiamen in formation. A shot was fired - no one knows by whom - and eight Americans died.
What era was 1775 part of?
1775 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1775?
The curated events from 1775 span North America and Europe.