1788
First Fleet Arrives at Botany Bay
Eleven British ships - six of them floating prisons - dropped anchor in Botany Bay after an eight-month voyage.
U.S. Constitution Ratified
New Hampshire's convention, ninth to approve, put the new Constitution into effect.
Mozart's Last Three Symphonies
In six weeks of the Viennese summer, broke and unwell, Mozart composed Symphonies 39, 40, and 41.
First Fleet Arrives at Sydney Cove
Eleven ships carrying 750 convicts and their marine guards anchored in Sydney Cove after eight months at sea.
Kant's Critique of Practical Reason
Konigsberg's punctual bachelor followed his first Critique with a second, this one on morals.
Onset of George III's Madness
The king began to talk incessantly, froth at the mouth, and converse with trees in Windsor Park.
The Times of London Founded
John Walter, a bankrupt coal merchant experimenting with a new 'logotype' printing method, retitled his Daily Universal Register as The Times.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1788?
Saeculum lists 7 events from 1788. The most significant is First Fleet Arrives at Botany Bay: Eleven British ships - six of them floating prisons - dropped anchor in Botany Bay after an eight-month voyage.
What era was 1788 part of?
1788 falls within the Enlightenment (1651-1800). Reason, revolution, and the first global wars.
Which regions saw notable events in 1788?
The events from 1788 span Oceania, North America and Europe.