January 18
January 18
Captain Cook reaches Hawaii
On January 18, 1778, the English explorer Captain James Cook becomes the first European to travel to the Hawaiian Islands when he sails past the island of Oahu. Two days…
A Year In History: 1778
This Year in History:
1778
Discover what happened in this year with HISTORY’s summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.
February 6
February 6
Franco‑American alliances signed
During the Revolutionary War, representatives from the United States and France sign the Treaty of Amity and Commerce and the Treaty of Alliance in Paris. The Treaty of Amity and…
February 11
February 11
Voltaire returns to Paris from exile
On February 11, 1778, some 300 people visit Voltaire following his return to Paris. Voltaire had been in exile for 28 years. Born Francois‑Marie Arouet to middle‑class parents in Paris…
February 13
February 13
John Adams prepares to sail for France
On February 13, 1778, two future presidents of the United States, John Adams and his son, 10‑year‑old John Quincy Adams, sit in Marblehead Harbor, off the coast of Massachusetts, on…
February 23
February 23
Friedrich von Steuben arrives at Valley Forge
Friedrich Wilhelm Rudolf Gerhard August, Freiherr von Steuben, a Prussian military officer, arrives at General George Washington’s encampment at Valley Forge on February 23, 1778 and commences training soldiers in…
March 20
March 20
King Louis XVI receives U.S. representatives
Benjamin Franklin, Silas Deane and Arthur Lee present themselves to France’s King Louis XVI as official representatives of the United States on March 20, 1778. Louis XVI was skeptical of…
March 21
March 21
Massacre at Hancock’s Bridge
On March 21, 1778, just three days after British Loyalists and Hessian mercenary forces assault the local New Jersey militia at Quinton’s Bridge, three miles from Salem, New Jersey, the…
April 8
April 8
John Adams arrives in Paris to replace Silas Deane
Future United States President John Adams arrives in Paris, France, on this day in 1778 to replace former Continental Congress member Silas Deane as a member of the American commission…
April 9
April 9
Jeremiah Wadsworth named commissary general of purchases for the Continental Army
On this day in 1778, Jeremiah Wadsworth is named commissary general of purchases for the Continental Army at the insistence of General George Washington. Born in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1743…
April 10
April 10
Revolutionary War Commander John Paul Jones sets out to raid British ships
On April 10, 1778, Commander John Paul Jones and his crew of 140 men aboard the USS Ranger set sail from the naval port at Brest, France, and head toward…
April 23
April 23
John Paul Jones leads American raid on Whitehaven, England
At 3 a.m. on April 23, 1778, Commander John Paul Jones leads a small detachment of two boats from his ship, the USS Ranger, to raid the shallow port at…
April 23
April 23
John Paul Jones burns Whitehaven, England
At 8 a.m. on April 23, 1778, John Paul Jones, with 30 volunteers from his ship, the USS Ranger, launches a surprise attack on the two harbor forts at Whitehaven,…
May 20
May 20
Marquis de Lafayette’s troops avoid capture at Battle of Barren Hill
On this day in 1778, British forces from Philadelphia attempt to trap 2,200 Continentals defending Valley Forge led by Marquis de Lafayette. Lafayette, through skillful maneuvering, avoids the entrapment and…
June 18
June 18
British abandon Philadelphia
On June 18, 1778, after almost nine months of occupation, 15,000 British troops under General Sir Henry Clinton evacuate Philadelphia, the former U.S. capital. The British had captured Philadelphia on…
July 29
July 29
French navy contacts Continentals
On this day in 1778, French Vice‑Admiral Count d’Estaing establishes contact with the Continental Army, which is waiting for his help to retake Rhode Island. Following the Franco‑American treaty of…
September 17
September 17
Indians and Loyalists burn German Flats, New York
At 6 a.m. on this day in 1778, Mohawk Indian chief and British Loyalist leader Joseph Brant leads a force of 150 Iroquois Indians and 300 British Loyalists under the…
October 8
October 8
Continentals raid Unadilla
A group of Continental Army soldiers under the command of Colonel William Butler launch an evening attack on Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant’s home village of Unadilla on the Susquehanna River…
November 11
November 11
Poor leadership leads to Cherry Valley Massacre
On November 11, 1778, Patriot Colonel Ichabod Alden refuses to believe intelligence about an approaching hostile force. As a result, a combined force of Loyalists and Native Americans, attacking in…
December 10
December 10
John Jay is elected president of the Continental Congress
On December 10, 1778, John Jay, the former chief justice of the New York Supreme Court, is elected president of the Continental Congress. Jay, who graduated from King’s College (now Columbia University)…
December 29
December 29
British capture Savannah, Georgia
On December 29, 1778, British Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell and his force of between 2,500 and 3,600 troops, which included the 71st Highland regiment, New York Loyalists, and Hessian mercenaries,…
