1779

Years: 1776 1777 1778 - 1779 - 1780 1781 1782

Decades: 1740s 1750s 1760s - 1770s - 1780s 1790s 1800s

Centuries: 17th century - 18th century - 19th century 1779 in topic: Arts Architecture - Literature - Music Other topics Canada - Science Lists of leaders: Colonial governors - State leaders ---- From Categories: births - deaths

1779 was a Common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar).

Events

• The Iron Bridge is completed across the River Severn in Shropshire; the first all cast-iron bridge ever constructed.
• Boulton and Watt's Smethwick Engine, now the oldest working engine in the world, is brought into service.
• The city of Tampere is founded in Finland.
• January 9 - British troops surrender to the Marathas in Wadgaon, India, and are forced to return all terrorities acquired since 1773.
• January 22 - Claudius Smith is hanged at Goshen, Orange County, New York for supposed acts of terrorism upon the people of the surrounding communities during the American Revolutionary War.
• May 13 - War of Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives a part of its territory that was taken from them (the Inn District).
• June 1 - American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold is court-martialed for malfeasance in his treatment of government property.
• July 16 - American Revolutionary War: United States forces led by General Anthony Wayne capture Stony Point, New York from British troops.
• July 22 - Exactly six months to the day after Claudius Smith was hanged, Mohawk Indian Chief Joseph Brant, completely wiped out the town of Goshen, New York in what was known as the Battle of Minisink leaving at least 33 living women as widows.
• December 13 - Marriage of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais to Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie.
• December 25 - Fort Nashborough, later to become Nashville, Tennessee, founded by James Robertson.

Births

• January 5 - Stephen Decatur, American naval officer (d. 1820)
• January 18 - Peter Roget, Scottish lexicographer (d. 1869)
• March 6 - Antoine-Henri Jomini, French eneral (d. 1869)
• March 15 - Lord Melbourne, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1848)
• May 28 - Thomas Moore, Irish poet (d. 1852)
• August 1 - Francis Scott Key, American lawyer and lyricist (d. 1843)
• August 20 - Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Swedish chemist (d. 1848)
• November 14 - Adam Gottlob Oehlenschläger, Danish poet (d. 1850)
• Giacomo Beltrami, Italian explorer (d. 1855)

Deaths

• January 3 - Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712)
• January 20 - David Garrick, English actor (d. 1717)
• January 22 - Jeremiah Dixon, English surveyor and astronomer (b. 1733)
• February 7 - William Boyce, English composer (b. 1711)
• February 14 - James Cook, British naval captain and explorer (b. 1728)
• February 24 - Paul Daniel Longolius, German encylopedist (b. 1704)
• April 24 - Eleazar Wheelock, American founder of Dartmouth College (b. 1711)
• May 3 - John Winthrop, American astronomer (b. 1714)
• June 7 - William Warburton, English critic and Bishop of Gloucester (b. 1698)
• September 12 - Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, English politician (b. 1711)
• November 16 - Pehr Kalm, Finnish explorer and naturalist (b. 1716)
• December 6 - Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin, French painter (b. 1699)
• Emperor Go-Momozono of Japan (d. 1758)