1777
Events
January–March
- January 2 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of the Assunpink Creek: American general George Washington's army repulses a British attack by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis, in a second battle at Trenton, New Jersey.
- January 3 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Princeton: American general George Washington's army defeats British troops.
- January 12 - Mission Santa Clara de Asís is founded in what becomes Santa Clara, California.
- January 15 - Vermont declares its independence from New York, becoming the Vermont Republic, an independent country, a status it retains until it joins the United States as the 14th state in 1791.
- January 21 - The Continental Congress approves a resolution "that an unauthentic copy, with names of the signers of the Declaration of independence, be sent to each of the United States.
- February 5 - Under the 1st Constitution of Georgia, 8 counties are chartered: Burke, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Richmond, and Wilkes. This dissolves the existing parishes of St. George, St. Mary's, St. Thomas, St. Phillip, Christ Church, St. David, St. Matthews, St. Andrew, St. James, St. Johns, and St. Paul.
- February 24 - King Joseph I of Portugal dies, and is succeeded by his daughter Maria I of Portugal, and his brother and son-in-law Peter III of Portugal.
- March 4 - The Fourth Continental Congress, with John Hancock as president, begins a 199 day session in Philadelphia, lasting until September 18.
- March 29-30 - Third voyage of James Cook: English explorer Captain Cook discovers Mangaia and Atiu in the Cook Islands.
April–June
- April 1 - Friedrich Maximilian Klinger's play Sturm und Drang is premiered by the Seyler Theatre Company in Leipzig, giving its name to the whole Sturm und Drang movement in German literature.
- April 13 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Bound Brook: A British and Hessian force led by Charles Cornwallis surprises a Continental Army outpost in New Jersey, commanded by Major General Benjamin Lincoln.
- April 27 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Ridgefield: The British Army defeats Patriot militias, galvanizing resistance in the Connecticut Colony.
- May 8 - Richard Brinsley Sheridan's comedy of manners, The School for Scandal, is first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.
- May 16 - Gwinnett–McIntosh duel: Lachlan McIntosh and Button Gwinnett shoot each other during a duel near Savannah, Georgia. Gwinnett, a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence, dies three days later.
- June 13 - American Revolution: The Marquis de Lafayette lands near Georgetown, South Carolina, to help the Continental Congress train its army.
File:Flag of the United States.svg|thumb|upright| June 14: US Flag
- June 14 - The Stars and Stripes is adopted by the Continental Congress as the flag of the United States.
- June 21 - Encyclopædia Britannica Second Edition begins publication in Edinburgh.
July–December
- July 6 - American Revolutionary War - Siege of Fort Ticonderoga: After a bombardment by British artillery under General John Burgoyne, American forces retreat from Fort Ticonderoga, New York.
- July 7 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Hubbardton: British forces capture over 200 of the American rearguard, from Fort Ticonderoga.
- July 8 - The 1777 Constitution of Vermont is signed, officially abolishing slavery.
- August 6 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Oriskany: Loyalists gain a tactical victory over Patriots; Iroquois fight on both sides.
- August 16 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Bennington: British and Brunswicker forces are decisively defeated by American troops at Walloomsac, New York.
- August 22 - American Revolutionary War - The Siege of Fort Stanwix is ended by withdrawal of British forces, following a ruse by Benedict Arnold to persuade them that a much larger force is arriving.
- September 3 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Cooch's Bridge: British and Hessian forces defeat an American militia in a minor skirmish in New Castle County, Delaware.
- September 11 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Brandywine: The British gain a major victory in Chester County, Pennsylvania.
- September 19 - American Revolutionary War - First Battle of Saratoga : Patriot forces withstand a British attack at Saratoga, New York.
- September 26 - American Revolutionary War - British troops occupy Philadelphia; members of the Continental Congress flee to Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where they meet and hold a one day session as the Fifth Congress before fleeing again.
- September 30 - American Revolutionary War - The Sixth Continental Congress opens its session at York, Pennsylvania, and continues for 272 days until June 27, 1778.
- October 4 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Germantown: Troops under George Washington are repelled by British troops under Sir William Howe.
- October 6 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Forts Clinton and Montgomery: British troops capture Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery, and are able to dismantle the Hudson River Chain.
- October 7 - American Revolutionary War - Second Battle of Saratoga : British General John Burgoyne is defeated by American troops.
- October 17 - American Revolutionary War - Battle of Saratoga: British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the American troops.
- November 15 - American Revolution: After 16 months of debate, the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, in the temporary American capital at York, Pennsylvania.
- November 17 - American Revolution: The Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification.
- November 29 - San Jose, California, is founded. It is the first pueblo in Spanish Alta California.
- December 18 - The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking October's victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga.
- December 19 - American Revolutionary War - George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.
- December 20 - Morocco recognizes the United States as a sovereign state.
- December 24 - Third voyage of James Cook: English explorer Captain Cook locates Kiritimati.
- December 30 - Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria dies and is succeeded by his distant cousin Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria.
Date unknown
- The code duello is adopted at the Clonmel Summer Assizes as the form for pistol duels by gentlemen in Ireland. It is quickly denounced, but nevertheless widely adopted throughout the English-speaking world.
- Kunsthochschule Kassel is founded in Germany as a fine arts academy.
- Det Dramatiske Selskab is founded in Copenhagen as an acting academy.
- George II Frederic is crowned as king of the Miskito Kingdom.
Births
January–March
- January - William Barton, English cricketer
- January 2 - Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor
- January 7 - Lorenzo Bartolini, Italian sculptor
- January 11 - Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant, rebel leader
- January 13 - Elisa Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte
- January 25 - Karoline Jagemann, German actor
- February 3 - John Cheyne, British physician, surgeon and author
- February 10 - Amable Berthelot, Quebec lawyer, author and political figure
- February 12
- * Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, French poet
- * Bernard Courtois, French chemist
- February 18 - Andreas Arntzen, Norwegian politician
- February 20 - Zacheus Burnham, Canadian farmer, judge and public figure
- February 26 - Matija Nenadović, Prime Minister of Serbia
- March 3 - Adolphe Dureau de la Malle, French geographer, naturalist, historian and artist
- March 10 - Robert Allison, U.S. Representative
- March 13 - Charles Lot Church, Nova Scotia politician
- March 17
- * Patrick Brontë, Irish Anglican curate and writer; father of writers Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë
- * Roger B. Taney, Chief Justice of the United States
- March 19 - José María Bustamante, Mexican composer
- March 28 - Antoine Germain Labarraque, French chemist
April–June
- April 11 - William Addams, United States Congressman
- April 12 - Henry Clay, American politician
- April 16 - John Alexander, U.S. Representative
- April 30 - Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, astronomer and physicist
- May 4 - Richard Bourke, Australian governor
- May 8 - Mateli Magdalena Kuivalatar, Finnish-Karelian folksinger
- May 11 - Samuel Bridger, English cricketer
- May 12 - Mary Reibey, Australian businessperson
- May 18 - John George Children, British chemist, mineralogist and zoologist
- June 1 - Fernando Errázuriz Aldunate, president of Chile
- June 12 - Robert Clark, American politician
- June 14 - Heman Allen, U.S. Representative
- June 15 - David Daniel Davis, British physician
- June 22
- * Andrzej Alojzy Ankwicz, Polish-born Catholic archbishop of Prague
- * William Brown, Irish-born first admiral of Argentina
- June 23 - Frederick Bates, American politician
July–September
- July - Thomas Clayton, American lawyer, politician
- July 9
- * Henry Hallam, English historian
- * Paavo Ruotsalainen, Finnish farmer and lay preacher
- July 23 - Philipp Otto Runge, German painter
- July 26 - Robert Hamilton Bishop, Scottish-American educator, minister
- July 27
- * Heinrich Wilhelm Brandes, German physicist
- * Thomas Campbell, Scottish poet
- * Henry Trevor, 21st Baron Dacre, British peer, soldier
- July 31 - Pedro Ignacio de Castro Barros, Argentine statesman, priest
- August 11 - Giuseppe Bossi, Italian painter
- August 12 - George Wolf, American politician
- August 14 - Hans Christian Ørsted, Danish physicist and chemist
- August 23 - Princess Adélaïde of Orléans, French princess
- August 29 - Nikita Bichurin, Russian monk
- August 30 - Parashuramrao Shrinivas I, Indian nobleman
- August 31 - Alexander Bashilov, Russian general
- September 9 - James Carr, U.S. Congressman
- September 12 - Henri Marie Ducrotay de Blainville, French zoologist, anatomist
- September 25 - Joseph Badeaux, Canadian politician