Historical eventSeptember 211776

American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War: The Great Fire of New York (depicted) broke out during the British occupation of New York City, destroying up to 1,000 buildings.

250th anniversary in 2026

Everything on September 21Original source

In context

When
Saturday, September 21 1776250 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1770s
Anniversary
250th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

Russia, Greece and some other countries used the Julian calendar into the early 20th century, so local records may show a date up to 13 days earlier.

At a glance

Dates: 1775-04-19 – 1783-09-03.

What came before

Prelude to war Main article: American Revolution Further information: American Enlightenment , Colonial history of the United States , Thirteen Colonies , and French and Indian War Map showing the territorial gains of Great Britain and Spain following the French and Indian War with lands held by the British prior to 1763 (in red), land gained by Britain in 1763 (in pink), and lands ceded to the Kingdom of Spain in secret during 1762 (in light yellow). The French and Indian War,

What happened

The American Revolutionary War, also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence or simply the American Revolution, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which American Patriot forces organized as the Continental Army and, commanded by George Washington, defeated the British Army. The conflict was fought in North America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The war's outcome seemed uncertain for most of the war,

September 21 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1776American Revolutionary War
  2. 2001America: A Tribute to Heroes
  3. 2001Murder of Ross Parker
  4. 2003Galileo (spacecraft)
  5. 2004Green Day
  6. 2012Egyptians
  7. 2013Al-Shabaab (militant group)
  8. 2013Westgate shopping mall attack
  9. 2015AdventHealth
  10. 2018Zak Kostopoulos
  11. 20192019 Albania earthquake

Also in 1776

  • September 11Staten Island Peace ConferenceBritish and American leaders held a peace conference on Staten Island, New York, in the hopes of bringing an end to the nascent American…
  • September 15American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: British forces made an unopposed amphibious landing at Kips Bay on Manhattan, the American defenders having f…
  • September 16American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: American colonists defeated British troops at the Battle of Harlem Heights on the island of Manhattan.
  • May 4American RevolutionAmerican Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its alle…
  • November 16American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: Fort Washington on Manhattan was captured from the Patriots by British and Hessian units.
  • July 8United States Declaration of IndependenceThe United States Declaration of Independence received its first formal public reading, in Philadelphia.
  • June 8American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: British forces defeated the Continental Army at the Battle of Trois-Rivières, the last battle of the American…
  • December 26American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: George Washington led a Continental Army column across the Delaware River to launch a surprise attack against…

Everything we record for 1776 →

Sources

Cite this page

“American Revolutionary War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/american-revolutionary-war-1776-september-21, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did American Revolutionary War happen?

September 21 1776 — 250 years ago, on a Saturday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.