What happened in 1781
7 entries recorded for 1781, listed by date. That was 245 years ago.
1781 at a glance
- Years ago
- 245 (as of 2026)
- Century
- 18th century
- Decade
- 1780s
- Generation born
- Before the named generations
- Entries here
- 7
- Breakdown
- 7 historical events
March
- March 13
William Herschel
William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus from the garden of his house in Bath, England, initially considering it to be a comet.
June
- June 3
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: Jack Jouett rode 40 miles (64 km) to warn Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia legislature of British cavalry who had been sent to capture them.
August
- August 24
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: Near present-day Aurora, Indiana, American Indians led by Joseph Brant killed or captured all members of a Pennsylvania militia.
September
- September 5
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: French naval forces handed Britain a major strategic defeat at the Battle of the Chesapeake (depicted).
- September 6
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: General Benedict Arnold led British forces to victory at the Battle of Groton Heights.
October
- October 19
American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War: British forces led by Lord Cornwallis officially surrendered to Franco-American forces under George Washington and the comte de Rochambeau, ending the Siege of Yorktown.
November
- November 29
Slave ship
The crew of the British slave ship Zong, running low on water, began the killing of more than 130 enslaved African people by throwing them into the sea to claim insurance.
Questions about 1781
What happened in 1781?
This site records 7 entries for 1781, including William Herschel on March 13. They are listed below by date.
How long ago was 1781?
245 years ago, counting from 2026. Anyone born in 1781 turns 245 this year.
Which century is 1781 in?
1781 falls in the 18th century, in the 1780s.
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.