Historical eventMay 41776

American Revolution

American Revolution: The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations became the first of the Thirteen Colonies to renounce its allegiance to the British Crown.

250th anniversary in 2026

Everything on May 4Original source

In context

When
Saturday, May 4 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: From 1776.

What happened

The American Revolution (1765–1789) was a political movement in the Thirteen Colonies of Great Britain. It began as a rebellion and turned into a revolution eventually creating the sovereign United States, which was the outcome of the associated American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). The Second Continental Congress, as the provisional government, established the Continental Army and appointed George Washington as its commander-in-chief in 1775. The following year,

May 4 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1776American Revolution
  2. 1994Prime minister
  3. 1998Sacramento, California
  4. 2000Ken Livingstone
  5. 2002EAS Airlines Flight 4226
  6. 2007Greensburg, Kansas
  7. 20142011–2014 terrorist attacks in Kenya
  8. 2015Parliament of Malta
  9. 20192019 W Series
  10. 2019W Series (championship)
  11. 2023Mladenovac and Smederevo shootings

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.
  • 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…
  • August 27William Howe, 5th Viscount HoweBritish forces led by William Howe defeated the Continental Army under George Washington at the Battle of Long Island, the largest battle…

Everything we record for 1776 →

Sources

Cite this page

“American Revolution”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/american-revolution-1776-may-4, 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 Revolution happen?

May 4 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.

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