American Revolutionary War

Historical eventJanuary 161780

American Revolutionary War

American Revolutionary War: The Royal Navy gained their first major naval victory over their European enemies in the war when they defeated a Spanish squadron in the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.

Everything on January 16Original source

In context

When
Sunday, January 16 1780246 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
18th century · 1780s
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 1780.

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,

January 16 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1780American Revolutionary War
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  3. 2011Syrian civil war
  4. 2012Mali War
  5. 20162016 Ouagadougou attacks
  6. 2016Ouagadougou
  7. 2017Turkish Airlines Flight 6491
  8. 2018Mrauk U
  9. 2018Myanmar
  10. 2020First impeachment of Donald Trump
  11. 2020United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement

Also in 1780

  • September 11American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: Approximately ten American soldiers were killed by Loyalists and their Native American allies in the Sugarloa…
  • October 7American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: Patriots and Loyalist militias engaged each other at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina.
  • October 9Great Hurricane of 1780The deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record began to impact the Caribbean, killing at least 20,000 people across the Antilles over the sub…
  • November 4Túpac Amaru IITúpac Amaru II led a rebellion of Aymara, Quechua, and mestizo peasants in protest against the Bourbon Reforms in the Spanish Viceroyalty…
  • May 19New England's Dark DayA combination of thick smoke, fog, and heavy cloud cover caused darkness to fall on parts of Canada and the New England area of the Unite…
  • September 23American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War: British officer John André was captured by Patriot forces, thereby revealing a plot by Continental Army gener…

Everything we record for 1780 →

Sources

Cite this page

“American Revolutionary War”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/american-revolutionary-war-1780-january-16, accessed October 28, 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?

January 16 1780 — 246 years ago, on a Sunday.

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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