1770s

The 1770s (pronounced "seventeen-seventies") was a decade of the Gregorian calendar that began on January 1, 1770, and ended on December 31, 1779. The decade included significant political, economic, scientific, and exploratory developments in Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific. In North America, tensions between the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Thirteen Colonies intensified during the decade. The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773, the American Revolutionary War began in 1775, and the Continental Congress adopted the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Declaration was formally adopted on July 4, 1776, while delegates began signing the engrossed copy in August. The decade also coincided with the continuing development of the Industrial Revolution in Britain. European exploration of the Pacific Ocean continued through the voyages of James Cook. During the 1770s, Cook's voyages included exploration and mapping in the Pacific and the Southern Ocean, including the eastern coast of Australia and New Caledonia. His second voyage, from 1772 to 1775, explored the Southern Ocean and parts of the central Pacific. In economic thought, Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations in 1776. The decade also included developments in chemistry associated with scientists such as Daniel Rutherford and Carl Wilhelm Scheele.