Year 1774: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1774.
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historical events from the year 1774. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, U.S. economic data, entertainment trivia, and much more.
Take a journey through history in just minutes.
In 1774, the First Continental Congress, the Intolerable Acts, and Paul Revere were all center stage. Thomas and Elizabeth were popular baby names, Smith and Jones were common American surnames, and corn mush and pepper cakes were colonial food staples. In 1774 as well, the words “campus,” “capitalist,” “chatterbox,” “flashboard,” “fudge,” “Great Dane,” “monotonous,” “Philadelphian,” “sandstorm,” and “sweepstakes,” all appeared in print for the first time.
In 1774, there were 13 American colonies, including Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Virginia.
Patriots vs. Loyalists: Patriots were colonists from the Thirteen Colonies “who fought for independence from Great Britain” during the American Revolution. On the other hand, Loyalists, making up an estimated 15% to 20% of the colonial population, or around 500,000 individuals, remained faithful to the British Crown during the American Revolution.
Inflation rate: -5.81%
Consumer Price Index (CPI): 8.100
$100.00 in 1774 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $4,135.56 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.49% per year” between 1774 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 4,035.56%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 2.418% of what it could purchase back in 1774.
It is also worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 98% of its value since 1774.
American companies established in 1774 included Ames (The Ames Companies, Inc.), a tool and hardware manufacturer that was founded in Chicopee, Massachusetts, by blacksmith Captain John Ames. Ames’ original product was shovels, which were used “during the Revolutionary War, the building of the transcontinental railroad, and the construction of the Statue of Liberty pedestal.”
On March 4, German-born British astronomer William Herschel first sighted the Orion Nebula.
On May 20, King George III of England, enraged by the Boston Tea Party and other “blatant acts of destruction of British property” by American colonists, approved three out of four of the Intolerable Acts. They included the Boston Port Act, “which closed the port of Boston until damages from the Boston Tea Party of December 16, 1773, were paid”; the Administration of Justice Act, which allowed British officials accused of crimes to be tried in Britain instead of the colonies; and the Massachusetts Government Act, which replaced local elected officials with Crown appointees and banned town meetings.
In May, residents of Chestertown, Maryland, responded to the Boston Tea Party by boarding the British ship Geddes and dumping its tea into the Chester River.
On June 2, King George III of England approved the fourth Intolerable Act, namely, the Quartering Act, which required colonists “to house and quarter” British troops in their private homes on demand.
On June 13, Rhode Island became the first colony to prohibit the further importation of slaves.
On July 12, citizens of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, “met at the historic First Presbyterian Church and passed a symbolic local declaration of independence to protest the British Parliament’s Intolerable Acts.”
On August 1, English chemist Joseph Priestley conducted his “landmark experiment” in Wiltshire, England, whereby he discovered oxygen.
On August 6, Ann Lee, the founder of the Shakers, an 18th-century “Protestant religious sect,” arrived in New York City aboard the ship Mariah with eight followers “after fleeing religious persecution in England.”
On August 28, Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born in New York City. She established the first Catholic school in the United States and was also the first American-born Roman Catholic saint.
On September 5, the first session of the Continental Congress convened at Carpenter’s Hall, located at 320 Chestnut Street in Center City Philadelphia. History.com tells us that “Fifty-six delegates from all the colonies except Georgia drafted a declaration of rights and grievances and elected Virginian Peyton Randolph as the first president of Congress.”
On September 5, with the first session of the Continental Congress, Philadelphia became the first capital of the United States.
On October 20, the First Continental Congress created the Continental Association, which called for a total ban on all imports and exports between America and Great Britain.
On October 26, the First Continental Congress adjourned in Philadelphia.
On October 26, the Massachusetts Provincial Congress recommended the formation of “specialized militia groups,” known as “minutemen,” who were expected to be ready to march at a moment’s notice.
On December 13, American Patriots Paul Revere and Wentworth Cheswell rode on horseback from Boston to New Hampshire “to warn Portsmouth citizens that two British warships were approaching.”
On December 14, New Hampshire Patriots John Langdon and Thomas Pickering led a “daring” raid on Fort William and Mary in New Castle, New Hampshire. American History Central explains that “Prompted by Paul Revere’s warning ride, about 400 Patriots overcame a small British garrison and seized nearly 100 barrels of gunpowder in one of the first acts of armed resistance prior to the Revolutionary War.”
In 1774, a volunteer fire company was established in Trenton, New Jersey, which later became the oldest “continuously operating” fire department in the United States.
Here are more than 25 foods and beverages that were an integral part of the American diet during the late 1700s: ale, baked fruit puddings, beans, beef, berry pies, cider, coffee and tea, corn mush, crabs, duck, eel, hasty pudding, johnnycakes, lobster, local fruits like apples and berries, local vegetables like cabbage, carrots, and onions, oat cakes, pepper cakes, pork, turkey, venison, whole-grain bread, and wine.
In 1774, the most popular baby names for boys included James, John, Henry, Thomas, and William. For girls, the most popular baby names were Anna, Elizabeth, Frances, Mary, and Sarah.
The most common surnames in America included Baker, Brown, Carter, Davis, Johnson, Jones, Miller, Smith, Williams, and Wilson. It’s also worth noting that “Smith” was the most common colonial surname in the 1700s.
Popular fiction works for the year: Henry Brooke’s Juliet Grenville and Jeremy Bentham’s The White Bull
Noteworthy nonfiction work published in 1774: Joseph Priestley’s Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
Notable dramatic works for the year: Richard Cumberland’s The Choleric Man and The Note of Hand
Top poetic works published in 1774: Oliver Goldsmith’s Retaliation and Richard Graves’ The Progress of Gallantry
Famous people born in 1774 included John Chapman (aka Johnny Appleseed, an American missionary who planted apple trees across the American frontier while working as a missionary for The New Church); Meriwether Lewis (an American adventurer who “explored and mapped the American Northwest with his partner William Clark”); and Robert Southey (an “English Romantic poet, author, and thirty-year United Kingdom Poet Laureate”).
Famous people who passed away in 1774 included Robert Fergusson, a Scottish poet who was part of the Scottish Enlightenment era.
In 1774, the words “backwoodsman,” “bourgeoisie,” “briar patch,” “campus,” “capitalist,” “chatterbox,” “cottonseed,” “dirty word,” “electric ray,” “essentially,” “federalist,” “field hand,” “finale,” “flashboard,” “fudge,” “Great Dane,” “great white shark,” “heelball,” “minuteman,” “monotonous,” “organism,” “Philadelphian,” “prairie dog,” “sandstorm,” “sheepdog,” “steelmaker,” “sweepstakes,” “unhurried,” and “visiting card” all appeared in print for the first time.
Courtesy of AmericanHeritage.com, here is the menu for a typical New England Thanksgiving dinner during the late 1700s. It’s also worth noting that the first “traditional” Thanksgiving in America took place “as a harvest feast” in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and lasted for three days.
Apple pie
Cauliflower
Cider
Haunch of venison
Indian pudding
Mincemeat pie
Onions in cream
Pigeon pasties
Plum pudding
Potatoes
Pumpkin pie
Raw celery
References:
https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-history-1775.html
https://www.americanheritage.com/thanksgiving-dinner-during-revolution
Disclaimer: In writing and editing this article, Gregory DeVictor has made every effort to ensure historical accuracy and not to mislead his audience. In addition, the contents of this article, including text, graphics, and captions, are for general informational purposes only.
© 2026 Gregory DeVictor
About the Creator
Gregory DeVictor
Gregory DeVictor is a trivia enthusiast who likes to write articles about American history and nostalgia. Each of his articles presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and historic events about a specific calendar year, decade, or century.
Enjoyed the story? Support the Creator.
Subscribe for free to receive all their stories in your feed.
Comments