Year 1780: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1780. Discover the year’s top news stories, most influential people, historic firsts, U.S. economic data, entertainment trivia, retail prices, and much more.

Take a journey through history in just minutes.

1. In 1780, the United States was in the midst of the American Revolutionary War, an “armed conflict” between the U.S. and Great Britain that took place between April 19, 1775, and September 3, 1783. As a result, the 13 American colonies won their independence from Great Britain. The hostilities were fueled in part by “heavy taxes imposed by Great Britain, particularly through the Stamp Act and Tea Act.”

2. Inflation rate: 12.30%

3. Consumer price index (CPI): 13.700

4. $100.00 in 1780 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,445.11 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.31% per year” between 1780 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,345.11%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 4.090% of what it could purchase back in 1780.

5. It's worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 96% of its value since 1780.

6. Farmers accounted for over 90% of the U.S. labor force, and the average daily wage for a common laborer in the United States averaged $1.00.

7. On January 4, a brutal two-day blizzard struck George Washington's Continental Army during their winter encampment in Morristown, New Jersey.

8. On March 1, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed an act for the “gradual abolition of slavery,” which stopped new enslaved people from coming into Pennsylvania.

9. On May 4, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences was established in Boston, with John Adams, James Bowdoin, and Samuel Adams as founding members.

10. On May 12, British forces captured Charleston, South Carolina, after a “major siege.”

11. On August 16, British troops defeated American forces at the Battle of Camden in South Carolina.

12. In September, American General Benedict Arnold's “treasonous plot” to hand over West Point, New York, to the British was revealed, which prompted his escape.

13. On October 7, Patriot militias defeated loyalist troops at the Battle of Kings Mountain in South Carolina.

14. On October 25, the Massachusetts Constitution officially took effect, “making it the oldest functioning written constitution in continuous effect in the world.”

15. On October 25, John Hancock was elected as the first governor of Massachusetts “in a landslide with over 90% of the vote.”

16. In 1780, 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.

17. The most popular surnames in America included Baker, Brown, Carter, Davis, Johnson, Jones, Miller, Smith, Williams, and Wilson.

18. Top fiction works for the year: Herbert Croft’s Love and Madness and Samuel Jackson Pratt’s Emma Corbett, or, The Miseries of Civil War

19. A popular children’s book published in 1780: Mrs. Trimmer’s An Easy Introduction to the Knowledge of Nature, and Reading the Holy Scriptures. Adapted to the Capacities of Children

20. Notable dramatic work for the year: Sophia Lee’s The Chapter of Accidents

21. Top non-fiction works published in 1780: Horace Walpole’s On Modern Gardening and William Beckford’s Biographical Memoirs of Extraordinary Painters

22. Famous people born in 1780 were Elizabeth Fry (a British activist who promoted the “merciful treatment” of prisoners) and William Ellery Channing (an American religious leader known as the "apostle of Unitarianism").

23. Famous people who died in 1780 included William Allen (an American loyalist and former mayor of Philadelphia) and William Blackstone (a British jurist).

24. In 1780, the words “apple pie,” “bathroom,” “body shirt,” “congressman,” “corn whiskey,” “dandy,” “esprit de corps,” “French window,” “hit it off,” “international,” “novelette,” “restraining order,” “self-criticism,” “self-proclaimed,” and “tea garden” all appeared in print for the first time.

25. 24 pounds of cheese: $2.00

26. 40 pounds of pork: $3.33

27. Maslin (two kinds of grain mixed together): 76 cents a bushel

28. One-half bushel of onions: 42 cents

29. One-half bushel of potatoes: 17 cents

30. One pair of bridle bits: 17 cents

31. One pair of new stockings: 33 cents

32. One pair of shoes: $1.25

33. One petticoat: 17 cents

34. Six pounds of butter: 75 cents

35. Tobacco: Three pounds for 25 cents

36. Wages for one day of hoeing corn: 50 cents

37. Wages for one day of mowing: 67 cents

38. Wages for one day of reaping: 58 cents

39. Wages for one day of threshing: 42 cents

40. Wheat: $1.17 a bushel

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1780_in_the_United_States

2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1780

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1780

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1780_in_literature

5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1780.html

6. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1780

7. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1780-1780.html

8. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1780

9. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1780

10. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015035798035&seq=16

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