Year 1782: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History

This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1782. 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 1782, 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. The hostilities between the two nations were fueled in part by heavy taxes that Great Britain imposed upon American citizens, particularly through the controversial Stamp Act and Tea Act.

2. Patriots: Colonists from the Thirteen Colonies “who fought for independence from Great Britain” during the American Revolution.

3. Loyalists: Historians believe that about “15% to 20% of the colonial population (roughly 500,000 people) remained loyal to the British Crown” during the American Revolution.

4. Inflation rate: 9.01%

5. Consumer Price Index (CPI): 12.100

6. $100.00 in 1782 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $2,768.43 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.37% per year” between 1782 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 2,668.43%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.612% of what it could purchase back in 1782.

7. It’s also worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 96% of its value since 1782.

8. American companies established in 1782 included the Black Horse Tavern-Bellvue Hotel and Office, “a historic inn and tavern complex located at Hollins, Roanoke County, Virginia.”

9. On January 15, Robert Morris, the U.S. superintendent of finance, proposed to the Continental Congress that the United States create a national mint and adopt a decimal-based coinage system.

10. On February 17, the American-allied French navy began a series of battles with the British navy in the Indian Ocean, beginning with the Battle of Sadras. Later battles during the year included the Battle of Providien (April 12, 1782), the Battle of Negapatam (July 6, 1782), and the Battle of Trincomalee (September 3, 1782).

11. On March 8, the Gnadenhutten massacre unfolded in Ohio, when colonial militiamen killed an estimated 90 Native Americans.

12. On April 12, the British fleet defeated the French during the Battle of the Saintes in the West Indies.

13. On June 20, after six years of discussion, the Continental Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States.

14. On July 11, the British evacuation of Savannah, Georgia, began when British Royal Governor Sir James Wright, “along with several civil officials and military officers,” fled the city and headed to Charleston, South Carolina.

15. On August 7, General George Washington, the commander in chief of the Continental Army, created “the ‘Badge for Military Merit,’ a decoration consisting of a purple, heart-shaped piece of silk, edged with a narrow binding of silver, with the word ‘Merit’ stitched across the face in silver. It would come to be widely known as the Purple Heart.”

16. On August 7, Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, a German chemist, passed away. He discovered beet sugar, which ultimately led to the development of the modern sugar industry.

17. On November 30, American and British commissioners “signed the preliminary articles of peace in Paris, marking a monumental step toward U.S. independence by securing Great Britain's official acknowledgment of American sovereignty and boundaries.”

18. On December 14, the British began to evacuate Charleston, South Carolina.

19. 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, oatcakes, pepper cakes, pork, turkey, venison, whole-grain bread, and wine.

20. Dinner was the “main and largest meal” of the day and was traditionally eaten anywhere from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The modern three-meal eating pattern began “to take shape toward the end of the century.”

21. In 1782, 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.

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

23. Top fiction works for the year: Elizabeth Blower’s George Bateman and Lady Mary Hamilton’s The Life of Mrs. Justman

24. Noteworthy nonfiction work published in 1782: Thomas Day’s Reflections upon the Present State of England and the Independence of America

25. Notable dramatic works for the year: John O’Keefe’s The Lord Mayor's Day and Richard Cumberland’s The Walloons

26. Top poetic works published in 1782: John Scott’s Poetic Works and John Wolcot’s Lyric Odes to the Royal Academicians

27. Famous people born in 1782 were Martin Van Buren (future U.S. president), Niccolò Paganini (Italian violinist), and William Miller (American Baptist minister who founded Adventism).

28. Famous people who passed away in 1782 included Daniel Bernoulli (Dutch mathematician who made noteworthy contributions to the fields of statistics and probability).

29. In 1782, the words “African American,” “appetizer,” “archaeology,” “belittle,” “best man,” “deficit,” “doughnut,” “entitlement,” “Greenwich Mean Time,” “high horse,” “jubilarian,” “noni,” “nostalgic,” “peashooter,” “petrifying,” “pinafore,” “poison ivy,” “résumé,” “self-education,” “semiconducting,” “souvenir,” “stage director,” “tam-tam,” “Turkish towel,” “underhanded,” “Vermonter,” and “weeknight” all appeared in print for the first time.

30. 24 pounds of cheese: $2.00

31. 40 pounds of pork: $3.33

32. One-half bushel of onions: 42 cents

33. One-half bushel of potatoes: 17 cents

34. One pair of shoes: $1.25

35. Six pounds of butter: 75 cents

36. Tobacco: Three pounds for 25 cents

37. Wheat: $1.17 a bushel

References:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1782_in_the_United_States

2. https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation/1782

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1782

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1782_in_literature

5. https://www.famousbirthdays.com/year/1782.html

6. https://www.merriam-webster.com/time-traveler/1782

7. https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1780-1784.html

8. https://www.history.com/a-year-in-history/1782

9. https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1782

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