Year 1783: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1783.
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1783. 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.
President of the Confederation Congress: Elias Boudinot (Pennsylvania)—Until November 4, 1783
President of the Confederation Congress: Thomas Mifflin (Pennsylvania)—Starting on November 4, 1783
Inflation rate: -12.40%
Consumer price index (CPI): 10.600
$100.00 in 1783 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,150.17 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.43% per year” between 1783 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 3,050.17%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.174% of what it could purchase back in 1783.
It's worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 97% of its value since 1783.
The average daily wage for a common laborer in the United States averaged $1.00.
Farmers accounted for over 90% of the U.S. labor force.
American companies established in 1783 included Brown’s Brewery (a Baltimore-based brewery), the Evan Williams Distillery (a bourbon distillery located in Bardstown, Kentucky), Rawle & Henderson (a law firm based in Philadelphia), and Suter’s Tavern (a tavern located in Georgetown, Maryland).
On January 3, future Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court John Marshall married Mary Willis Ambler in Hanover County, Virginia.
On February 4, King George III of Great Britain issued a proclamation announcing the cessation of all hostilities with the United States of America.
On March 15, George Washington stopped a potential military uprising by disgruntled American officers and soldiers who had not been paid for months. He asked them to trust the U.S. government.
On April 19, the U.S. Continental Congress proclaimed an end to the American Revolutionary War, exactly eight years after the war began at Lexington and Concord.
On May 18, the first United Empire Loyalists, known to American Patriots as Tories, arrived in Canada “to take refuge under the British crown in Parrtown, Saint John, Nova Scotia (now New Brunswick), Canada. The town was located on the Bay of Fundy just north of the border with what is now the state of Maine.”
On May 26, a Great Jubilee Day was held in Trumbull, Connecticut, to commemorate the end of the American Revolutionary War.
On June 20, Continental Army soldiers swarmed Independence Hall, in Center City Philadelphia, demanding back pay owed to them for months.
On September 9, Dickinson College was chartered in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
On September 26, Fayette County, Pennsylvania, southeast of Pittsburgh, was created.
In November, the Continental Congress moved from Philadelphia to Annapolis, Maryland.
On November 3, George Washington ordered that the Continental Army be disbanded following the end of the American Revolutionary War. According to Fraunces Tavern, “While the vast majority of the army was dismissed, a tiny residual force—only two small detachments—was kept behind to guard strategic locations at West Point [New York state] and Fort Pitt [Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania].”
On November 15, John Hanson, the first president of the American Continental Congress, died in his home state of Maryland.
On November 25, Evacuation Day took place in New York City when the last British troops left the city.
On November 29, a “very strong” earthquake struck New Jersey.
On December 4, nine days after the last British soldiers left American soil, General George Washington visited Fraunces Tavern, New York City’s oldest bar and restaurant. “He invited his officers from the Continental Army to the Long Room to thank them for their service and to bid them farewell.”
On December 23, General George Washington “voluntarily resigned his commission as commander in chief of the Continental Army.”
In 1783, the most popular baby names for boys were John, William, Thomas, James, and Henry. For girls, the most popular baby names included Elizabeth, Mary, Sarah, Anna, and Frances.
The most popular surnames in America included Smith, Johnson, Williams, Brown, Jones, Miller, Davis, Wilson, Baker, and Carter.
Top fiction works for the year: Clara Reeve’s The Two Mentors and Thomas Holcroft’s The Family Picture
A popular children’s book published in 1783: Thomas Day’s The History of Sandford and Merton (the first of three children’s story books)
Notable dramatic works for the year: John O'Keeffe’s The Poor Soldier and William Jackson’s The Metamorphosis
Top non-fiction works published in 1783: James Beattie’s Dissertations Moral and Critical and William Beckford’s Dreams, Waking Thoughts, and Incidents
Famous people born in 1783 were Maria Branwell (British essayist) and Washington Irving (American novelist).
Famous people who died in 1783 included James Otis Jr. (American attorney) and William Hunter (Scottish doctor).
In 1783, the words “balloon,” “beekeeper,” “cannabis,” “chain mail,” “comic relief,” “dollhouse,” “do with,” “dustpan,” “eminent domain,” “energy,” “griddle cake,” “half note,” “house of delegates,” “lunch,” “malaprop,” “manganese,” “menswear,” “moonlit,” “moraine,” “potboiler,” “shipment,” “silhouette,” “spinning jenny,” “Swiss cheese,” and “Worcester” all appeared in print for the first time.
24 pounds of cheese: $2.00
40 pounds of pork: $3.33
Maslin (two kinds of grain mixed together): 76 cents a bushel
One-half bushel of onions: 42 cents
One-half bushel of potatoes: 17 cents
One pair of bridle bits: 17 cents
One pair of new stockings: 33 cents
One pair of shoes: $1.25
One petticoat: 17 cents
Six pounds of butter: 75 cents
Tobacco: Three pounds for 25 cents
Wages for one day of hoeing corn: 50 cents
Wages for one day of mowing: 67 cents
Wages for one day of reaping: 58 cents
Wages for one day of threshing: 42 cents
Wheat: $1.17 a bushel
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_companies_established_in_1783
https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1780-1783.html
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
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.
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