Year 1784: Fun Facts, Trivia, and History
This quick read presents a mix of fun facts, trivia, and history events from the year 1784.
President of the Confederation Congress: Thomas Mifflin (Pennsylvania)—Until June 3, 1784
President of the Confederation Congress: Richard Henry Lee (Virginia)—Starting on November 30, 1784
Inflation rate: -3.77%
Consumer price index (CPI): 10.200
$100.00 in 1784 is equivalent in purchasing power to about $3,273.71 today. The U.S. dollar had “an average inflation rate of 1.45% per year” between 1784 and 2026, “producing a cumulative price increase of 3,173.71%.” In other words, a U.S. dollar today buys about 3.055% of what it could purchase back in 1784.
It’s worth noting that the U.S. dollar has lost about 97% of its value since 1784.
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 1784 included the Mutual Assurance Company for Insuring Houses from Loss by Fire, a Philadelphia-based insurance company.
On January 7, the D. Landreth Seed Company, a Philadelphia-based seed business, was founded. It’s worth noting that along with The Philadelphia Contributorship, a property insurance firm established in 1752, the D. Landreth Seed Company is one of the oldest “continuously operating businesses” in the United States.
On January 14, the Continental Congress ratified the Treaty of Paris with Great Britain, thus ending the American Revolutionary War.
In February, the Massachusetts Bank, a forerunner of BankBoston, was established “as the first federally chartered joint-stock bank” in the United States.
On February 28, John Wesley chartered the first Methodist Church in the United States. According to History.com, “Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution.”
On April 27, the first public performance of Pierre Beaumarchais' comedy, The Marriage of Figaro (Le Mariage de Figaro), took place at the Théâtre de l'Odéon in Paris. The “famous and controversial” stage comedy “ran for 68 consecutive performances, earning higher box-office receipts than any other French play of the century.”
In May, a street fight in Philadelphia between two French-born men—Julien de Longchamps and Francois Barbe-Marbois—“sparked a nationwide debate over the meaning of American citizenship.”
On June 3, the Confederation Congress established the United States Army, which replaced the “disbanded” Continental Army.
On June 4, Elizabeth Thible of France became the world’s first woman to fly an “untethered” hot air balloon. Her flight covered four kilometers (2.48548 miles) in about 45 minutes.
On June 9, the Bank of New York opened for business.
On June 16, Holland banned the wearing of orange clothing “to suppress political tensions.”
On August 4, Russian fur trader Grigory Shelikhov “sent a scouting team ashore onto Alaska's Kodiak Island. There, they established the first permanent Russian settlement in Alaska.”
On August 23, Washington, Sullivan, Spencer, and Greene counties declared their independence from North Carolina and established the state of Franklin, which would later become the state of Tennessee.
On September 21, America’s first daily newspaper, the Pennsylvania Packet and Daily Advertiser, began publication in Philadelphia.
On November 26, the Roman Catholic Apostolic Prefecture of the United States was established and freed “the small Catholic communities in the newly independent United States from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of London.” On November 6, 1789, “it became the Diocese of Baltimore—the very first Catholic diocese in the United States—and John Carroll became the nation's first bishop.”
In 1784, Philadelphia was the post-war capital of the United States, and Philadelphians took to the streets in Olde City to celebrate the end of the American Revolutionary War.
Montgomery County was created out of the northwestern section of Philadelphia County.
Painter and naturalist Charles Willson Peale founded the Philadelphia Museum, “often regarded as one of the first public museums in the United States.”
The ship United States sailed out of Philadelphia and became the first American vessel to trade with India.
In 1784, 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.
Popular fiction works for the year: Eliza Bromley’s Laura and Augustus: an Authentic Story and William Combe’s Original Love Letters
Noteworthy non-fiction works: Ebenezer Sibly’s A New and Complete Illustration of the Celestial Science of Astrology and John Wesley’s The Sunday Service of the Methodists
Famous people born in 1784 were Chester Dewey (American botanist) and Zachary Taylor (future U.S. president).
Famous people who died in 1784 included Phillis Wheatley (the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry) and Samuel Johnson (British non-fiction writer).
In 1784 as well, the words “avatar,” “ballonist,” “Baltimore oriole,” “booby hatch,” “corresponding angles,” “cursive,” “cupriferous,” “dump,” “flabbergasted,” “foreign office,” “flywheel,” “grand finale,” “hard-shell clam,” “hydrophane,” “iceberg,” “lollipop,” “parachute,” “pedicure,” “reign of terror,” “riot act,” “statistical,” “stovepipe,” “sunlit,” “truancy,” and “unofficial” 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_1784
https://www.foodreference.com/html/html/food-timeline-1780-1784.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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