Year by year · 18th century

1755

1755 in world history: 11 events, 7 births, 8 deaths, 3 states founded and 1 that came to an end. 1,282 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 12 January

    Empress Elizabeth founds Moscow University

    Empress Elizabeth signed the decree founding Moscow University, proposed by Ivan Shuvalov and Mikhail Lomonosov (12 January Old Style). Russia's oldest university now bears Lomonosov's name.

    Moscow

  2. 15 April

    Samuel Johnson publishes his Dictionary

    Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language appeared after nine years' work, defining some 42,000 words with literary quotations. It remained the leading English dictionary for over a century.

  3. 1 November

    An earthquake and tsunami destroy Lisbon

    On All Saints' Day a massive earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, destroyed most of Lisbon and killed tens of thousands. The catastrophe stirred Enlightenment debates on providence and spurred early seismology.

    Lisbon

  4. Treaty · Peace

    Treaty of Giyanti

    The Treaty of Giyanti, signed on 13 February 1755, divided the Mataram Sultanate of Java into two realms, Surakarta and Yogyakarta.

  5. Event

    1755 Lisbon earthquake

    The 1755 Lisbon earthquake was a catastrophic earthquake, followed by a tsunami and fires, that destroyed much of the Portuguese capital in 1755.

  6. Battle

    Battle of Lake George

    The Battle of Lake George was fought on 8 September 1755 at the southern end of Lake George in the colony of New York, early in the French and Indian War.

  7. Battle

    Battle of the Monongahela

    The Battle of the Monongahela was fought on 9 July 1755 near the Monongahela River, east of Fort Duquesne in present-day Pennsylvania.

ProfileState1100 states with a known seat in 1755Open the atlas at 1755 →

In the profiles

Wars and longer events

Born in 1755 7

Died in 1755 8

States founded 3

States that came to an end 1

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APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1755. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1755
MLA
“1755.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1755. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1755.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1755.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1755’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1755 (Accessed: ).