Year by year · 18th century

1787

1787 in world history: 8 events, 10 births, 11 deaths, 1 work, 2 states founded and 2 that came to an end. 1,287 recorded states existed that year.

Events

  1. 11 January

    William Herschel discovers Titania and Oberon

    Six years after finding Uranus, Herschel spotted its two largest moons. They were later named after the king and queen of the fairies in Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.

  2. 13 May

    The First Fleet sails from Portsmouth for Australia

    Eleven ships under Captain Arthur Phillip left England carrying some 1,400 people, about half of them convicts. They reached Botany Bay in January 1788 and founded Sydney.

    AustraliaEngland

  3. 25 May

    Constitutional Convention opens in Philadelphia

    Delegates reached a quorum at the Pennsylvania State House and chose George Washington to preside. Over the summer they drafted the US Constitution.

  4. 13 July

    Congress passes the Northwest Ordinance

    The Confederation Congress set out how lands north-west of the Ohio River would be governed and admitted as new states. It also banned slavery there, shaping the pattern of American westward expansion.

  5. 17 September

    Delegates sign the US Constitution in Philadelphia

    Thirty-nine delegates signed the Constitution, creating a federal government with separated powers and checks and balances. The Bill of Rights was added by amendment in 1791.

  6. 27 October

    The first Federalist essay is published

    Writing as 'Publius', Alexander Hamilton published the first of 85 essays urging New Yorkers to ratify the new US Constitution. With Madison and Jay he produced the most influential commentary on the Constitution.

  7. 29 October

    Mozart's Don Giovanni premieres in Prague

    Mozart conducted the first performance of Don Giovanni at the Estates Theatre in Prague. The opera, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte, blends comedy and the supernatural and is ranked among the greatest ever written.

    TheatrePrague
ProfileState1102 states with a known seat in 1787Open the atlas at 1787 →

Wars and longer events

Born in 1787 10

Died in 1787 11

Works 1

States founded 2

States that came to an end 2

All years → The 18th century →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). 1787. In The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1787
MLA
“1787.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1787. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “1787.” The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1787.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘1787’, The Epoch Institute, Year by Year. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/years/1787 (Accessed: ).