On This Day

First naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, Rhode Island

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S. state by area and the seventh-least populous, with slightly more than 1.11 million residents as of 2025. The state's population, however, has continually recorded growth in every decennial census since 1790, and it is the second-most densely populated state after New Jersey. The state takes its name from the eponymous island, though most of its land area is on the mainland.

Historical Significance

Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

Events Before

  1. Political activist Thomas Paine (34) weds second wife Elizabeth Ollive

    Political activist Thomas Paine (34) weds second wife Elizabeth Ollive

  2. King of France Louis XVIII weds princess Maria Giuseppina of Savoy at the Palace of Versailles

    King of France Louis XVIII weds princess Maria Giuseppina of Savoy at the Palace of Versailles

  3. Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn scandalously marries commoner and widower Anne Horton, displeasing Georg

    Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn scandalously marries commoner and widower Anne Horton, displeasing George III, leading to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772

  4. Chemist Antione Lavoisier (28) marries Marie-Anne Paulze (13), the couple go on to make major discoveries in chemistry t

    Chemist Antione Lavoisier (28) marries Marie-Anne Paulze (13), the couple go on to make major discoveries in chemistry together

  5. Spain cedes the Falkland Islands to Britain

    The Falkland Islands, commonly referred to as The Falklands, is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf.

Events After

  1. Captain James Cook becomes the first person to cross the Antarctic Circle (66°33′ S)

    Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer who led three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans between...

  2. Spanish painter Francisco Goya marries Josefa Bayeu in Madrid

    Spanish painter Francisco Goya marries Josefa Bayeu in Madrid

  3. American revolution patriot Paul Revere (38) weds Rachel Walker in Boston, Massachusetts

    American revolution patriot Paul Revere (38) weds Rachel Walker in Boston, Massachusetts

  4. American seamstress Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy Ross) weds American upholster John Ross at Huggs Tavern in Gloucester City,

    American seamstress Elizabeth Griscom (Betsy Ross) weds American upholster John Ross at Huggs Tavern in Gloucester City, New Jersey

  5. Boston Tea Party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston Harbor to protest the British-imp

    Boston Tea Party incident – Sons of Liberty protesters throw tea shipments into Boston Harbor to protest the British-imposed Tea Act and escalating taxation without representation in the British Parliament

More from the 1770s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on June 9, 1772?
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Island Sound; and shares a small maritime border with New York, east of Long Island. Rhode Island is the smallest U.S.
Why is First naval attack of Revolutionary War takes place in Providence, Rhode Island significant?
Rhode Island ( ROHD) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States.

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