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Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer" premieres in London

She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith. First performed in London in 1773, it is Goldsmith's best-known play and a cornerstone of both English literature and...

She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith. First performed in London in 1773, it is Goldsmith's best-known play and a cornerstone of both English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th century that has retained its popularity and is still regularly performed. Regarded as a classic of the period, the work has been adapted for films on numerous occasions, including in 1910, 1914, and 1923. The play is notable as the origin of the common phrase, "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies."

The play was originally titled Mistakes of a Night and its events take place in one long night.

Historical Significance

She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith.

Events Before

  1. US founding father Thomas Jefferson (30) marries Martha Wayles Skelton (23)

    Martha Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death in 1782. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781.

  2. The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

    The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

  3. Charles Edward Stuart 'the Young Pretender' (52) marries by proxy Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern (20)

    Princess Louise Maximiliane Caroline Emanuel of Stolberg-Gedern (20 September 1752 – 29 January 1824) was the wife of Charles Edward Stuart, the Jacobite claimant to the English and Scottish thrones.

  4. Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement

    Somerset v Stewart court case finds slavery unsupported by English common law, encouraging the abolitionist movement

  5. Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (South

    Captain James Cook begins his second voyage to the South Seas aboard HMS Resolution to search for Terra Australis (Southern Continent)

Events After

  1. British House of Lords rules authors do not have perpetual copyright

    Perpetual copyright, also known as indefinite copyright, is copyright that lasts indefinitely.

  2. Chief Justice John Jay (28) weds Sarah Van Brugh Livingston (17)

    Chief Justice John Jay (28) weds Sarah Van Brugh Livingston (17)

  3. Boston Port Act: Following the passage of the act, the British government orders Port of Boston closed to punish colonis

    Boston Port Act: Following the passage of the act, the British government orders Port of Boston closed to punish colonists for the Boston Tea Party

  4. English chemist Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen by isolating it in its gaseous state

    Joseph Priestley (24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, Unitarian, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator and classical liberal political...

  5. Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress i

    Twelve of the thirteen American colonies adopt a trade embargo against Great Britain at the First Continental Congress in Carpenters' Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More from the 1770s

United States Declaration of Independence

The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, announcing the separation of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain.

politics government

US founding father Thomas Jefferson (30) marries Martha Wayles Skelton (23)

Martha Skelton Jefferson was the wife of Thomas Jefferson from 1772 until her death in 1782. She served as First Lady of Virginia during Jefferson's term as governor from 1779 to 1781.

Date of action in Victor Herbert and Grant Stewart's opera "Madeleine"

Date of action in Victor Herbert and Grant Stewart's opera "Madeleine"

The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

The London Credit Exchange Company issues the first traveler's cheques, which can be used in 90 European cities

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on March 18, 1773?
She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith. First performed in London in 1773, it is Goldsmith's best-known play and a cornerstone of both English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th century that has retained its popularity and is still regularly performed.
Why is Oliver Goldsmith's "She Stoops to Conquer" premieres in London significant?
She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy play by Anglo-Irish writer Oliver Goldsmith.

Explore More

March 18 in HistoryYear 1773