January 11 » A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.
February 8 » The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, is granted a charter by King William III and Queen Mary II.
July 25 » Ignacio de Maya founds the Real Santiago de las Sabinas, now known as Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León, Mexico.
July 29 » War of the Grand Alliance: Battle of Landen: France wins a Pyrrhic victory over Allied forces in the Netherlands.
August 4 » Date traditionally ascribed to Dom Perignon's invention of champagne; it is not clear whether he actually invented champagne, however he has been credited as an innovator who developed the techniques used to perfect sparkling wine.
October 4 » Nine Years' War: Piedmontese troops are defeated by the French.
Day of death September 16, 1778
The temperature on September 16, 1778 was about 13.0 °C. Wind direction mainly south-southeast. Weather type: omtrent helder. Source: KNMI
January 18 » James Cook is the first known European to discover the Hawaiian Islands, which he names the "Sandwich Islands".
February 5 » South Carolina becomes the second state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
February 6 » New York became the third state to ratify the Articles of Confederation.
February 14 » The United States flag is formally recognized by a foreign naval vessel for the first time, when French Admiral Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte renders a nine gun salute to USSRanger, commanded by John Paul Jones.
May 12 » Heinrich XI, count of the Principality of Reuss-Greiz, is elevated to Prince by Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor.
When copying data from this family tree, please include a reference to the origin: Charles Olson, "Olson's Tree", database, Genealogy Online (https://www.genealogieonline.nl/olsons-tree/P22339.php : accessed January 6, 2026), "Petronilla Melusina von der Schulenburg, Countess of Walsingham, Baroness Aldborough (1693-1778)".
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