Key Figures
The commanders, statesmen, diplomats, and thinkers who shaped 1777 — from Washington's Continental Army and Britain's high command to the mathematicians and writers of the wider world.
Every Key Figures article in the 1777 knowledge base. Use the topic filters to narrow by sub-topic.
Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben
Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, a Prussian officer who had served under Frederick the Great, arriv...
Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, arrived on the coast of Sout...
Tipu Sultan — Early Military Campaigns in India
Tipu Sultan (1751–1799) emerged in 1777 as a rising military commander in the Kingdom of Mysore, ...
Carl Friedrich Gauss (born 1777)
Johann Carl Friedrich Gauss was born on April 30, 1777, in the city of Brunswick (Braunschweig), ...
Sir Henry Clinton (1730–1795)
General Sir Henry Clinton (1730–1795) was a British army officer who served throughout the Americ...
Lord George Germain (1716–1785)
Lord George Germain (1716–1785), born George Sackville, was the British Secretary of State for th...
Leonhard Euler — Mathematics and Science Despite Blindness
Leonhard Euler (1707–1783), one of history's most prolific mathematicians and scientists, continu...
General George Washington
George Washington served as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army throughout 1777, a year of...
General John Burgoyne (1722–1792)
General John Burgoyne (1722–1792) was a British army officer, politician, and playwright best kno...
Benjamin Franklin in Paris (1777)
Benjamin Franklin arrived in France on December 3, 1776, reaching Paris on December 21, and spent...
General Benedict Arnold
General Benedict Arnold stands as one of the most accomplished yet ultimately tragic figures of t...
Abigail Adams
Abigail Adams (born 11 November 1744 in Weymouth, Massachusetts) spent 1777 at the family farm in...