January 3 - Claude Bourgelat, French veterinary surgeon (b. 1712)
January 20 - David Garrick, English actor (b. 1717)
February 7 - William Boyce, English composer (b. 1711)
February 24 - Paul Daniel Longolius, German encylopedist (b. 1704)
June 23 - Ras Mikael Sehul, warlord of Ethiopia (b. about 1691)
September 12 - Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple
Events
January 11 - Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
February 14 - James Cook is killed by Native Hawaiians near Kealakekua on the Island of Hawaii.
March 11 - Army Corps of Engineers for the United States is authorized by Congress.
May 13 - War of Bavarian Succession: Russian and French mediators at the Congress of Teschen negotiate an end to the war. In the agreement Austria receives the part of its territory that was taken from them (the Innviertel).
June 1 - American Revolutionary War: Benedict Arnold is court-martialed for malfeasance.
June 16 - Spain declares war on the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the siege of Gibraltar begins.
September 23 - American Revolution: a squadron commanded by John Paul Jones on board the USS Bonhomme Richard wins the Battle of Flamborough Head, off the coast of England, against two British warships.
September 28 - American Revolution: Samuel Huntington is elected President of the Continental Congress, succeeding John Jay.
