(Battle of Bemis Heights): British General John Burgoyne is defeated by American troops. October 17 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Saratoga: British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the American troops. November 15 – American Revolution: After 16 months of debate, the Continental Congress approves the Articles of Confederation, in the temporary American capital at York, Pennsylvania. November 17 – American Revolution: The Articles of Confederation are submitted to the states for ratification. November 29 – San Jose, California is founded. It is the first pueblo in Spanish Alta California. December 18 – The United States celebrates its first Thanksgiving, marking October's victory by the American rebels over British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga. December 19 – American Revolutionary War – George Washington's Continental Army goes into winter quarters at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. December 24 – Third voyage of James Cook: English explorer Captain Cook locates Kiritimati (Christmas Island). December 30 – Maximilian III Joseph, Elector of Bavaria dies and is succeeded by his distant cousin Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria. Date unknown The code duello is adopted at the Clonmel Summer Assizes as the form for pistol duels by gentlemen in Ireland. It is quickly denounced, but nevertheless widely adopted throughout the English-speaking world. Kunsthochschule Kassel is founded in Germany as a fine arts academy. Det Dramatiske Selskab is founded in Copenhagen (Denmark) as an acting academy. George II Frederic is crowned as king of the Miskito Kingdom. Births January–March January – William Barton, English cricketer (d. 1825) January 2 – Christian Daniel Rauch, German sculptor (d. 1857) January 7 – Lorenzo Bartolini, Italian sculptor (d. 1850) January 11 – Vincenzo Borg, Maltese merchant, rebel leader (d. 1837) January 13 – Elisa Bonaparte, Grand Duchess of Tuscany, sister of Napoleon Bonaparte (d. 1820) January 25 – Karoline Jagemann, German actor (d.1848) February 3 – John Cheyne, British physician, surgeon and author (d. 1836) February 10 – Amable Berthelot, Quebec lawyer, author and political figure (d. 1847) February 12 Friedrich de la Motte Fouqué, French poet (d. 1843) Bernard Courtois, French chemist (d. 1838) February 18 – Andreas Arntzen, Norwegian politician (d. 1837) February 20 – Zacheus Burnham, Canadian farmer, judge and public figure (d. 1857) February 26 – Matija Nenadović, Prime Minister of Serbia (d. 1854) March 3 – Adolphe Dureau de la Malle, French geographer, naturalist, historian and artist (d. 1857) March 10 – Robert Allison (Pennsylvania