The event referred to as the "shot heard 'round the world" is often associated with the battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, marking the beginning of the American Revolutionary War. This famous phrase reflects the significance of these confrontations, which ignited the thirteen American colonies' fight for independence from British rule. The skirmishes represented the first military engagements between colonial militias and British troops. The phrase symbolizes the widespread consequences of that initial conflict, as it galvanized support for the revolutionary cause, inspiring movements for independence worldwide and altering the course of history.