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James Watt perfects steam engine
was the first type of steam engine to make use of steam at a pressure just above atmospheric to drive the piston helped by a partial vacuum. Improving on the design of the 1712 Newcomen engine, the Watt steam engine
was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to the Newcomen steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution in both his native Great Britain and the rest of the world. -
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Toussaint Louverture
was the leader of the Haitian Revolution. His military genius and political acumen led to the establishment of the independent black state of Haiti, transforming an entire society of slaves into a free, self-governing people. The success of the Haitian Revolution shook the institution of slavery throughout the New World. -
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Reign of King Louis XVI
Spouse: Marie Antoinette
The first part of Louis' reign was marked by attempts to reform France in accordance with Enlightenment ideals. These included efforts to abolish serfdom, remove the taille, and increase tolerance toward non-Catholics.
From 1776 Louis XVI actively supported the North American colonists. -
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American Revolution
was a political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America. -
Spinning Mule developed
is a machine used to spin cotton and other fibres in the mills of Lancashire and elsewhere. Invented by by Samuel Crompton -
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French Revolution
was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France that had a lasting impact on French history and more broadly throughout Europe. French society underwent an epic transformation, as feudal, aristocratic and religious privileges evaporated under a sustained assault from radical left-wing political groups, masses on the streets, and peasants in the countryside. -
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Haitian Revolution
Location: Saint-Domingue
Result: Haitian victory
was a slave revolt in the French colony of Saint-Domingue, which culminated in the elimination of slavery there and the founding of the Haitian republic. The Haitian Revolution was the only slave revolt which led to the founding of a state. -
Cotton Gin Developed
first created by Eli Whitney
is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, allowing for much greater productivity than manual cotton separation. -
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Reign of Napoleon
was a French military and political leader who rose to prominence during the latter stages of the French Revolution and its associated wars in Europe. led against France by a series of coalitions, the so-called Napoleonic Wars -
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Wars of Independence in Latin America
Were the numerous wars against Spanish rule in Spanish America that took place during the early 19th century, after the French invasion of Spain during Europe's Napoleonic Wars. -
Congress of Vienna
September 1814 to June 1815
was a conference of ambassadors of European states chaired by Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel von Metternich, and held in Vienna.
The objective of the Congress was to settle the many issues arising from the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars, and the dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire. -
Unification of Italy
Was the political and social movement that agglomerated different states of the Italian peninsula into the single state of Italy in the 19th century. -
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Simón Bolívar
Was a Venezuelan military and political leader. Bolívar played a key role in Latin America's successful struggle for independence from the Spanish Empire. -
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The First Opium War
was fought between the United Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty of China over their conflicting viewpoints on diplomatic relations, trade, and the administration of justice. -
Communist Manifesto published
Publication written by the political theorists Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Has been recognized as one of the world's most influential political manuscripts. Commissioned by the Communist League, it laid out the League's purposes and program. It presents an analytical approach to the class struggle and the problems of capitalism, rather than a prediction of communism's potential future forms. -
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Taiping rebellion
Was a massive civil war in southern China, against the ruling Manchu-led Qing Dynasty. It was led by Hong Xiuquan, who announced that he had received visions in which he learned that he was the younger brother of Jesus. -
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Crimean War
Location: Crimean Peninsula, Caucasus, Balkans, Black Sea, Baltic Sea, White Sea, Far East
was a conflict between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between major European powers for influence over territories of the declining Ottoman Empire. -
Bessemer Process developed
Was the first inexpensive industrial process for the mass-production of steel from molten pig iron prior to the open hearth furnace. The process is named after its inventor, Henry Bessemer. The process had also been used outside of Europe for hundreds of years, but not on an industrial scale. -
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Second Opium War
was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860.
location: China
Result: Anglo-French victory; Treaties of Tientsin -
Sepoy Rebellion
lasted until April 1859
uprisings during the British colonization of India was a mutiny of
the native troops known as "sepoys" Sepoy rebellion was a complete surprise to the British, many of whom were "blind to the unrest that had been created, in part, by the rapid imposition of direct British control over two-thirds of India" -
Origin of the Species published
Is a work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin which is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. Darwin's book introduced the scientific theory that populations evolve over the course of generations through a process of natural selection. -
Emancipation of Russian serfs
was the first and most important of liberal reforms effected during the reign of Alexander II of Russia. The reform, amounted to the liquidation of serf dependence previously suffered by peasants of the Russian Empire. In some of its parts, the serfdom was abolished earlier. proclaimed the emancipation of the serfs on private estates and of the domestic (household) serfs -
Meiji Restoration
was a chain of events that restored imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. The goals of the restored government were expressed by the new emperor in the Charter Oath. -
Suez Canal
Is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened after 10 years of construction work Allows transportation by water between Europe and Asia without navigation around Africa. -
Unification of Germany
into a politically and administratively integrated nation state officially occurred at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. -
First Anglo-Boer War
From 1880- 1881
was a rebellion of Boers (farmers) against British rule in the Transvaal that re-established their independence.
When the British annexed Transvaal in 1877 the Boers were angered. The British wished to bring Transvaal by force into a union, which furthered chances of war. The British defeat by Zulus in 1879 at the Battle of Isandlwana had encouraged Boers to armed resistance. -
Berlin Conference
regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the New Imperialism period, and coincided with Germany's sudden emergence as an imperial power. The conference ushered in a period of heightened colonial activity by European powers, while simultaneously eliminating most existing forms of African autonomy and self-governance. -
Indian National Congress founded
is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). It is the largest and one of the oldest democratically-operating political parties in the world. -
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Boxer Rebellion
Was an anti-foreign, proto-nationalist movement by the Righteous Harmony Society in China, opposing foreign imperialism and Christianity. Members of the secret society practiced boxing and calisthenic rituals (hence the nickname, the "Boxers") which they believed would make them impervious to bullets.
Bands of Boxers were massacring Christian missionaries and Chinese Christians -
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Second Anglo-Boer War
Involved large numbers of troops from many British possessions, which ened with the conversion of the Boer republics to British colonies (witha promise of limited self-governance). These colonies later formed part of the Union of South Africa. The British fought directly against the Transvaal and the Orange Free State, defeating their forces first in open warfare and then in a long and bitter guerrilla campaign. -
Henry Ford and the assembly line
Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production.
He founded the company in 1903, the assembly line was first mechanized in the U.S. by Eli Whitney, in 1797 -
Russo-Japanese War
Ended 1905
was "the first great war of the 20th century"
Location: Manchuria, Yellow Sea, Korean Peninsula
Result: Japanese victory; Treaty of Portsmouth grew out of rival imperial ambitions of the Russian Empire and the Empire of Japan over Manchuria and Korea -
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All-India Muslim League founded
was a political party which advocated the creation of a separate Muslim-majority nation, Pakistan. It emerged from the Aligarh Movement, formed originally to promote a modern education for Muslims. It was founded by the All India Muhammadan Educational Conference at Dhaka. The goal was to define and advance Muslim agendas, protect Muslim rights in India, and present a unified Muslim voice to the British Raj which ruled India until 1947. -
Panama Canal
The date of first use
is a 48-mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. France began work on the canal in 1881
