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James Cook explores the Pacific
He reached Tahiti in 1769, then explored vast reaches of the uncharted ocean, finding various islands and claiming them all for the British. His second voyage between 1772 and 1775 discovered more Pacific islands and disproved the long-held belief in a gigantic, temperate southern continent called Terra Australis. His third and final voyage beginning in 1776 was the first time Europeans encountered Hawai. -
French Revolution
With tempers rising in France due to growing inequality, poverty, and a collapsing economy, calls for reform throughout the 18th century grew louder and louder. -
The Napoleonic Wars
Following the Revolutionary Wars in France, with Napoleon positioning himself as Emperor of the French Empire, over a decade of war in Europe followed, as nervous neighbors hoped to dethrone the General. Not afraid to get on the battlefield to force his politics, Napoleon conquered Italy, much of Spain, and by 1812 ruled most of Continental Europe. -
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Slavery abolished in the West
The United Kingdom and the United States both banning the international slave trade and even blocking slave ships. -
Japan opens its borders
Japan’s isolation policy had been in place since 1639 and banned anyone from entering and leaving the country, under penalty of death, as well as severely restricting trade and foreign relations. Over two centuries of isolation had preserved their culture and customs, but as foreign empires looked for more trade, it could not last. American ships arrived in 1854 and demanded Japan sign a treaty agreeing to trade and peace, and with that, during the 19th century, the policy was finally lifted.