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American Declaration of Independence
- The Declaration of independence is signed, officially proclaiming the 13 Colonies as an independent nation of free Great Britain. There were 56 signers of the declaration of independence including, John Hancock (President of the Continental Congress), Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson.
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The French Revolution
The French Revolution was a period of time in France when the people overthrew the monarchy and took control of the government. The french revolution failed to establish a Constitutional Monarchy or a Representative government. The Revolution ended when Napoleon Bonaparte took power in November 1799. -
The Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror was a period of violence during the French Revolution emanating from conflicts between the Girondins and the Jacobins. During this period, people perceived to be against the revolution were publicly executed by guillotine. -
Myall Creek Massacre
On 10 June 1838 a group of white settlers murdered 28 Aboriginal men, women and children near Myall Creek Station in northern New South Wales, near Bingara. Seven of the killers were tried and hanged. Aboriginal people were hacked and slashed to death. They were beheaded and their headless bodies were left where they fell. The stockmen then set up camp, drinking and bragging about their killings -
Unveiling of the Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the French people commemorating the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution. The statue was made completely from copper and would now be worth around 6.3 million (US) dollars. -
Eiffel Tower construction was completed
It took only two years, two months and five days to build the tower, which is a remarkably short period of time. The work started in 1887 and the tower was inaugurated in 1889. The Eiffel Tower was only meant to stand for 20 years, but the French military and government began using it for radio communication and later telecommunication. When the permit expired in 1909, the City of Paris decided to keep it. -
Federation of Australia
Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901 when six British colonies—New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania—united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. This process is known as federation. Defence and foreign policy was a major reason for federation. One of the key reasons for Federation was to achieve a united defence force which could better protect Australia. -
First Powered Aircraft
On December 17, 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright made four brief flights at Kitty Hawk with their first powered aircraft. The Wright brothers had invented the first successful airplane. -
Sinking of the Titanic
The Titanic had an estimated 2,224 people on board when the ship struck an iceberg at around 11:40 pm and took approximately 2 hours and 40 minutes to sink. RMS Carpathia was the first ship to reach the lifeboats early in the morning. -
End of WW1
World War One ended at 11am on the eleventh day of the eleventh month, in 1918. Germany signed an armistice (an agreement for peace and no more fighting) that had been prepared by Britain and France. At the start of 1918, Germany was in a strong position and expected to win the war.