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Period: 1492 to 1492
Christopher Columbus Arrives
In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue! Columbus wanted to find an alternative way to get to India, by traveling west by sea. The King and Queen and Spain granted his request and gave him ships to do this. However, instead of reaching the Indies he reached North America. Thus, he discovered a 'new world'. (Class notes and History Alive) -
Period: 1517 to
Protestant Reformation
King Henry the VIII decided he wanted a new church, so he found one. This church is now known as the Church of England and this time period is known as the Protestant Reformation. This church broke away from the Catholic Church, and form a new religion. From this new religion came the Puritans (whom no one really liked). This group of people came to the new world and started many successful colonies. (Class Notes) -
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Motion of The Heart (Medicine)
William Harvey publishes An Anatomical Study of the Motion of the Heart and of the Blood in Animals, describing how blood is pumped throughout the body by the heart, and then returns to the heart and recirculates. The book is very controversial but becomes the basis for modern research on the heart and blood vessels. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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Scurvy (Medicine)
James Lind, a Scottish naval surgeon, discovers that citrus fruits prevent scurvy. He publishes his Treatise of the Scurvy in 1754, identifying the cure for this common and dangerous disease of sailors. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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The French and Indian War (AKA The Seven Years' War)
The French and Indian War pitted the colonies of British America against those of New France, each side supported by military units from the parent country and by American Indian allies. Both Mother countries wanted as to claim as much land as possible, so they were constantly clashing. Eventually, that lead to the seven-year conflict. The British Colonist and forces ended up winning, giving Britain almost all of the eastern North American territory. (Videos, History Alive, Online Textbook) -
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Proclamation of 1763
The Royal Proclamation of 1763 was issued by King George III following Great Britain's acquisition of French territory in North America after the end of the French and Indian War/Seven Years' War. This decree prohibited the colonists to settle any land west of the Appalachian Mountains, as the British Parliament didn't want any expensive wars. However, this angered many colonists and is often attributed to being a cause of the Revolutionary War. (History Alive, Oline Textbook, Class Notes) -
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Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a political and mercantile protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts. The colonists (namely the sons of liberty) were protesting the British Tax on Tea and other goods, and well as making a political statement (basically, we don't want to listen to you anymore). (Online Textbook) -
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The Declaration of Independence
The United States Declaration of Independence is the statement adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on July 4, 1776. The American Congress is stating that they are a free country and are no longer a British colony. The British Government refuses to recognize this claim to freedom, and thus they declared outright war on the colonies. -
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Inoculation
One of the most important advances in medicine at the time of the Revolution was the widespread usage of inoculation. It has been suggested that the British deliberately infected civilians with smallpox in a crude version of inoculation known as variolation, which left the recipient infectious for a period of weeks and then sent them to mix with the rebel forces, spreading the disease, which had a death rate as high as 25-40%. -
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Smallpox (Medicine)
Edward Jenner develops a method to protect people from smallpox by exposing them to the cowpox virus. In his famous experiment, he rubs pus from a dairymaid's cowpox postule into scratches on the arm of his gardener's 8-year-old son, and then exposes him to smallpox six weeks later. Vaccination with cowpox is made compulsory in Britain in 1853. Jenner is sometimes called the founding father of immunology. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a land deal between the United States and France, in which the U.S. acquired approximately 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River for $15 million. This deal was struck by Thomas Jefferson (who was President at the time) and was the beginning of the US's western expansion. -
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Surgical Anesthetic and Antisepsis (Medicine)
Surgery used to be a much graver proposition than it is today. Because, before the middle of the 19th century, anesthetic wasn't an option. That changed when William T.G. Morton demonstrated a substance powerful enough to dull the pain that had long been associated with surgery. While anesthetic was a great advance, another advance occurred at roughly the same time may have been even more beneficial - antisepsis the creation of a sterile surgical environment. (https://abcnews.go.com) -
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California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began when gold was found in California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad who had hopes of finding gold and getting rich. ((Class Notes) -
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A Female Degree (Medicine)
Elizabeth Blackwell is the first woman to receive a medical degree (from Geneva Medical College in Geneva, New York). (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln is elected as President, which angers the South because they believe their way of life will be threatened. Although he is not a believer of slavery, he promises the south he will not interfere with their way of life, he does say he will prevent the spread of slavery. However, in spite of this, South Carolina succeeds from the Union and several other states follow. (Video, Online Textbook, Class discussion) -
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Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a continuous railroad line constructed that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail network with the Pacific coast, San Francisco Bay. This made transportation between the West and the East much easier, making settlements more spread out. Two companies competed to lay as much land as possible so they could sell the land they claimed later. Eventually, the two went past each other, and then the government had to step in. (Class Notes) -
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Battle of Gettysburg
Out of all the battles in the Civil War, Gettysburg was the deadliest. It has more than 51,000 casualties, including 7,863 dead. Battle deaths in the Civil War totaled nearly 215,000. That is almost 4% of all the casualties, in a single battle. This battle is often cited as an example of the tragedy of the Civil War.(https://www.infoplease.com/us/american-wars/deadliest-battles-civil-war) -
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The 13th Amendment
Passed by Congress on January 31, 1865, and ratified on December 6, 1865, the 13th amendment abolished slavery in the United States. -
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A Clean Room (Medicine)
Joseph Lister publishes his book, one of the most important developments in medicine. He was convinced of the need for cleanliness in the operating room, a revolutionary idea at the time. He develops antiseptic surgical methods, using carbolic acid to clean wounds and surgical instruments. The success of his methods leads to general adoption. In one hospital that adopts his methods, deaths from infection decrease. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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Germ Theory (Medicine)
Biologists establish the germ theory of disease. According to germ theory, a specific disease is caused by a specific organism. Before this discovery, most doctors believe diseases are caused by spontaneous generation. In fact, doctors would perform autopsies on people who died of infectious diseases and then care for living patients without washing their hands, not realizing that they were transmitting the disease. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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The X-Ray (Medicine)
In 1895, physician Röntgen discovered ionizing radiation and developed X-ray imaging. In 1914, Marie Curie went to the front and equipped several hundred vehicles with X-ray machines, creating a radiological ambulance service for wounded soldiers. Over of the war, one million men were helped by it.
Radiology has since been used for the benefit of millions. (https://www.reseau-canope.fr/apocalypse-10destins/en/theme-based-files/progress-in-medicine-and-surgery-during-the-first-world-war.html) -
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Blood Types (Medicine)
Austrian-American Karl Landsteiner describes blood compatibility and rejection (i.e., what happens when a person receives a blood transfusion from another human of either compatible or incompatible blood type), developing the ABO system of blood typing. This system classifies the blood of human beings into A, B, AB, and O groups. Landsteiner receives the 1930 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for this discovery. (https://www.infoplease.com/science-health/health/medical-advances-timeline) -
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Penicillin (Medicine)
Alexander Fleming discovered an antibiotic in 1906, by noticing mold growing around staph which the mold had killed. He suggested penicillin could kill harmful bacteria. Fleming continued his research on penicillin. Having learned of penicillin to halt infections, companies began manufacturing it to protect soldiers in WWII from infected wounds. At least 400 million doses of penicillin were manufactured in 1943 for war use (https://www.nursegroups.com/article/history-of-wwii-medicine.html) -
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Zimmerman Telegram
In January 1917, British cryptographers deciphered a telegram from German Foreign Minister to the German Minister to Mexico, offering United States territory to Mexico in return for joining the German cause. This message helped draw the United States into the war and thus changed the course of history.
(https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/zimmermann) -
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Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
On August 6, 1945, an American bomber dropped the first atomic bomb over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The explosion wiped out 90 percent of the city and immediately killed 80,000 people; tens of thousands more would later die of radiation exposure. Later, a second dropped another on Nagasaki, killing 40,000 people. Japan’s Emperor announced his country’s surrender, citing the devastating power of “a new bomb.”
(https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki) -
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Marshall Plan
Marshall Plan offered all European nations funding to rebuild their economies as long as the money was spent on goods made in the United States. Those who supported it hoped to promote democracy in Europe and oppose the spread of communism, thus reinforcing the Truman Doctrine. They also wanted to further boost the economy of the United States. This aid would play a crucial role in stimulating economic growth in Western Europe.
(https://student.teachtci.com/shared/sections/8416?program_id=109) -
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Frozen Blood (Medicine)
The use of frozen blood products. Fresh blood can only be used for 21-30 days before deteriorating. Frozen blood can be used for up to a year. In catastrophic injuries that occur in war, it is not uncommon to transfuse pints of blood and have the patient survive. Obtaining and storing massive amounts of fresh blood in wartime conditions is impossible. By having more blood available, more people can survive.
(https://www.fpri.org/article/2018/02/advances-in-medicine-during-wars/)