Modern History Events Timeline By anguswwebster 1776 The US Declaration of Independence Jan 26, 1788 European Settlement of Australia Period: 1789 to 1799 French Revolution Period: 1808 to 1833 Spanish Wars of Independance Period: 1857 to 1858 Sepoy Mutiny Period: 1861 to 1865 US Civil War Period: 1868 to 1912 Meiji Restoration 1876 Invention of the telephone Period: 1881 to 1914 Scramble for Africa Period: 1899 to 1902 Boer War 1903 Invention of powered flight Period: 1914 to 1918 World War 1 1917 Russian Revolution 1928 Discovery of Penicillin Period: 1939 to 1945 World War 2 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis 1963 Martin Luther King "I have a dream." Nov 22, 1963 Assassination of Kennedy Period: 1965 to 1971 Vietnam War Jul 20, 1969 Moon Landing 1997 Hong Kong returning to China Hong Kong returns to China from the British Empire Sep 11, 2001 September 11 Attacks