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Galileo Discovers Planets (Enlightenment)
The beginning of of the enlightenment was sparked by Galileo’s discovery of planets using a telescope. He discovered that planets revolve around the sun, not around the earth. People began to question things regarding science, government, religion, and their own existence. -
King Charles Marries Henrietta Maria (English Civil War)
King Charles I marries Henrietta Maria, daughter of Henry IV of France, which wasn’t received well because she was Catholic -
King Charles Signs Petition of Rights (English Civil War)
King Charles signs the Petition of Rights presented to him by Parliament. The document protected from further taxation unless authorized by Parliament -
King Charles I Executed (English Civil War)
King Charles was beheaded outside Whitehall Palace, and buried in St George’s Chapel, which marked the end of the English Civil War. -
Thomas Hobbes publishes Leviathan (Enlightenment)
Thomas Hobbes documented ideas of social construct, stating that a person with absolute power should rule a nation, with responsibility for protection and prosperity. -
The Glorious Revolution (Enlightenment)
James II’s daughter overthrows him and makes the crown and Parliament equal in power. -
Meeting of the Estates General (French Revolution)
King Louis XVI called the estates general for the first time in years, aiming to solve the countries financial crisis. The 3rd estate could be canceled out by voting, which was unfair to them and led to them making the Tennis Court Oath. -
Storming of the Bastille (French Revolution)
The bastille, which was originally used as a prison, was stormed by an angry crowd intending to get gunpowder form their guns, since they knew it was being used to store it. This is the event commonly known as the event that started the revolution. -
March on Versailles (French Revolution)
France was going hungry and getting restless, so in October a large group of protesters marched from Paris to Versailles, breaking into it and demanding bread. The king agreed with the mob to go Paris, to “live among the people” -
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette Executed (French Revolution)
On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was driven through the streets in Paris and guillotined after being found guilty from trial. Marie Antoinette had a trial shortly after, and she was also found guilty and beheaded. -
Reign of Terror Begins (French Revolution)
A new National Convention was created, with the Committee of Public Safety dominating it. Maximilien Robespierre was the leader of the committee until he was executed himself. He and the committee led out in the beheading of over 16,000 people in less than a year, known as the Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon Crowned Emperor of French Empire (Napoleon)
Napoleon was named emperor in a ceremony held in the Notre Dame in Paris. There are rumors that he took the crown from the Pope and crowned himself, symbolizing that he was above even the church. -
Battle of Trafalgar (Napoleon)
Napoleon is defeated by the same general he lost to in the Battle of the Nile, Horacio Nelson. The British Royal Navy fought against the fleets of France and Spain. Even though Nelson died in the battle, Britain was victorious. -
Napoleon Exiled to St Helena (Napoleon)
After escaping Elba, gathering an army, and getting defeated again at Waterloo, Napoleon is finally exiled for life at the remote island of St Helena, where he dies at age 51. -
Victoria Becomes Queen of England (Victorian England)
Victoria became queen of England after her uncle William IV died. She rules for 60 years, longer than any British monarch had before. England under her rule saw major social and economic growth -
Slavery is Abolished in the British Empire (Victorian England)
In 1834, slaves started to work as "apprentices." When abolitionists won the fight against the system, over 700,000 slaves were freed from the British Caribbean. Plantation owners received compensation for their loss of labor, but freed slaves received nothing, sadly. -
Opium Wars Begin (Imperialism)
The Opium Wars actually became two different wars fought over British trade in China and China's sovereignty. The main conflict was over trading opium, an addictive drug, for Chinese goods. The Chinese government refused to legalize and tax opium. -
Treaty of Kanagawa (Imperialism)
The Treaty of Kanagawa was the first treaty between the Tokugawa shogunate and the United States. Commodore Perry signed it, representing the U.S. government. The treaty allowed the opening of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade. -
Sepoy Mutiny/Indian Rebellion (Imperialism)
Sepoys were Indian soldiers under command of British generals in the East India Company. They rebelled against British rule in the Indian Mutiny/Rebellion. The reason behind the soldiers rebellion was a new type of cartridge that used grease from pigs and cows, which could be seen as offensive to Hindus/Muslims. -
Victoria's husband Prince Albert dies age 42 (Victorian England)
Victoria's beloved husband Prince Albert died prematurely, causing Victoria to go into a period of mourning for the rest of her life. She never ceased mourning, withdrawing herself from the public for long periods of time. Her mourning practices influenced those that became popular during the era. -
Alexander Graham Bell Invents the Telephone (Turn of the Century Innovations)
Alexander Graham Bell is credited with inventing the telephone for submitting the first successful patent. There were other other inventors such as Elisha Gray and Antonio Meucci who also worked on the project. It was first called the 'electric telegraph." -
Nikolaus Otto Develops first Modern Internal Combustion Engine (Turn of the Century Innovations)
Nikolaus Otto was a German engineer that developed an internal combustion engine that ran on petroleum fuel, similar to the ones in cars today. His standard for how his engine worked with a fuel-air mixture and a "timed spark" is now the basis for how all engines of his style work. -
Thomas Edison Invents the Light Bulb (Turn of the Century Innovations)
Thomas Edison and his researchers in Menlo Park patented a design for a light bulb with a carbon filament. After testing over 3000 designs, they finally came up with one that worked. Though there might have been designs before his, he was the first to patent a practical one. -
Berlin Conference (Imperialism)
The Berlin Conference divided Africa as it is today. It regulated European colonization and trade in Africa during the "New Imperialism" period. It was partly due to Germany's emergence as a major power. -
Treaty of Portsmouth (Imperialism)
The Treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese War. It was signed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, United States. It affirmed the presence of Japan in south Manchuria and Korea.
