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The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot was a failed attempt to assassinate King James I. It was organized by Robert Catesby, who wanted to stop persecution of Roman Catholics by the English government. It failed when Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, was with gunpowder in the cellar of the Parliament building. The men involved with the plot were tried and assassinated for the attempt. -
The Start of the English Civil War
Charles I officially declared war against Parliament. He raised his standard at Nottingham. This war started because of a dispute over an Irish uprising. -
King Charles I's Execution
King Charles I was executed for treason after he lost in the English Civil War. He was publicly beheaded. They decided not to replace him and to dissolve the monarchy, making England a commonwealth. -
Oliver Cromwell's "Execution"
Almost two years after his death, Oliver Cromwell's body was dug up. He was then "executed" to show that he was a traitor. This occurred on the twelfth anniversary of King Charles I's executions. -
John Locke's Death
John Locke died as his wife read Psalms to him. He died after a successful life of philosophy. One of his more famous ideas was that people should have rights to life, liberty, and property. -
Voltaire Arrested
Voltaire was arrested for speaking out against politics and religion. He had written an epic poem that had a satirical attack on these subjects. Because of this, he was arrested and held in the Bastille for nearly a year. -
Samuel Slater's Birth
Samuel Slater was born on this day. He would later memorize British plans and take them to America. He is considered to be the Father of the American Industrial Revolution. Since there were laws against spreading British plans, he got the nickname Slater the Traitor. -
The Steam Engine
James Watt's condenser was patented. This improved an earlier design of steam engines. Steam engines that had this condenser on it needed two thirds less coal. -
Discovery of New Zealand
James Cook discovered New Zealand on this day. Later, he landed there and claimed it for Britain. He drew more accurate maps and studied the native people, the Maori, while he was there. -
Australia Claimed
Captain James Cook claimed Australia for Britain. At the time, he called it New South Wales. It was originally used as a prison colony. -
"The Wealth of Nations" Publication
"The Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith was published. This book said that the economy should be more privately based and less government regulated. For the beliefs he wrote in this book, Smith is often referred to as the father of capitalism. -
The Tennis Court Oath
The Third Estate representatives had been locked out of the Estates General. They had declared themselves the National Assembly. They moved to a tennis court and vowed to stay their until they were promised a constitution. On June 23, Louis XVI relented and ordered the estates to meet and vote by population on a constitution. -
The Storming of the Bastille
French citizens took over the Bastille. This was a French prison that was being used to store gunpowder. The French people stormed it to get the gunpowder for their guns. -
The Night Session of August 4, 1789
This was a meeting of the National Assembly in response to a letter about properties being destroyed and the authorities having no power. The session determined that the feudal regime was abolished and all Frenchmen had to pay the same taxes, follow the same laws, and could run for the same offices. -
The Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen
This was a declaration that showed the rights that men had. It guaranteed rights to liberty, property, and resistance to oppression. It did not, however, specify whether women and slaves had rights. -
Execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI was guillotined. He had been found guilty of treason. The thought was that as long as he was still alive, the monarchy could be restored. -
Eli Whitney Patents the Cotton Gin
On this day, Eli Whitney applied to patent the cotton gin. The patent expired before he gained much profit off of it. The machine allowed cotton to be separated much quicker. Sadly, it also boosted slavery. -
Napoleon Crowned Emporer
Napoleon was crowned emperor of France by the Pope. The story is that he took the crown from the Pope and crowned himself. This showed that he was above the church, but is no likely to be true. -
The Abolition of the Slave Trade
The slave trade was abolished in England and its colonies. Slavery was not completely abolished. This was a step closer to the end of slavery, though. -
Napoleon's Abdication
Napoleon abdicated his position on April 11. A few days prior, he had abdicated with the condition that his son would be the next emperor, but the Allies demanded an unconditional abdication. This was his final abdication. -
Napoleon's Death
Napoleon died on St. Helena. His official cause of death was stomach cancer. Some people believe he was poisoned because of arsenic that was found in his system. However, this is not a very popular theory with modern historians. -
The Second Reading of the Factories' Regulation Bill
Michael Sadler proposed a bill to restrict child labor. He wanted people under the age of eighteen to only work for ten hours a day. While Parliament did not pass the bill, they agreed to look into it. -
The Abolition of Slavery Act
The act to end slavery was finally passed. Most slaves were not freed this day. It was a gradual abolishment. In fact, only slaves six years and under were actually freed on this day. -
Treaty of Nanjing
This treaty ended the first Opium War. China had fought this war against Britain because the British were smuggling opium into China and getting a lot of the population addicted. China lost the war lost a lot of their power to Britain. This was the first of several unequal treaties. -
The Fist Telegraph Message
The first telegraph message was sent by Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the telegraph. It was sent from Washington D.C. to Baltimore. It said, "What hath God wrought?" This invention led to the inventions of other communication technology, like the telephone. -
The Treaty of Kanagawa
This was a trade treaty between the United States and Japan. U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into a port only for very high ranking Japanese officials. He gave them many gifts and also showed off his gunboats as a subtle threat. So, the Japanese signed a trade treaty with them. -
Prince Albert Dies
Prince Albert was Queen Victoria's husband. After his death, Queen Victoria wore black for the rest of her life. She set an example that had a huge effect on Victorian mourning etiquette. -
The First Phone Call
Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call ever. It was to his assistant Thomas A. Watson, summoning Watson to his laboratory. He said, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you." -
"Sallie Gardner at a Gallop"
This was one of the earliest motion pictures. It was made by Eadweard Muybridge. It used rigged strings to take pictures. -
The Opening of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower officially opened on this day. It was built to be the entrance to a world fair held in France. At the time, it was the tallest building in the world. It was also meant to be temporary, but it was made useful by putting a radio antenna on top. -
The Treaty of Shimonoseki
This treaty ended the Sino-Japanese war. This war started in 1894 and the Japanese won. They also gained a sphere of influence in Korea. -
J'accuse
Emile Zola published an open letter accusing French authorities of fraudulent evidence. He was supporting Alfred Dreyfus. This letter brought attention to Dreyfus' situation. -
The First Flight
The Wright brothers had the first flight. The flight lasted only twelve seconds. This took place in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. -
The Treaty of Portsmouth
This Treaty ended the Russo-Japanese War. This treaty was mediated by Theodore Roosevelt in Portsmouth. It made Japan known as a world power. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. On this day, he was assassinated by Gavrilo Princip. This assassination was the spark of World War I. -
The Start of the Armenian Genocide
On this day, several hundred Armenian intellectuals were arrested and executed by the Turkish government. Their had been prior tension between Armenians and Turks due to religion, and this broke the dam. After this day, around one million Armenians were killed by firing squad, death marches, or other methods. -
The Execution of Edith Cavell
Edith Cavell was a British nurse in Belgium who would help any wounded soldier she encountered, no matter which side they were fighting for. She helped some Allied soldiers escape British occupied Belgium, for which she was arrested and executed. Her execution was received poorly by the public, and she became a martyr. -
The Execution of Mata Hari
Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod, better known by her stage name Mata Hari, was a Dutch sex worker who was executed during World War I for being a spy. She would use her sex appeal to gain information from military people, more specifically the Crown Prince of Germany. It was not fully proven that she was a spy until the 1970s, when documents were released that proved that she was a spy. -
Russia Leaves World War I
Russia was in shambles this far into war. They had lost a lot of men, their government had collapsed, and they had a revolution that led the way to communism. The war just wasn't worth it anymore, so they decided to leave. On this day, a ceasefire was declared, leading the way to Russia forming treaties to formally end the war. -
The Representation of the People Act
The Representation of the People Act gave all men over twenty one the right to vote. It also gave women over thirty the right to vote. This was a big deal, as women were previously not allowed to vote at all. -
The Armistice
Germany and the Central Powers had run out of resources and decided to surrender and end the war. On this day, there was a ceasefire at 11:00 am. However, many people kept fighting past that time and the fighting didn't actually stop until later in the day. -
The Treaty of Versailles
This treaty officially ended the Great War. The negotiations were mostly done by the Big Four and Germany was not included at all. The terms of the treaty left Germany very mad and in shambles. The tension created by this treated helped cause World War II -
The Crystal Palace Burns Down
The Crystal Palace burned down due to unknown causes. This exhibition was made to show off British inventions. There were parts of it for other countries, but it was mainly to show off British innovation.
