-
The Capture of Guy Fawkes
On the fifth of November, Guy Fawkes was found under the Parliament building with thirty-six barrels or two tons of gunpowder in one of the cellars. Guy Fawkes was one of the conspirators in a plot, led by Robert Cates, to blow up Parliament while the king was there; an attempt to over throw Protestant rule. The conspirators were Catholic, and the plan was that when the government was without governing bodies, it would fall to chaos and the Catholics would band together and take control. -
The Death of Guy Fawkes
On January 31, 1606, Guy Fawkes met his fate. Found guilty of treason as a result of his involvement in the Gunpowder Plot; a plot to blow up the king and parliament, and bring back catholic rule. On January 30th the executions of the conspirators began, all who had a part in the Gunpowder Plot were sentenced to be hung, drawn, and quartered. However, on January 31, 1606, when Guy Fawkes was climbing the hanging platform, he jumped off the ladder, breaking his neck and dying instantly. -
The Birth of John Locke
On August 29, 1632, John Locke was born. He greatly influenced our government today. He believed that people were born naturally good and were corrupted by experiences. He talked a lot about natural rights, (the rights granted to you for being born a human being which according to him include, life, liberty, and property) That is used directly in the declaration of independence, however, instead of property it is called pursuit of happiness due to the controversy over owning slaves. -
The Death of Charles I
On January 30, 1649, King Charles I was publicly executed ending the English Civil War that he had fought against Parliament and the “roundheads” (supporters of parliament). It was the first time a King was publicly executed. It was a cold day and he wore many layers of clothing so that he might not shiver, and people would not think he quaked with fear. He gave a short speech, then laid his head on the block. He said a short prayer then at the signal the executioner severed his head. -
The Exhumation of Cromwell
On January 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell met his fate, again. He had already died at age 59, most likely due to kidney illness. When Charles II was returned to power, vengeful loyalists wished they could have executed Cromwell. Therefore on January 30, 1661, Oliver Cromwell was exhumed and experienced a posthumous execution. He was hung in chains, then his head cut off. His body was flung into a pit and his head stuck on a spike as a remembrance and warning. -
The Birth of Montesquieu
On January 18, 1689 Montesquieu was born. He was a highly influential writer of the enlightenment period, and directly influenced the US government with his book The Spirit of the Laws. It discussed that the government ought to be split into 3 pieces, legislative, executive and judicial. He also believed in checks and balances, something that also directly translated into the American government system. -
The Birth of Voltaire
On November 26, 1694 Voltaire was born. He was a key figure in the enlightenment and spoke mainly of the freedom of speech and religion. He is famed for saying, “I do not agree with a word you say but will defend to the death your right to say it.” He was very outspoken and was unafraid to make enemies if you disagreed with him. As a result, he was imprisoned twice and exiled to England as an alternative to indefinite imprisonment. -
The Birth of James Hargreaves
James Hargreaves was important to the industrial revolution as he created the spinning jenny. This was supposedly named after his daughter but now historians doubt this. It was a spinning wheel that made the spinning of wool and cotton much more efficient. -
The Birth of James Watt
James Watt was very important to the industrial revolution as he is credited with the invention of the steam engine. This was a very important invention as it revolutionized transportation both in water and on land. Prior to this, on the rivers and canals, boats had to be pulled from the banks to their destination, and horses had to be used to transport things on land. -
Birth of Eli Whitney
Eli Whitney was born on December 8, 1765. He was an integral person in the industrial revolution when it carried over to America. He is best known for the invention of the cotton gin which revolutionized cotton production and made slaves far more valuable. He also began making interchangeable parts for guns which quickly spread to all sorts of devices. -
The Birth of Micheal Sadler
Micheal Sadler was important to the industrial revolution as he fought for laws for child workers. This was a important as the inventions and factories were growing faster than the laws covering them, and children were forced to work extremely long hours in horrible conditions. Sadler worked to reduce the hours worked and the jobs children were allowed to do. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Now known as the start of the Revolution, the Bastille was stormed for the gunpowder stored within it. 73 people were wounded, 18 people died, 7 of which were guards. This event occurred due to the rumors that the King was going to use the military on the National Assembly. -
The Women’s Bread March
On March 5, 1789 a spontaneous demonstration of Parisian women began over the price of bread. It soon turned into a march on Versailles where the King was. When they arrived the palace guards were overwhelmed and the royal family was forced to return to Paris. -
The execution of Louis XVI
Louis XVI was guillotined by revolutionaries who had tired of an unequal caste feudal system. He was one of the many casualties of the reign of terror. He had tried to remedy things through the estates general but as shown by his decapitation, over time tings grew progressively worse. On thing that especially led to his execution was his family’s attempt to flee France for Austria. -
The Execution of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was guillotine on October 16th, 1793. She was hated by the French people due to the fact she was Austrian and being involved in 2 scandals. She did nothing in both scandals and was unfairly blamed, regardless her popularity plummeted. She also had a “peasants cottage” and enjoyed pretending to be a peasant girl, this also was not appreciated by the French people. -
The execution of Maximillian Robespierre
A leader of the committee of public safety, (that ironically was responsible for many arrests and executions) and a member of the extreme Jacobins, he was killed on July, 28 1794. People had grown tired of the bloodshed and so looked for someone to blame. Robespierre’s death signaled the end of the reign of terror. -
Napoleon’s Coronation
On December 2, 1804 Napoleon was crowned emperor. The popular story was that he crowned himself emperor, but this is probably false. Many were surprised the French people were willing to accept an emperor so soon after overthrowing a king/monarchy. Napoleon also crowed his first wife, Josephine. -
The Abolition of the Slave Trade in England
The abolition of slave trade in England was monumental as it was the beginnings of the end of slavery in England. This mainly occurred to raise the wages of the factory workers. It was still legal to own slaves at this time, only the buying and selling of slaves came to a stop. -
The Battle of Waterloo
The battle of Waterloo took place after Napoleon had escaped his exile on Elba. He was defeated there for the last time but the 7th coalition. It marked the end of the Hundred days from his escape from Elba to his defeat a Waterloo. After this he was exiled to St. Helena where he ultimately died. -
Birth of Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria is who the Victorian era is named for, an era in which etiquette was extreme and complicated. Queen Victoria rose to power in a time in which the monarchy was not well liked but she brought the people to her side with her style, personality, practicality, and modesty. She is remembered as a good Queen who ruled well for the longest of any monarch until Elizabeth the second. -
Death of Napoleon
Napoleon died on the island of St. Helena in exile. He died of stomach cancer or stomach ulcers. Some thought he was poisoned due to trace amounts of Arsenic found in his stomach but historians today thing that it was just residue from the arsenic that was used for many things at that time. He was on St. Helena as a result of his escape from his previous exile. -
The Abolition of Slavery in England
This was when slavery was finally abolished in England, it ended what was begun when the abolition of slave trade ended. This was hard fought for by Olauduh Equiano who was a former slave who bought his freedom and William Wilberforce the so called conscience of parliament. Following the abolition of slavery in England things did not immediately become idyllic but was a process. -
The Treaty of Nanjing
The treaty of Nanjing ended the opium wars and was the first of a number of unequal treaties that were a result of China’s loss of the opium wars. The opium wars began as China was not very open to trade, but the British realized that they would buy opium. The attempt to stop this, by the Chinese and the resistance of the British who were making money off opium resulted in the opium wars. -
The Opening of the Crystal Palace
The crystal palace was built to display the inventions that resulted from the industrial revolution that took place in England. Other countries soon caught on but England was the first for a number of reasons. The biggest reasons were political stability, natural resources and the presence of the factors of production: land, labor, and capital. -
The Treaty of Kanagawa
The Treaty of Kanagawa was the treaty in which the Japanese opened up to trade with the USA. This began their journey of modernization, and growing into an imperial power. The Japanese looked at the fate of China and in an attempt to avoid being strong armed they opens up voluntarily. -
Death of Prince Alfred
Prince Alfred was the husband of Queen Victoria, when she died she mourned for the rest of her life. Her mourning practices were watched and emulated adding to the Victorian obsession with death. She did things like set out a new set of clothes for him every day, and wore black for the rest of her life. -
The invention of the Telephone
The first telephone call ever made was on March 10, 1876. The call was made by Alexander Graham Bell, who called to ask his assistant to come see what he had created. This changed our way of existence and made connection on a much grander scale possible and eventually evolved into our modern cell phone. -
Patent of the lightbulb
The light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1880. It was a means of artificial indoor light, while it took time to spread into indoor areas everywhere, it soon became prevalent across the globe. It is the invention for which Edison is the most famous, and it changed who we live our lives today. -
Patent of First Practical Automobile
Karl Benz in credited with the invention of if not the first automobile, then the first practical automobile. This however, was still not a possibility for most due to the cost. It would be Henry Ford who would make widespread use of the automobile. -
The Treaty of Shimonoseki
The treaty of shimonoseki concluded the Sino-Japanese war, a war between Japan and China. This war concluded with Japan victorious, and gaining several assets such as Taiwan, Manchuria, and a sphere of influence in Korea. Later Japan would fight Russia over the technicalities of Korea. -
Death of Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria died on January 22nd, 1901, in the Osborn house on the Isle of Wight. It ended a reign of nearly 64 years, the second longest in English history. She was buried with number of items including a plaster hand of her husband, pictures and hair from loved ones and a number of other odd things. -
End of the Boer War
The Boer was broke out between the British and the Boers. The Boers were Dutch farmers that had settled their in Africa. This was no problem until the British discovered gold and diamonds in the land. The wanted some and the Boers resisted, and war broke out. The British were victorious as they had more forces and better technology. -
First Real Flight
Brothers Wilbur and Orville Wright designed and built the first engine powered flying machine. The first flight took place on December 17, 1903 in Kitty Hawk North Carolina. This gave rise to the air industry, including plane use for war and transport. -
The Battle of Tsushima
The battle of Tsushima was a major naval battle between Russia and Japan during the Russo-Japanese war. During the battle the Japanese obliterated the Russian navy for the most part. This battle while often forgotten is important as it showed Japans strength and ability as it rose to be a major imperial power. -
Signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth
This treaty ended the Russo-Japanese war, this was surprising as no one favored the Japanese to win. This really proved to the world that Japan was a force to be reckoned with on the global imperialistic power stage. This treaty was dealer with by Theodore Roosevelt, an act for which gained him a noble peace prize. -
The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand’s assassination is often and nearly always seen as the event that begun, or the start of world war 1. He was shot by Gavrilo Princip as his wife was as well. They conspirators for the assassination thought that they were protecting themselves and their country and Franz was vocal about his dislike and mistrust. However, he was a patriot and had staved off war to protect his country, when he died, chaos broke loose. -
Execution of Edith Cavell
Edith Cavell was a nurse in the firth world war. Se is credited with being not discriminating, helping soldiers from either side of the war with out bias. She is also credited with helping 200 allied soldier escape from German occupied Belgium. She was arrested however and shot and executed by firing squad. -
The Death of Rasputin
Rasputin was a widely hated figure and played a large role in ending the Czarist rule and being on the Russian Revolution. His death is said by Yusupov to be quite a thing, saying that he drank poison, was shot, but was apparently still alive. He was then tied, wrapped in a carpet and thrown in the river where he died of drowning, not from his wounds or the gunshots. -
Citizens protest in Petrograd
On March 8th, 1917, citizens protested in the streets of Petrograd, and soldiers refused to shoot the rioters. This showed the at the czar no longer had any real power because no one would listen or care what he said anymore. This was shown when Nicholas ordered legislature to disband but his order was defied, because he had no real power anymore. -
Czar Nicholas II abdicates his position as czar
This was important because it showed his lack of power and control as well as showing how far his popularity would fall. Something that led to his downfall were his poor choice to go lead the troops at the front even though he had no military training. This ultimately ending in the murder of him and his entire family. -
The execution of Mata Hari
Mata Hari was a female spy in the First World War. Her original name was Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod. She was a spy for the French but a double agent for the Germans. She was executed by firing squad when that was discovered. -
The Death of the Red Baron
Manfred con Richthofen was a German pilot in World War One. He is credited with successfully shooting down the most planes of any pilot of the war. He gained the title the Red Baron as he painted his plane a bright red as a sort of psychological fear factor, and he was actually a German Baron. He was shot down b the Canadian captain Brown who is credited for his death. -
Death of the Last Czar and his Family
On July 17th, the czar and his family were tricked into going down to the basement cellar. The Bolsheviks then lined up a firing squat and shot at them until they died. However, the women all had jewels sewn into their corsets, to the bullets were ricocheting off of them, so bayonets were used. -
Death of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was the leader of the Bolshevik party that overthrew the Czar and his family. He was very successful in the following year in implementing a stable communist dictatorship in Russia. However, he failed to name an heir, so that led to the fight between Stalin and Trotsky for power. -
The burning down of the Crystal Palace (The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations)
The crystal palace had worked to exhibit all the inventions that came from the industrial revolution in England. Other countries had small segments of the building in which to display their achievements but it was mainly for England’s inventions. Queen Victoria visited the Crystal Palace a total of three times before it burnt down. -
The Death of Josef Stalin
Stalin was a serious figure in Russia and is credited with the deaths of 1 million directly and about 12 million deaths in work camps and prisons. Yet, as he so strictly censored media, and was seen everywhere, on his death, gobs of people came to pay there respects and many were very sad. They were mourning the legend that Stalin had created himself to be however, as the character of the real man was distinctly different from the legend.