Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas from Spain.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus, Spanish Empire, Columbian Exchange, European Colonization, Atlantic World, Indigenous Peoples, Discovery

Ferdinand and Isabella sign the Alhambra Decree, expelling all Jews from Spain unless they convert to Catholicism; 40,000–200,000 leave.

Tags: Religious Violence, Anti-Semitism, Expulsion, Ferdinand II of Aragon, Isabella I of Castile, Catholicism, Conversion, Human Rights

Christopher Columbus landed on modern-day Puerto Rico.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Christopher Columbus, Spanish Colonization, Columbian Exchange, European Exploration, Indigenous Peoples

Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas and agree to divide the World outside of Europe between themselves.

Tags: Treaty, Colonialism, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Papal Authority, Geopolitics, Imperialism

Manuel I succeeds John II as the king of Portugal (reigns until 1521).

Tags: Monarchy, Portuguese Empire, Renaissance, Exploration, Age of Discovery, Colonialism, Succession

First portable watch is created by Peter Henlein of Germany.The Iberian Union in 1598, under Philip II, King of Spain and Portugal

Tags: Timekeeping, Iberian Union, Renaissance, Mechanical Engineering, Portable Devices

Charles of Ghent (future Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor) was born.

Tags: Habsburg Dynasty, Holy Roman Empire, Spanish Empire, Renaissance, Monarchy, European Politics, Dynastic Succession, Imperialism

Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas.

Tags: Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire

Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Portuguese Empire, Age of Discovery

Death of Isabella I of Castile; Joanna of Castile becomes the Queen.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Castile, Spanish Empire, Isabella I of Castile, Political Transition

Martin Luther enters St. Augustine's Monastery at Erfurt, Germany, on 17 July and begins his journey to instigating the Reformation.

Tags: Christianity, Monasticism, Catholicism, Religious History, Religious Reform

Christopher Columbus dies in Valladolid, Spain.

Tags: Exploration, Colonialism, Discovery, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, European Expansion, Atlantic World

King Afonso I of Kongo wins the battle of Mbanza Kongo, resulting in Catholicism becoming Kongo's state religion.Battle of Cerignola: El Gran Capitan ...

Tags: Catholicism, Battle, Military, Christianization, Colonialism, African History, Religious Conversion

Vasco Núñez de Balboa, in service of Spain arrives at the Pacific Ocean (which he called Mar del Sur) across the Isthmus of Panama. He was the first E...

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Panama, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, New World, Maritime History

Juan Ponce de León sights Florida and Vasco Núñez de Balboa sights the eastern edge of the Pacific Ocean.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Spanish Empire, Geography, Age of Exploration, Colonialism, Conquest

Ascension of Francis I of France as King of France following the death of Louis XII.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Succession, Francis I, Monarchy, French History

The Reformation begins when Martin Luther posts his Ninety-five Theses in Saxony.

Tags: Christianity, Saxony, Religious Reform, Catholicism, Printing Press, Religious Doctrine, Heresy

Death of Emperor Maximilian; Charles I of Austria, Spain, and the Low Countries becomes Emperor of Holy Roman Empire as Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor ...

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Charles V, Emperor, Succession, Habsburgs, Monarchy, Imperialism

The first European diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, sent by the Portuguese, arrives at Massawa 9 April, and reaches the imperial encampment of Emperor ...

Tags: Diplomacy, Exploration, Portuguese Empire, Ethiopian Empire, Foreign Relations

Sweden gains independence from the Kalmar Union.

Tags: Independence, Denmark, Monarchy, Nationalism, Union

Giovanni da Verrazzano is the first European to explore the Atlantic coast of North America between South Carolina and Newfoundland.

Tags: Exploration, Age of Discovery, Cartography

Protestant Reformation begins in Sweden.

Tags: Christianity, Religion, Religious Reform, European History

Foundation of São Vicente, the first permanent Portuguese settlement in the Americas.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Exploration, Colonialism, Atlantic World

Anne Boleyn becomes Queen of England.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Henry VIII, Christianity, Marriage, English Reformation, Monarchy, Royal Court

Elizabeth Tudor is born.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, Monarchy, Succession, English Monarchy, Religious Reformation, Henry VIII

Jacques Cartier claims Canada for France.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Colonialism, French Empire, New France, North American History, Political Expansion

Affair of the Placards, where King Francis I becomes more active in repression of French Protestants.

Tags: Christianity, Francis I, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Huguenots, Religious Conflict

Catherine of Aragon dies in Kimbolton Castle, in England.Territorial expansion of the Ottoman Empire under Suleiman (in red and orange)

Tags: Tudor England, Ottoman Empire, Death, Suleiman the Magnificent, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Monarchy, Marriage, Divorce, Catholicism, Succession

In England, Anne Boleyn is beheaded for adultery and treason.

Tags: Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Henry VIII, Adultery, Monarchy, Treason, Political Intrigue

Establishment of the Inquisition in Portugal.

Tags: Inquisition, Religious Violence, Catholicism, Anti-Semitism, Heresy, Jews, Conversion

William Tyndale's partial translation of the Bible into English is published, which would eventually be incorporated into the King James Bible.

Tags: Bible, Translation, Christianity, English Language, Religious Texts, Printing Press

Hernando de Soto explores inland North America.

Tags: Exploration, Colonization, Spanish Empire, Age of Exploration, Conquest, Indigenous Peoples, Colonialism, Early American History

The Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits, is founded by Ignatius of Loyola and six companions with the approval of Pope Paul III.

Tags: Jesuits, Catholicism, Counter-Reformation, Religious Orders, Missionary Work, Education, Religious History

Amazon River is encountered and explored by Francisco de Orellana.

Tags: Exploration, Discovery, Amazon, Age of Exploration, Spanish Empire, Geography, Colonialism

The Council of Trent meets for the first time in Trent (in northern Italy).

Tags: Catholicism, Counter-Reformation, Council, Religious History, Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Church Reform

Henry VIII dies in the Palace of Whitehall on 28 January at the age of 55.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Renaissance, Christianity, Henry VIII, English History

Francis I dies in the Château de Rambouillet on 31 March at the age of 52.

Tags: French Monarchy, Francis I, French History, Royal Death, Renaissance, Succession, European History

Edward VI becomes King of England and Ireland on 28 January and is crowned on 20 February at the age of 9.

Tags: English Monarchy, Tudor Dynasty, Succession, Monarchy, Christianity

Grand Prince Ivan the Terrible is crowned tsar of (All) Russia, thenceforth becoming the first Russian tsar.

Tags: Tsar, Ivan the Terrible, Monarchy, Russian History, Autocracy, Tsardom, Imperialism

Tomé de Sousa establishes Salvador in Bahia, north-east of Brazil.

Tags: Colonization, Portuguese Empire, Settlement, Colonialism, Foundation, Capital City, Exploration, Governance

Mary Tudor becomes the first queen regnant of England and restores the Church of England under Papal authority.

Tags: Christianity, Catholicism, Papal Authority, Religious Violence

Princess Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London upon the orders of Mary I for suspicion of being involved in the Wyatt rebellion.

Tags: Tudor England, Elizabeth I, Tudor Dynasty, English Reformation, Monarchy, Imprisonment, Succession, Political Intrigue

Elizabeth Tudor becomes Queen Elizabeth I at age 25.

Tags: Monarchy, Queen, Succession, Tudor Dynasty, English Monarchy, Christianity, Renaissance

Jeanne d'Albret declares Calvinism the official religion of Navarre.

Tags: Navarre, Huguenots, Christianity, Religious Reform, French Wars of Religion, Religious Politics

Guido de Bres draws up the Belgic Confession of Protestant faith.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Theology

Spanish settlers outside New Spain (Mexico) colonize Florida's coastline at St. Augustine.

Tags: Colonization, Florida, Exploration, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Settlement, New World, Indigenous Peoples

Mary, Queen of Scots, is imprisoned by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Elizabeth I, Tudor Period, Scottish History, English History, Monarchy, Political Intrigue, Imprisonment, Religious Conflict

Gerardus Mercator creates the first Mercator projection map.

Tags: Cartography, Navigation, Geography, Mapping, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Renaissance, Global Trade

The Transylvanian Diet, under the patronage of the prince John Sigismund Zápolya, the former king of Hungary, inspired by the teachings of Ferenc Dávi...

Tags: Religious Freedom, Christianity

The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth is created with the Union of Lublin which lasts until 1795.

Tags: Commonwealth, Political Union, Monarchy

Pope Pius V issues Regnans in Excelsis, a papal bull excommunicating all who obeyed Elizabeth I and calling on all Catholics to rebel against her.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Conflict, Papal Bull, Elizabeth I, Counter-Reformation, Excommunication, English Reformation, Catholicism

Jeanne d'Albret dies aged 43 and is succeeded by Henry of Navarre.

Tags: Succession, Huguenots, French Wars of Religion, Monarchy, Navarre, Religious Conflict

Spain unifies with Portugal under Philip II. The struggle for the throne of Portugal ends the Portuguese Empire. The Spanish and Portuguese crowns are...

Tags: Philip II, Union, Empire, Spanish Empire, Portuguese Empire, Iberian Union, Colonialism, Political Union, Monarchy

Dutch Act of Abjuration, declaring abjuring allegiance to Philip II of Spain.

Tags: Dutch Revolt, Philip II, Independence, Rebellion, Christianity, Political Revolution, Sovereignty

Gregorian calendar is introduced in Europe by Pope Gregory XIII and adopted by Catholic countries.

Tags: Calendar, Astronomy, Catholicism, Timekeeping, Christianity, Religious Authority, Renaissance

Mary, Queen of Scots is executed by Elizabeth I.

Tags: Tudor England, Monarchy, Religious Conflict, Scottish History, Elizabeth I, Execution, Succession, English Reformation

William Lee invents the stocking frame.

Tags: Textile Industry, Industrial Revolution, Mechanization, Manufacturing

Catherine de' Medici dies at aged 69.

Tags: French Monarchy, Renaissance, Religious Wars, Monarchy

Galileo Galilei invents a thermometer.

Tags: Galileo Galilei, Scientific Revolution, Instrumentation, Measurement, Physics

The Edict of Nantes ends the French Wars of Religion.

Tags: Huguenots, Henry IV, Religious Tolerance, French Wars of Religion, Catholicism, Religious Freedom, Christianity, Counter-Reformation

Michael the Brave unifies the three Romanian countries: Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania after the Battle of Șelimbăr from 1599.

Tags: Unification, Romanian History, Principality, Political Geography

Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake for heresy in Rome.Siege of Fiľakovo castle during the Long Turkish War

Tags: Catholicism, Military, Religious Violence, Heresy, Renaissance, Scientific Revolution, Inquisition, Martyrdom

On February 17 Giordano Bruno is burned at the stake by the Inquisition.

Tags: Renaissance, Inquisition, Heresy, Religious Violence, Martyrdom, Catholicism, Astronomy, Philosophy

Michael the Brave (first unifier of Romania), voivode of Wallachia, Moldavia and Transylvania, is assassinated by the order of the Habsburg general Gi...

Tags: Assassination, Romanian History, Habsburgs, Political Intrigue

Elizabeth I of England dies and is succeeded by her cousin King James VI of Scotland, uniting the crowns of Scotland and England.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, Tudor Dynasty, Elizabeth I, Political Union

Gunpowder Plot failed in England.

Tags: Political Intrigue, Religious Conflict, Catholicism, Christianity, Conspiracy, Treason

Flight of the Earls (the fleeing of most of the native Gaelic aristocracy) occurs from County Donegal in the west of Ulster in Ireland.

Tags: Irish History, Aristocracy

Jamestown, Virginia, is settled as what would become the first permanent English colony in North America.

Tags: Colonialism, English Colonization, Early America, Virginia, British Empire, Exploration, Atlantic World

Earliest record of an optical telescope.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Optics, Astronomy, Dutch Republic, Hans Lippershey, Telescope, Observation

Quebec City founded by Samuel de Champlain in New France (present-day Canada).

Tags: Colonialism, Exploration, French Colonization, New France, Settlement, North American History

Maximilian of Bavaria establishes the Catholic League.

Tags: Religious Conflict, Catholicism, Holy Roman Empire, Thirty Years' War, Counter-Reformation, Christianity, League, Maximilian I

King Henry IV of France is assassinated by François Ravaillac.

Tags: Assassination, Monarchy, French History, Political Instability, Religious Conflict

The first publication of the King James Bible.

Tags: Bible, Christianity, Translation, English Literature, Religious Texts, Printing Press

The Time of Troubles in Russia ends with the establishment of the House of Romanov, which rules until 1917.

Tags: Time of Troubles, Romanov Dynasty, Dynastic Change, Political Instability, Monarchy, Tsar, Ivan the Terrible

The last remaining Moriscos (Moors who had nominally converted to Christianity) in Spain are expelled.

Tags: Religious Violence, Counter-Reformation, Spanish Empire, Conquest, Expulsion

The Defenestration of Prague.

Tags: Thirty Years' War, Religious Conflict, Christianity, Holy Roman Empire, Habsburgs, Political Violence, Diplomacy

The Brownist Pilgrims arrive in the Mayflower at Cape Cod.

Tags: Colonial America, Early American History, English Reformation, Massachusetts

Deposition and regicide of Ottoman sultan Osman II.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Regicide, Political Instability, Power Struggle, Military

Maffeo Barberini is elected Pope Urban VIII at the Papal conclave of 1623.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious History, Counter-Reformation, Italian Renaissance

1642: As chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu centralises power in France.

Tags: Monarchy, Absolutism, French History

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican completed.

Tags: Catholicism, Renaissance, Baroque, Vatican City, Architecture, Religious Buildings, Counter-Reformation, Art

Galileo Galilei arrives in Rome for his trial before the Inquisition.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Catholicism, Inquisition, Heliocentrism, Astronomy, Trial, Galileo Galilei, Religious Violence

Daughters of Charity of St Vincent de Paul is formed.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Orders, Charity, Social Reform, Philanthropy

Emperor Fasilides founds the city of Gondar, which becomes the capital of Ethiopia for the next two centuries.

Tags: Capital City, Imperial History, Monarchy, Political Development

Dutch Bible published.

Tags: Religion, Bible, Translation, Christianity, Printing Press, Religious Texts

King Charles was compelled to summon Parliament due to the revolt of the Scots.

Tags: English Civil War, Parliament, Royal Authority, Political Crisis, Monarchy

Louis XIV is crowned King of France. He reigned over the Kingdom of France until his death in 1715, making his reign the longest of any monarch in his...

Tags: Monarchy, French Monarchy, Absolutism, King, Louis XIV, Succession

Giovanni Battista Pamphili is elected Pope Innocent X at the Papal conclave of 1644.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Leadership, Counter-Reformation

Seven-year-old Mehmed IV becomes sultan.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Sultan, Monarchy, Succession, Islamic World

The Peace of Westphalia ends the Thirty Years' War and the Eighty Years' War and marks the ends of Spain and the Holy Roman Empire as major European p...

Tags: Peace Treaty, Thirty Years' War, Eighty Years' War, Sovereignty, Balance of Power, Diplomacy, Religious Tolerance, Holy Roman Empire

King Charles I is executed for high treason, the first and only English king to be subjected to legal proceedings in a High Court of Justice and put t...

Tags: English Civil War, Monarchy, Republic, Treason, Execution, Charles I, Parliament, Commonwealth of England, Political Revolution

Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament and replaces it with the Nominated Assembly (also called the Assembly of Saints or Barebones Parliament)...

Tags: English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell, Protectorate, Republic, Parliament, Puritans, Political Transition

Pendulum clock: Invented by Christiaan Huygens. It was first conceptualized in 1637 by Galileo Galilei but he was unable to create a working model.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Timekeeping, Clockmaking, Mechanics, Christiaan Huygens, Galileo Galilei

1661: Mehmed Köprülü is Grand Vizier.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Grand Vizier, Administration, Turkish History

Christiaan Huygens develops the first functional pendulum clock based on the learnings of Galileo Galilei.

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Timekeeping, Clockmaking, Physics, Mechanics, Galileo Galilei, Instrumentation, Precision

Cromwell dies and his son Richard becomes Lord Protector.

Tags: English Civil War, Commonwealth of England, Monarchy, Republic, Political Transition

Richard Cromwell is pressured into dissolving the Protectorate; the Rump Parliament is restored.

Tags: English Civil War, Protectorate, Commonwealth of England, Monarchy, Republic, Political Instability, Restoration

The Commonwealth of England ends and the monarchy is brought back during the English Restoration.

Tags: Restoration, Monarchy, Commonwealth of England, Political Transition, Parliament, British History

Mehmed Köprülü dies and is succeeded by his son Ahmed.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Succession, Grand Vizier, Political Power, Military Campaign, Imperial Politics, Governance

Cardinal Mazarin, de facto ruler of France, dies.

Tags: French Monarchy, Louis XIV, Royal Authority, Absolutism, Succession, Regency

Blaise Pascal invents a horse-drawn public bus which has a regular route, schedule, and fare system.

Tags: Transportation, Public Transit, Urbanization, Blaise Pascal, Infrastructure

James Gregory publishes designs for a reflecting telescope.

Tags: Astronomy, Optics, Telescopes, Scientific Revolution, Instrumentation

First functional reflecting telescope constructed by Isaac Newton.

Tags: Optics, Isaac Newton, Scientific Revolution, Astronomy, Telescope, Instrumentation

Peace Treaty of Lisbon between Spain and Portugal recognizes Portugal as independent country.

Tags: Treaty, Independence, Diplomacy, European History, Colonialism

The first known operational reflecting telescope is built by Isaac Newton.

Tags: Optics, Telescopes, Isaac Newton, Scientific Revolution, Astronomy, Physics

Lynching of Johan de Witt and his brother Cornelis de Witt in the Hague – William III of Orange takes power.

Tags: Political Assassination, Dutch Republic, Religious Conflict, Oligarchy, Regicide

Kara Mustafa becomes Grand Vizier.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Grand Vizier, Sultanate, Government, Administration, Military Leadership

The Treaty of Nijmegen ends various interconnected wars among France, the Dutch Republic, Spain, Brandenburg, Sweden, Denmark, the Prince-Bishopric of...

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Diplomacy, Balance of Power, Dutch Republic, Holy Roman Empire, Louis XIV, Conflicts

Peter the Great becomes joint ruler of Russia (sole tsar in 1696).

Tags: Russian Empire, Tsar, Monarchy, Succession, Romanov Dynasty, Political Power, Regency

La Salle explores the length of the Mississippi River and claims Louisiana for France.

Tags: Exploration, French Colonization, Louisiana, New France, Colonialism

Edict of Fontainebleau outlaws Protestantism in France. King Charles II dies.

Tags: Religious Violence, Christianity, Huguenots, Absolutism, Counter-Reformation

1689: The Glorious Revolution starts with the Dutch Republic invading England, England becomes a constitutional monarchy.

Tags: Glorious Revolution, Constitutional Monarchy, Dutch Republic, William of Orange, James II, Monarchy, Parliament, Political Reform

Bill of Rights gains royal consent.

Tags: Bill of Rights, Monarchy, Parliament, Constitutionalism, Glorious Revolution, Limited Government, Political Reform

William and Mary ascend to the throne over England, Scotland, and Ireland.

Tags: Glorious Revolution, Monarchy, William of Orange, Parliament, Constitutional Monarchy, Succession

1699: Grand Embassy of Peter the Great to Western Europe.

Tags: Peter the Great, Diplomacy, Westernization, Modernization, Foreign Policy, Travel, European History

Thomas Savery develops a steam-powered water pump: for draining mines

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, Mining, Mechanical Engineering, Energy

Thomas Savery demonstrates his first steam engine to the Royal Society.

Tags: Steam Engine, Industrial Revolution, Scientific Revolution, Royal Society, Energy

The Treaty of Karlowitz ends the Great Turkish War.

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Ottoman Empire, Holy Roman Empire, Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Territorial Changes

Kingdom of Prussia declared under King Frederick I.

Tags: Kingdom, Monarchy, Frederick I, Holy Roman Empire, German History, Political Transformation

Ashanti Empire is formed under Osei Kofi Tutu I.

Tags: Empire, Kingdom, Political Formation, Centralization

Saint Petersburg is founded by Peter the Great; it is the Russian capital until 1918.

Tags: Peter the Great, Capital City, Imperial Russia, Modernization, Tsardom, Empire Building, Urban Planning

The Act of Union is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Tags: Union, Political History, British Isles, Parliament, Monarchy, Governance

The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori

Tags: Music, Musical Instruments, Italian Renaissance, Development, Cultural Impact

Steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Power, Mining, Energy

Thomas Newcomen builds the first commercial steam engine to pump water out of mines. Newcomen's engine, unlike Thomas Savery's, uses a piston.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, Mining, Energy

The Treaty of Utrecht until War of the Spanish Succession ended after treaties of Rastatt and Baden were established in 1913 after a new British Gover...

Tags: Treaty, Warfare, Succession, Diplomacy, European History, Balance of Power, Spanish Empire

In Amsterdam, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the mercury-in-glass thermometer, which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the e...

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Measurement, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Mercury thermometer by Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit

Tags: Scientific Revolution, Measurement, Temperature, Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, Physics

Accession of George I, Elector of Hanover, to the throne of Great Britain.

Tags: Monarchy, Succession, British History, Constitutional Monarchy, Political Transition

Louis XIV dies, leaving France greatly enlarged but deep in debt; The Regency takes power under Philippe d'Orleans.

Tags: French Monarchy, Regency, Louis XIV, Succession, European History

Pope Clement XI declares Catholicism and Confucianism incompatible.

Tags: Catholicism, Confucianism, Christianity, Religious Doctrine, Missionary Work, Cultural Exchange

Robert Walpole becomes the first Prime Minister of Great Britain (de facto).

Tags: Prime Minister, British Politics, Constitutional Monarchy, Political Development

Kangxi Emperor bans Christian missionaries because of Pope Clement XI's decree.

Tags: Christianity, Qing Dynasty, Kangxi Emperor, Missionaries, Papal Authority, Religious Conflict, Cultural Exchange

Peter I reforms the Russian Orthodox Church.

Tags: Religious Reform, Peter the Great, Tsarist Russia, Church and State, Imperialism

1735: Charles Wesley and John Wesley begin Methodism in England.

Tags: Christianity, Religious Revival, Great Awakening

Mahmud I takes over Ottoman Empire after the Patrona Halil revolt, ending the Tulip period.

Tags: Ottoman Empire, Succession, Regime Change, Imperial History

1760: The First Great Awakening takes place in Great Britain and North America.

Tags: Religious Revival, Christianity, Evangelicalism, Religious Reform, George Whitefield, Colonial America, Social Impact

Flying shuttle invented by John Kay

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

Lewis Paul and John Wyatt invent the first mechanized cotton spinning machine.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

Pope Clement XII issues In eminenti apostolatus, prohibiting Catholics from becoming Freemasons.

Tags: Catholicism, Religious Doctrine, Excommunication, Secret Societies, Enlightenment, Religious History

Frederick the Great comes to power in Prussia.

Tags: Monarchy, Enlightened Absolutism, Frederick the Great, Kingdom, European History, Habsburgs, Military Reform

George Whitefield brings the First Great Awakening to New England

Tags: Religious Revival, Great Awakening, Evangelicalism, New England, George Whitefield, Colonial America, Christianity, Religious History, American History

Marvel's Mill, the first water-powered cotton mill, begins operation in England.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing, Economy

John Roebuck invents the lead chamber process.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Chemistry, Manufacturing, Early Technology

Jacques de Vaucanson perfects the first precision lathe

Tags: Precision Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering

George III becomes King of Britain.

Tags: Monarchy, British Empire, Succession, American Revolution

The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth chronometer of John Harrison

Tags: Navigation, Maritime History, Scientific Innovation, Exploration, Age of Exploration, Measurement

1796: Reign of Catherine the Great of Russia.

Tags: Monarchy, Tsardom, Enlightened Absolutism, Imperialism, Catherine the Great, Romanov Dynasty

James Hargreaves invents the spinning jenny.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing, Mechanization

James Watt enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new steel technologies

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Steel Production, Manufacturing

James Watt invents the improved steam engine utilizing a separate condenser.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Manufacturing, Energy

The Stamp Act is introduced into the American colonies by the British Parliament.

Tags: Colonialism, Taxation, British Empire, American Revolution, Parliament, Protest, Representation

Suppression of the Society of Jesus from the Spanish Empire.

Tags: Jesuits, Catholicism, Enlightenment, Spanish Empire, Colonialism, Religious Orders, Political Intrigue

Richard Arkwright and his partners build the world's first water-powered mill at Cromford.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Manufacturing

The Kalmyk Khanate dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand Kalmyks migrate back to Qing Dzungaria.

Tags: Migration, Imperialism, Colonization, Khanate, Qing Dynasty, Russian Empire, Nomadic Peoples

Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.

Tags: Monarchy, Coup d'état, Political Reform, Enlightened Absolutism, Gustav III, Absolutism, Royal Power

1795: The Partitions of Poland end the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.

Tags: Partition, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Territorial Division, Geopolitics

16 December, the Boston Tea Party.

Tags: American Revolution, Colonialism, Protest, Taxation, British Empire, Independence, Revolution

John Wilkinson invents his boring machine, considered by some to be the first machine tool.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Machine Tools, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering

Jesse Ramsden invents the modern screw-cutting lathe.

Tags: Manufacturing, Industrial Revolution, Precision, Machine Tools, Mechanization

Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the Zaporizhian Cossacks of Ukraine.

Tags: Russian Empire, Cossacks, Autonomy, Imperialism, Sovereignty

First improved steam engines installed by James Watt

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Engine, James Watt, Manufacturing, Energy

John Wilkinson invents a mechanical air compressor that would become the prototype for all later mechanical compressors.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering, Inventions, Mining, Manufacturing

The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

Tags: American Revolution, Independence, Declaration, Enlightenment, Thomas Jefferson

Franco-American alliance signed.

Tags: American Revolution, Diplomacy, International Relations, Warfare, Treaty

Amazing Grace published by John Newton

Tags: Christianity, Religious Music, Evangelicalism, Slavery, Global Impact

Joseph-Ralf and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier build the first manned hot air balloon.

Tags: Aeronautics, Flight, Transportation

The Treaty of Paris formally ends the American Revolutionary War.

Tags: American Revolution, Treaties, Diplomacy, Independence, Warfare, Nationalism

Russian Empire annexes the Crimean Khanate.

Tags: Imperialism, Expansionism, Geopolitics, Russian Empire, Ottoman Empire, Annexation, Catherine the Great

Bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin

Tags: Inventions, Optics, Benjamin Franklin, Medicine, American History

Argand lamp invented by Aimé Argand

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Lighting

Power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Mechanization, Manufacturing, Economic History

Automatic flour mill invented by Oliver Evans

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Agriculture, Automation, American History

Threshing machine invented by Andrew Meikle

Tags: Agriculture, Industrial Revolution

1788: The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

Tags: Political Theory, American Revolution, United States Constitution, Federalism, Political Philosophy, Early Republic, Founding Fathers

The United States Constitution is written in Philadelphia and submitted to the states for ratification.

Tags: Constitution, Founding Fathers, Federalism, Republicanism, Legislative Branch, Executive Branch, American Revolution, Political Philosophy

First permanent European settlement established in Australia by Britain at Sydney.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Exploration, Settlement, New South Wales, Indigenous Australians

New Hampshire becomes the 9th state to ratify the United States Constitution, and by the terms of Article VII it takes effect.

Tags: Constitution, Federalism, American Revolution, Political History, Early Republic, Founding Fathers

George Washington is elected the first President of the United States; he serves until 1797.

Tags: American Revolution, Presidency, George Washington, Founding Fathers, Federalism, Early Republic, Political Leadership, Constitution

Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen adopted.

Tags: French Revolution, Human Rights, Enlightenment, Natural Rights, Liberty, Equality

The United States Bill of Rights is ratified.

Tags: Bill of Rights, Constitution, Civil Liberties, Human Rights, Political History, American Revolution, Founding Fathers, Legal History, Federalism

Claude Chappe invents the modern semaphore telegraph.

Tags: Communication, Telegraphy, French Revolution

Eli Whitney invents the modern cotton gin.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Slavery, Textile Industry, Economy, Agriculture, United States History

Former King Louis XVI of France and his wife Marie Antoinette are guillotined. Louis is executed in January, Marie Antoinette in October.

Tags: French Revolution, Regicide, Monarchy, Republic, Radicalism

Jay's Treaty is concluded between Great Britain and the United States, by which the Western outposts in the Great Lakes are returned to the U.S. and c...

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, International Relations, Commerce, Territorial Disputes, Early Republic, George Washington

Joseph Bramah invents the hydraulic press.

Tags: Manufacturing, Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering

Pinckney's Treaty between the United States and Spain grants the Mississippi Territory to the U.S.

Tags: Treaty, Diplomacy, Territorial Expansion, Foreign Policy

Alois Senefelder invents the lithography printing technique.

Tags: Printing, Communication, Art, Mass Production

John Adams is inaugurated on March 4 as President of the United States following the 1796 United States presidential election. The peaceful transfer o...

Tags: Presidency, Inauguration, Political Transition, Federal Government, George Washington, Early Republic

Napoleon's invasion and partition of the Republic of Venice ends over 1,000 years of independence for the Serene Republic.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Revolution, Republic, Annexation, Political Transition, European History

The Lithographic printing process invented by Alois Senefelder

Tags: Printing, Communication, Industrial Revolution, Mass Production, Art

The first paper machine is invented by Louis-Nicolas Robert.

Tags: Paper, Printing, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Communication, Mass Production

Coup of 18 Brumaire - Napoleon's coup d'etat brings the end of the French Revolution.

Tags: Coup d'état, French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, Military, Dictatorship, Consulate

Napoleon stages a coup d'état and becomes First Consul of France.

Tags: French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte, Coup d'état, Consulate, Dictatorship

Alessandro Volta invents the voltaic pile, an early form of battery in Italy, based on previous works by Luigi Galvani.

Tags: Electricity, Battery, Physics

On 1 January, the bankrupt VOC is formally dissolved and the nationalized Dutch East Indies are established.

Tags: Colonialism, Dutch Empire, VOC, East Indies, Nationalization, Political Transition, Global Trade, Imperialism

American politician Alexander Hamilton begins publishing the New York Evening Post as the Federalist "Vehicle" for their news.

Tags: Media, Early Republic, Freedom of the Press

Thomas Jefferson elected President of the United States by the House of Representatives, following a tie in the Electoral College.

Tags: Presidential Election, Thomas Jefferson, Early Republic, Legislative Branch

The Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland merge to form the United Kingdom.

Tags: British Empire, Nationalism, Political Consolidation, Irish History, Legislation

Alexander I of Russia becomes tsar after the assassination of his father.

Tags: Russian Empire, Tsar, Monarchy, Succession, Imperialism, Political Instability

Napoleon and Pope Pius VII sign the Concordat of 1801 in Paris.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, Catholicism, Religious Freedom

William Cobbett begins weekly Political Register

Tags: Journalism, Radicalism, Freedom of the Press

William Symington demonstrates his Charlotte Dundas, the "first practical steamboat".

Tags: Transportation, Industrial Revolution

The United States almost doubles in size when it buys out France's territorial claims in North America in the Louisiana Purchase. This begins the Amer...

Tags: Westward Expansion, Territorial Acquisition, Manifest Destiny, American History, Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Thomas Jefferson

First steam locomotive begins operation.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Transportation, Steam Power

Joseph Marie Jacquard develops his automated Jacquard loom.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Textile Industry, Automation, Manufacturing, Mechanical Engineering

Richard Trevithick invents the steam locomotive.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Power, Transportation

Haiti gains independence from France and becomes the first black republic.

Tags: Independence, Revolution, Colonialism, French Revolution, Toussaint Louverture, Self-determination

Austrian Empire founded by Francis I.

Tags: Austrian Empire, Francis I, Holy Roman Empire, Monarchy, Political Consolidation, Habsburgs, Empire

Napoleon crowns himself Emperor of the French.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Empire, Coronation, French Revolution, Monarchy, European History, Imperialism

British and Foreign Bible Society founded by William Wilberforce and Thomas Charles

Tags: Christianity, Bible, Evangelicalism, Literacy, Missionary Work, Social Reform

1805–1848: Muhammad Ali modernizes Egypt.

Tags: Modernization, Ottoman Empire, Muhammad Ali, Political Reform, Military Reform, Nation Building, Imperialism

Holy Roman Empire dissolved as a consequence of the Treaty of Pressburg.

Tags: Holy Roman Empire, Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon Bonaparte, German Confederation, Political Transformation, European History, Sovereignty

Napoleon makes brother Joseph Bonaparte king of Naples & brother Louis Bonaparte king of Holland.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, Napoleonic Wars, French Empire, Monarchy, European Politics, Political Restructuring, Imperialism

Cape Colony becomes part of the British Empire.

Tags: British Empire, Colonialism, Expansionism, Imperialism, Napoleonic Wars, Cape Colony, Political Control

Robert Fulton expands water transportation and trade with the workable steamboat.

Tags: Transportation, Steam Power, Trade, Industrial Revolution

Britain and the United States separately make the Slave Trade a criminal act.

Tags: Slavery, Abolition, Transatlantic Slave Trade, Legislation, Human Rights

First treaty of Tilsit: Russia allies with France against Britain in the War of the Fourth Coalition

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, Treaty, Alliance, Diplomacy, Napoleon Bonaparte

Second treaty of Tilsit: Napoleon reorganizes Eastern Europe; rump Prussia becomes ally.

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, Treaty, Diplomacy, Napoleon Bonaparte, Geopolitics, Alliances

Sierra Leone becomes British colony.

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Imperialism, Political History, Atlantic Slave Trade, Slavery, Governance, Sierra Leone

Napoleon invades the Papal States and adds it to French Empire, making his young son the King of Rome.

Tags: Napoleonic Wars, French Empire, Catholicism, Annexation, Political Intrigue, European History, Expansionism, Continental System

Pope Pius VII excommunicates Napoleon and is later imprisoned at Savon.

Tags: Catholicism, Napoleon Bonaparte, Excommunication, French Empire, Napoleonic Wars, Religious Conflict

Nicolas Appert invents the canning process for food.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Logistics

Friedrich Koenig invents the first powered printing press, which was also the first to use a cylinder.

Tags: Printing, Industrial Revolution, Mass Production, Communication

William Hedley's Puffing Billy demonstrates power of steam locomotives.

Tags: Steam Engine, Transportation, Industrial Revolution, Mining

Napoleon abdicates and is exiled to Elba.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, French Empire, Abdication, Exile, Monarchy, Coalition Wars, European History, Political Transition

The Congress of Vienna redraws the European map. Reaction and conservatism dominate all of Europe. The Concert of Europe attempts to preserve this set...

Tags: Restoration, Conservatism, Nationalism, Liberalism, Geopolitics, European History

René Laennec invents the first Stethoscope.

Tags: Medicine, Medical Technology, Scientific Innovation, French History, Healthcare

Francis Ronalds builds the first working electric telegraph using electrostatic means.

Tags: Telegraphy, Communication, Electricity, Scientific Revolution, Information Technology

1816–1828: Shaka's Zulu Kingdom becomes the largest in Southern Africa.

Tags: African History, Monarchy, Military Expansion, Political Development

Independence of Argentina.

Tags: Independence, Revolution, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Nationalism

Marc Isambard Brunel invents the tunnelling shield.

Tags: Construction, Infrastructure, Transportation, Industrial Revolution

Trustees of Dartmouth College v. Woodward.

Tags: Supreme Court, Constitutional Law, Corporations, Judicial Review, John Marshall, Federalism

Peterloo Massacre in England.

Tags: Political Protest, Social Reform, Cavalry, Violence, Human Rights, British History, Radicalism

Missouri Compromise on the slavery issue in U.S.

Tags: Slavery, Political Crisis, Expansionism, Sectionalism, Legislative Action

Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena.

Tags: Napoleon Bonaparte, Exile, French Empire, European History, Leadership, Legacy

Mexico gains independence from Spain with the Treaty of Córdoba.

Tags: Independence, Colonialism, Nationalism, Political Change, Revolution

Nicéphore Niépce invents Heliography, the first photographic process.

Tags: Photography, Visual Arts

Charles Babbage, considered the "father of the computer", begins building the first programmable mechanical computer.

Tags: Computer Science, Mechanical Computer, Industrial Revolution, Algorithms

Prince Pedro of Brazil proclaimed the Brazilian independence on 7 September. On 1 December, he was crowned as Emperor Dom Pedro I of Brazil.

Tags: Independence, Monarchy, Brazilian Empire, Colonialism, Political Transition

Denmark Vesey is arrested and executed for attempting to incite a slave insurrection in South Carolina.

Tags: Slavery, South Carolina, Antebellum Era, African American History, Resistance, Social Justice, Conspiracy

Monroe Doctrine declared by US President James Monroe in cooperation with Britain.

Tags: US Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Imperialism, American Expansionism

Johann Nikolaus von Dreyse invents the bolt-action rifle.

Tags: Weaponry, Military Technology, Industrial Revolution, Warfare

William Sturgeon invents the electromagnet.

Tags: Electricity, Magnetism, Physics, Industrial Revolution

Joseph Aspdin develops Portland cement (concrete), by heating ground limestone, clay and gypsum, in a kiln.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Construction, Materials Science, Concrete

Gibbons v. Ogden, a landmark decision in which the U.S. Supreme Court rules that the power to regulate interstate commerce encompassed the power to re...

Tags: Supreme Court, Judicial Review, Federalism, Navigation, Constitutional Law, John Marshall, Early Republic

The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first public railway in the world, opens in England.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Transportation, Railways, Economic Development

Independence of Bolivia.

Tags: Independence, Colonialism, Spanish Empire, Nationalism

The Decembrist revolt in Russia is suppressed.

Tags: Russian Empire, Rebellion, Political Repression, Autocracy, Tsarist Russia, Secret Societies, Liberalism

Nicéphore Niépce invents photography.

Tags: Photography, Visual Arts

James Beaumont Neilson develops the hot blast process.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Metallurgy

Patrick Bell invents the reaping machine.

Tags: Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Agriculture

Prime Minister Robert Peel secures repeal of Test & Corporation Acts, This gives religious liberty to Nonconformists in Britain but deeply splits Tory...

Tags: Religious Freedom, Robert Peel, British Politics, Political Reform, Civil Liberties

First electric motor built.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Electricity, Michael Faraday

Louis Braille invents the Braille reading system for the blind.

Tags: Literacy, Education, Social Impact

Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Transportation, Railways, Economic Development

U.S. Congress passes the Indian Removal Act which authorized the President to negotiate removal treaties with many native tribes living east of the Mi...

Tags: Indigenous Peoples, Forced Migration, Manifest Destiny, Andrew Jackson, Treaties, American Expansion, Sovereignty

July Revolution in France.

Tags: Revolution, Monarchy, Constitutionalism, Liberalism

Greater Colombia dissolved and the nations of Colombia (including modern-day Panama), Ecuador, and Venezuela took its place.

Tags: Independence Movements, South American History, Political Fragmentation, Post-Colonialism, Nationalism, Political Divisions

The Church of Christ of Latter Day Saints is established by Joseph Smith as prophet and president of the Church.

Tags: Mormonism, Christianity, Religious Movements, Theology, American History

Ioannis Kapodistrias, the First Governor of Greece is murdered at Nauplion.

Tags: Assassination, Civil War, Monarchy, Diplomacy

The Belgian constitution is ratified and Leopold I is crowned as first "King of the Belgians".

Tags: Monarchy, Constitutionalism, Independence, Nationalism, Political History, European History

Chief John Ross of the Cherokee Nation defends Cherokee rights and sovereignty in the U.S. Supreme Court case The Cherokee Nation v. The State of Geor...

Tags: Indigenous Rights, Supreme Court, Legal History, Immigration, Irish History, Manifest Destiny

The British Parliament passes the Great Reform Act.

Tags: Political Reform, Parliament, Suffrage, Voting Rights, Democracy

Slavery Abolition Act 1833 bans slavery throughout the British Empire; owners are reimbursed.

Tags: Abolitionism, Slavery, British Empire, Colonialism, Human Rights, Legislation, Social Reform, Economic Impact

Moritz von Jacobi invents the first practical electric motor.

Tags: Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Physics

Spanish Inquisition officially ends.

Tags: Catholicism, Inquisition, Religious Violence, Religious Institutions, Enlightenment, Reform

Joseph Henry invents the electromechanical relay.

Tags: Electrical Engineering, Electromagnetism, Communication, Telegraphy, American History

Samuel Colt popularizes the revolver and sets up a firearms company to manufacture his invention of the Colt Paterson revolver a six bullets firearm s...

Tags: American History, Firearms, Weapons, Manufacturing

Telegraphy patented.

Tags: Communication, Samuel Morse, Telegraph, Industrial Revolution

Samuel Morse invents Morse code.

Tags: Communication, Telegraph, Samuel Morse, Electrical Engineering

Charles Babbage proposes a design for the construction of a Turing complete, general purpose Computer, to be called the Analytical Engine.

Tags: Computer Science, Algorithm, Mechanical Computer

1837–1901: Queen Victoria reigns during the apex of the British Empire; this is the Victorian era.

Tags: British Empire, Monarchy, Queen Victoria, Imperialism, Colonialism, Global Power

Moritz von Jacobi invents electrotyping.

Tags: Electrochemistry, Printing, Communication, Materials Science

1838–1857: Chartism a working-class reform movement in Britain.

Tags: Working Class, Political Reform, Suffrage, Social Reform, Political Activism

William Otis invents the steam shovel.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Construction, Transportation, Mining

James Nasmyth invents the steam hammer.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steam Power, Manufacturing, Mechanization

Edmond Becquerel invents a method for the photovoltaic effect, effectively producing the first solar cell.

Tags: Physics, Energy

Charles Goodyear invents vulcanized rubber.

Tags: Rubber, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Materials Science, Transportation

Louis Daguerre invents daguerreotype photography.

Tags: Photography, Visual Arts, Communication

Kingdom of Belgium declared.

Tags: Kingdom, Independence, Nationalism, European History, Monarchy

William Robert Grove invents the first fuel cell.

Tags: Electricity, Electrochemistry

John Bennet Lawes invents superphosphate, the first man-made fertilizer.

Tags: Agriculture, Industrial Revolution, Scientific Advancement, Farming

First publicly funded telegraph line in the world—between Baltimore and Washington—sends demonstration message on 24 May, ushering in the age of the t...

Tags: Telegraph, Communication, American History, Samuel Morse, Transportation

Friedrich Gottlob Keller and, independently, Charles Fenerty come up with the wood pulp method of paper production.

Tags: Paper, Printing, Communication, Industrial Revolution

Francis Rynd invents the hypodermic needle.

Tags: Medicine, Medical Technology, Health, Surgery, Healthcare

Treaty of Wanghia was signed by the United States and China.

Tags: Diplomacy, Treaty, Trade, Foreign Relations, Imperialism, Qing Dynasty

Isaac Charles Johnson invents modern Portland cement.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Construction, Materials Science, Infrastructure

Texas annexed by the United States and becomes the 28th state.

Tags: United States History, Manifest Destiny, Expansionism, Territorial Expansion, Slavery, Mexican-American War, Texas Revolution, Statehood

The Wilmot Proviso unsuccessfully attempts to ban slavery in western territories acquired after the Mexican-American War.

Tags: Slavery, United States History, Antebellum Era, Mexican-American War, Territorial Expansion, Sectionalism, Political Divisions, Westward Expansion

The Oregon Treaty is signed between the United Kingdom and the United States, ceding the modern states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, as well as pa...

Tags: Treaty, Border Dispute, Territorial Expansion, Manifest Destiny, Diplomacy, Pacific Northwest

1846–1878: Ultraconservative Pope Pius IX battles modernity

Tags: Catholicism, Modernity, Conservatism, Religious History, Counter-Reformation, Secularism, Italian Unification

Ascanio Sobrero invents Nitroglycerin, the first explosive made that was stronger than black powder.

Tags: Chemistry, Explosives, Industrial Revolution, Warfare, Mining

Linus Yale Sr. invents the first modern pin tumbler lock.

Tags: Security, Industrial Revolution, Mechanical Engineering

Revolutions of 1848 across Europe; crushed by conservatives.

Tags: Revolution, Liberalism, Conservatism, Nationalism, Unification, Monarchy, Social Reform, Working Class

Walter Hunt invents the first repeating rifle to use metallic cartridges (of his own design) and a spring-fed magazine.

Tags: Firearms, Weaponry, American History, Military Technology

James B. Francis invents the Francis turbine.

Tags: Hydropower, Industrial Revolution, Energy

Louis Napoleon assumes power in France in a coup.

Tags: Coup d'état, French History, Authoritarianism, European History, Imperialism

Elisha Otis invents the safety brake elevator.

Tags: Safety, Industrial Revolution, Urbanization, Transportation, Modernization

King Victor Emmanuel the Second names Count Camillo di Cavour prime minister of Piedmont, thus kickstarting the push for Italian unification.

Tags: Italian Unification, Nationalism, Monarchy, Diplomacy

François Coignet invents reinforced concrete.

Tags: Construction, Materials Science, Industrial Revolution

Bessemer process enables steel to be mass-produced.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steel, Metallurgy, Manufacturing, Mass Production, Economic Development

James Clerk Maxwell invents the first practical method for color photography, whether chemical or electronic.

Tags: Photography, Optics, James Clerk Maxwell

Henry Bessemer patents the Bessemer process for making steel, with improvements made by others over the following years.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steel Production, Metallurgy, Manufacturing, Economy

World's first oil refinery in Romania.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Oil Industry, Petroleum, Energy, Romania, Economic Development

Alexander Parkes invents parkesine, also known as celluloid, the first man-made plastic.

Tags: Plastic, Materials Science, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Chemical Engineering

William Henry Perkin invents mauveine, the first synthetic dye.

Tags: Chemistry, Textiles, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing

Robert Forester Mushet develops a process for the decarbonisation, and re-carbonisation of iron, through the addition of a calculated quantity of spie...

Tags: Steel, Industrial Revolution, Metallurgy, Manufacturing, Economy

Invention of the phonautograph, the first true device for recording sound.

Tags: Sound Recording, Communication, Audio

1859–1869: Suez Canal is constructed.

Tags: Canals, Infrastructure, Transportation, Trade, Colonialism, Globalization, Ottoman Empire

Gaston Planté invents the lead acid battery, the first rechargeable battery.

Tags: Battery, Electricity, Energy, Industrial Revolution

Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville creates the first audio recording of the human voice.

Tags: Sound, Communication

1861–1867: French intervention in Mexico and the creation of the Second Mexican Empire, ruled by Maximilian I of Mexico and his consort Carlota of Mex...

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, French Empire, Mexican History, Maximilian I, Intervention, Warfare

First section of the London Underground opens.

Tags: Transportation, Urbanization, Infrastructure, Industrial Revolution

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring slaves in Confederate territories free, a pivotal step to...

Tags: American Civil War, Slavery, Emancipation, Abolitionism, Abraham Lincoln, Civil Rights

Louis Pasteur invents the pasteurization process.

Tags: Public Health, Louis Pasteur, Microbiology, Hygiene, Industrial Revolution, Medical Advancement

Carl Wilhelm Siemens and Pierre-Émile Martin invented the Siemens-Martin process for making steel.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Steel, Manufacturing, Metallurgy

1865–1877: Reconstruction in the United States; Slavery is banned in the United States by the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Tags: Reconstruction, Civil Rights, Slavery, Abolition, Civil War, Post-War, Legislation

April 14: United States President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by actor and Confederate sympathiser John Wilkes Booth, while attending a performanc...

Tags: Assassination, American Civil War, Reconstruction Era, Abraham Lincoln, Political Violence

Successful transatlantic telegraph cable follows an earlier attempt in 1858.

Tags: Communication, Telegraph, Globalization, Infrastructure

Austro-Prussian War results in the dissolution of the German Confederation and the creation of the North German Confederation and the Austrian-Hungari...

Tags: Warfare, Nationalism, Unification, German Confederation, Austro-Hungarian Empire, Realpolitik, Otto von Bismarck, European History

Alfred Nobel invents dynamite, the first safely manageable explosive stronger than black powder.

Tags: Explosives, Mining, Construction, Warfare, Alfred Nobel, Industrial Revolution, Safety

Lucien B. Smith invents barbed wire, which Joseph F. Glidden will modify in 1874, leading to the taming of the West and the end of the cowboys.

Tags: American West, Agriculture, Industrial Revolution, Frontier

The United States purchases Alaska from Russia.

Tags: Expansionism, Territorial Acquisition, Diplomacy, United States History, Russian Empire, Manifest Destiny, Geopolitics, Alaska

Canadian Confederation formed.

Tags: Confederation, British Empire, Political Development, Self-Government, Canadian History, Federalism

Safety bicycle invented.

Tags: Transportation, Industrial Revolution, Cycling, Social Change

Robert Forester Mushet discovers that alloying steel with tungsten produces a harder, more durable alloy.

Tags: Steel, Metallurgy, Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Materials Science

The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is approved.

Tags: Civil Rights, Constitutional Law, Reconstruction Era, Equality, Citizenship, American Politics, Legal History

First transcontinental railroad completed in United States on 10 May. – United States

Tags: Railroad, Transportation, Infrastructure, Westward Expansion, American Civil War, Economic Development, Manifest Destiny

The Paris Commune briefly rules the French capital.

Tags: Revolution, Socialism, Communism, Political Ideology, Workers' Rights, Civil War

1871–1878: In Germany, Otto von Bismarck attacks the privileges of the Catholic Church in the Kulturkampf ("Culture War").

Tags: Religion, Catholicism, Otto von Bismarck, Religious Conflict, Secularism

J.E.T. Woods and J. Clark invented stainless steel. Harry Brearley was the first to commercialize it.

Tags: Metallurgy, Material Science, Industrial Revolution, Steel, Manufacturing

Blue jeans and barbed wire are invented.

Tags: Inventions, Industrial Revolution, Westward Expansion, Agriculture, Material Culture

Zénobe Gramme invents the first commercial electrical generator, the Gramme machine.

Tags: Electricity, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Power Generation

Nicolaus August Otto invents the four-stroke cycle.

Tags: Internal Combustion Engine, Industrial Revolution, Transportation, Manufacturing

Alexander Graham Bell has a patent granted for the telephone. However, other inventors before Bell had worked on the development of the telephone and ...

Tags: Communication, Patent, Telecommunications, Industrial Revolution, Global Impact

Queen Victoria becomes Empress of India.

Tags: British Empire, Imperialism, Colonialism, Queen Victoria, Governance, Political Power, Monarchy

Thomas Edison invents the phonograph.

Tags: Sound Recording, Communication, Entertainment, Industrial Revolution, Global Impact

1877–1878: Following the Russo-Turkish War, the Treaty of Berlin recognizes formal independence of the Principality of Serbia, Montenegro and Romania....

Tags: Treaty, Independence, Autonomy, Nationalism, Russo-Turkish War, Geopolitics, Diplomacy, Eastern Question

Lester Allan Pelton invents the Pelton wheel.

Tags: Inventions, Hydropower, Industrial Revolution, Energy, Mechanics

First electrical power plant and grid in Godalming, Britain.

Tags: Electricity, Power Generation, Industrial Revolution

Nikolay Benardos presents carbon arc welding, the first practical arc welding method.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Metalworking, Manufacturing

Tsar Alexander II is assassinated.

Tags: Assassination, Tsar, Political Violence, Autocracy, Populism, Imperialism

President James A. Garfield is assassinated.

Tags: Assassination, Gilded Age, American History

Paul Vieille invents Poudre B, the first smokeless powder for firearms.

Tags: Military Technology, Firearms, Weapons, Industrial Revolution, Defense, Warfare

Hungarian engineers Károly Zipernowsky, Ottó Bláthy and Miksa Déri invent the closed core high efficiency transformer and the AC parallel power distri...

Tags: Electrical Engineering, Industrial Revolution, Scientific Innovation

1884–1885: The Berlin Conference signals the start of the European "scramble for Africa".

Tags: Imperialism, Colonialism, Scramble for Africa, European Expansion, Diplomacy, International Relations, Otto von Bismarck

Karl Benz produced first car with internal combustion engine.

Tags: Automobile, Transportation, Internal Combustion Engine, Industrial Revolution

Singer begins production of the 'Vibrating Shuttle'. which would become the most popular model of sewing machine.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Textiles, Mass Production

John Kemp Starley invents the modern safety bicycle.

Tags: Transportation, Industrial Revolution, Urbanization

King Leopold II of Belgium establishes the Congo Free State as a personal fiefdom.

Tags: Colonialism, Imperialism, Scramble for Africa, Exploitation, Human Rights

Britain establishes a protectorate over Bechuanaland (modern Botswana).

Tags: Colonialism, British Empire, Protectorate, Imperialism, Diplomacy, Territorial Expansion

Karl Benz sells the first commercial automobile.

Tags: Automobile, Transportation, Industrial Revolution

Carl Gassner invents the zinc–carbon battery, the first dry cell battery, making portable electronics practical.

Tags: Battery, Electricity, Industrial Revolution

Charles Martin Hall and independently Paul Héroult invent the Hall–Héroult process for economically producing aluminum in 1886.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Metallurgy, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Global Trade

Burma is presented to Queen Victoria as a birthday gift.

Tags: British Empire, Colonialism, Imperialism, Queen Victoria, Annexation, Expansionism, Political History

Carl Josef Bayer invents the Bayer process for the production of alumina.

Tags: Industrial Revolution, Chemistry, Metallurgy, Mining, Materials Science

Louis Le Prince records the Roundhay Garden Scene, the earliest surviving film.

Tags: Film, Cinema, Motion Pictures, Entertainment

Thomas Edison and William Kennedy Dickson invent the Kinetoscope.

Tags: Film, Motion Pictures, Cinema, Thomas Edison, Entertainment, Mass Media

The first practical pneumatic tire was made by Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop, the patent was from 1847 by Robert William Thomson

Tags: Transportation, Automobile, Rubber, Industrial Revolution, Patent

Year of the Three Emperors in Germany marks the beginning of Kaiser Wilhelm II's 30-year reign.

Tags: German Empire, Monarchy, Succession, Imperialism, Weltpolitik, European History, World War I