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Seven Years' War starts
Conflict between Great Britain and France broke out in 1754–1756 when the British attacked disputed French positions in North America, starting with a British ambush of a small French force at the Battle of Jumonville Glen on 28 May 1754, and extended across the colonial boundaries and the seizure of hundreds of French merchant ships at sea. In 1756, the major powers "switched partners". -
New York passes 1st effective law regulating practice of medicine
On this day, June 10, in 1760 New York City passed the first law regulating medical practice, mandating examining and licensing of prospective doctors, and penalizing unlicensed physicians. The authority to issue and revoke licenses rested with the city authorities. -
Seven Years War ends
Conflict between Great Britain and France broke out in 1754–1756 when the British attacked disputed French positions in North America, starting with a British ambush of a small French force at the Battle of Jumonville Glen on 28 May 1754, and extended across the colonial boundaries and the seizure of hundreds of French merchant ships at sea. In 1756, the major powers "switched partners". -
Declaration of Independence was signed
By the time that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in July 1776, the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain had been at war for more than a year. Parliament enacted a series of measures to increase revenue from the colonies, such as the Stamp Act of 1765 and the Townshend Acts of 1767. Parliament believed that these acts were a legitimate means of having the colonies pay their fair share of the costs to keep them in the British Empire. -
First U.S. president elected
George Washington, the commander of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, is elected the first president of the United States by all 69 presidential electors who cast their votes. John Adams of Massachusetts, who received 34 votes, was elected vice president. The electors, who represented 10 of the 11 states that had ratified the U.S. Constitution, were chosen by popular vote, legislative appointment, or a combination of both four weeks before the election. -
Albany replaces New York City as capital of New York
In 1797, the state capital of New York was moved permanently to Albany. From statehood to this date, the legislature spent roughly equal time constantly moving between Albany, Kingston, Poughkeepsie, and the city of New York. -
New Jersey abolishes slavery
Slavery had obtained legal sanction in New Jersey under the proprietary regimes of Berkeley and Carteret. In 1702, when New Jersey became a crown colony, Gov. Edward Cornbury was dispatched from London with instructions to keep the settlers provided with "a constant and sufficient supply of merchantable Negroes at moderate prices." He likewise was ordered to assist slave traders and "to take especial care that payment be duly made." -
Napoleon marches into Austria
As 1805 began, Napoleon was planning to cross the English Channel and invade Great Britain with 2000 ships and 200,000 soldiers. The French and British were at war once again: irreconcilable enemies struggling for dominance on the continent of Europe. -
The California gold rush
The discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley in early 1848 sparked the Gold Rush, arguably one of the most significant events to shape American history in the first half of the 1800s. As news spread of the discovery, thousands of prospective gold miners traveled by sea or over land to San Francisco and the surrounding area; by the end of 1849, the non-native population of the California territory was some 100,000. The gold rush peaked in 1852 -
American civil war
The Civil War in the United States began in 1861, The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America; four more states soon joined them. The War Between the States, as the Civil War was also known, ended in Confederate surrender in 1865. The conflict was the costliest and deadliest war ever fought on American soil, with some 620,000 of 2.4 million soldiers killed, millions more injured and much of the South left in ruin. -
Queen Victoria killed by Hemorrhagic stroke
The death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, ends an era in which most of her British subjects know no other monarch. Her 63-year reign, the longest in British history, saw the growth of an empire on which the sun never set. Victoria restored dignity to the English monarchy and ensured its survival as a ceremonial political institution.