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James Watt designs the most efficient steam engine yet.
James Watt, the son of a merchant, was born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1736. He invented the first steam engine that cooled the used steam in a condenser separate from the main cylinder. -
First Fleet arrived in Australia
11 ships left Great Britain on the 13th of May 1787. They carried over 1000 convicts, who founded the first white colony. The fleet was commanded Captain Arthur Philip, who later became an Admiral. -
French Revolution began
The cause of the French Revolution was because of the exorbitant price of bread and dislike of the higer class who continually raised the taxes so that they could live rich lives. The revolution began when civilians of Paris marched intoand took over the Bastille prison. By the end of the Revolution the monarchy had been overthrown. -
Napoleon is defeated at Waterloo
The European powers didn't take any chances. They banished Napoleon to the rocky island of St. Helens. The island is located in the South Atlantic Ocean. -
Hong Kong is now under British Rule
When the British Emipre won the Opium Wars in China, the Chinese gave them Hong Kong. Hong Kong became a dependent territory of the United Kingdom. In 1997 the British Empire gave Hong Kong back to the Chinese. -
Richard Gatling patents the gatling gun
The Gatling gun was a hand-driven and multi-barrelled machine-gun, capable of firing sustained multiple bursts. The Gatling gun could shoot 200 rounds a minute, Richard Gatling invented the gun during the American Civil War, hoping that the gun would bring an end to the war, but instead it killed thousands of people. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was an order by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to free slaves in 10 states. Lincoln isuued the Proclamation in the third year of the American Civil War. The Emancipation Proclamation now resides in the National Archives in Washington, DC. -
First Nobel Peace Prize awarded
Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel was the inventor of dynamite, but he was also a pacifist. He didn't want to be remembered as the maker of such a deadly invention, so in his will he left money to set up five prizes for physics, chemistry, physiology, literature and peace. Five years after Nobel died the first prizes were awarded. -
First Kelloggs cornflakes are sold
John and Will Kelloggs invented cornflakes totally by accident by leaving wheat on a table while they did some work. When they got back it was a cornflake, but it was stale. Kellogs now sells in over 100 countries. -
WWI began.
World War I officially began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. Austrria blamed Serbia for the killing, and Germany suported them. Austria declared war on Serbia because they couldn't answer for their crime. Russia supported Serbia because some Serbians were friends woth Russians. So Austria and Germany waged war with Russia as well.To do this Germany had to invade France and Belgium. Then Great Britain got involved as they promised that they would help Belgium.
