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Period: to
First Voyage of James Cook
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Boston Massacre
"...between British troops and a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Widely publicized, it contributed to the unpopularity of the British regime in America in the years before the American Revolution.
The incident was the climax of a series of brawls in which local workers and sailors clashed with British soldiers quartered in Boston. Harassed by a mob, the troops opened fire. Crispus Attucks, a black sailor and former slave, was shot first and died along with four others." (Britannica) -
James Cook Lands in Australia
Became first recorded European to set foot on the eastern coastline of Australia. (Cook) -
James Hargreaves obtains a patent for the "Spinning Jenny"
"The spinning jenny helps explain why the Industrial Revolution occurred in Britain rather than in France or India." (Allen) -
Royal Marriage Act, 1772
Requires monarch’s consent for the marriage of all members of the royal family. (Bloy) -
Passing of the Tea Act
Parliament passes the Tea Act, designed to save the British East India Company by granting it a monopoly on the North American tea trade. Leads to the Boston Tea Party on December 16th of this same year. (Britannica) -
The American Revolutionary War begins
Building tension from the Stamp Act (1765) and the Boston Tea Party (1773) lead to the first battles (Lexington and Concord) of the Revolutionary War. Finally leading to the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 . (Britannica) -
Period: to
American Revolutionary War
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Thomas Paine's Common Sense
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense in Philadelphia & Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations (March 9). (http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/) -
Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The School for Scandal
Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The School for Scandal at the Theatre Royal in London (first performance). (Britannica) -
Invention of Flushing Toilet
Joseph Bramah invents a type of flushing toilet! (Britannica) -
Penitentiary Act
With efforts from John Howard, Parliament passes the Penitentiary Act creating state prisons for the first time. (Britannica) -
David Hume's Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
David Hume’s Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, written in 1750-66, is published posthumously.
