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Steam Engine
Thomas Newcomen together with John Calley, created the first steam engine in 1712. Thomas was an English blacksmith. He invented the steam engine, an improvement over Thomas Slavery's previous design. The Newcomen engine used the force of pressure to do the work. The steam engine was important because it provided relatively cheap transportation, helped carry large and heavy items fast, and it was the first form of public transport that could take a large amount of people a long way. -
French Revolution
It started with the storming of the Bastille. On December 1792, the King was put on trial and was executed. After he was executed, the Reign of Terror began. Then, Robespierre called for a new purge in 1794. By the next day, he was arrested and sent to the guillotine. When Napoleon Bonaparte was elected First Consul, the revolution ended. When the Americans were looking to revolt, we looked towards the French for inspiration. The French Revolution changed the entire way France is run. -
Haitian Revolution
During this revolution, there was bad conflict in the French colony, Saint-Domingue. This revolt led to the end of slavery. This revolt also led to the establishment of Haiti. Many revolts took place during the time of slavery. The revolt on Saint-Domingue was the only one successful in getting independence for the country. The Haitian Revolution is important today because it is known as a defining moment in history of Africans in the New Worlds. -
Independence of Mexico
This war was fought between the people of Mexico and the Spanish colonial. The point of this war was to seek independence from Spain. At first, it was a peasants rebellion against their masters. Then it resulted to an alliance between Mexican exroyalists and insurgents. The result of all of this was the First Mexican Empire gained independence from Spain. -
Congress of Vienna
After the downfall of Napoleon Bonaparte, this conference was called to create balance among the European powers to prevent future wars and maintain peace. Austria, Russia, Pruissa, and Great Britain were left to make most of the big decisions. The Congress proved to be very successful. The peace in Europe was left almost undisturbed for nearly 40 years. -
Opium War
It was fought between Great Britain and Ireland. It was fought during the Qing Dynasty of China. In 1842, the Treaty of Nanking granted the opening of five treaty ports. The war marked the end of China's isolation and the beginning of modern Chinese history. -
Communist Manifesto
The Communist Manifesto was a book. It was written by two German men, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The book was comissioned by the Communist League. It laid out the League's program and purposes. The book told about class problems and issues of captialism. The book contained Karl and Friedrich's thoughts about society and politics. This book is important today because it's one of the world's political books. -
Matt Perry Goes to Japan
Matthew Perry was the Commodore of the U.S. Navy. The United States sent Perry to Japan because they wanted him to use it as a "coaling base". The second reason the U.S. wanted him to go to Japan was to make sure that shipwrecked sailors were treated well there, And the third reason was for trade. Trading for the Americans brought a lot of revenue. So the more they traded with other countries, the more the revenues increase. -
Sepoy Mutiny
During this time, the growing discontent with British rule erupted with the Indians. The sepoys were Indians trained by British to be soldiers. The sepoys heard rumors that the new British rifles were greased with beef fat. The cow is very sacred to Hindus and the pig is to the Muslims. The sepoys were outraged. They took over the towns of Delhi and Kanpur. But soon, they were recaptured by the British a few months later, -
Unification of Germany
The unification of Germany took place at the Versailles Palace's Hall of Mirrors in France. The princes of the German states gathered together there, They assigned Wilhelm of Prussia as Emperor of the German Empire after fighting in the Franco-Prussian War. The unfication cause some differences. There were linguistic, cultural, and religious differences between the people. But they soon solved these problems. -
Zulu Uprising
The Zulu Uprising was a war fought between the Zulu Kingdom and the British Empire. It's remembered has having bloody battles and for being an important time in the timeline of colonialism in that region. The war ended in the Zulu nation having independence. -
Berlin Conference
Africa became a prime candidate for conquest by European emires. Europeans wanted to establish rules for dealing with one another if they were to aviod war and competiton for African resources. They established the ground rules by having the Berlin Conference -
Russo-Japanese War
This war was fought between the Russin nation and the Japanese nation. They fought over two countries in Japan, Manchuria and Korea. The Russians wanted to have a water port on the Pacific Ocean because they wanted a warm water port for trade and their navy. In the end, the Japanese military got a victory over Russians military. The world thought Russia would win for sure, but they didn't. This war was important because these victories would transform balance in power in East Asia. -
Dr. Sun Yat-sen takes over China
In Chinese history, Dr. Sun Yat-sen was known as "The Father of the Republic." He was a revolutionary and lived most of his life in disappointment. He struggled to bring democratic and nationalist revolution to China for over twenty years. Then in 1912, he finally got what he wanted, the establishment of the Chinese Republic and he was the president.
