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1492
Columbus Comes to America
This event sends the Columbian Exchange into effect, connecting the old world to the new world. The four main categories to discuss the Columbian exchange are diseases, animals, plants, and people because those were affected greatly throughout this change. (Crash Course World History #23) -
1492
Flying Machine Theories and Globes
2 major innovations in 1492 were, Leonardo da Vinci first started to seriously theorize about flying machines, and Martin Behaim invented the first map globe (Bellis). -
The Mayflower Compact
This document signed by the Settlers at New Plymouth before they got there. The purpose of this document was for the settlers to set up a plan for their government before they got off the ship to ensure order in their new settlement. (The Mayflower Compact 1620) -
Earliest Human Powered Submarine
In 1620, the earliest human-powered submarine was invented by Cornelius Drebbel, a Dutch polymath and inventor in the employ of the British King James I (Bellis). -
The Treaty of Paris of 1763
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 was the document that ended the French and Indian War. With this document signed, the French agreed to give up all claims to North America, Spain was given the land west of the Mississippi River, Britain was given control of the land east of the Mississippi River, however, the Natives were not addressed (Crash Course: Seven Years War). -
Proclamation Line of 1763
After the British colonies won the seven years war, the British government issued the Proclamation line of 1763 to restrict the colonists from going into the Ohio River Valley to reduce the chance for tensions with the natives. The Colonists were very opposed to this proclamation increasing conflict between the colonies and Britain (Crash Course: Seven Years War). -
Submarine
In 1776 David Bushnell invents a submarine, for underwater exploration was a growing popular idea at the time (Bellis). -
Declaration of Independence
On July 4th The Declaration of Independence from King James III and the British government was drafted by Thomas Jefferson. In it, points about unalienable rights and unjust government were stressed. This letter officially declared war between the colonies and Britain (History Alive: Declaring Independence). -
Louisiana Purchase
Thomas Jefferson bought Louisiana from the French for 15 million dollars which proved to be the deal of a lifetime. France had just earlier acquired the land from the Spanish. After this purchase, the US basically doubled in size (History Alive! Geographic Changes). -
John Dalton
In 1830, English scientist John Dalton started using symbols to represent the atoms of different chemical elements, and Dalton's atomic theory and list of molecular weights was publicised (Leahy Atomic Structure Notes). -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise resulted from new territories being added to the U.S. posing threat to the balance between the North and the South. In it included the following, California would be admitted as a free state, popular sovereignty for two new territories, the fugitive slave law, slave trade outlawed in D.C., and Texas' size decreased. Although this compromise gave something to everyone, it pleased no one (History Alive!). -
Dishwasher
Joel Houghton created the first dishwasher and got a patent for it in 1850. It was made out of wood and required you to hand-turn a wheel that caused water to splash on the dishes. However, Houghton's machine only slightly worked. The first practical dishwasher was invented by Josephine Cochran 36 years later. Dishwashers, however, did not begin appearing in homes until the 1950s (Bellis). -
Emancipation Proclamation and Union Gains Control of Mississippi River
The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln freed all slaves in states in rebellion to the Union. It allowed slaves to join the Union's army, benefiting the North. The Confederacy mainly ignored this, however, European countries found this proclamation favourable along with the slaves. After Ulysses S. Grant won in Vicksburg against the Confederacy in pursuit of the Anaconda Plan the Union gained control of the Mississippi River, which was a major achievement for the Union (History Alive). -
Gold Spike Connects Railroads
In 1869 the Union Pacific Railroad Company and the Central Pacific Railroad Company met tracks in 1869 in Utah after building and planning for several years. This resulted in shorter travel time between east and west, encouraged settlement in the mid-west, and more railroads; overall connecting the country ("The Last Spike") -
Air Brake
The first air brake was invented by George Westinghouse in 1869. It was named the Westinghouse Air Brake. This allowed for trains to travel quicker and more secure. It also changed the process at which trains were stopped. The air brake made it so one man could stop all of the carts at once, fast and safely (Timetoast created by CaptainM). -
Compromise of 1877
The compromise of 1877 formally ended the Reconstruction Era and ended in the federal government pulling northern troops out of the south. It resulted from the highly disputed U.S. presidential election of 1876 between Rutherford B. Hayes and Samuel J. Tilden. It was mutually understood but never written in a formal document (History Timeline). -
Cylinder Phonograph
A phonograph is also known as a record player. This new invention was developed by Thomas Edison as a result of his prior work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone. This invention was made possible when he figured out a way to record sound on tinfoil-coated cylinders (Library of Congress). -
Morgan Gas Mask.
Later in the year 1914 after WWI had begun, Garrett A. Morgan invented the Morgan gas mask to cope with the ever-changing weapons of destruction resulting from the war. The gas mask stopped a mass number of soldiers from dying due to gas bombs that were thrown into the enemy's trenches. This invention went through many redesigns and improvements. (History Alive! and Wordpress). -
Franz Ferdinand and Wife Sophie Assassinated
Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie were assassinated in 1914 by a member of "The Black Hand" when their driver took an unfortunate wrong turn. "The Black Hand's" main goal was the unification of Serbia, and they committed small acts of terrorism to do so. This is believed to be one of the causes to WWI because after this event, Austria-Hungry declared war on Serbia; causing a cascading effect of more declarations of war ("Outbreak of War!" slideshow). -
Fortune Cookie
There is a dispute between who actually invented the fortune cookie in 1918. This disagreement is between David Jung, founder of the Hong Kong Noodle Company in Los Angeles and the bakery Benkyodo in San Francisco. Although most often associated with Asian cuisine, the fortune cookie is, in fact, an American invention. (1918 famous firsts, events, inventions in news, entertainment, world affairs) -
14 Point Plan
Willson's 14 point plan was made in order to prevent future war and overall create world peace. Willson's points were used for the backbone of the peace negotiations (Treaty of Versailles) at the end of WWI. Despite Willson's efforts there inevitably was another worlds war(President Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points). -
Radio Altimeter
In 1924, the radio altimeter was created by American engineer Lloyd Espenschied. The device measured the altitude above the terrain presently beneath an aircraft, in 1924 (Alchin). -
Immigration Act of 1924
The Immigration Act of 1924 limited the number of immigrants that were allowed into the US. This is illustrated in the political cartoon of Uncle Sam placing a 'gate' of 3% on a funnel of people representing European immigration (Nativism Defined). -
V-E Day
V-E day stands for Victory in Europe Day regarding WWII. When the Soviet army overran Germany, Hitler killed himself and only a week later, Germany surrendered. The official surrender date is May 7th however, Allied leaders decided May 8th would be celebrated as V-E Day. This set off mass celebrations and filled newspapers all over the world. (Remembering V-E Day) -
Nuclear Bomb
The nuclear bomb was theorized and worked on for a little while before 1945, but when it was finally achieved, it was used to bomb Japan twice. These two bombings ended WWII for good, although they killed a countless number of innocent civilians. Overall, the Nuclear bomb was a major breakthrough in physics and chemistry that would change the nature of warfare forever. (Inventions and discoveries of the 20th century, and History Alive!) -
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was when the United States found out from satellite images that Soviet missiles were stationed in Cuba only 90 miles from the U.S. JFK responded to this by putting a naval blockade around Cuba cutting off from trade. This crisis ended when the USSR agreed to withdraw their missiles from Cuba if the US withdrew theirs from Turkey and end the blockade. (The Cold War Ends Notes Jan. 11, 2019) -
Audio Cassette
The Phillips Co. of the Netherlands invented the first compact audio cassette in 1962. Although audio cassette tapes are less common, still 90% of homes have one in the U.S. "The cassette had a recording speed of 1.7 inches per second and a playback speed of 8 inches per second" (Techwalla).
