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The first steam engine was created
Thomas Newcomen created the first modern steam engine. This engine was known as the 'Atmospheric Steam Engine'. He worked for Thomas Savery, who did invent a steam engine, to forge Savery's machines. Newcomen made a copy of Savery's engine and began improving his design. John Calley was Newcomen's assistant in his steam research and is listed on the patent. This invention is very important because it was the primary motive force at the time and this lead to other technological advancements -
The First Fleet arrives to Australia
Captain James Cook and the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay. They left England on the 13th of May, 1787. Botany Bay, however, was deemed to be unsuitable for settlement so they moved north arriving to Port Jackson. Before 1788, Australia was populated by about 300,000 aboriginies. By 1850, the English had sent over 162,000 convicts to Australia. This event is extremely significant because without it happening, we may not be the country that we are today. -
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Matthew Flinders completes a circumnavigation of Australia
(Date is unknown)
Matthew Flinders was the first man to circumnavigate Australia and identify it as a continent. He was born on the 16th of March 1774 and died on the 19th of July, 1814. He joined the navy where he trained as a navigator. Matthew took a number of trips to complete the circumnavigation but did so by 1803. His charts were unbelievably accurate. Matthew Flinders is very significant to Australia becasue he proved that Australia wasn't a series of islands but one continent. -
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Morse evelops the telegraph and morse code
(Date is unknown)
The telegraph and morse code was invented by Samuel Morse during the 1830's and 1840's. The telegraph worked by sending electrical signals over a wire and the morse code assinged a set of dots and dashes to each letter so complex messages could be sent. His first telegraph message was sent from Washington DC to Baltimore By Morse. This invention was very significant because it revolutionized long-distance communication and laid the groudnwork for modern communication. -
Liverpool and Manchester railway begins.
The Liverpool and Manchester railway was the first twin-track passenger railway. The railway was opened by the prime minister, the Duke of Wellington and a large number of important people. The railway was built primarily to provide faster transport of raw materials, finished goods and passengers. In 1846, the railway formed part of the London and North Western Railway. This event was significant because there was a much needed link between these two cities for industrial and social reasons. -
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Burke and Wills Expedition
(Date is unknown)
Robert O'Hara Burke and William John Wills led a 19 man expedition where they would travel across Australia from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria. This expedition occured during 1860-1861. They travelled around 3,250 kilometres. At this time, inland Australia had not been explored by non-indigenous Australians and was unknown. This event was significant to Australia because it gave people a knowledge of inland Australia that had never been explorede before. -
Bell invents the telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876 wih the help of his assistant, Thomas A. Watson. Bell was originally from
Scotland. He got the idea of the telephone from a German inventor, Hermann von Helmholz. This invention was created by accident when Bell was trying to invent a device that could send more then one telegram at a time. This invention was one of the greatest inventions in history. People were now able to communicate with one another without being face to face. -
Australia becomes a federation
The federation of Australia was the process of the six self-governing states formed one nation. These states wer NSW, QLD, SA, TAS, VIC and WA. These states kept their existing systems of government but also had a federal government concerning the whole nation. Sir Herny Parkes was instrumental in developing a constitution for the Commonwealth during the 1890s. This event is extremely significant because it meant the birth of our nation. -
Francis Ferdinand is assassinated in Sarajevo
Francis Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie Chotek von Chotvoka, were assassinated by a Serbian terrorist group, called the Black Hand. Francis Ferdinand was heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire but was very unpopular. They were both killed by bullet shots while they were travelling to the hospital visiting injured attendants. This event set of a chain of events and eventually led to the beginning of World War 1 a month later. -
ANZAC's land at Gallipoli
The Australian and New Zealand forces landed at ANZAC cove at Gallipoli. This was the first major combat for the two countries. The purpose of the invasion was to overtake the Ottoman forts that controlled the Dardanelles straits passage. This event was significant because Australia had just been colonised and didn’t have much history so this earned respect from many countries. -
USA declare war against the Germans
The United States declared war on Germany. This is believed to have been due to the German’s sinking US ships. America was hesitant to be involved with the war and wanted to remain isolated; they didn’t need to get involved since the war was in Europe. This event was significant because it was the start of the war for the United States. -
Germany signs an amistice with the allies.
Germany signs an armistice with the allies. This was the official date of the end of World War 1. Germany ended hostilities on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This was because the country was running out of troops and the economy was wrecked. This event was significant because it brought an end to the Great War. Over 9 million soldiers were left dead and 21 million left wounded.