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1 CE
Aspirin (invention)
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Aug 3, 1492
Columbian Exchange
Christopher Columbus sailed from Europe to America, thinking that he landed in India. The Columbian Exchange was the exchange of people, animals, foods, crops, materials, diseases, and ideas. The Old World benefited most from this exchange because they brought raw materials back to England, manufactured new materials, and sold it back to the people of the New World. Many people from the New world died of disease. Link text -
1564
Lead Pencil (invention)
The lead pencil was invented when the English discovered a graphite mine in Borrowdale, Cumbria, England. In 1795, a more modern invention of the pencil was created by Nicholas Jacques Conte who was a French scientist. This pencil was made of graphite powder and clay. Link text -
Telescope (invention)
The true inventor of the telescope is unknown to this day but in 1608, Hans Lippershey was the first one to apply for a grant for a telescope. He claimed that it could magnify objects by three times their size. Popular stories say that he either got the idea from watching kids play with two lenses that made a weather vane seam closer or that he stole the idea from Zacharias Jansen. Link text -
Plymouth
Puritans didn't support the Church of England. They thought that only they knew the "right path of God". During the Protestant Reformation, the Puritans left for America to create a colony and start over. This colony was called Plymouth. Link text -
Steam Engine (invention)
In the early 1700s, Thomas Newcomen invented the steam engine. In the engine, a large piece of wood was used to drive the pump. There was no pressure included, but gravity pulled down the wooden piece. After over 50 years, Newcomen retired the steam engine because it wasn't efficient and it was not quick. For every use, the pump was to be heated and cooled, using up a lot of its energy. Link text -
French and Indian War 1
In 1753, the French settled on land that the British had claimed. When the governor sent soldiers led by George Washington to tell the French to leave, they refused. Britain defeated France at Fort Duquesne. When Washington retreated to Fort Necessity, French soldiers forced him to surrender, return to Virginia and report that the French wouldn't leave. Later, the British government met in Albany, New York, hoping that the Iroquois would form an alliance with them against France. (Textbook) -
French and Indian War 2
General Braddock wasn't familiar with North American military tactics and the French troops defeated the British at Fort Duquesne. After the British failed to take more French territories, they declared war on France. James Wolfe became general and they began to take territories back. They eventually took over Quebec, which was a major loss for the French. The two countries signed the Treaty of Paris and Britain received many French territories. (Textbook) -
The Revolution
The 7 Years War was expensive and the British government passed laws so the colonists would pay taxes for sugar, paper, tea, etc. Patriots thought the British were disregarding their natural rights. Loyalists sided with the British Government. Moderates sided with the Patriots but didn't want to go to war. They eventually went to war for independence and America won. Link text -
Turtle Submarine (invention)
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Louisiana Purchase
After the French and Indian War, France couldn't afford all of their land. In 1803, the United States (Thomas Jefferson) bought the Louisiana territory from the French (Napoleon Bonaparte) for $15 million. This territory was 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River. Link text Link text -
The Indian Removal Act
President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act to force thousands of Indians off their land west of the Mississippi River. He cleared the Indians so that he could acquire the land that they lived on. Andrew Jackson led the journey of the Cherokee Indians off of their land in 1838 and1839 called the Trail of Tears. Link text Link text -
Light Bulb (invention)
The first light bulb was invented in 1835 by Thomas Edison. Scientists continued to work on this invention for several years trying to improve it. They created light bulbs so that would last longer, they were less expensive, and they wouldn't produce too much energy. Edison's first light bulb lasted for 14.5 hours. Later, his team changed the filament from carbon to bamboo so that they could last up to 1,200 hours.Link text -
Telegraph (invention)
In 1837, Samuel F. B. Morse applied for the federal government's appropriation of the telegraph. Due to the Panic of 1837, an economic depression, Morse had to wait a few years. Six years later,
Morse received $30,000 to start building his first telegraph line. After a couple of complications in the process, Morse decided to build the wires overhead on poles and trees. Link text -
Civil War 1
The purpose of the civil war was to determine whether there would be slavery in the United States or not, and whether the states would be able to rule themselves, or there would be a national government to rule the nation. Since the North won the war, slavery was abolished, and the United States was one nation ruled by the government. This victory didn't come easily though. Thousands of lives were lost. Link text -
Civil war 2
The North's Anaconda plan of cutting off southern trade and attacking them from all around helped the North win many battles. The South had trouble paying for the war and the economy. Confederates couldn't pay for food because the price was too high. The rifle musket helped the North because the southern military thought that clumping their army would work, and the new gun made it easy to kill soldiers. Link text -
Chinese Exclusion Act
During the time of immigrants coming to America, Natives didn't like the Chinese. Many Chinese immigrants were coming to America to get jobs and the Natives thought that the Chinese were taking up all of the jobs that they could have. Because of this, the United States signed the Chinese Exclusion Act that banned all Chinese immigrants. Link text -
Tanks (invention)
During World War 1, soldiers dug trenches to be out of range from the newly developed machine guns. Since nobody would come out of their trenches, fighting was held off. The invention of tanks by Lancelot de Mole helped soldiers be able to be able to have protection while entering no-man's-land. Soldiers also were able to shoot from guns attached to the vehicle. Link text -
America Enters WW1
At first, the US wasn't a part of WW1, but they eventually joined with the Allied Powers. In the early 1900s, Germany sank the British Lusitania. Since Britain and the US were allies, the US was angry with Germany. To add on to this anger, Germany sent a telegram to Mexico saying that they should form an alliance, and Mexico should attack the US. The British intercepted this telegram and showed the US. The US was outraged and they joined the war to put Germany in its place. (Slideshow) -
Treaty of Versailles
After World War 1, the Allied Powers punished Germany for the war in the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty said that Germany had to take the blame for starting the war, they had to pay several billions of dollars for damage caused, and they had to give up a lot of their land. Germany also had to reduce their army and was forbidden from building weapons such as tanks and planes. Link text(Slideshow/Class) -
Traffic Light (invention)
In the early 1900s, Garrett Augustus Morgan watched an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage collide in the middle of the street. He decided that something needed to be done about traffic to improve safety for civilians. Later that year, Morgan was the first to receive a patent for a traffic light. His invention helped people on the streets travel in a more orderky fashion. Link text -
Superglue (invention)
After Dr. Harry Coover accidentally made a sticky substance while trying to create clear, plastic guns in 1942 during WW2, and after Fred Joyner accidentally recreated Coover's adhesive substance while trying to make heat-resistant jet canopies 9 years later, Joyner used the substance to keep his jet canopies. When this substance dried and hardened, Joyner realized he had created a "super glue".
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Credit Card (invention)
When Frank McNamara forgot his wallet, he was unable to pay for his work dinner. Embarrassed, McNamara created the Diners Club Card, also known as the first credit card. Everything that men used this cardboard card for was to be fully paid off at the end of each month. After this inspiration, many others started new credit card companies such as American Express and MasterCard. Link text -
The Cuban Missile Crisis
In the Cold War, the USSR placed missiles in Cuba, 90 miles away from Florida. These missiles were a huge threat to America. John F. Kennedy set up a naval blockade around Cuba to let them know that if they fired on the US, the US would fire their missiles from Turkey onto the USSR. They eventually agreed to take their missiles out of Cuba if the US took their missiles out of Turkey. Link text