Key impacts on Australia By 178591 Feb 8, 1776 American Declaration of indepandence Feb 8, 1785 Edmund Cartwright patents a power loom Feb 8, 1789 French Declaration of the rights of man and citizens - French Revoulation Feb 8, 1791 Tom Paines The right of man is published Feb 8, 1804 First steam locomotive is operating at Pennydarren, Wales Feb 8, 1833 Abolition of slavery in the British Empire Feb 8, 1868 Meiji (‘enlightened rule’) Restoration in Japan; feudalism is abandoned and capitalism embraced Feb 8, 1871 German unifcation after the Franco-Prussian War leading to Germany’s rise as an imperial power Feb 8, 1899 Guglielmo Marconi invents the wireless (radio) Feb 8, 1905 Russo-Japanese War; Japan defeats Russia