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The First Electric Battery
The first electric battery was invented by Alessandro Volta. The battery contained pairs of copper and zinc discs piled on top of each other, separated by a layer of cloth or cardboard soaked in brine. Volta's invention was not the first device to create electricity, but it was the first to emit a steady, lasting current. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was a purchase of 827,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River between the United States and France. In the deal, America received the land and France received $15 million. The deal doubled the size of the US and the land became 15 states. -
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Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were wars which were fought when Napoleon Bonaparte was ruling over France. Britain’s naval supremacy played a key part in the Napoleonic Wars and the wars triggered global conflict. -
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The Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition was a U.S. military expedition, led by Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lieut. William Clark to explore the land gained from the Louisiana Purchase and the Pacific Northwest. The expedition was also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition. -
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The War of 1812
The United States took on the greatest naval power in the world, Great Britain, In the War of 1812. This conflict would have an immense impact on the Americas future. The main reasons for the war included British attempts to restrict U.S. trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American seamen and America’s desire to expand its territory. -
The Star Spangled Banner
Francis Scott Key penned "The Star-Spangled Banner" when he was under fire at the Massachusetts fort during the War of 1812. The poem that was later turned into America's national anthem was originally called "The Defense of Fort McHenry." -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion was a slave rebellion led by Nat Turner. The rebellion took place in Southampton County, Virginia. Rebel slaves killed a minimum of 55 people, of which 51 were white. Turner's rebellion spread terror throughout the white South and stiffened pro-slavery efforts. -
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The Black Hawk War
The Black Hawk War was a series of skirmishes between the U.S. Army and frontier militia units against the followers of Sauk Chief Black Hawk. The battle was fought in Illinois and Wisconsin and was one of many conflicts between Native Americans and white settlers. -
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The Gold Rush
James Wilson Marshall found flakes of gold in the American River at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near Coloma, California. This discovery would lead to huge amounts of people going to California in search of becoming suddenly rich from gold. The sudden overpopulation called for many new towns to form, but they could not be maintained when the gold was no longer being discovered so many of the towns are now ghost towns. -
The First Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell invented the first telephone. Bell had a desire to create an electric way to communicate because his mother and wife were both deaf. Bell's invention of the telephone was lead by his focus on speech, hearing, and amplification.