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Ben Franklin Discovers that Lighting is Electricity
On June 10th, 1746, Ben Franklin proved that Lighting was Electricity. During a lighting storm, he flew a kite with a key attached to it. He demonstrated how a property of electricity is that it attracted to metals, due to the lightning shocking the key. -
Napoleon is Born
On August 15th, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born. He was born on the island of Corsica. A year before, this island was not under control by the French. If he was born one year before, Europe would be completely different. -
Declaration of Independance Signed
On July 4th, 1776, the Declaration of Independance was signed. This declared The United States of America a free country, not a colony under Great Britain. The United States will later be a key ally to France. -
Captain James Cook Discovers Hawaii
On January 18th, 1778, James Cook discovered Hawaii. He originally named it the "Sandwich Islands" in honor of the Earl of Sandwich. After making this discovery, he explored the coast of New Zealand and Australia before circumnavigating the globe. -
Uranus is Discovered
On March 13th, 1781, British astronomer William Herschel accidentally discovered the planet. For the first time in history, the known solar system was expanded. This would lead to other astronomers discovering other planets and celestial bodies. -
Napoleon Begins Studying
At the age of 15, Napoleon was sent to Paris to begin studying. He attended the Great Military School. Here, he would learn how to be a military mastermind. -
Napoleon Finishes His Studies
After a year, Napoleon graduated from the school. He climbed up the ranks of the military and was ready to enter into service. Here, he learned what was required to be one of the most brilliant military minds in history. -
Eli Whittney Invents the Cotton Gin
On December 6th, 1794 Eli Whittney invented the Cotton Gin in America. At the time, cotton was America's leading export, and this revolutionized it. Cotton was able to be mass produced and at a quicker rate. However, the need for people to operate these machines just added to the problem of slavery. -
George Cuvier States Extinction
Before Cuvier, species were not belived to completley die out. An example of this was that people thought the mammoth evolved into the modern day elephant. George looked at the fossils of both of these organisms, and noticed major differences in their anatomy. He went on to state that species do in fact die out, also known as extinction. -
Napoleon Marries Josephine
At the time, Napoleon was a Major-General in the French army. He needed a rich wife, and Josephine needed to marry someone who help a position of power to help support her family. In January, he proposed to her, and they wed in March.They were together for 15 years. -
Napoleon Attempts to Conquer Egypt
On May 19th, 1798, Napoleon set out in an attempt to conquer Egypt. He left with 300 ships, full of 30,000 soldiers and 16,000 sailors. Here, he blocked all communications, including mail. He didn't want the rest of the world to learn of his defeat. Today, we know this because of the Egyptians. While in Egypt, his army stumbled across the Rosetta Stone. -
Officially Divorced Josephine
After a tense and stressful dinner together, Napoleon revealed his desire for a divorce to his wife Josephine. He needed an heir to the throne, and in their 15 years together, he never got one. He then looked for a new wife after his marriage was annuled. -
French Invasion of Russia
In June of 1812, Napoleon expected to invade Russia. June was one of the only times of the year that it is warm enough to invade the country. When engaged, Russian troops went back into Russia, luring the French in. Along the way, they burned houses and killed livestock, also known as the Scorched Earth Policy. The French camped out expecting the Russians to return and fight, but they waited too long. The window of time closed, and winter hit. The French army was reduced by 2/3 it's size. -
Napoleon Exiled to Elba
On April 20th, 1814, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba due to the Treaty of Fontainebleau. He was allowed to retain the title of Emperor and rule over the island's 12,000 inhabitants.After he learned of Josephine's death, he somehow slipped past the gaurds and boarded a British ship. When he returned to France, people and soldiers immediatley began to rally behind him. -
Battle of Waterloo
This marked Napoleons final defeat. At the hands of the Duke of Wellington, his army of 72,000 was defeated. After this devastating loss to Great Britain. Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena, where he died. After the reign of Napoleon, Europe was practically re-mapped. -
Napoleon's Death
After loosing in the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was banished for a second time. This time, he was sent to the island of Saint Helena. Here, he became very paranoid. He belived he was posioned, and made eyeholes to keep on the lookout. He ended up dying of poison-like symptoms, but today we think he had a stomach ulcer.
