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Japan opens trade to the West
On July 8, 1853, American Commodore Matthew Perry led his four ships into the harbor at Tokyo Bay, seeking to re-establish for the first time in over 200 years regular trade and discourse between Japan and the western world. -
On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species on November 24, 1859 and forever changed the way humans think about science. It's not an exaggeration to say that Darwin's landmark work became one of the most influential books in history. -
Civil War begins
The Civil War in the United States of American started on April 12, 1861 - at 4:30 a.m., Confederate artillery opened fire on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, 1861 because Virginia wanted to become its own government. -
Les Miserables
"The book which the reader now holds in his hands, from one end to the other...treats the advance from evil to good, from injustice to justice, from falsity to truth, from darkness to daylight, from blind appetite to conscience, from decay to life, from bestiality to duty, from Heaven to Hell, from Limbo to God. Matter itself is the starting point, and the point of arrival is the soul."—Victor Hugo, Les Misérables -
Alice in Wonderland
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, was first published in 1865 to immediate success. Often considered a children's book, the book has been adapted to movies, and many other formats. -
Gandhi is born
Mahatma Gandhi became one of the pivotal figures, if not the main figure, in India's history in the Twentieth Century. Along with Jinnah and Nehru, Gandhi shaped India's history up to its independence in 1947. Mahatma Gandhi was born on the 2nd of October 1869 and he died on the 30th of January 1948. Gandhi was born in Porbander in western India. In 1888, he went to London to study law. -
Thomas Edison invents the incandescent lamp
Humphrey Davy invented the light bulb in 1809, but it was not practical. It is a matter of documented record that Swan obtained a UK patent covering a partial vacuum, carbon filament incandescent lamp in 1860. Thomas Alva Edison patented his invention in December, 1879, almost 20 years later, the same year that Swan's bulbs were in domestic use in Britain. -
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn is a poor kid whose dad is an abusive drunk. Huck runs away, and immediately encounters another run away. But this runaway isn't just escaping a mean dad; he's escaping an entire system of racially based oppression. -
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a children’s book written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W.W. Denslow. It was originally published by the George M. Hill company in Chicago, and has since been reprinted countless times, sometimes under the name The Wizard of Oz. The story chronicles the adventures of a girl named Dorothy in the land of Oz. It is one of the best-known stories in American popular culture and has been widely translated. -
Queen Victoria Dies
Queen Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India.
