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Birth of Thomas Hobbes
Even though Thomas Hobbes technically died before the Enlightenment even started his ideas were a huge deal during it. Contrasting with John Locke, Hobbes believed that at everyone’s core they are selfish and evil. This lead him to believe that the best government for all people was an absolute monarchy, the thing he forgot about was that the ruler of that absolute monarchy would also be selfish and evil at their core. -
Queen Elizabeth 1 Dies
On March 24,1603 Queen Elizabeth died at 69. When she ruled she worked well with Parliament and left England in a fairly good spot. She died unmarried with no heirs to the Tudor Dynasty which meant that Mary Stuarts’s son, James 1 took the throne and started the Stuart Dynasty. -
The Gunpowder Plot
On November 5th a group of men were planning to blow up the House of Parliament. This group included a man named Guy Fawks who was in charge of lighting the gunpowder. They were going to wait for a meeting at parliament when everyone would be there including King James 1. The king found out about the plan and caught Fawks in the cellars under Parliament. Fawks was tortured and hung along with other plotters. -
Birth of John Locke
John Locke was one of the influential philosophers during the enlightenment. He believed that all people are born good and pure. He believed in natural law (rights that people are born with) especially life, liberty, and property and he stronger believed that is the people saw the government unfit to rule that had the right to overthrow it. Thomas Jefferson used these arguments when writing the Declaration of Independence and they now make parts of the foundation of the US government. -
Charles 1 Public Execution
In January 1649 King Charles 1 was executed. It was right after the English Civil War and the win of the Roundheads. It was the first public execution for a ruler ever and he was beheaded with his head put on a spike afterwards. After his death Oliver Cromwell took over and started the Commonwealth. -
Oliver Cromwell Becomes the Ruler of England
After the English Civil War the people choose Oliver Cromwell to rule. It wasn’t a democracy but he became a military dictator. He made strict religious laws including, banning theaters, sporting events, merrymaking, and Christmas. After awhile, people hated living like this and wanted back a King. He died of natural causes and his son didn’t do well in the position and it lead to the Restoration. -
Birth of Montesquieu
Montesquieu was a philosopher who had very specific opinions are the way the government should work. Lots of his ideas were used in the making of the American government. For example, he strongly believed in separation of powers (our three branches) and checks and balances. He was against a monarchy and wanted a democracy for all people. -
Invention of the Spinning Jenny
On July 6, 1770 James Hargreaves invented the spinning Jenny. This was big for the Industrial Revolution because it caused such a surge in the textile business. It enabled 8 threads of cotton to be spun in the time of one. -
James Cook Discovers Australia
James Cook landed in Australia on August 22, 1770 when he claimed it for the British. It’s original purpose was a penal colony which meant that prisoners who were on death row would be sent there instead of being killed. Many were sent there but in the mid-1800s gold was found in Australia and people went there willingly. -
Invention of the Steam Engine
In 1776 James Watt and Matthew Bolton invented the steam engine. This allowed the large factories in need for the Industrial revolution to be invented. It replaces muscle power with mechanical power which was more efficient and cheaper. -
The Storming of the Bastille
Th storming of the Bastille mars the official start of the French Revolution. The riots stormed it because there was gun powder stored inside and they wanted it. There were 18 deaths, 73 wounded, and 7 guards killed. Today July 14, 1789 still marks Bastille day. -
The Execution of King Louis 15
The people of France believed that as long as there was a living monarchy they could always take it back. Some thought that the royal family should only the exiled. King Louis 15 was executed after a trial with the vote 387 to 334. He was killed on January 21,1793. -
Death of Charlotte Corday
Charlotte Corday murdered Jean-Paul Marat. Marat was a Jacobin journalist who was partly responsible for leading the Jacobins to be so radical. She killed him in what she saw as a heroic act to save her people from being killed by the Jacobins. She was put on trial but showed no remorse and was guillotined on July 17, 1793. -
Execution of Marie Antoinette
Marie Antoinette was killed shortly after her husband, King Louis 15. She was guillotined on October 16, 1793 and soon after he son Louis 15 died in prison. Her daughter lived and was sent back to Marie Antoinette's home, Austria. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The patent for Eli Whitney's cotton gin was granted on March 14, 1794. The cotton gin separated the seeds from the cotton instead of doing it by hand. It is said that the cotton gin made slavery more effective because there was such a surge of cotton and a need for slaves with the efficiency of the cotton gin. If not, slavery may have gone away sooner. It also helped the Industrial Revolution because it enabled all the new cotton needed for the new textile technology. -
Death of Maximilian Robespierre
Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Committee of Public Safety and seen as the leader of the Reign of Terror. He was guillotined on July 28, 1794 and this is considered the end of the Reign of Terror. He was executed because people were tried of the bloodshed and wanted someone to blame for it and they choose him. -
Napoleon Crowns Himself Emperor
On December 2,1804 Napoleon was crowned Emperor of France. The rumor was that Napoleon took the crown and put it on his own head. He took Julius Caesar's title "First Consul". He later gave himself the title "Consul for Life". -
The Slave Trade Act of 1807
This was the first act towards abolishing slavery in Great Britain. It was not actually the abolition of slavery it just said that there could be no more slaves or any slave trade. The slaves that were previously owned were not freed yet. -
Start of The Hundred Days
Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba but escaped less than ten months later. There was a group of soldiers when he tried to get back in France, they were there to capture him but instead they started shouting "Long Live the Emperor." For about a hundred days Napoleon was Emperor of France again and ruled over it again. -
Napoleon's Defeat at Waterloo
Napoleon was defeated by the armies of the Seventh Coalition. It marked the end of Napoleon's Hundred Days. He was exiled for a second time and was put on St. Helena until he died. -
The Abolition of Slavery in The British Empire
In august of 1833 there was an act passed that gave all slaves in the British Empire their freedom. William Wilberforce was a big player of this and dedicated the bulk of his life to freeing slaves as a Member of Parliament. He died 3 days after the act was passed. -
John Deere Steel Plow
John Deere invented a steel plow in 1837. The new invention allowed farmers to cultivate crops more efficiently. This moved people into the great plains of America because the soil there was finally farm-able. -
Coronation of Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria ruled the British Empire from 1837-1901. She was only 18 and ruled until 81 when she died. She reigned for 63 years which was the longest ruling monarch until Queen Elizabeth 2. During her reign everything she did influenced the people of Empire. -
1st Opium War
The first Opium war was caused because the British needed something to trade with China in exchange for tea. They started trading with Opium from India. They Chinese got addicted and then the government banned the trade. The British keep smuggling Opium into China but then the Chinese started confiscating Opium from the British which is why the war started. It was ended by the Treaty of Nanjing which opened up Chinese trade among other things. -
The Crystal Palace Exhibition
May 5, 1851 was the opening day of the Crystal Palace Exhibition. The purpose of it was to show off all the new inventions and innovations coming from the British Empire. The building was built specifically for this and had 300,000 panes of glass. Countries from around the world got booths and and there were over 6 million visitors over the time it was open from may till mid October. -
Signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa
Japan was very isolationist with their trade but they looked around and saw what was happening to the countries around them and wanted to change. They opened up trade with the west willingly. An American commodore named Matthew Perry was sent to Japan to work out an agreement about trading with each other. On March 31, 1854 they signed a treaty that lead to Japan modernizing and becoming a country that it looks like now. -
Opening of the Necropolis Railway
The Necropolis Railway lead to a giant cemetery outside of the city. It drove people that were going to visit their friends and families grave sites. The cemetery originally opened up because there wasn't enough room to bury all of the dead bodies. The train also transported those dead bodies. -
Death of Prince Albert
Prince Albert was the husband of Queen Victoria and died when she was only 42. She loved him very much and went into a deep depression after his death. The way that she mourned influenced all of the Victorians mourning rituals. -
The Meiji Revolt
The Meiji Revolution lasted from 1868 til 1889. In the revolution a group called the Shi Shi who were made up of samurai overthrew the Shogun. They put the Emperor back in power and worshipped him. They hated the Shogun for signing treaties with the west. -
Invention of the Light Bulb
On March 7, 1876 Alexander Graham Bell patented the first telephone. The first phone call was between Alexander and his assistant who was in the other room. Soon many people had telephones in their houses and used a circuit board to connect to the person they wanted to talk to. -
Thomas Edison Invents the Light bulb
In 1879 Thomas Edison invented his first incandescent electric light bulb. It took Edison over 14 months to invent it when he only thought it would be 3 or 4 months. He patented it on January 27, 1880. -
The Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was a meeting between powerful European leaders to divide the land in Africa. They didn’t invite any African representatives and didn’t own the land yet. The conference started on November 15, 1884 and ended on February 26, 1885. -
Building of the Eiffel Tower
Construction of the Eiffel Tower started on January 1, 1887. It was built to be the entrance and the main attraction of the Paris world fair. After the world fair some people wanted to get rid of it because it was said to not be art and seemed to be pointless. Others who wanted it found it a purpose as a good place for a radio antenna. -
First Plane Flight
The first plane ride was near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina on December 17, 1903. The plane was designed and flown by Dayton's own Wright Brothers. The fight lasted 12 seconds and reached 120 feet. -
Birth of Alexi Romanov
Alexi Romanov was the youngest child and only son born to
Czar Nicholas 2 and Czarina Alexandra Fyodorovna. Though it was a secret, Alexi had hemophilia, which meant his blood couldn’t clot. This caused problems for the royal family because they would do anything to help him. This included letting Rasputin into the inner circle. Alexi eventually died with the rest of the family on July 17, 1918. -
Signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth
The treaty of Portsmouth ended the Russo-Japanese war. The signing was mediated in Portsmouth New Jersey by Theodore Roosevelt. Roosevelt won a Noble Peace prize because of the Treaty. In the treaty Japan gained land but overall it got recognized as a world power that builds Asian Nationalism. They later on annexed Korea in 1910. -
Invention of The Model T
Henry Ford produced the first model T on October 1, 1908. He made it as cheap as possible so that most anyone could afford it. They were made with an assembly line and made the automobile popular. The only color it came in was black, which was another reason it was so cheap. -
Assassination of Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914 in Sarajevo, Bosnia both Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated. He was the archduke of Austria but he was a hated leader. He was kill by a 19 year old Serbian named Gavrilo Princip. His assassination is considered the start of World War 1. -
Germany Sinks the RMS Lusitania
The RMS Lusitania was a British steamship that the Germans torpedoed. In this ship wreck 123 Americans died. Although it was a passenger ship Germany claimed that it had weapons in it. America was infuriated with these deaths so they joined World War 1 with the allies. -
Czar is Forced to Abdicate
On March 8, 1917 the Petrograd revolution forced Czar Nicholas 2 the abdicate his throne. This begins the February Revolution and ends a 3 century dynasty. After there was a provisional government set up until it was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. -
Russian Royal Family Killed
On July 7, 1917 all of the Russian Royal Family was killed. They were killed by Yakov Yurovsky who was part of the Red Army. They were shot in a basement and though there was rumors of one of the daughters surviving, they all died. This marked the end of a 300 year old imperial dynasty. -
Red Guard Attacks the Provisional Government
On November 7, 1917 the Bolshevik party took the capital of Russia. It had earlier been taken by the Petrograd insurgents and was ruled by a provisional government. This win caused the Bolsheviks to win the civil war and led the way to the Soviet Union. -
Armistice Day
In November 11, 1918 there was an armistice signed between the allied powers and the central powers in France. This day was not technically the end of World War 1 but it did end the fighting on the western front. This also was the 5 year anniversary of Franz Ferdinand. -
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War 1 after the central powers lost. The four main men that wrote it (the big four) were Woodrow Wilson, David Lloyd-George, George Clemenceau, and Vittori Orlando. This treaty, for the most part, punished Germany. Germany lost land, had their army reduced, and had to pay reparations. -
Stalin Starts Ruling Russia
On April 3, 1922 Stalin officially started ruling Russia. There was a campaign for next leader with Lenin and Trotsky. Lenin won and became the new ruler and head of the communist party until his death. -
Death of Vladimir Lenin
Vladimir Lenin was the leader of Russia after the provisional government was overthrown by the Bolsheviks. He was also the leader of the USSR founded in 1922. His successor was Stalin who became leader of the communist party and the Soviet Union.
