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The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder plot was an English Roman Catholic conspiracy led by Robert Catesby and his fellow coconspirators: Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright, and Guy Fawkes. They were upset that the king wouldn’t give me more religious toleration to Catholics. So, they hoped that their conspiracy would blow up the parliament and the royal family and give an opportunity for the English Catholics to take over the country. -
The Battle of Naseby
The Battle of Naseby was a battle in the English Civil War fought by the main Royalist Army of King Charles I against the Parliamentarian New Model Army led by Thomas Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell. Though this was the New Model Army’s first battle, they crushed the Royalist Army and were deemed victorious. -
Charles II’s Coronation
Charles II, also known as the “Merry Monarch,” was coronated January 1, 1651. He was the first king of England after the Restoration. He is known as the “Merry Monarch” because he restored merriment and amusement in England after Oliver Cromwell banned it during the time of the Commonwealth. -
William and Mary’s Coronation
On April 15, 1689, William and Mary’s coronation took place. They became the rulers of England after James II was removed from the throne because he was Catholic. They were the chosen rulers because of Mary’s direct bloodline to James II (she was his daughter) and because her and William were both Protestant. -
Montesquieu Writes “Spirit of Laws”
“Spirit of Laws” is a treatise about political theory and jurisprudence. It talks about the importance of individuals rights and those rights being protected. It was originally published in French but was later published in English in 1750. -
Voltaire Writes “Candide”
“Candide,” by Voltaire, is a satire who’s theme is about optimism vs. reality. It is Voltaire’s best known work. The work condemns optimism and shows it’s inadequacy. -
The patenting of the sixteen spindle spinning jenny
On July 12, 1770, James Hargreaves patented the sixteen spindle spinning jenny. It was first used to spin thread for hosiers. Ut could spin multiple threads at once. This made it more efficient than what was used before. -
Adam Smith writes “The Wealth of Nations”
“The Wealth of Nations” is a book about economical and social theory. It’s non-fiction and was originally written in English. It’s main ideas are division of labor, invisible hand, and political economy. -
Amazing Grace
In 1779, John Newton wrote and published the song "Amazing Grace." John Newton was a former slave ship captain who had become a preacher and abolitionist for slavery. This song was written about his experience with God saving him and his conversion. -
Samuel Slater to America
In 1789, Samuel Slater came to America. He was a British man who had memorized the plans of the British textile machines and came to America and built them. This is how the Industrial Revolution started in America. -
Storming of Bastille
Though Bastille, a French prison fortress, wasn’t being used as a prison, it was being used to store gun powder. On July 14, 1789 French citizens attacked and over took Bastille to get the gun powder that was being stored inside. This event marked the beginning of the French revolution. -
The Feudalism is Abolished
At the night session of August 4, 1789, the National Assembly met in response to a report of the chaos happening in France. At that meeting, they decided that all Frenchman were subject to the same laws and taxes and eligible for the same offices. Feudalism and the old regime was abolished. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
In 1793, Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin. It separated the cotton from the seeds. This invention is what caused slavery to last longer because slaved became more valuable because they did more efficient work. -
Marie Antoinette Guillotined
After being at the top of France, Marie Antionette spent 10 months in prison. On October 16, 1793 she faced execution. She was guillotined just like her husband had been, 10 months prior. -
Maximilian Robespierre Guillotined
Towards the end of the Reign of Terror, people were getting sick of the bloodshed and fear of being killed. They needed someone to blame for all the death. Because Maximilian Robespierre was the leader of the Committee of Public Safety, he became the face of the terror. He was put on trial and was guillotined on July 28, 1794. This act signaled the end of Reign of Terror. -
The Coronation of Napoleon
Napoleon was not coronated as king, but as the emperor of France. At story (that’s probably untrue) about his coronation was that he crowned himself, instead of the Pope doing it. This act showed that he thought he was above the church. -
The Battle of Trafalger
This battle was a naval battle fought by the French and Spanish, under the command of Napoleon, and the British, under the command of Nelson. This battle resulted in British victory. This battle is significant because it is the second battle Napoleon lost to Nelson. It was rare when Napoleon lost, but here he had done it twice to the same commander. Unfortunately for Nelson, he lost during battle so he was unable to celebrate his victory, -
Napoleon’s First Exile
After losing the Battle of Leipzig, Napoleon abdicates the throne and is exiled to an island called Elba. This island, in the Mediterranean Sea, was not isolated enough, however, because 9 months after arriving, Napoleon escapes back to France. This starts the Hundred Days. -
Napoleon’s Second Exile
After escaping Elba, the place of Napoleon’s first exile, and at the end of the Hundred Days, came Napoleons second exile. After losing the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon was exiled for a second time to the island of St. Helena. This island, unlike Elba, was pretty much in the middle of nowhere. It was very isolated. The island was located in the ocean between Africa and South America. This made it nearly impossible for Napoleon to escape. -
Abolition of Slavery Act
On August 28, 1833, the Abolition of Slavery Act was passed in Great Britain. It took effect on August 1, 1834. This was a achievement that William Wilberforce and other abolitionists had worked for for so long. -
Queen Victoria Marries Prince Albert
In October, 1849, Queen Victoria proposed to Prince Albert. Prince Albert was actually her cousin. Despite this, they got married. They were wed in Chapel Royal of St James's Palace, London. -
The First Telegraph Message
On May 24, 1844, Samuel F.B. Morse sent the first message using his invention, the telegraph. The message was taken from the Bible, Numbers 23:23. It said, "What hath God wrought." This message was sent from Washington, DC, to Baltimore, Maryland. -
The Irish Potato Famine
The potato, originated in Peru, became a staple in Ireland and grew very well because of the Irish climate. The Irish became so reliant on potatoes and the Irish people's diet consisted almost entirely of it. An airborne fungus came from a traveling ship from the Americas and wreaked havoc on the potato crops. During the famine, 1 million Irish people starved to death and 1.5 million emigrated. -
The invention of the sewing machine
On September 10, 1846, Elias Howe. It was used to create clothing and other things that required sewing. It was much faster than sewing by hand. It made it easier for seamstresses. -
Start of the Sepoy Mutiny
The Sepoy Mutiny was an attempted and unsuccessful rebellion of the Indians from the control of the British in India. It started with troops of Sepoy, Indian soldiers for the East India Company. A rumor started that the cartridges that the soldiers used and opened with their mouths were dipped in animal (cow or pig) fat. This caused an uprising and attacks on the British. -
Prince Albert Dies
On December 14, 1861, Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert died of typhoid fever. In mourning his loss, Queen Victoria wore black clothing every day for the rest of their live. Also, she had her servants lay out an outfit for Albert each day though he wasn't there to wear it. -
Completion of the Suez Canal
The Suez Canal, connecting the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea was completed in 1869. It took 10 years to make. It is a very important canal because it allows you to not have so sail around the southern tip of Africa in order to get to the Mediterranean Sea. This canal influenced Britain's interest in Egypt. -
Stanley Finds Livingstone
In November of 1871, an explorer found Dr. Livingstone in Africa. Dr. Livingstone was the first white man to do humanitarian and religious work in Africa. He was a missionary who spent his time in south and central Africa. After six years of no contact to the western world, Sir Henry Stanley finds him but Livingstone doesn't want to go back. He says and dies there. -
The First Telephone Call
The first telephone call was made by the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, in 1876. He made the call to his assistant, Thomas Watson, who was in the other room. The words of the first ever transmitted human voice was "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you." -
The Light Bulb Patented
On October 14, 1878, Thomas Edison patented the "Improvement In Electric Lights." He began seriously researching how to develop an incandescent lamp in that same year. Before coming up with the perfect light bulb, Edison and his researchers tested out 3,000 different designs for bulbs. -
The First Locomotive
The first locomotive in America was invented and had its first run in the 1830s. The name of the first locomotive was Tom Thumb. It could only travel about 10-14 miles per hour. -
The Start of the Berlin Conference
The Berlin Conference was a meeting of leaders from all of the European countries. They met to discuss the colonization and division of Africa. Sadly, the Africans were not invited. -
The Eiffel Tower
On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower's construction finished. The tower was built to be the entrance to Paris World's Fair. Many people wanted the Eiffel Tower to be taken down, but in order to save it, a radio antenna was placed on top to make the tower useful. -
Paris World Fair 1889
On May 6, 1889, Paris' World Fair opened. That year's theme was the French Revolution. It would be celebrating France's 100th year anniversary since the French Revolution. Its entrance was the Eiffel Tower. It was built for this purpose. -
The Boxer Rebellion
The Boxers, also known as the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, were a group of Chinese, anti-foreign society. They protested western presence in China. They killed foreigners, Chinese Christians, and Chinese who had ties to foreigners. An international coalition was formed and the Boxers were put down. -
Model T Invented
Henry Ford introduced his invention, the Model T, in 1908. Though the automobile was invented by Benz, it was just a curiosity that a couple rich people owned. Ford, however, wanted to make automobiles assessable and affordable to everyone. So, he made the Model T. It was a cheaper car that many people could buy. Because of his invention, cars became more assimilated into peoples' every day life. -
Assassination of Archduke Ferdinand
On June 28 of 1914, a Serbian man named Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary. The archduke and his wife, Sophia were riding in a car and it happened to stop right beside a man who was waiting to see the archduke to assassinate him. Sophia was shot first and died almost immediately Ferdinand was shot right after. This assassination became the spark that started WWI. -
The Armenian Genocide
The Armenian genocide began on April 24, 1915. The country of Armenia was a dominantly Christian country. It had been taken over the Ottoman Empire, which was a dominantly Muslim empire. During WWI, people started to question the loyalty of the Armenians so people started to hurt them. Many were sent on death marches through the desert and children were kidnapped and given to Turkish families to be raised Muslim. There were 1 million Armenian deaths during this genocide. -
Sinking of the Lusitania
On May 5, 1915, the British passenger ship known as the Lusitania was sunk. The Germans had torpedoed it with their U-boats. This was a passenger ship and many were upset at the Germans for harming civilians for no reason. The Germans claimed that the ship had been carrying resources for the war. They didn't actually know this at the time. However, it was recently been discovered that the ship had indeed been carrying resources for the war. -
Edith Cavell's Execution
On October 12, 1915, British nurse, Edith Cavell, was executed by firing squad in Brussels, Belgium. Though she was British, she was living in Belgium working as a nurse during the war. She is known for aiding soldiers from both sides of the war without discrimination. She also helped 200 Allied soldiers escape from German occupied Belgium. this is what caused her to be executed. It was found out that she had done this and the Germans weren't happy. She was 49 when she was assassinated. -
The Zimmerman Telegram
On January 16, 1917, the British intercepted and decoded a message sent from Germany to Mexico. After revealing what it said, the British gave it to the Americans. The message had said that if America was to join the war, Mexico should ally with Germany against America. Germany would help Mexico get back taken land from America. After this note was given to the Americans, they joined the war on the Allies' side. -
Treaty of Versailles
On June 28, 1918, delegates from the countries participating in WWI met to sign a peace treaty to end the war. Leaders were invited to help negotiate the terms of the treaty prior to the signing. However, no representative from Germany was invited. The Germans had no choice but to sign it even though they had no say in what they were signing and it was mostly all bad for them. Their military was greatly decreased and their economy crumbled. -
WWI Armistice
At 11 am on November 11, 1918, an armistice was signed to cease fire during WWI. Many believed that the fighting would stop temporarily, but this ended up being the thing that ended WWI. The Allies met first and then told the Central Powers how it was going to end.
