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Gunpowder Plot
The gunpowder plot was a failed attempt to assassinate King James I and members of parliament. Lead by Guy Fawkes and a group of Catholics, they set up a 36 barrels of gun powder underneath the parliament building, and prepared to blow it up. Fawkes however, was caught and later tortured and hung. People today celebrate the Gunpowder plot by lighting born fires and fireworks. -
Execution of King Charles I
Charles I’s disagreements with Parliament (along with wanting money and power) lead to the English Civil War. The Cavaliers (Charles supporters) and the Roundheads (Parliament supporters lead by Oliver Cromwell) fought for 5 years, until the Roundheads captured Charles I and tried him for committing treason against Parliament. His punishment was death, and Charles’ execution was one of the first public monarch executions. -
Charles II becomes King of England
After the Commonwealth period and Cromwell’s “reign,” Charles II was called by the people of England to become their King. This was the start of the “Restoration” (restoring the monarchy.) Charles II was known as the “Merry Monarch” for eliminating all of Cromwell’s strict religious rules, and he even got along with Parliament. -
The Glorious Revolution
During King James II’s reign, the mostly protestant Parliament didn’t like James because he was Catholic, and was raising his son Catholic. James II ignored all of Parliaments religious rules, and gave fellow Catholics government and university positions. To try and coerce James II from the throne, Parliament convinced the Netherlands ruler, William of Orange to be the new King of England. James fled to France, and it became a peaceful transfer of power to William and Mary. -
John Locke Death
John Locke was an English philosopher that believed in natural rights (rights that are given to you for being born,) and that the government should mess those rights. Locke was a big part in influencing American government. -
Spirit of the Laws
Montesquieu wrote the Spirit of the Laws as a way to talk about the seperation of powers. He believed that no section of government should have more than the other. -
The Wealth of Nations published
The Wealth of Nations was a book written by Adam Smith, also known as “The Father of Capitalism.” He believed that business should operate with little to no government interference. -
Louis XVI Calls the Estates General
France went bankrupt because of Louis and Marie's extensive spending. To try and fix France's debt, Louis called a meeting of the Estates General, which consisted representatives from each of the 3 estates. It was a surprise because it hadn't been called into session since 1614. -
Storming of the Bastille
The French people stormed the Bastille (a prison) as a revolt against the King for threatening to use military force against the National Assembly. Their goal was to get the gun power stored there, and it is considered the beginning of the French Revolution. They also burned tax records and attacked nobles, which resulted in nobles fleeing the country. -
The Brunswick Manifesto
The Brunswick Manifesto was a proclamation from Charles William Ferdinand (Duke of Brunswick) stating that if the Royal family was harmed, then France will be leveled. This meant that not only did France have to fight with its own people, but they would have to fight to other countries. This also proved to some of the French people that Louis XVI wanted France to lose so the Revolution would end. -
Year 1
As a part of the National Convention’s first act to abolish the formal monarchy, they made September 22, 1792 “Year I” of the French Republic. Changing dates ended up being on the tamer side of their abolishing endeavors, as they voted about 50/50 to start executing monarchs. This included Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. -
Patent for the Cotton Gin was Granted
Eli Whitney is most famous for inventing the cotton gin, a machine that seperated the seed from the cotton fibers, making it easier for people. He was the main person who introduced mass production with this invention. Though his patent was granted in 1794, it wasn't validated until 1807. -
Robespierre Execution (End of the Reign of Terror)
Maximillian Robespierre was the leader of the Committee of Public Safety during the Reign of Terror. He was seen as the face/representative of the people. But as people started to get tired of the fear and bloodshed that came with the Reign of Terror, the people started to blame him for it. Robespierre was tried and found guilty for treason, and was later executed by guillotine. After his death, the number of executions started to dwindle, which marks the end of the Reign of Terror. -
Napoleon is Crowned Emperor
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon crowed himself Emperor of France. One story states that he took the crown himself to show his dominance of the power of the church. Whether the story is true or not, it is known as Napoleon’s first big act to show that he was the leader of France. -
Abolition of the Slave Trade
When the abolition of the slave trade bill was passed, it was now illegal to buy and sell people in Britain. But it was still legal to keep the slaves you already owned, and force them to work. It was a small victory in the act of abolishing slavery, but not enough to completely free all slaves at the time in Britain -
Napoleon Reaches Moscow
In an attempt to expand his empire, Napoleon went to try and invade Russia. But when he reached Moscow, he saw that the Russians had set fire to the abandoned city. France technically won against Russia, but their victory didn’t compensate for their heavy losses. Most of Napoleon’s men end up dying from Russia’s winter weather. -
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon’s final battle, and is considered the end of Napoleon’s “Hundred Days.” Napoleon was defeated by the Seventh Coalition, and was sent to exile for the second time to the island of St. Helena. He lives their till his death on May 5, 1821. -
The Iron Horse Race
The "Iron Horse" Race look place as a bet between two parties to see what would be faster, the horse, or the train. The horse ended up winning, but supposedly because some technical problems went wrong with the train. Either way, this marked a very important event in American Industrialization, showing the potential of the train, and its power. By 1850, 9,000 mi. of track was built to where the race took place. -
Sadler's Interviews
Michael Sadler introduced a Bill in parliament that proposed to limit the factory hours for people under 18. The Bill wasn't passed, but this lead to Sadler to become chairman of a committee that interviewed 48 people who worked in textile factories as children. Sadler's interviews lead to shocking revelations about the working conditions of the factories, and what kind of suffering the children endured. -
The Abolition of Slavery Act
Finally, in 1833, the Abolition of Slavery Act was passed in Parliament. This was a huge accomplishment for William Wilberforce, who had been trying to abolish slavery in Great Britain since the 1780s. He devoted his whole life to it, and died 3 days after the Act was passed. The act took effect the next year in August of 1834. -
Steel Plow Invented
John Deere invented the steel plow as a way for farmers to cultivate crops more efficiently. The blade’s smooth texture made it so that farmers would break up the soil without it sticking. It was revolutionary for farmers and their agricultural lifestyles. -
First Telegraphic Message
Developed by Samuel Morse, he was the first person to transmit electrical signals over a long distance, which revolutionized long-distance communication. Morse code was also invented during this time, which improved the speed of communication. -
The Crystal Palace Exhibition of 1851
The Crystal Place Exhibition was made to show off all the new inventions that the British Empire was producing. It featured one of their most popular attractions, the Koch-i-Noor, or "Mountain of Light," which was the biggest diamond at the time. -
London Necropolis Railway Opens
To help transport all the dead bodies that were piling up in London, Parliament passed an Act that created The London Necropolis Company. It consisted of a Railway that was 25 miles away from London, and could transport coffins and mourners to a cemetery. From 1854-1874, the cemetery only averaged 3,200 burials a year. After that, the service declined steadily and eventually only ran once/twice a week by the 1930s. It was damaged during WWII, and was never reopened. -
Evolution of the Species Theory Published
Charles Darwin's Evolution of the Species Theory is a work of scientific literature that was published in 1859. It's considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology (evolution) and his works made people, even clergy members, start to question the beliefs of the church. -
Prince Albert's Death
Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria, died of Typhoid fever on December 14, 1861. His death resulted in Queen Victoria starting the long-standing tradition of wearing black during the mourning period after one's spouse died. The people soon followed her tradition, and wearing all black became a staple for widows during the Victorian Era. -
The Suez Canal is Built
The Suez Canal is the longest canal in the world without any locks. Back then during the imperialism era, the Canal became one of the main reasons why Britain became interested in taking it over. The Canal links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea. This made it a valuable asset, for it shortened the trip from Europe to the Indian Ocean. -
Dr. David Livingstone is found
David Livingstone was a Scottish Doctor who was the first white man to do humanitarian and religious work in Africa. He became a world famous explorer, and even discovered Victoria Falls. Dr. Livingstone hadn't been in contact with the West for 6 years, and had been presumed dead. But he was "found" by a journalist and explorer named Sir Henry Stanley. -
Sallie Gardner at a Gallop is Created
"Sallie Gardner at a Gallop," was directed by Eadweard Muybridge, and is considered by some to be the earliest silent film. It was created by sequential pictures of a horse. -
New York-Chicago Telephone Service
In 1882, Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone, inaugurated the New York-Chicago Telephone Service into use. It was 950 miles long. And during this time, switchboard operators were still needed to help connect the phone lines to one another. -
Indian National Congress is Founded
The Indian National Congress was the first nationalist group founded by English-speaking Indians. This was the beginning of Indian Nationalist during Raj. They wanted to slowly get back their independence. Overtime, nationalism started to become more radical in India. It still exists today in India -
New Zealand Gives Women the Right to Vote
New Zealand along with Australia had been dominions of Britain. They were technically still a part of the British Empire, but they took care of themselves. New Zealand eventually became the first country to use the secret balls. And in 1893, it became the first country to give women the right to vote. This was made possible by the Electoral Act that was signed by the governor, Lord Glasgow. -
International Olympics Games are Revived
As a result of more turn of the century inventions, mass culture became more prominent. Limited work days meant more leisure time. More leisure time meant more outlets for entertainment. Things like music concerts, vaudeville, movies, etc. became what people turned to for entertainment. Sports, like the Olympics started to become popular. And the Olympics Games were soon revived. -
Boxer Rebellion Ends
The Boxers, or the Society of Righteous and Harmonious fists, were a group of Chinese rebels who fought against the increasing western presence in China. The rebellion began at the end of 1899, and it consisted of killing foreigners, Chinese Christians, and Chinese who had ties to foreigners. The majority of the victims were civilians, and it estimated that 100,000 or more people died in the conflict. -
Wright Brothers Fly
Brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright were the first people who successfully flew a gas powered flying machine. Their machine was in the air for 59 seconds, and they flew it in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. -
Treaty of Portsmouth is Signed
The Treaty of Portsmouth was the treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War. It was the war between Japan and Russia over Manchuria and Korea. Japan won, and gained respect from the west. President Theodore Roosevelt even received the Noble Peace Prize for mediating the peace between Russia and Japan. -
Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir presumptive to the throne of Austria-Hungary. He was assassinated by a 19 year old Serbian named Gavrilo Princip. Serbia was then blamed for the assassination by Austria-Hungary. This caused a Serbia and Russia vs Germany and Austria-Hungary conflict. More allied countries were getting pulled into the situation, which "sparked" future conflicts to come. -
Edith Cavell's Execution
Edith Cavell was a British Nurse who helped save German and Belgium soldiers during WWI. She helped some 200 allied soldiers escape form German-occupied Belgium. Unfortunately, she was arrested, accused of treason, found guilty, and sentenced to death. She died by German firing squad. -
Rasputin Assassination
Rasputin was a Russian mystic who got close to Tsar Nicholas II of Russia and his family. Over time, he starts to influence the Tsar's family, specifically his wife, and becomes the center of Russia's power. People realize that something needs to be done, so there are plans to assassinate him. Though he survived getting poisoned, shot at, and tied up, he died from hypothermia. He was 47 years old. -
The March Revolution
The March Revolution was a series of protests in Petrograd (St. Petersburg), Russia. These protests took place after the conditions in Russian began to worsen as a result of food shortages and a failing economy. Czar Nicholas was forced to abdicate seven days later. -
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is Signed
The Treaty was a separate peace treaty between the new Bolshevik government of Russia and the Central Powers. Lenin sent Leon Trotsky to negotiate peace. Russia had now gained peace, but had lost large parts of their Empire. -
Red Baron Gets Shot Down
The Red Baron was the nickname Manfred von Richtofen had when he was a German pilot during the war. He was known for his excellent piloting skills, shooting down 80 enemy planes. But he was eventually shot down in 1918 by Captain Brown and Australian ground troops. He was 25 when he died. -
The Death Czar Nicholas and His Family
After Nicholas and his family were taken hostage by the Bolsheviks, they had been moved around by the Bolsheviks to avoid being rescued by the White Army. But when they arrived in the Ipatiev House, that would be their last stop. Nicholas and his family, along with some servants and their physician, were lead to the cellar of the house and were killed by firing squad. -
The Treaty of Versailles is Signed
The Treaty of Versailles was the peace document signed at the end of WWI by the Allied powers and Germany. The Treaty ended up being a guilt clause for Germany, as they had to accept all the blame for starting the war. The Treaty had a lot of restrictions and new rules that Germany now had to follow. Germany didn't really have a choice and signed the document. The German people were not happy about it, and many believe it's the Treaty that initiated WWII. -
The Kronstadt Revolt Starts
The Kronstadt Revolt was a protest against the Bolsheviks. Soviet sailors, soldiers, and civilians all protested. There were 20,00 casualties and revolt leaders were executed. This revolt lasted 10 days, and had convinced the Communist Party to retreat from socialist policies in order to maintain the power they had. -
Stalin Introduces Collectivization
Stalin introduced collectivization in Russia in the 1929. This means that all the farm land was going to be joined together so everyone could share everything. This was because Russia was going through a food crisis, and his method of seizing grain from farmers wasn't very effective. But it resulted in 5-10 million people dying as a result of a famine, and because there wasn't enough food being produced.
