| 1799 | Napoleon appointed as First Consul of France Discovery of the Rosetta Stone Discovery of Nitrous Oxide, suggested use as an anaesthetic |
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| 1800 | Thomas Jefferson elected President of the United States Allessandro Volta builds first electronic storage battery Infrared light discovered by Herschel Library of Congress founded First performance of Beethoven's Symphony No.1 "Spode" bone china is introduced World population is 870 million |
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| 1801 | United Kingdom created with the passing of the Act of Union Napoleon destroys the Holy Roman Empire Danish fleet destroyed by British in Battle of Copenhagen Meyer Rothschild becomes financial advisor to landgrave of Hesse-Casal Metric system made law in France Invention of the Jacquard weaving loom, which executes programmed movements as directed by punched cards First steam-powered vehicle Peace between Britain and France, briefly Canton is the world's largest city, population 1.5 million (London 864,000, Pittsburgh 1,565) |
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| 1802 | Madame Tussaud's wax museum opens in London First practical demonstration of photography |
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| 1803 | The Louisiana purchase doubles the size of the USA Chief Kamehameha unites the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands Switzerland regains independence Britain and France at War, again. Wellington wins battle of Assaye, brilliantly (look it up) Dalton publishes the first table of the elements Jenner awarded 10,000 pounds in recognition of the discovery of Smallpox vaccination Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, starts shipping randomly chosen pieces of Greek history "home" to England Invention of the Icebox |
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| 1804 | Napoleon proclaimed Emperor The Code Napoleon goes into effect. It is one of the most influential legal systems in history. Foundation of Haiti by rebellious French slaves Discovery of Iridium First steam train Lewis and Clark commence exploration of the Louisiana Purchase George Rennic pioneers the cattle drive in the eastern USA World's first cannery opens, near Paris |
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| 1805 | Napoleon wins Battle of Ulm, crushing the Austrian Army Battle of Trafalgar effectively gives Britain dominance at sea for the remainder of the century, but Nelson is shot dead Battle of Austerlitz is possibly Napoleon's greatest victory Egypt achieves independence from the Ottoman Empire Creation of the Beaufort Scale First performance, Beethoven's Symphony No.3 Eroica |
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| 1806 | First publication of Britain announces blockade of Europe, is big enough to back it up USA announces blockade of Britain, isn't... |
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| 1807 | Lots of battles in Europe Britain passes first anti-slavery law Demonstration of Phrenology in Paris Benjamin Silliman, Professor of Chemistry at Yale, invents soda water (which eventually leads us to Coca-Cola, all hail Prof. Silliman!) |
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| 1808 | France occupies Spain, Portugal asks for British help (start of
the Peninsula War, which was part of a larger war...) British mission to Japan refused admittance by Shogun Tokugawa US law passed that supposedly stops the importation of slaves First publication of Goethe's Faust |
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| 1809 | Revolt in Sweden, the Duke of Sudermania declared King Large numbers of French and Austrians kill each other France annexes the Papal States, making Pius VII prisoner First ocean voyage by steamboat Robert Owen (at great expense) buys out his partners and commences a social justice program in the mill town of New Lanark, where his factory is sole employer First recorded non-fatal surgery of the abdomen Constable paints Malvern Hill |
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| 1810 | France annexes Holland Yellow fever kills 25,000 in Spain Christian Hahnemann dreams up homeopathy Vauquelin isolates nicotine from tobacco, but it isn't addictive Nicolas Appert announces discovery of vacuum packing for food Peter Durand is issued with a patent for tin plating First steel cannery opens in London First Munich Oktoberfest |
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| 1811 | Luddite riots in England King George III finally succumbs to madness The British capture Batavia, previously occupied by the Dutch. The Javanese reaction is unclear Venezuela, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile declare independence of Spain First publication of Sense and Sensibility |
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| 1812 | Napoleon invades, and eventually retreats from, Russia. Britain
and USA at war again too, USA invades Canada: and is defeated Rediscovery of Petra, by John Burckhardt |
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| 1813 | Lots of European battles, Napoleon tending to lose now Mexico declares independence Britain issues gold guineas for the last time Jane Austin follows up with Pride and Prejudice, while Johann Wyss publishes The Swiss Family Robinson |
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| 1814 | More defeats for Napoleon, culminating in his abdication and
exile to Elba British regulars capture Washington DC from militiamen, and burn most of it to the ground. Later, Fort McHenry near Baltimore is assaulted by rockets: apparently there was a red glare Treaty of Ghent ends the War of 1812 (USA and Britain) in something of a tie. They agree to work together to suppress the slave trade First sales of tinned food |
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| 1815 | Unsatisfied with Elba, Napoleon decides to retake Europe.
Wellington (and Blucher) have other ideas. Napoleon exiled to St.Helena
in the South Atlantic Nathan Rothschild gets early news of Waterloo, fakes out the London stock exchange, and makes an absolute fortune Switzerland recognised as an independent nation, as is Poland In England, Davey invents the safety lamp. In southern Africa, Shaka Senzangakona invents a better assegai British enact the corn law, which controls import of grain thus ensuring riches for local producers and starvation for the poor John McAdam invents macadam, the road surface The word bistro is introduced to French, then other languages. It is Russian for "quickly" |
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| 1816 | Brazil declares itself an Empire, under the Prince Regent of
Portugal Argentina declares itself independent of Spain Luddite riots in England as worsening conditions force more of the poor into starvation First performance of The Barber of Seville |
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| 1817 | Chile achieves liberation from Spain |
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| 1818 | First successful human blood transfusion Publication of Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. Also Byron's Childe Harold and Ozymandius by Shelley Beethoven, finally, loses all hearing Franz Gruber sets Stille Nacht, Hellige Nacht to music Invention of Angostura Bitters (hooray!) |
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| 1819 | Ongoing battles in South America as revolutionary armies
commanded or inspired by Simon Bolivar fight the Spanish Peterloo massacre in Manchester prompts British Parliament to pass the Six Acts, which effectively turn Britain into a police state, preventing public meetings, restricting newspapers, "hurrying" the judicial process and restricting access to firearms Singapore founded First crossing of the Atlantic by steam power alone Invention of the stethoscope First commercial production of eating chocolate, at Vevey, Switzerland |
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| 1820 | George the Third dies Liberia founded Unexpectedly, the Spanish Inquisition comes to an end Rediscovery of the Venus de Milo |
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| 1821 | Start of the Greek war of independence (unrelated to the item
above, AFAIK) Faraday pioneers the electric motor Napoleon dies |
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| 1822 | Rosetta stone decyphered Irish potato crop fails |
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| 1823 | Start of the Monroe (isolationist) doctrine in American foreign
policy First electromagnet William Webb Ellis "scoops up the ball and runs with it" The Macintosh raincoat is invented |
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| 1824 | RSPCA founded The British Navy reduces the daily rum ration from half a pint to a quarter pint (280ml to 140ml) First commercial pasta factory in Italy |
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| 1825 | World's first steam train passenger service Erie canal opens First wire suspension bridge opens near Lyon Ongoing war of Greek independence Also ongoing wars of south American independence Deringer pistol designed and manufactured |
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| 1826 | London Zoo opens | |||
| 1827 | First commercial production of morphine Friction (Lucifer) matches are invented |
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| 1828 | Wellington elected Prime Minister of Britain, enacts a second
Corn Law which does something to lower the price of bread |
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| 1829 | Greece achieves independence from the Ottoman Turks Wellington supports the Catholic Emancipation Bill First practical sewing machine First Baedeker travel guide published London "Bobbies" begin patrols |
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| 1830 | Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint founded Population of the world reaches 1 billion | |||
| 1831 | Faraday invents the electric dynamo Creation of the French Foreign Legion Isaac Dripps invents the cowcatcher |
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| 1832 | First Reform Act abolishes the Rotten Boroughs, enfranchises
over a million British males, and redistributes electoral boundaries |
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| 1833 | Slavery abolished in British colonies The Factory Act prohibits the employment of children under the age of nine, and limits the hours that may be worked by children under the age of thirteen Von Clausewitz' Vom Kreig is published posthumously, it becomes one of the most influential books of military doctrine and leads directly to the tactics of the Great War Babbage proposes the "Analytical Engine" Famine in Japan |
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| 1834 | Grand National Consolidated Trades Union is formed in Britain
and has half a million members within a few weeks. Six members of the
organisation are transported to New South Wales: the "Tolpuddle Martyrs"
become a rallying point and are eventually brought back, but any chance
of a general strike for better conditions had been quashed The dole is limited to the sick and elderly: fit adults must enter workhouses in order to receive assistance In the USA, unskilled white workers agitate against abolition of slavery, fearful that they will lose jobs to black freedmen South Australia founded, first permanent settlement by whites in Victoria Hansom cabs introduced in London |
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| 1835 | Boer cattlemen commence the voortrek into the Transvaal
region Melbourne founded P.T.Barnum opens his first sideshow |
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| 1836 | Battle of the Alamo, followed by Battle of San Jacinto Republic of Texas Colt six-shooter patented |
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| 1837 | The Victorian Era commences on June 20. Victoria will reign for
sixty-four years Dickins' Pickwick Papers is published |
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| 1838 | British troops invade Afghanistan |
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| 1839 | Start of the Opium War between Britain and China Invention of the bicycle Charles Goodyear accidentally discovers the vulcanisation process The Fall of the House of Usher |
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| 1840 | Darwin publishes The Voyage of the Beagle Invention of the Saxophone Afternoon tea is introduced to Britain by Anna, Duchess of Bedford |
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| 1841 | New Zealand made a British Colony Sir James Brooke confirmed as Rajah of Sarawak by the Sultan of Borneo Hypnosis is discovered by Scots physician James Baird |
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| 1842 | British forces fall back from Kabul Treaty of Nanking ends the Opium War and opens up China to trade (exploitation) by foreign countries Crawford Long discovers the surgical anaesthetic properties of ether Charles Babbage meets Augusta Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron |
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| 1843 | Recognition of Hawaiian independence by Britain and France Yellow fever kills 13,000 in the Mississippi Valley Henry Cole pioneers the Christmas card |
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| 1844 | YMCA founded Wells, Fargo & Co. founded The Three Musketeers by Dumas |
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| 1845 | Two and a half million people die as a result of potato blight:
Ireland is worst affected, losing half the crop The United States annexes Texas, despite Mexican objections |
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| 1846 | For the second year in a row the Irish potato crop fails,
prolonging famine. British conservatives ascribe the disaster to "Divine
Providence" and argue that giving away food would paralyse free trade.
Such relief as can be arranged is done so privately. Half a million
die The corn law is repealed. Landowners in Scotland and Ireland switch to raising cattle, evicting tenants to make room for the less labour intensive practices War between the United States and Mexico after President Polk invades New Mexico, seizing it from the Mexican government. English-speaking settlers in California rise against the Mexican government simultaneously. Mexico loses the war Smithsonian Institution founded Bringham Young leads his Mormon followers to the Great Salt Lake Record levels of Irish emigration |
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| 1847 | The Communist Manifesto is published in England US soldiers capture Mexico City Mormons arrive at the Great Salt Lake The Donner party are trapped by snow in the Sierra Nevadas, and take desperate measures to survive Sobrero discovers nitroglycerine Butterick patterns go on sale Cartier opens in Paris British Museum opens Irish potato crop performs predictably, 200,000 emigrate Hanson Crockett Gregory, of Camden, Maine, invents the ring donut, aged 15 |
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| 1848 | Insurrections sweep Europe following the publication of The
Communist Manifesto In anticipation of a Chartist revolution, London is garrisoned Habeas corpus is suspended in Ireland Gold is discovered in California |
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| 1849 | Over 75,000 new settlers arrive in California Invention of the safety pin (USA) and bowler hat (Britain) Joseph Monier (France) patents reinforced concrete Foundation of Harrods |
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| 1850 | Tai Ping rebellion in China: over the next 15 years in excess
of 30 million will die, mostly of starvation as the country's economy is
ravaged In a sop to the south, and in an attempt to reduce north-south tensions, US Congress strengthens the powers of the Fugitive Slave Act Invention of the Bunsen burner in Germany and the Singer Sewing Machine in the USA Britain embraces free trade and repeals the Corn Law. Overnight she goes from being a net food exporter to being a net food importer: henceforth Britain will rely on the strength of her manufacturing for prosperity, but fewer of the poor will litter the streets with dead bodies Foundation of the University of Sydney Levi Strauss & Co. First year of the Pinkerton Detective Agency |
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| 1851 | The Great Exhibition of London attracts over six million
visitors. The Crystal Palace, home the exhibition, is modeled on a giant
glasshouse. Lit by gas, it is the largest construction yet undertaken
anywhere by a factor of four, and has used a quarter of Britain's entire
glass production for a year Victoria proclaimed a separate colony Phra Chom Klao Mongkut, formerly a Buddhist monk, ascends to the throne of Siam: over a 17 year reign he introduces Siam's first currency, printing press, builds roads and canals, reforms the administration and encourages trade with the west. He is the inspiration for the "King and I" novels First Australian gold rush after discoveries near Bathurst First undersea communications cable laid between Dover and Calais Reuters News Services founded Initial publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin The Royal Yacht Squadron Cup is won by the schooner America Bally Shoe Company founded The population of Ireland is approximately 6.5 million. It was 10.1 million in 1841 |
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| 1852 | Elisha Otis pioneers the safety elevator The Societe Aerostatique, founded in Paris, is the world's first aeronautical society First publication of Roget's Thesaurus Rising tension between Russia and France, Britain |
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| 1853 | Commodore Perry arrives at Edo with the first bid for a US
treaty with Japan Britain annexes Burma T'ai Ping rebels capture Shanghai First manned heavier-than-air flight Invention of potato crisps by chef George Crum |
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| 1854 | The Crimean War begins: France and Britain demand Russia leaves
the Danubian Principalities, Russia refuses, Britain, France and Turkey
declare war. Troops land on the Crimean Peninsula in September: October
25th sees the "Charge of the Light Brigade"- 505 of the 700 cavalrymen
who engage Russian artillery are killed. The allies are largely
victorious Formation of the Republican Party by disaffected members of the Democrats and Whigs opposed to slavery In Boston a mob attempts to break into the Federal prison in an attempt to free Anthony Burns, an escaped slave who had been apprehended. Silent crowds lined the streets as he was taken to the docks for return to the south A cholera epidemic breaks out amongst all the armies fighting in the Crimea Florence Nightingale takes 34 London nurses to Scutari First fractional distillation of petrol Sail Pasha, Kedive of Egypt, grants a concession for construction of the Suez Canal First publication of the Melbourne Age, and of Thoreau's Walden, or Life in the Woods: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away" |
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| 1855 | The allies capture Sevastapol in September Dr David Livingston "discovers" the Victoria Falls, and is the first white man recorded to have seen them Richard Burton publishes his Personal Narrative, which describes a journey he made to Mecca two years earlier, disguised as a Pathan. Burton was the first white non-Muslim to enter the holy city Foundation of the YWCA In Paris, The Louvre opens as a public museum One-in-ten Victorian residents are of Chinese origin: the colonial government enacts regulations restricting asian emigration and enacts a ten pound poll tax on all new Chinese immigrants |
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| 1856 | First discovery of neanderthal remains near Cologne Invention of the first synthetic dye The Bessemer Converter (blast furnace) revolutionises the steel industry Pro- and Anti- slavery violence in the USA Sweeping reforms of the Ottoman Empire, including guarantees for non-Muslim subjects Anglo-Chinese war begins Opening of the new Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, able to seat 2,200 Introduction of the Beckstein piano and foundation of the Wurlitzer Organ Company |
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| 1857 | The Dred Scott Decision: The US Supreme Court rules that
residence in a free territory does not make a fugitive slave free, that
a black man may not bring suit in a Federal Court, and that Congress
never had the authority to ban slavery in the territories Britain passes the Matrimonial Causes Act, establishing the world's first system of alimony payments In India native soldiers (sepoys) rebel, commencing the two-year Indian Mutiny. Atrocities are carried out by both sides In the Southern United States, a prime farmhand (slave) is worth 1,500 dollars, which ties up enormous sums which might otherwise be spent on improvements Pasteur demonstrates that fermentation is caused by a living organism |
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| 1858 | Anglo-Chinese war ends with much more favourable trading terms
for the European powers Japan is encouraged to sign trade agreements with the USA by the Chinese example Indian Mutiny quashed with great bloodshed First publication of Gray's Anatomy Bernadette Soubirou experiences eighteen visions of a woman, possibly St Mary, near Lourdes First transatlantic cable laid between Britain and the USA Big Ben commences chiming the time in the Westminster clocktower |
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| 1859 | Publication of On the Origin of Species by the Means of
Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Species in the
Struggle for Life
Kirchfoff and Bunsen pioneer spectroscopic analysis War between Piedmont and France on the one hand, and Austria on the other John Brown, an abolitionist, lead five blacks and thirteen whites in an assault on the Federal armoury at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Brown hoped to foment a national slave uprising. Brown is overpowered by troops lead by Colonel Robert E Lee in October, convicted of treason, and hung. But his truth goes marching on Construction of the Suez Canal begins Publication of A Tale of Two Cities First Steinway pianos constructed Charles Blondin crosses Niagara Falls on a tightrope Jules Leotard, of the Cirque Napoleon, pioneers the circus trapeze Rabbits are introduced into Australia |
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| 1860 | Giuseppe Garibaldi leads an uprising the overthrows the
Sicilian Government. He goes on to overthrow the Neapolitan Government
later in the year, then returns to farming goats British and French troops sack Peking, burning the Summer Palace in retribution for the death by torture of European emissaries sent to treat with the Emperor after the Anglo-Chinese War Abraham Lincoln elected President, South Carolina is the first southern state to vote for succession US cotton exports account for 65 percent of the nation's foreign trade earnings. Cotton is grown in the south, frequently by rapidly dating methods employing slave labour Burke and Wills set out from Melbourne to the Gulf of Carpentaria Production of the Winchester-Henry lever action rifle begins First running of the Melbourne Cup, first British Open Golf Championship, first World Heavyweight Boxing Championship (stopped when the crowd intervened after 42 rounds,by which stage John Heenan was blinded by blood flowing into his eyes and Tom Sayers was unable to move his right arm) |
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| 1861 | Italy unites as a single kingdom The United States disunite as more southern states follow South Carolina out of the Union, then civil war starts when Fort Sumpter is attacked. The US Army numbered 13,000 men. The Union (north) lose the following battles during the rest of then year: First Bull Run, Wilson's Creek, Ball's Bluff. There are no significant Union victories but by years end the US Army numbers in excess of 200,000 Death of Prince Alfred Richard Gatling's new gun is demonstrated, it goes into production next year Czar Aleksandr 2nd completes the emancipation of serfs commenced in 1852 |
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| 1862 | The Union Army wins its first significant battles as the Army
of the Cumberland capture Fort Henry and Fort Donelson. Despite rumours
to the contrary, their commander, Ulysses S Grant, rarely seems
incapacitated by alcohol. Santa Fe falls to the Confederacy. The first
battle of ironclad ships ends in a draw, but all the world's navies have
been rendered obsolete overnight. The Battle of Shiloh occurs, both
sides claim victory. The Union clears the Mississippi of Confederate
forces, splitting rebel territory in two. The Battle of Seven Days ends
in Union defeat, bluffed by fake guns made out of tree trunks and the
paucity of decent commanders. Second Bull Run is a bloodier defeat than
the first. The Battle of Antietam is something of a draw, Perryville is
indecisive as is Murfreesboro. General McLellan is stripped of his
command by Lincoln, and replaced by Ambrose Burnside. Burnside promptly
hands Robert E Lee one of the wars most comprehensive victories at
Fredricksburg (and will be replaced in January) Britain decides not to recognise the Confederacy, despite her huge reliance on cotton. So strong is the anti-slavery sentiment in Britain that unemployed millworkers demonstrate in favour of the Union Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation on 22 September, ending slavery in all Federal held lands The First Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers is formed: it is comprised of freed blacks under white officers. Its commander is Col.Thomas Higginson, who in 1854 purchased axes and attempted to free Anthony Burns from Federal prison in Boston The first casino opens in Monte Carlo Publication of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables The notes of Taps are recorded and ordered to be played at lights out and at funerals in the Union Army |
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| 1863 | The Emancipation Proclamation takes effect on January First,
freeing in excess of 4 million people from slavery Chancellorsville is another Confederate victory, but Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson loses an arm and eventually dies. He is missed by the South In July the Battles of Gettysburg and Vicksburg are twin deathknells for the South. Lee is lucky to escape with his army from Gettysburg, which marks the last chance the South had of capturing any significant Northern city. At Vicksburg, US Grant disintegrates the South's western armies, dividing them permanently The Union introduces the Draft, and riot ensue Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address, at the dedication of the Gettysburg War Cemetery There is starvation in the Confederate States, as the Union shipping blockade bites and fewer men are left to till fields. The Union destroys the Confederacy's last saltworks as well The first line on London's Underground opens Definitive rules for Association Football (Soccer) are drawn up in England |
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| 1864 | General William Sherman replaces US Grant as Commander of the
Army of the Tennessee. He promptly commences to "make the South howl". US
Grant is given command of all Union Armies, spends a night planning with
Sherman in his old tent, then sets out for Washington Grant attacks the south along a direct line from Washington to Richmond, the Confederate capital. When faced with entrenched rebels his troops redeploy to the east, forcing a series of inconclusive battles that come to be called "The Wilderness". At Cold Springs Harbour Grant orders a frontal assault, loses 12,000 men, and calmly returns to the creeping approach, secure in massive superiority in numbers, material and (increasingly) morale Sherman wins the "Battle Above the Clouds" (Keneshaw Mountain) despite ten-to-one losses. This allows him to attack and largely destroy (perhaps accidentally) Atlanta. He then leads his troops to the sea, destroying everything in a sixty mile (100km) wide path Union Admiral David Farragut crushes the Confederate Navy at Mobile Bay, despite the presence of large numbers of mines: "Damn the Torpedoes, Four Bells Captain Drayton, Go Ahead!" President Lincoln is re-elected in a wave of hope as Union victories mount, ending any chance that the war would not be prosecuted to completion The T'ai Ping Rebellion ends when Chinese Armies under British General Charles Gordon capture Nanking: over 100,000 city residents die. Directly or indirectly, the T'ai Ping has lead to tens of millions of deaths The International Red Cross is founded William Gilbert Grace, aged 16, plays his first County Cricket Match |
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| 1865 | The Civil War ends when the Confederate Army collapses. General
Grant accepts Robert E Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April
9th. Lee's last 28,000 men are permitted to keep their arms and horses
because they are starving and will need the equipment to survive: Grant
has no authority for this action There have been over a million casualties in the Civil War Abraham Lincoln is killed five days after Lee's surrender Gregor Mendel elucidates natural laws of heredity Formation of the Klu Klux Klan The Thirteen Amendment forbids slavery Formation of the Salvation Army Invention of the mercury vacuum pump For the first time, laws of heredity (genetics) are elucidated, by Austrian Botanist Gregor Mendel The Yale Lock is patented John Batterson Stetson designs a new hat |
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| 1866 | Seven week long war between Austria, Prussia, Italy, Hanover
and France. Prussia is larger when it is over Alfred Nobel invents dynamite First installment of War and Peace completed (the book takes another three years) First bottling of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whiskey (check the label) |
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| 1867 | Creation of the Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy Von Bismarck organises the German Confederation, with Prussian leadership Publication of Das Kapital Invention of the typewriter William Cummings invents the curveball The Marquis of Queensbury rules of boxing are laid down |
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| 1868 | Meiji restoration in Japan overturns the Tokugawa Shogunate and
ends feudalism in Japan First discovery of cromagnon skeletons, at Perigeaux Invention of Badminton, in England, and Tabasco Souce, in Louisiana Grape Phyloxera destroys European vineyards, which are replanted with roots from New England vines |
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| 1869 | Completion of the Suez Canal Invention of the rickshaw Mahbub Ali Pasha commences his 42 year reign as Nizam of Hyderabad. A benevolent Moslem despot, he orders that rents go uncollected in times of poverty and food be distributed to the needy, be they Moslem, Hindu, Zoroastrian or Christian Debtor's prisons are abolished in Britain First commercial production of margarine HJ Heinz and Co. commences business |
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| 1870 |
Franco-Prussian War: France declares war on Prussia, and attacks the
Germans, winning a battle at Saarbrucken. Meanwhile three Prussian
armies invade France, winning a comprehensive victory at Sedan, then
besiege Paris Italian troops capture Rome, left "unattended" by the French (who have other things on their mind) and Italy is unified Mendeleev publishes the periodic table of elements DNA is discovered, but no-one has any idea what it does Archaeological excavations begin at ancient Troy Standard Oil (aka S.O, aka Esso, aka Exxon, aka "The Defendant") is incorporated The Vatican Council is the first great gathering of Bishops since 1563. Papal nuncios intimidate the Bishops into favouring a decree of Papal infallibility |
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| 1871 | German unification France capitulates to Germany, ceding border provinces and a huge amount of cash Britain annexes Basutoland, which happens to contain the Kimberley diamond mines The Paris Commune ends in blood and violence: over 20,000 Parisians die on the barricades New York Herald reporter Henry Stanley, who set out two years previously, finally catches up with British explorer Dr.David Livingstone at Ujiji on Lake Tanganyika. Livingstone was not lost at all Barnum's Circus opens at Brooklyn, New York The Chicago fire rages for three days, destroying thirteen square kilometers of the city |
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| 1872 | First passenger train robbery by the Jesse James gang The brigantine Mary Celeste departs New York harbour in November with a crew of ten, bound for Genoa. The crew are never seen again: three weeks later the ship is discovered abandoned, sailing on a starboard tack with all stores and cargo intact Telegraph lines between Adelaide and Darwin commence operation Publication of Through the Looking Glass Yellowstone National Park is created, the first National Park in the United States and an inspiration for wilderness protection schemes the world over |
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| 1873 | Passage of the first Australian Factory Act (in Victoria) is
Australia's first industrial safety legislation Port Moresby founded Spanish Republic proclaimed Canada's Northwest Mounted Police are formed San Francisco's first cable car goes into operation James Maxwell publishes Theories on Electricity and Magnetism |
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| 1874 | Introduction of the Remington typewriter The Typhoid bacillis is isolated First exhibition of Impressionist art in Paris |
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| 1875 | Britain purchases control of the Suez canal from the Hhedive of
Egypt, who needs cash Not content with dynamite, Alfred Nobel invents blasting gelatin 40,000 (out of 150,000) Fijians die of measles. All in one year Invention of the electric dental drill First performance of Bizet's Carmen Capt.Matthew Webb is the first person to swim the English Channel |
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| 1876 | Alexander Bell pioneers the telephone Korean independence from China is internationally recognised Queen Victoria takes the tile "Empress of India" Battle of the Little Big Horn finally ends Gen.George Custer's extraordinary run of luck in the face of vast incompetence Invention of the stillson wrench Lydia Pinkham's Pink Pills for Pale People go on sale for the first time John Kellogg assumes control of the Western Health Reform Institute at Battle Creek, Michigan. He later goes on to invent cornflakes, or so he claims First complete performance of Wagner's Ring Cycle takes place during 1876. All of 1876 John McTammany demonstrates the first player piano Wild Bill Hickok is murdered while playing poker in Deadwood, on August 2nd. His hand, two pairs of Aces and Eights, is forever known as the "Dead Man's Hand" Gebruder Thonet introduces the café style "bentwood" chair to his Vienna restaurant Over the next three years in excess of ten million people die of famine in India and China, as drought affects rice crops Henry Wickham smuggles rubber plants out of Brazil and away to Britain, from whence they are successfully transplanted around the globe, ending Brazil's wild rubber monopoly |
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| 1877 | Russia declares war on Turkey Famine kills 4 million in Bengal Rebellion in Japan as angry Samurai attempt to overthrow the Emperor Thomas Edison invents and displays the "drum" record player First publication of Anna Sewell's Black Beauty First British Open Tennis Championship at Wimbledon |
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| 1878 | Peace between Russia and Turkey. The Treaty of San Stefano
follows a Greek declaration of war on Turkey: the Ottoman Empire is
dismembered, Serbia, Monte Negro and Rumania become independent states,
Russia gains territory, Britain occupies Cyprus (she was an Ottoman
ally in this war, too!) and France occupies Tunis. Despite all
this Russian nationalists and pan-Slavic supporters are unhappy Third year of drought in Asia: 10 million die of starvation in China alone First publication of Hardy's Return of the Native Discovery of the Tiffany Diamond in the Kimberley Mine: it weighs 287.42 carets |
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| 1879 | Bolivia and Chile go to war over nitrate deposits Britain destroys the Zulu nation in the Zulu War In Scotland, the Tay Bridge collapses under the weight of a train in a winter storm Edison demonstrates the first practical incandescent lightbulb The first Woolworths store opens Mary Baker Eddy charters the Church of Christ Scientist |
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| 1880 | Cecil Rhodes and Alfred Beit found the De Beers Mining
Corporation After 634 years of work, Cologne Cathedral is completed: 515 feet high, its twin spires make it the tallest building in the world |
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| 1881 | Rumania and Serbia win independence from the Ottoman Empire President Garfield is assassinated by Charles Guiteau, whom Garfield had turned down for a job Tsar Aleksandr II is assassinated by Sophia Perovskaya, head of a band of nihilists. Jews are made scapegoats Richard D'Oyly Carte opens London's Savoy Theatre: home of Gilbert and Sullivan, it is also Britain's first public building lit entirely by electricity Shootout at the OK Corral (the true story is better than all the myths: check it out) |
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| 1882 | Germany, Italy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire sign the Triple
Alliance Hostilities between Egyptian nationalists and the British, who bombard Alexandria with naval guns while defending the Suez Canal Italy commences colonisation of Ethiopia The Hague convention agrees on a three mile limit for territorial waters A notice appears in the London Sporting Times on August 30th lamenting the sad demise of English cricket, adding further that the remains will be cremated and "the ashes taken to Australia" |
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| 1883 | The Brooklyn Bridge is opened to traffic: 12 people get
trampled to death in the excitement Sydney and Melbourne are linked by railway First journey of The Orient Express from Paris to Constantinople Britain assumes effective control over Egypt Invention of the Maxim gun, the first fully automatic machinegun First publication of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson On August 27 Mt Krakatoa erupts, being audible 4500km away, creating a tidal wave that affects tide measurements in New York and London as well as destroying in excess of 150 Indonesian villages with a loss of life of at least 35,000 |
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| 1884 | Ottmar Mergenthaler patents the linotype machine, which
revolutionises newspaper publishing Dr William Halsted pioneers the use of local anaesthesia (with cocaine) Charles Parsons demonstrates a practical compound steam turbine In Britain, Rickman Godlee performs the first successful operation to remove a brain tumour The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is published The world's first roller coaster opens at Coney Island, New York |
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| 1885 | Karl-Friedrich Benz demonstrates the first successful petrol
driven motorcar BHP founded First use of an anti-rabies vaccine by Louis Pasteur William Stanley develops a working transformer, able to step-down large voltages The Westinghouse Company is founded: together with William Stanley, George Westinghouse pioneers the use of alternating current distribution systems |
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| 1886 | On May 1st Chicago police fire into a crowd of strikers,
killing four. The "Haymarket Massacre" marks the beginnings of May Day
as a revolutionary memorial day Capture of Geronimo ends the last major Indian war in the United States Britain annexes Burma, but guerilla warfare continues for years Johannesburg is founded Charles Hall pioneers commercial aluminium production Auguste Rodin shows his sculpture The Kiss Dedication of the Statue of Liberty The Avon Products Company is founded, as is Sears, Roebuck and Co. Coca-Cola goes on sale on May 8th at Jacob's Pharmacy in Atlanta, Georgia
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| 1887 | War between Ethiopia and Italy (see 1882) Thomas Edison invents the first motor driven phonograph Floods along the Hwang-Ho river in China lead to destruction of crops and famine: in excess of 900,000 people die |
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| 1888 | Completion of the Washington Monument, still the world's
tallest masonry structure (555 feet, or 170m) Nikola Tesla develops a practical electric motor based on the principal of alternating-current induction. Motors based on his design supplant direct current models John Dunlop patents the pneumatic bicycle tyre Universal emancipation in Brazil Foundation of the Institut Pasteur in Paris First issues of National Geographic Magazine The "Jack the Ripper" murders occur in Whitechapel, London L'internationale is published for the first time |
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| 1889 | First Constitution of Japan Completion of the Eiffel Tower for the Paris Esposition. The Exposition is a huge success and leads to a revolution in European music |
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| 1890 | "Battle" of Wounded Knee sees some 350 largely unarmed Sioux,
including the elderly and children, massacred by over 500 troopers from
the US 7th Cavalry First commercial dry cell batteries produced by the Eveready Company Australopithicus erectus (Java Man) remains discovered by Eugene Dubois near Kedung Brebus, Java First tetanus antitoxin Proclamation of Yosemite National Park in the USA |
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| 1891 | Germany enacts the world's first old age pension plan James Naismith invents basketball |
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| 1892 | General strikes in Australia are ended only after military
intervention John Rockerfeller's Standard Oil Trust is ruled illegal by the US Supreme Court Arthur Conan Doyle releases the collected Adventures of Sherlock Holmes |
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| 1893 | Laos becomes a French protectorate New Zealand adopts universal female suffrage, becoming the first country in the world to do so Formation of the British Labour Party In Chicago, the first open heart surgery is performed by Daniel Hale Williams Chicago also sees the world's first Ferris Wheel Lizzie Borden goes on trial for murdering her parents (she was acquitted), in what was arguably the world's first "media sensation" trial |
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| 1894 | France is swept by a wave of anti-Semitism following the
conviction of Capt Alfred Dreyfus of having passed sensitive information
to Germany. Dreyfus is later proved innocent Austrian Theodore Herzl, a journalist reporting on the Dreyfus trial, lays the foundations of modern political zionism when he proposes a modern Jewish state The Reichstag building is completed London Bridge is completed Nellie Melba is honored by the creation of Peche Melba: cooked peach half, vanilla icecream on top, pureed raspberries and almond slivers on top of that |
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| 1895 | William Roentgen discovers X-rays In St Petersburg, Vladimir Ilich Ulyanov (aka Nikolai Lenin) forms the "League for the Emancipation of the Working Class" A brief Sino-Japanese war ends with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, after the complete destruction of the Chinese Army The Kiel Canal connects the North Sea with the Rhine Rudolf Diesel invents the "sparkless" diesel compression engine Britain annexes Tongaland ina an attempt to prevent Boers in the Transvaal from getting access to a seaport On December 29th Leander Starr Jamieson attacks the Transvaal with a force of 600 "irregular cavalry": they intend to foment a revolt against the Boer government of Oom Paul Kruger First theatre display of moving pictures: on March 22, members of La Societe d'Encouragement a l'Industrie Nationale in Paris watch a movie of workers at the Lumiere factory, in Lyon, going to lunch. The first commercial screening takes place in New York on May 20th First performance of Swan Lake |
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| 1896 | The Jamieson Raiders are forced to surrender to the Boer
government on January 2nd. Cecil Rhodes is implicated in the plan and
forced to resign the Premiership of Cape Colony (South Africa) Ethiopian warriors defeat the Italians at Adowa and force Italy to sue for peace. The Treaty of Addis Ababa withdraws the Italian protectorate France proclaim Madagascar as a Colony, and send an expedition to the Sudan the do the same there Anglo-Egyptian troops also set off to reconquer the Sudan. No one seems to have asked the locals Antoine Becquerel discovers that Uranium is radioactive The Klondike gold rush begins Samual Langle successfully flies a steam powered, unmanned aircraft nearly 1000m World's first permanent radio station set up on the Isle of Wight by the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company Revival of the Olympic Games by Pierre de Fredy, Baron de Coubertin |
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| 1897 | Joseph Thomson determines that atoms are composed of a number
of subatomic particles Dr Ronald Ross discovers that the parasite which causes malaria is carried by the Anopheles mosquito The United States annexes Hawaii, despite Japanese protests Karl Braun invents the cathode ray tube |
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| 1898 | The Spanish-American War is sparked by the explosion of USS
Maine in Havana harbour on February 15th. Preparations for war follow.
On April 19th the US Congress recognised Cuban independence from Spain.
On April 24th Spain declares war on the USA. On May 1st Commodore Dewey,
USN, attacks the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay, sinking all ten ships
before 12.30 at the cost of 8 Americans slightly wounded: Dewey is
promoted. The USA invades Cuba on June 20 and wins a series of victories
culminating in the Battles of San Juan Hill on July 2nd and Santiago Bay
on July 3rd. On July 25th the USA invades Puerto Rico. A peace protocol
is signed on August 12th, ratified in Paris on December 10th. The USA
pays Spain $20 million for the Philippines and is cede Puerto Rico and
Guam Cuba achieves independence and is promptly colonised by American business interests In September the British conquer Sudan, then squabble with the French over who gets to keep it. The British win the argument, and Ethiopia gains the right bank of the Nile The Dreyfus case is reopened with new evidence after agitation by French novelist Emile Zola. It is demonstrated that key evidence against Dreyfus was forged as part of an anti-semitic plot. Dreyfus is released from Devil's Island, and restored to rank- in 1906 Radium is isolated by Marie and Pierre Curie Bayer and Co introduce Heroin (under that name) as a cough suppressant. It works, too The Opel, Renault and Goodyear Companies are all founded H.G. Wells publishes The War of the Worlds Konstantin Stanislavski founds the Moscow Art Theatre and will head it for 40 years: he is the father of "method" acting Joshua Slocum completes the first solo circumnavigation of the world Invention of Pepsi Cola |
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| 1899 | The Boer War begins on October 12th: President Kruger
preemptively attacks the Cape Colony settlements of Mafeking, Ladysmith,
Kimberley FIAT is founded Felix Hoffman and Hermann Dreser develop Aspirin Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is the first ragtime to appear on sheet music, and will sell over 500,000 copies before his death in 1917 Coca Cola is bottled for the first time |
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| 1900 | The Boer War continues: the siege of Kimberley is lifted after 4
months, while that of Ladysmith is almost as long, and the Relief of
Mafeking only occurs after 215 days. Mafeking's defence has been lead by
Col Robert Stephenson Smyth, Baron Baden-Powell of Gilwell, who forms
the Boy Scout movement in 1908. The Boer commander, Piet Conje, is
surrounded and cut off from ammunition supplies near Paardeburg and
forced to surrender his force; regular warfare is ended and the Boers
adopt guerilla tactics. Johannesburg falls to the British, as do
Pretoria and Waterford. Britain annexes the Orange Free State and the
Transvaal. Of some 120,000 Boer women and children placed in
concentration camps (the British invented the term and used it
officially), more than 20,000 die of starvation and neglect Beginning June 20th, foreign legations (embassies) in Peking are besieged in what becomes known as the Boxer Rebellion. Over 250 foreigners are killed, most of them missionary teachers. The siege is lifted by a joint expeditionary force on August 14th Max Planck elucidates the quantum theory Gregor Mendel's observations on genetics and associated "laws" are publicised for the first time, by Dutch botanist Hugo de Vries (see 1865) Arthur Evans archaeological research on Crete leads to the rediscovery of the Palace of Knossus The Trans-Siberian Railway opens Illinois Central Railroad engineer Jonathon Jones is killed in a railway accident: immortalised as "Casey Jones", his name lives on Ferdinand von Zeppilin launches his first fully rigid airship Harry Houdini's career begins with a publicity stunt escape from London's Scotland Yard First publication of Le Guide Michelin The population of the World is 1.65 billion, and there are 16 cities of 1 million or more inhabitants In New Haven, Connecticut, Louis Lassen invents- the hamburger. |
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