• 1789/--/-- george washington (federalist) becomes president of the united states 280
  • 1797/--/-- john adams (federalist) becomes president of the united states 281
  • 1801/--/-- thomas jefferson (democratic republican) becomes president of the united states 282
  • 1809/--/-- james madison (democratic republican) becomes president of the united states 283
  • 1817/--/-- james monroe (democratic republican) becomes president of the united states 284
  • 1825/--/-- john quincy adams (democratic republican) becomes president of the united states 285
  • 1829/--/-- andrew jackson (democrat) becomes president of the united states 286
  • 1837/--/-- martin van buren (democrat) becomes president of the united states 287
  • 1841/--/-- william henry harrison (whig) becomes president of the united states 288
  • 1841/--/-- john tyler (whig) becomes president of the united states 289
  • 1845/--/-- james k. polk (democrat) becomes president of the united states 290
  • 1849/--/-- zachary taylor (whig) becomes president of the united states 291
  • 1850/--/-- millard fillmore (whig) becomes president of the united states 292
  • 1853/--/-- franklin pierce (democrat) becomes president of the united states 293
  • 1857/--/-- james buchanan (democrat) becomes president of the united states 294
  • 1861/--/-- abraham lincoln (republican) becomes president of the united states 295
  • 1865/--/-- andrew johnson (republican) becomes president of the united states 296
  • 1869/--/-- ulysses s. grant (republican) becomes president of the united states 297
  • 1877/--/-- rutherford b. hayes (republican) becomes president of the united states 298
  • 1881/--/-- james a. garfield (republican) becomes president of the united states 299
  • 1881/--/-- chester a. arthur (republican) becomes president of the united states 300
  • 1885/--/-- grover cleveland (democrat) becomes president of the united states 301
  • 1889/--/-- benjamin harrison (republican) becomes president of the united states 302
  • 1893/--/-- grover cleveland (democrat) becomes president of the united states 303
  • 1897/--/-- william mckinley (republican) becomes president of the united states 304
  • 1901/--/-- theodore roosevelt (republican) becomes president of the united states 305
  • 1909/--/-- william howard taft (republican) becomes president of the united states 306
  • 1913/--/-- woodrow wilson (democrat) becomes president of the united states 307
  • 1921/--/-- warren g. harding (republican) becomes president of the united states 308
  • 1923/--/-- calvin coolidge (republican) becomes president of the united states 309
  • 1929/--/-- herbert c. hoover (republican) becomes president of the united states 310
  • 1933/--/-- franklin d. roosevelt (democrat) becomes president of the united states 311
  • 1945/--/-- harry s. truman (democrat) becomes president of the united states 312
  • 1953/--/-- dwight d. eisenhower (republican) becomes president of the united states 313
  • 1961/--/-- john f. kennedy (democrat) becomes president of the united states 314
  • 1963/--/-- lyndon b. johnson (democrat) becomes president of the united states 315
  • 1969/--/-- richard m. nixon (republican) becomes president of the united states 316
  • 1974/--/-- gerald r. ford (republican) becomes president of the united states 317
  • 1977/--/-- james e. carter, jr. (democrat) becomes president of the united states 318
  • 1981/--/-- ronald w. reagan (republican) becomes president of the united states 319
  • 1989/--/-- george h. w. bush (republican) becomes president of the united states 320
  • 1903/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (3) al boston (5) 439
  • 1905/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al philadelphia (1) 440
  • 1906/10/-- world series nl chicago (2) al chicago (4) 441
  • 1907/10/-- world series nl chicago (4) al detroit (0) 442
  • 1908/10/-- world series nl chicago (4) al detroit (1) 443
  • 1909/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (4) al detroit (3) 444
  • 1910/10/-- world series nl chicago (1) al philadelphia (4) 445
  • 1911/10/-- world series nl new york (2) al philadelphia (4) 446
  • 1912/10/-- world series nl new york (3) al boston (4) 447
  • 1913/10/-- world series nl new york (1) al philadelphia (4) 448
  • 1914/10/-- world series nl boston (4) al philadelphia (0) 449
  • 1915/10/-- world series nl philadelphia (1) al boston (4) 450
  • 1916/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (1) al boston (4) 451
  • 1917/10/-- world series nl new york (2) al chicago (4) 452
  • 1918/10/-- world series nl chicago (2) al boston (4) 453
  • 1919/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (5) al chicago (3) 454
  • 1920/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (2) al cleveland (5) 455
  • 1921/10/-- world series nl new york (5) al new york (3) 456
  • 1922/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al new york (0) 457
  • 1923/10/-- world series nl new york (2) al new york (4) 458
  • 1924/10/-- world series nl new york (3) al washington (4) 459
  • 1925/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (4) al washington (3) 460
  • 1926/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al new york (3) 461
  • 1927/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (0) al new york (4) 462
  • 1928/10/-- world series nl st. louis (0) al new york (4) 463
  • 1929/10/-- world series nl chicago (1) al philadelphia (4) 464
  • 1930/10/-- world series nl st. louis (2) al philadelphia (4) 465
  • 1931/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al philadelphia (3) 466
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  • 1933/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al washington (1) 468
  • 1934/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al detroit (3) 469
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  • 1936/10/-- world series nl new york (2) al new york (4) 471
  • 1937/10/-- world series nl new york (1) al new york (4) 472
  • 1938/10/-- world series nl chicago (0) al new york (4) 473
  • 1939/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (0) al new york (4) 474
  • 1940/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (4) al detroit (3) 475
  • 1941/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (1) al new york (4) 476
  • 1942/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al new york (1) 477
  • 1943/10/-- world series nl st. louis (1) al new york (4) 478
  • 1944/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al st. louis (2) 479
  • 1945/10/-- world series nl chicago (3) al detroit (4) 480
  • 1946/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al boston (3) 481
  • 1947/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (3) al new york (4) 482
  • 1948/10/-- world series nl boston (2) al cleveland (4) 483
  • 1949/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (1) al new york (4) 484
  • 1950/10/-- world series nl philadelphia (0) al new york (4) 485
  • 1951/10/-- world series nl new york (2) al new york (4) 486
  • 1952/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (3) al new york (4) 487
  • 1953/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (2) al new york (4) 488
  • 1954/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al cleveland (0) 489
  • 1955/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (4) al new york (3) 490
  • 1956/10/-- world series nl brooklyn (3) al new york (4) 491
  • 1957/10/-- world series nl milwaukee (4) al new york (3) 492
  • 1958/10/-- world series nl milwaukee (3) al new york (4) 493
  • 1959/10/-- world series nl los angeles (4) al chicago (2) 494
  • 1960/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (4) al new york (3) 495
  • 1961/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (1) al new york (4) 496
  • 1962/10/-- world series nl san francisco (3) al new york (4) 497
  • 1963/10/-- world series nl los angeles (4) al new york (0) 498
  • 1964/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al new york (3) 499
  • 1965/10/-- world series nl los angeles (4) al minnesota (3) 500
  • 1966/10/-- world series nl los angeles (0) al baltimore (4) 501
  • 1967/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al boston (3) 502
  • 1968/10/-- world series nl st. louis (3) al detroit (4) 503
  • 1969/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al baltimore (1) 504
  • 1970/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (1) al baltimore (4) 505
  • 1971/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (4) al baltimore (3) 506
  • 1972/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (3) al oakland (4) 507
  • 1973/10/-- world series nl new york (3) al oakland (4) 508
  • 1974/10/-- world series nl los angeles (1) al oakland (4) 509
  • 1975/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (4) al boston (3) 510
  • 1976/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (4) al new york (0) 511
  • 1977/10/-- world series nl los angeles (2) al new york (4) 512
  • 1978/10/-- world series nl los angeles (2) al new york (4) 513
  • 1979/10/-- world series nl pittsburgh (4) al baltimore (3) 514
  • 1980/10/-- world series nl philadelphia (4) al kansas city (2) 515
  • 1981/10/-- world series nl los angeles (4) al new york (2) 516
  • 1982/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al milwaukee (3) 517
  • 1983/10/-- world series nl philadelphia (1) al baltimore (4) 518
  • 1984/10/-- world series nl san diego (1) al detroit (4) 519
  • 1985/10/-- world series nl st. louis (3) al kansas city (4) 520
  • 1986/10/-- world series nl new york (4) al boston (3) 521
  • 1987/10/-- world series nl st. louis (3) al minnesota (4) 522
  • 1988/10/-- world series nl los angeles (4) al oakland (1) 523
  • 1989/10/-- world series nl san francisco (0) al oakland (4) 524
  • 1990/10/-- world series nl cincinnati (4) al oakland (0) 525
  • 1991/10/-- world series nl atlanta (3) al minnesota (4) 526
  • 1869/--/-- the cincinnati red stockings become the first professional baseball team. 859
  • 1901/--/-- an american league of baseball is formed in competition to the national league. 860
  • 1903/--/-- the first world series baseball game is played. 861
  • 1919/--/-- the chicago white sox conspire to fix the baseball world series. 862
  • 1927/--/-- baseball player babe ruth scores a record 60 home runs for the new york yankees. 863
  • 1941/--/-- baseball player joe dimaggio sets a new record for hitting in 56 consecutive games. 864
  • 1947/--/-- baseball player jackie robinson becomes the first black to play in the major leagues. 865
  • 1961/--/-- roger maris breaks babe ruth's home-run baseball record with a season total of 61. 866
  • 1974/--/-- baseball player hank aaron breaks babe ruth's record of 714 home-runs. 867
  • 1985/--/-- baseball player pete rose beats ty cobb's 57-year-old record of 4,191 base hits. 868
  • 1891/--/-- james naismith devises the game of basketball in springfield, mass. 869
  • 1926/--/-- the harlem globetrotters basketball team is organized in chicago. 870
  • 1962/--/-- basketball player wilt chamberlain scores a record 100 points in one game. 871
  • 1987/--/-- basketball player kareem abdul-jabbar passes wilt chamberlain's points record. 872
  • 1990/--/-- basketball player michael jordan leads the nba in scoring for the fourth consecutive year. 873
  • 1990/--/-- basketball player earvin "magic" johnson wins the mvp award for the third time. 874
  • 1823/--/-- rugby football originates at rugby school in england. 875
  • 1863/--/-- the london football association issues the first soccer rules. 876
  • 1963/--/-- football running back jim brown sets a record for rushes of 1,863 yards. 877
  • 1975/--/-- football player o.j. simpson scores a record 23 touchdowns in one season. 878
  • 1873/--/-- englishman maj. walter clopton wingfield invents lawn tennis. 879
  • 1877/--/-- the all-england lawn tennis championship is played at wimbledon for the first time. 880
  • 1881/--/-- the first u.s. tennis championship is held in newport, r.i. 881
  • 1900/--/-- the u.s. wins the first davis cup tennis contest. 882
  • 1919/--/-- french tennis star suzanne lenglen wins the wimbledon tournament for the first time. 883
  • 1920/--/-- american tennis star bill tilden wins the wimbledon tournament for the first time. 884
  • 1927/--/-- helen newington wills wins the wimbledon tennis championship. 885
  • 1938/--/-- don budge becomes the first player to win the grand slam (4 tennis championships). 886
  • 1953/--/-- american tennis player maureen connolly (little mo) wins the grand slam. 887
  • 1957/--/-- black tennis player althea gibson wins the u.s. open and wimbledon championships. 888
  • 1967/--/-- tennis player billie jean king wins the u.s. open championship for the first time. 889
  • 1968/--/-- arthur ashe becomes the first black player to win a major men's tennis title. 890
  • 1969/--/-- australian rod laver becomes the only tennis player to win the grand slam twice. 891
  • 1970/--/-- australian tennis player margaret smith court wins the grand slam. 892
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player chris evert wins a record 56 consecutive matches. 893
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player jimmy connors wins the u.s. open tournament for the first time. 894
  • 1975/--/-- czech tennis star martina navratilova defects to the u.s. 895
  • 1976/--/-- swedish tennis star bjorn borg wins the first of five wimbledon championships. 896
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player tracy austin wins the u.s. open championship at age 16. 897
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player john mcenroe wins his first u.s. open championship. 898
  • 1986/--/-- czech tennis player ivan lendl wins the french open and u.s. open tournaments. 899
  • 1988/--/-- german tennis player steffi graf becomes the 3rd woman to win the grand slam. 900
  • 1988/--/-- german tennis player boris becker leads west germany to victory in the davis cup. 901
  • 1863/--/-- the london football association issues the first soccer rules. 902
  • 1958/--/-- soccer player pele leads brazil to victory in the world cup. 903
  • 1967/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) is formed. 904
  • 1975/--/-- brazilian soccer star pele ends his retirement to play for the new york cosmos. 905
  • 1979/--/-- dutch soccer star johan cruyff plays for the l.a. aztecs. 906
  • 1985/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) suspends operations. 907
  • 1855/--/-- the first formal ice hockey game is played in kingston, ontario. 908
  • 1924/--/-- the boston bruins become the first professional ice hockey team. 909
  • 1971/--/-- ice hockey player phil esposito scores a record 76 goals in 78 games. 910
  • 1986/--/-- ice hockey player wayne gretzky raises the season point record to 215. 911
  • 1896/--/-- the first modern olympic games are held at athens in greece; 13 countries compete. 912
  • 1912/--/-- american indian jim thorpe wins the olympic decathlon and pentathlon. 913
  • 1936/--/-- black athlete jesse owens wins 4 gold medals at the berlin olympic games. 914
  • 1936/--/-- olympic ice skater sonja henie turns professional. 915
  • 1948/--/-- dutch track star fanny blankers-koen wins four gold medals in the olympic games. 916
  • 1952/--/-- czech runner emil zatopek wins 3 gold medals in the helsinki olympic games. 917
  • 1960/--/-- american track star wilma rudolph wins 3 gold medals at the rome olympic games. 918
  • 1968/--/-- american skater peggy fleming wins the singles title at the winter olympic games. 919
  • 1968/--/-- french downhill skier jean claude killy wins three olympic gold medals. 920
  • 1968/--/-- american track star bob beamon beats the olympic long jump record by almost 2 feet. 921
  • 1968/--/-- dick fosbury uses the fosbury flop to win the olympic gold medal for the high jump. 922
  • 1972/--/-- palestinian terrorists kill 11 israeli athletes at the munich olympics. 923
  • 1972/--/-- american swimmer mark spitz wins a record seven olympic gold medals. 924
  • 1972/--/-- soviet gymnast olga korbut wins three olympic gold medals. 925
  • 1976/--/-- romanian gymnast nadia comaneci wins three gold medals at the montreal olympics. 926
  • 1976/--/-- finnish runner lasse viren wins the olympic 5,000- and 10,000-m races for the second time. 927
  • 1980/--/-- the u.s. boycotts the moscow olympics to protest the invasion of afghanistan. 928
  • 1984/--/-- american track athlete carl lewis wins four gold medals at the los angeles olympics. 929
  • 1988/--/-- sprinter ben johnson is stripped of his olympic gold medal after a drug test. 930
  • 0597/--/-- st. augustine begins his christian mission to england at canterbury. 931
  • 0630/--/-- the sutton hoo treasure is buried in a grave of an anglo-saxon king in england. 932
  • 0670/--/-- the first english poet caedmon writes christian verse. 933
  • 0698/--/-- the lindisfarne gospels are produced in england. 934
  • 0731/--/-- the venerable bede writes a history of the english church. 935
  • 0789/--/-- vikings begin their attacks on england. 936
  • 0866/--/-- danish vikings establish a kingdom in york, england. 937
  • 0871/--/-- alfred the great becomes king of wessex; the danish advance is halted in england. 938
  • 0886/--/-- alfred divides england with the danes under the danelaw pact. 939
  • 0980/--/-- danish raids on england are renewed. 940
  • 0991/--/-- aethelred ii pays the first danegeld ransom to stop danish attacks on england. 941
  • 1000/--/-- eilmer of malmesbury makes a glider flight from malmesbury abbey in england. 942
  • 1013/--/-- the danes conquer england; aethelred flees to normandy. 943
  • 1016/--/-- the danes under canute rule england. 944
  • 1028/--/-- canute, king of england and denmark, conquers norway. 945
  • 1042/--/-- edward the confessor rules england with the support of the danes. 946
  • 1078/--/-- the building of the tower of london begins in england. 947
  • 1079/--/-- the building of winchester cathedral begins in england. 948
  • 1080/--/-- the city of newcastle is founded in england. 949
  • 1086/--/-- over 5,000 waterwheels are in use in england according to the domesday book. 950
  • 1086/--/-- the domesday book records land use and tenure in england. 951
  • 1114/--/-- chichester cathedral is founded in england. 952
  • 1150/--/-- oxford university is founded in england about this time. 953
  • 1154/--/-- henry of anjou is crowned henry ii of england -- the first plantagenet king. 954
  • 1171/--/-- king henry ii of england annexes ireland. 955
  • 1191/--/-- king richard i of england captures cyprus. 956
  • 1192/--/-- king richard i of england is captured by duke leopold of austria. 957
  • 1199/--/-- richard i is killed in battle in france; he is succeeded by john as king of england. 958
  • 1200/--/-- cambridge university is founded in england. 959
  • 1207/--/-- the city of liverpool is settled in england. 960
  • 1214/--/-- philip ii defeats emperor otto iv and king john of england at the battle of bouvines. 961
  • 1215/--/-- king john of england signs the magna carta. 962
  • 1220/--/-- the building of salisbury cathedral is begun in england. 963
  • 1242/--/-- english monk roger bacon describes a formula for making gunpowder. 964
  • 1264/--/-- simon de montfort and the english barons defeat henry iii at the battle of lewes. 965
  • 1290/--/-- edward i expels the jews from england. 966
  • 1297/--/-- william wallace expels the english from scotland. 967
  • 1298/--/-- english king edward i defeats william wallace and reconquers scotland. 968
  • 1306/--/-- robert the bruce leads the scots in a rebellion against english rule. 969
  • 1314/--/-- the scots defeat the english at the battle of bannockburn. 970
  • 1322/--/-- english folk hero robin hood is first mentioned. 971
  • 1326/--/-- edward ii of england is deposed by queen isabella and roger mortimer. 972
  • 1337/--/-- the hundred years' war begins between england and france. 973
  • 1346/--/-- english archers defeat the french at crecy; cannons (bombards) are used in the battle. 974
  • 1347/--/-- the english capture the french port of calais. 975
  • 1362/--/-- english poet william langland writes piers plowman. 976
  • 1369/--/-- the french renew the war against england and recapture most of aquitaine. 977
  • 1381/--/-- the peasants' revolt begins in england. 978
  • 1382/--/-- john wycliffe translates the bible into english. 979
  • 1386/--/-- english poet geoffrey chaucer begins the canterbury tales. 980
  • 1400/--/-- bedlam, england's first hospital for the mentally ill, is founded in london. 981
  • 1400/--/-- owen glendower leads a welsh revolt against english rule. 982
  • 1403/--/-- henry iv, king of england, defeats the percy family at the battle of shrewsbury. 983
  • 1420/--/-- henry v of england is acknowledged as heir to the french throne. 984
  • 1429/--/-- the french under joan of arc raise the siege of orleans and defeat the english. 985
  • 1431/--/-- joan of arc is burned as a witch by the english at rouen in france. 986
  • 1436/--/-- the french end the english occupation of paris. 987
  • 1440/--/-- king henry vi founds eton college in england. 988
  • 1446/--/-- the building of the chapel at king's college is begun in cambridge, england. 989
  • 1453/--/-- the french capture bordeaux from the english, ending the hundred years' war. 990
  • 1455/--/-- the wars of the roses begin in england. 991
  • 1461/--/-- richard of york's son edward iv is crowned king of england. 992
  • 1469/--/-- henry vi and the earl of warwick depose edward iv of england. 993
  • 1471/--/-- henry vi of england is murdered; edward iv is restored to the throne. 994
  • 1475/--/-- the english under edward iv invade france. 995
  • 1477/--/-- william caxton prints the first book in england. 996
  • 1481/--/-- edward iv establishes a postal service in england. 997
  • 1483/--/-- richard iii usurps the throne of england; edward v is murdered. 998
  • 1485/--/-- english land owners begin enclosing their fields with hedges. 999
  • 1486/--/-- henry vii of england unites the warring houses of york and lancaster. 1000
  • 1497/--/-- italian explorer john cabot discovers newfoundland for england. 1001
  • 1499/--/-- perkin warbeck, pretender to the english throne, is executed by henry vii. 1002
  • 1509/--/-- henry viii succeeds his father henry vii as king of england. 1003
  • 1510/--/-- the english morality play everyman is adapted from an earlier dutch work. 1004
  • 1515/--/-- the building of hampton court is begun in england. 1005
  • 1515/--/-- thomas wolsey is appointed lord chancellor of england. 1006
  • 1516/--/-- english intellectual and statesman sir thomas more writes utopia. 1007
  • 1532/--/-- thomas cromwell becomes chief minister to henry viii of england. 1008
  • 1533/--/-- the church of england breaks with rome. 1009
  • 1535/--/-- english humanist and statesman thomas more is executed. 1010
  • 1536/--/-- dissolution of the monasteries and nunneries begins in england. 1011
  • 1536/--/-- english reformer william tyndale is burned at the stake for heresy. 1012
  • 1543/--/-- the first single-cast cannon is made in england. 1013
  • 1545/--/-- henry viii's warship the mary rose sinks near portsmouth in england. 1014
  • 1547/--/-- henry viii dies and is succeeded by edward vi as king of england. 1015
  • 1549/--/-- english theologian thomas cranmer promotes the book of common prayer. 1016
  • 1553/--/-- edward vi dies; lady jane grey rules england but is deposed after 9 days. 1017
  • 1553/--/-- mary i (bloody mary) becomes queen of england. 1018
  • 1553/--/-- the english muscovy company begin the search for a northeast passage to the indies. 1019
  • 1554/--/-- mary i, queen of england, marries philip, heir to the spanish throne. 1020
  • 1554/--/-- the catholic restoration begins in england under mary i. 1021
  • 1555/--/-- 300 english protestants are burned at the stake. 1022
  • 1558/--/-- elizabeth i succeeds mary i as queen of england. 1023
  • 1558/--/-- the english lose calais, their last french possession. 1024
  • 1560/--/-- puritanism begins in england about this time. 1025
  • 1564/--/-- the first horse-drawn coaches come to england from holland. 1026
  • 1564/--/-- the manufacture of lead (graphite) pencils begins in england. 1027
  • 1568/--/-- mary, queen of scots, is imprisoned in england for 19 years by elizabeth i. 1028
  • 1577/--/-- english explorer francis drake begins his voyage of circumnavigation. 1029
  • 1578/--/-- english dramatist john lyly writes euphues, the anatomy of wit. 1030
  • 1579/--/-- english explorer francis drake discovers san francisco bay. 1031
  • 1583/--/-- sir humphrey gilbert claims newfoundland for england. 1032
  • 1584/--/-- walter raleigh and richard grenville organize english colonizing ventures to north america. 1033
  • 1585/--/-- england is at war with spain (until 1604). 1034
  • 1585/--/-- roanoke island in north carolina is settled as the first english colony in virginia. 1035
  • 1586/--/-- pipe smoking is introduced into england. 1036
  • 1588/--/-- the spanish armada is defeated by the english navy. 1037
  • 1590/--/-- english poet edmund spenser begins the faerie queene. 1038
  • 1593/--/-- english theologian richard hooker publishes his laws of ecclesiastical polity. 1039
  • 1595/--/-- hugh o'neill leads a rebellion against the english in ireland. 1040
  • 1597/--/-- english composer john dowland publishes his first booke of songes. 1041
  • 1598/--/-- english playwright ben jonson writes every man in his humour. 1042
  • 1598/--/-- john florio produces an italian-english dictionary. 1043
  • 1602/--/-- bartholomew gosnold explores the new england coast and names cape cod. 1044
  • 1602/--/-- the bodleian library, the first public library in europe, opens in oxford, england 1045
  • 1604/--/-- england and spain are at peace after 19 years of war. 1046
  • 1605/--/-- english philosopher francis bacon publishes the advancement of learning. 1047
  • 1605/--/-- the english claim barbados in the west indies. 1048
  • 1605/--/-- the gunpowder plot to blow up the english parliament is discovered. 1049
  • 1607/--/-- john smith founds the first english colony at jamestown in virginia. 1050
  • 1609/--/-- the english colonize bermuda. 1051
  • 1610/--/-- english navigator henry hudson becomes the first european to explore hudson bay. 1052
  • 1611/--/-- an edition of the bible authorized by king james i is completed in england. 1053
  • 1611/--/-- english and scottish protestants settle in ireland under the ulster plantation. 1054
  • 1614/--/-- james i dissolves the addled parliament in england. 1055
  • 1614/--/-- pocahontas, a north american indian princess, marries english settler john rolfe. 1056
  • 1615/--/-- the first english language reference is made to tea. 1057
  • 1616/--/-- a smallpox epidemic decimates the indian population in new england. 1058
  • 1621/--/-- english scholar robert burton publishes anatomy of melancholy. 1059
  • 1623/--/-- the first english settlement is founded in new hampshire. 1060
  • 1624/--/-- english poet john donne publishes devotions upon emergent occasions. 1061
  • 1625/--/-- charles i succeeds james i as king of england. 1062
  • 1628/--/-- english physician william harvey publishes on the motions of the heart and blood. 1063
  • 1629/--/-- charles i dissolves parliament and rules england directly. 1064
  • 1632/--/-- charles i grants a charter for the english colony of maryland. 1065
  • 1633/--/-- an english colony is established in connecticut. 1066
  • 1637/--/-- pequot indians are decimated during the first indian war in new england. 1067
  • 1640/--/-- scots invade england during the second bishops' war; charles i sues for peace. 1068
  • 1642/--/-- english parliamentarians close the london theaters. 1069
  • 1642/--/-- the english civil war begins between the parliamentarians and the royalists. 1070
  • 1643/--/-- the new england confederation is formed against the indians, dutch and french. 1071
  • 1646/--/-- the english civil war ends when charles i surrenders to the parliamentarians. 1072
  • 1647/--/-- charles i escapes from england and concludes a treaty with the scots. 1073
  • 1648/--/-- the english settle in the bahamas. 1074
  • 1649/--/-- charles i is executed; the english commonwealth (republic) begins. 1075
  • 1650/--/-- charles ii lands in scotland to renew the english civil war. 1076
  • 1650/--/-- whaling becomes an important industry in new england about this time. 1077
  • 1652/--/-- the english navigation acts (1651) lead to the first anglo-dutch war. 1078
  • 1653/--/-- english writer izaak walton publishes the compleat angler. 1079
  • 1653/--/-- oliver cromwell becomes the lord protector of england. 1080
  • 1655/--/-- the english capture jamaica from spain. 1081
  • 1656/--/-- england joins france in the war against spain. 1082
  • 1658/--/-- oliver cromwell dies; he is succeeded by his son richard as lord protector of england. 1083
  • 1659/--/-- richard cromwell resigns as lord protector of england. 1084
  • 1660/--/-- charles ii is restored to the english throne by parliament. 1085
  • 1660/--/-- english public servant samuel pepys begins his diary. 1086
  • 1660/--/-- theaters are reopened in england; the period of restoration drama begins. 1087
  • 1661/--/-- the english acquire bombay from portugal. 1088
  • 1662/--/-- france purchases dunkerque from england. 1089
  • 1662/--/-- the portuguese surrender tangier to england. 1090
  • 1663/--/-- the first turnpike (toll) roads are established in england. 1091
  • 1664/--/-- england seizes new amsterdam from the dutch, renaming it new york. 1092
  • 1665/--/-- england and portugal defeat spain and establish portuguese independence. 1093
  • 1666/--/-- the french join the dutch in the war with england. 1094
  • 1667/--/-- english poet john milton writes paradise lost. 1095
  • 1667/--/-- the dutch destroy the english fleet at anchor in the medway. 1096
  • 1667/--/-- the peace of breda ends the war between the english, french and dutch. 1097
  • 1668/--/-- a triple alliance of england, sweden, and the dutch republic is formed against france. 1098
  • 1670/--/-- english architect sir christopher wren begins rebuilding saint paul's cathedral. 1099
  • 1670/--/-- the english establish a settlement at charles towne (charleston), south carolina. 1100
  • 1673/--/-- the test act excludes catholics from public office in england. 1101
  • 1674/--/-- the dutch under william iii make peace with england. 1102
  • 1675/--/-- conflict begins between the indians under king philip and new england settlers . 1103
  • 1675/--/-- english dramatist william wycherley writes the country wife. 1104
  • 1676/--/-- english playwright sir george etherege writes man of mode. 1105
  • 1676/--/-- indians in new england are subdued after the year-long king philip's war. 1106
  • 1677/--/-- english author john dryden writes the tragedy all for love. 1107
  • 1679/--/-- the english parliament passes the habeas corpus act. 1108
  • 1681/--/-- english quaker william penn is granted the providence of pennsylvania. 1109
  • 1684/--/-- england abandons tangier to the moroccans. 1110
  • 1685/--/-- charles ii of england dies; he is succeeded by his brother james ii. 1111
  • 1687/--/-- english actress and royal mistress nell gwynne dies. 1112
  • 1688/--/-- english protestants demand a glorious revolution against catholicism. 1113
  • 1688/--/-- william of orange is invited to england as king; james ii escapes to france. 1114
  • 1689/--/-- england and the netherlands join the grand alliance against france. 1115
  • 1689/--/-- french and indian allies attack english colonists during king william's war. 1116
  • 1689/--/-- william and mary are proclaimed king and queen of england. 1117
  • 1690/--/-- the french defeat the english fleet at the battle of beachy head. 1118
  • 1692/--/-- the first english patent for a wallpaper design is issued. 1119
  • 1692/--/-- witchcraft trials are held at salem in new england. 1120
  • 1694/--/-- the bank of england is founded. 1121
  • 1702/--/-- anne succeeds william iii as queen of england. 1122
  • 1702/--/-- england declares war on france and spain. 1123
  • 1704/--/-- the english capture gibraltar from spain. 1124
  • 1705/--/-- the english navy occupies barcelona. 1125
  • 1707/--/-- great britain is formed by the act of union between england and scotland. 1126
  • 1712/--/-- english poet alexander pope publishes the rape of the lock. 1127
  • 1712/--/-- the new england whaling industry expands rapidly with the hunting of sperm whales. 1128
  • 1714/--/-- queen anne of england dies; she is succeeded by george i, elector of hanover. 1129
  • 1718/--/-- the english pirate blackbeard is killed by the virginia militia. 1130
  • 1719/--/-- english writer daniel defoe publishes robinson crusoe. 1131
  • 1719/--/-- james figg becomes the first heavyweight boxing champion of england. 1132
  • 1720/--/-- the south sea bubble speculation craze collapses in england. 1133
  • 1722/--/-- english author daniel defoe publishes moll flanders. 1134
  • 1726/--/-- english satirist jonathan swift publishes gulliver's travels. 1135
  • 1728/--/-- english poet and playwright john gay writes the beggar's opera. 1136
  • 1729/--/-- english actress kitty clive establishes her reputation at the drury lane theatre. 1137
  • 1736/--/-- parliament passes the gin act to discourage public drunkenness in england. 1138
  • 1739/--/-- mutilation of an english sea captain by the spanish leads to the war of jenkins' ear. 1139
  • 1740/--/-- english novelist samuel richardson writes pamela; or virtue rewarded. 1140
  • 1743/--/-- an english porcelain factory is established at chelsea in london. 1141
  • 1745/--/-- the french under the comte de saxe defeat austrian, english and dutch forces at fontenoy. 1142
  • 1746/--/-- english actor david garrick becomes the manager of the drury lane theatre. 1143
  • 1748/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints robert andrews and mary, his wife. 1144
  • 1749/--/-- english novelist henry fielding writes tom jones. 1145
  • 1751/--/-- english novelist tobias smollett writes the expedition of humphrey clinker. 1146
  • 1751/--/-- english soldier robert clive captures arcot in india. 1147
  • 1751/--/-- the worcester royal porcelain company is founded in england. 1148
  • 1754/--/-- french attacks against the english in ohio lead to the last french and indian war. 1149
  • 1755/--/-- samuel johnson publishes his dictionary of the english language. 1150
  • 1760/--/-- english architect robert adam begins the design of syon house. 1151
  • 1760/--/-- english novelist laurence sterne publishes the first volumes of tristram shandy. 1152
  • 1760/--/-- george ii dies; he is succeeded by his grandson george iii as king of england. 1153
  • 1765/--/-- sir william blackstone begins his commentaries on the laws of england. 1154
  • 1766/--/-- english chemist henry cavendish isolates hydrogen gas for the first time. 1155
  • 1770/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints the blue boy. 1156
  • 1770/--/-- english navigator james cook explores new zealand and the east coast of australia. 1157
  • 1772/--/-- english artist joshua reynolds paints a portrait of samuel johnson. 1158
  • 1778/--/-- english novelist fanny burney writes evelina. 1159
  • 1779/--/-- samuel crompton develops his spinning mule for england's cotton industry. 1160
  • 1780/--/-- english spy john andre is caught and executed by the americans. 1161
  • 1780/--/-- the derby horse race is established in england. 1162
  • 1781/--/-- english astronomer william herschel discovers the planet uranus. 1163
  • 1785/--/-- english poet william cowper publishes the task. 1164
  • 1785/--/-- jean pierre blanchard makes the first balloon flight across the english channel. 1165
  • 1787/--/-- the marylebone cricket club (m.c.c.) is formed in london, england. 1166
  • 1788/--/-- george iii of england has his first attack of mental illness. 1167
  • 1789/--/-- english poet and artist william blake publishes songs of innocence. 1168
  • 1790/--/-- new england captains extend whaling into the pacific ocean about this time. 1169
  • 1792/--/-- thomas paine publishes the rights of man and is outlawed for treason in england. 1170
  • 1795/--/-- the methodists separate from the church of england. 1171
  • 1796/--/-- english novelist fanny burney publishes camilla. 1172
  • 1796/--/-- english physician edward jenner develops vaccination against smallpox. 1173
  • 1803/--/-- english scientist john dalton describes his atomic theory. 1174
  • 1804/--/-- english engineer richard trevithick builds the first steam locomotive. 1175
  • 1807/--/-- portugal refuses to observe the blockade against england; france invades portugal. 1176
  • 1811/--/-- the luddites riot in england against the mechanization of the textile industry. 1177
  • 1812/--/-- english caricaturist thomas rowlandson illustrates the tour of dr. syntax. 1178
  • 1813/--/-- 14 luddites are hanged at york in england. 1179
  • 1813/--/-- english novelist jane austen publishes pride and prejudice. 1180
  • 1813/--/-- robert southey is made poet laureate of england. 1181
  • 1814/--/-- new england states discuss their secession from the union at the hartford convention. 1182
  • 1818/--/-- english chemist sir humphry davy invents the miner's safety lamp. 1183
  • 1820/--/-- english poet john keats writes ode to a nightingale. 1184
  • 1820/--/-- english poet percy bysshe shelley writes prometheus unbound. 1185
  • 1821/--/-- english landscape artist john constable paints the hay wain. 1186
  • 1821/--/-- thomas de quincey's confessions of an english opium eater is published. 1187
  • 1823/--/-- rugby football originates at rugby school in england. 1188
  • 1824/--/-- english poet lord byron travels to greece to aid the patriots but dies of a fever. 1189
  • 1825/--/-- english literary critic william hazlitt publishes the spirit of the age. 1190
  • 1827/--/-- english inventor john walker introduces the first friction matches. 1191
  • 1828/--/-- noah webster publishes his american dictionary of the english language. 1192
  • 1830/--/-- william iv succeeds george iv as king of england, scotland, and ireland. 1193
  • 1833/--/-- victor hugo's novel the hunchback of notre dame is published in english. 1194
  • 1837/--/-- william iv dies; victoria succeeds him as queen of england, scotland, and ireland. 1195
  • 1843/--/-- english art critic john ruskin begins publishing modern painters. 1196
  • 1844/--/-- the young men's christian association (ymca) is founded in england. 1197
  • 1847/--/-- english novelist william makepeace thackeray begins vanity fair. 1198
  • 1850/--/-- english author charles dickens writes david copperfield. 1199
  • 1856/--/-- english chemist william perkin discovers synthetic dyes. 1200
  • 1857/--/-- english author thomas hughes publishes tom brown's schooldays. 1201
  • 1857/--/-- the oxford english dictionary is begun in england. 1202
  • 1857/--/-- the oxford english dictionary is begun in england. 1203
  • 1860/--/-- english novelist wilkie collins writes the woman in white. 1204
  • 1861/--/-- english designer william morris starts the arts and crafts movement. 1205
  • 1863/--/-- english philosopher john stuart mill publishes utilitarianism. 1206
  • 1865/--/-- english author lewis carroll writes alice's adventures in wonderland. 1207
  • 1867/--/-- english photographer julia margaret cameron takes sir john herschel's portrait. 1208
  • 1869/--/-- english author matthew arnold publishes culture and anarchy. 1209
  • 1872/--/-- english author george eliot (mary anne evans) publishes middlemarch. 1210
  • 1873/--/-- englishman maj. walter clopton wingfield invents lawn tennis. 1211
  • 1874/--/-- english author thomas hardy publishes far from the madding crowd. 1212
  • 1877/--/-- the all-england lawn tennis championship is played at wimbledon for the first time. 1213
  • 1891/--/-- english novelist thomas hardy writes tess of the d'urbervilles. 1214
  • 1894/--/-- english artist aubrey beardsley illustrates oscar wilde's salome. 1215
  • 1894/--/-- english author rudyard kipling publishes the jungle book. 1216
  • 1897/--/-- english author rudyard kipling publishes captains courageous. 1217
  • 1898/--/-- english author h. g. wells publishes the war of the worlds. 1218
  • 1899/--/-- english composer edward elgar writes the enigma variations. 1219
  • 1901/--/-- english author beatrix potter publishes her children's book the tale of peter rabbit. 1220
  • 1901/--/-- guglielmo marconi tests radio transmissions between england and newfoundland. 1221
  • 1902/--/-- english author joseph conrad publishes heart of darkness. 1222
  • 1909/--/-- french aviator louis bleriot makes the first flight across the english channel. 1223
  • 1911/--/-- english author g.k. chesterton publishes the first father brown story. 1224
  • 1913/--/-- english novelist d.h. lawrence publishes sons and lovers. 1225
  • 1915/--/-- english author somerset maugham publishes of human bondage. 1226
  • 1917/--/-- english composer gustav holst completes the planets. 1227
  • 1917/--/-- english humorist p.g. wodehouse creates bertie wooster and his butler jeeves. 1228
  • 1919/--/-- english aviators alcock and brown make the first nonstop transatlantic flight. 1229
  • 1922/--/-- english composer william walton composes facade. 1230
  • 1922/--/-- english egyptologist howard carter excavates tutankhamen's tomb. 1231
  • 1924/--/-- english novelist e.m. forster publishes a passage to india. 1232
  • 1926/--/-- english author a.a. milne writes the children's book winnie-the-pooh. 1233
  • 1927/--/-- english novelist virginia woolf writes to the lighthouse. 1234
  • 1928/--/-- english novelist evelyn waugh publishes decline and fall. 1235
  • 1928/--/-- english physicist paul dirac formulates a mathematical description of elementary particles. 1236
  • 1930/--/-- english-born american writer w. h. auden publishes his poems. 1237
  • 1932/--/-- english physicist james chadwick discovers the neutron. 1238
  • 1932/--/-- the first particle accelerator is built at the cavendish laboratory in england. 1239
  • 1932/--/-- the royal shakespeare theater opens at stratford-on-avon, england. 1240
  • 1937/--/-- english writer and scholar j.r.r. tolkien publishes the fantasy novel the hobbit. 1241
  • 1938/--/-- jewish psychoanalyst sigmund freud flees to england to escape nazi persecution. 1242
  • 1939/--/-- an anglo-saxon burial ship is excavated at sutton hoo in england. 1243
  • 1939/--/-- english author christopher isherwood publishes goodbye to berlin. 1244
  • 1940/--/-- british air victory in the battle of britain prevents the german invasion of england. 1245
  • 1941/--/-- nazi leader rudolf hess flies to england on a quixotic peace mission. 1246
  • 1944/--/-- english writer somerset maugham publishes the razor's edge. 1247
  • 1947/--/-- english composer benjamin britten writes the opera peter grimes. 1248
  • 1954/--/-- english runner roger bannister is first to run the mile in under 4 minutes. 1249
  • 1954/--/-- kingsley amis, one of england's angry young men, publishes lucky jim. 1250
  • 1961/--/-- english writer muriel spark publishes the prime of miss jean brodie. 1251
  • 1963/--/-- english writer john le carre publishes the spy who came in from the cold. 1252
  • 1976/--/-- the sex pistols punk rock group is formed in england. 1253
  • 1978/--/-- the first human test-tube baby is born in england. 1254
  • 1979/--/-- the gossamer albatross flies across the english channel under human-power. 1255
  • 1993/--/-- william jefferson clinton (democrat) becomes president of the united states 1256
  • 2001/--/-- george w. bush (republican) becomes president of the united states 1257
  • 1001/--/-- mahmud of ghazni begins a holy war to conquer india for islam. 1258
  • 1159/--/-- civil war between the taira and minamoto samurai ravages japan. 1259
  • 1333/--/-- the minamoto shogunate comes to an end; civil war breaks out in japan. 1260
  • 1369/--/-- the french renew the war against england and recapture most of aquitaine. 1261
  • 1407/--/-- the murder of louis duc d'orleans begins a civil war in france. 1262
  • 1531/--/-- religious war begins in switzerland; protestant leader zwingli is killed in battle. 1263
  • 1585/--/-- england is at war with spain (until 1604). 1264
  • 1602/--/-- abbas i leads persia (iran) in a holy war against the ottoman turks. 1265
  • 1611/--/-- christian iv of denmark declares war on sweden. 1266
  • 1617/--/-- the treaty of stolbovo ends the war between russia and sweden. 1267
  • 1620/--/-- gustavus ii adolf begins a war with poland and captures livonia. 1268
  • 1622/--/-- indian massacres begin, va 1269
  • 1631/--/-- navigation act affecting colonies 1270
  • 1635/--/-- claybourne's rebellion begins, md 1271
  • 1636/--/-- pequot indian war, mass, conn, ri 1272
  • 1637/--/-- pequot indians are decimated during the first indian war in new england. 1273
  • 1640/--/-- dutch indian troubles, ny 1274
  • 1643/--/-- christian iv of denmark renews the war against sweden. 1275
  • 1644/--/-- end of indian massacres, va 1276
  • 1645/--/-- claybourne's rebellion ends, md 1277
  • 1651/--/-- navigation acts affecting colonies 1278
  • 1654/--/-- poland and russia are at war over possession of the ukraine. 1279
  • 1655/--/-- civil war, md (catholic & protestant) 1280
  • 1655/--/-- conquest of new sweden, dl 1281
  • 1656/--/-- england joins france in the war against spain. 1282
  • 1656/--/-- the holy roman empire, russia and denmark declare war on sweden. 1283
  • 1656/--/-- quaker persecution, mass, va, conn 1284
  • 1659/--/-- the peace of the pyrenees ends a 24-year war between france and spain. 1285
  • 1660/--/-- the peace of copenhagen ends the war between sweden and denmark. 1286
  • 1660/--/-- the peace of oliva ends the war between sweden, poland, austria and brandenburg. 1287
  • 1666/--/-- the french join the dutch in the war with england. 1288
  • 1667/--/-- the peace of breda ends the war between the english, french and dutch. 1289
  • 1672/--/-- the french and british declare war on the dutch. 1290
  • 1674/--/-- holy roman emperor leopold i declares war on france. 1291
  • 1675/--/-- king philip's war (indian) mass, ri 1292
  • 1676/--/-- bacon's rebellion, va 1293
  • 1688/--/-- louis xiv declares war on the holy roman empire and captures heidelberg. 1294
  • 1692/--/-- salem witchcraft trials, mass 1295
  • 1702/--/-- england declares war on france and spain. 1296
  • 1716/--/-- emperor charles vi declares war on the ottoman empire. 1297
  • 1718/--/-- the quadruple alliance of austria, britain, france and the dutch declare war on spain. 1298
  • 1775/--/-- revolutionary war begins 1299
  • 1779/--/-- spain declares war on britain and lays siege to gibraltar. 1300
  • 1782/--/-- kamehameha i begins a ten-year war for control of hawaii. 1301
  • 1783/--/-- revolutionary war ends 1302
  • 1786/--/-- shay's rebellion, mass 1303
  • 1787/--/-- turkey declares war on russia, beginning a new russo-turkish war. 1304
  • 1788/--/-- austria joins russia in the war against turkey. 1305
  • 1791/--/-- emperor joseph ii ends the war between austria and turkey. 1306
  • 1792/--/-- france declares war on austria and prussia, beginning the french revolutionary wars. 1307
  • 1796/--/-- spain sides with france in the war against britain. 1308
  • 1797/--/-- the treaty of campo formio ends the war of the first coalition against france. 1309
  • 1801/--/-- the peace of luneville ends the war between france and austria. 1310
  • 1803/--/-- britain declares war on france, beginning the napoleonic wars. 1311
  • 1804/--/-- fulani leader usman dan fodio leads a holy war against the hausa in nigeria. 1312
  • 1812/--/-- war of 1812 begins 1313
  • 1815/--/-- war of 1812 ends 1314
  • 1824/--/-- disputes over the border of india lead to war between britain and burma. 1315
  • 1824/--/-- the ashanti begin a war of resistance against britain in the gold coast (ghana). 1316
  • 1825/--/-- uruguayan leader lavalleja precipitates a war between brazil and argentina. 1317
  • 1827/--/-- britain, france and russia demand that turkey ends the war with greece. 1318
  • 1836/--/-- republic of texas forms 1319
  • 1846/--/-- mexican war 1320
  • 1848/--/-- risorgimento leader garibaldi returns to italy to fight in the war of independence. 1321
  • 1854/--/-- britain and france declare war on russia, beginning the crimean war. 1322
  • 1859/--/-- napoleon iii assists the italian statesman cavour in a war against austria. 1323
  • 1861/--/-- civil war begins 1324
  • 1865/--/-- civil war ends 1325
  • 1870/--/-- french war minister leon gambetta escapes from besieged paris in a balloon. 1326
  • 1898/--/-- the spanish-american war begins with a declaration of war by congress. 1327
  • 1898/--/-- spanish-american war, cuba, phillipines, us 1328
  • 1900/--/-- the boers begin a guerrilla war against the british occupation forces. 1329
  • 1914/--/-- france, russia and britain (the allies) are at war with germany and austria-hungary. 1330
  • 1914/--/-- turkey declares war on the allies; britain annexes turkish cyprus. 1331
  • 1914/--/-- world war i begins 1332
  • 1917/--/-- the united states declares war on germany. 1333
  • 1918/--/-- civil war breaks out between the red and white russian armies. 1334
  • 1919/--/-- world war i ends 1335
  • 1923/--/-- french and belgian troops occupy the ruhr to enforce german war reparations. 1336
  • 1928/--/-- the kellog-briand pact outlawing war is signed by 15 nations. 1337
  • 1929/--/-- british poet robert graves publishes his war memoir goodbye to all that. 1338
  • 1929/--/-- erich maria remarque publishes his war novel all quiet on the western front. 1339
  • 1929/--/-- ernest hemingway writes the war novel a farewell to arms. 1340
  • 1932/--/-- the bonus army of war veterans is dispersed by troops in washington, d.c. 1341
  • 1938/--/-- the u.s. and britain send aid to the chinese in their war against japan. 1342
  • 1939/--/-- britain and france declare war on germany but are unable to aid poland. 1343
  • 1939/--/-- world war ii begins 1344
  • 1940/--/-- italy declares war on the allies and invades southern france. 1345
  • 1941/--/-- churchill and roosevelt's atlantic charter meeting establishes war and peace aims. 1346
  • 1941/--/-- the lend-lease act allows the transfer of u.s. war materials to britain and china. 1347
  • 1943/--/-- churchill and roosevelt meet at casablanca to plan their war strategy. 1348
  • 1943/--/-- marshal badoglio signs an armistice with the allies; italy declares war on germany. 1349
  • 1944/--/-- romania and bulgaria sign an armistice with the allies and declare war on germany. 1350
  • 1944/--/-- the g.i. bill of rights is established to provide assistance to war veterans. 1351
  • 1944/--/-- the world bank is established to assist european postwar recovery. 1352
  • 1945/--/-- nationalists and communist forces resume their civil war in china. 1353
  • 1945/--/-- the soviet union declares war on japan. 1354
  • 1945/--/-- the trial of nazi war criminals begins at nuremberg in germany. 1355
  • 1945/--/-- world war ii ends 1356
  • 1946/--/-- eam-elas communist forces begin a civil war in greece. 1357
  • 1946/--/-- the viet minh begin a guerrilla war against the french in indochina (vietnam). 1358
  • 1948/--/-- american writer norman mailer publishes the war novel the naked and the dead. 1359
  • 1949/--/-- civil war ends in greece with the defeat of the communist forces. 1360
  • 1950/--/-- korean "engagement" 1361
  • 1951/--/-- american writer james jones publishes the war novel from here to eternity. 1362
  • 1958/--/-- civil war breaks out in lebanon; it is ended when u.s. marines land at beirut. 1363
  • 1961/--/-- american writer joseph heller publishes the anti-war novel catch-22. 1364
  • 1961/--/-- the kurds begin a guerrilla war against iraq to gain independence for kurdistan. 1365
  • 1963/--/-- filmmaker stanley kubrick directs the anti-war film dr. strangelove. 1366
  • 1964/--/-- frelimo begins a war of independence against the portuguese in mozambique. 1367
  • 1965/--/-- civil war breaks out in the dominican republic; u.s. troops restore order. 1368
  • 1967/--/-- a civil war breaks out in nigeria after the secession of the state of biafra. 1369
  • 1968/--/-- anti-war demonstrators clash with police at the democratic convention in chicago. 1370
  • 1968/--/-- vietnam war begins 1371
  • 1970/--/-- civil war begins in jordan between government forces and palestinian guerrillas. 1372
  • 1970/--/-- donald sutherland stars in robert altman's anti-war film m*a*s*h. 1373
  • 1970/--/-- egyptian president gamal abdel nasser dies; he is succeeded by anwar al-sadat. 1374
  • 1970/--/-- ohio national guardsmen kill four kent state students during an anti-war protest. 1375
  • 1970/--/-- the civil war ends between nigeria and the breakaway state of biafra. 1376
  • 1973/--/-- vietnam war ends 1377
  • 1975/--/-- civil war breaks out after the portuguese withdraw from angola. 1378
  • 1975/--/-- civil war breaks out in lebanon between muslim and christian forces. 1379
  • 1979/--/-- the mujaheddin begin a guerrilla war against the soviet forces in afghanistan. 1380
  • 1980/--/-- border disputes erupt into the gulf war between iran and iraq. 1381
  • 1980/--/-- jose napoleon duarte becomes president of el salvador; the guerilla war continues. 1382
  • 1981/--/-- anwar al-sadat is killed; hosni mubarak becomes president of egypt. 1383
  • 1983/--/-- civil war breaks out in sri lanka between the sinhalese and tamil separatists. 1384
  • 1986/--/-- civil war breaks out in yemen (aden). 1385
  • 1988/--/-- a cease-fire is declared in the war between iran and iraq. 1386
  • 1988/--/-- austrian president kurt waldheim is exonerated of involvement in war crimes. 1387
  • 1989/--/-- soviet forces complete their withdrawal from afghanistan; the civil war continues. 1388
  • 0630/--/-- a holy war (jihad) by muslims leads to the conquest of mecca. 1389
  • 0750/--/-- the hindu temple complex at bhubaneswar is begun about this time in india. 1390
  • 0906/--/-- the last t'ang emperor is deposed; civil war begins in china. 1391
  • .......... augustus dies; he is succeeded by tiberius as emperor of rome. 1392
  • .......... chinese emperor wang mang dies. 1393
  • .......... tiberius dies; he is succeeded by caligula as emperor of rome. 1394
  • .......... the roman encyclopedist celsus dies. 1395
  • .......... caligula is assassinated; claudius becomes emperor of rome. 1396
  • .......... claudius is murdered; nero becomes emperor of rome. 1397
  • .......... st. james (the brother of jesus christ) is stoned to death. 1398
  • .......... roman philosopher seneca commits suicide. 1399
  • .......... roman writer petronius arbiter, the reputed author of the satyricon, dies. 1400
  • .......... roman emperor nero commits suicide. 1401
  • .......... titus dies; he is succeeded by domitian as emperor of rome. 1402
  • .......... nerva dies; he is succeeded by trajan as emperor of rome. 1403
  • 0117/--/-- trajan dies; he is succeeded by hadrian as emperor of rome. 1404
  • 0150/--/-- apuleius, author of the latin tale the golden ass, dies. 1405
  • 0378/--/-- emperor valens is killed by the visigoths at the battle of adrianople (now edirne). 1406
  • 0395/--/-- theodosius dies; the roman empire is permanently divided into east and west. 1407
  • 0507/--/-- the franks conquer the visigoths; alaric ii is killed by clovis. 1408
  • 0511/--/-- clovis king of the franks dies; his kingdom is divided among his four sons. 1409
  • 0526/--/-- theodoric, king of the ostrogoths and ruler of italy, dies. 1410
  • 0632/--/-- muhammad dies; he is succeeded by the first caliph (successor) abu bakr. 1411
  • 0950/--/-- al-farabi, arab philosopher and author of the grand book of music, dies. 1412
  • 1000/--/-- olaf i dies; norway is ruled by the danes. 1413
  • 1025/--/-- poland is divided after the death of boleslaw i. 1414
  • 1037/--/-- avicenna, muslim philosopher and physician, dies. 1415
  • 1040/--/-- macbeth kills duncan i and becomes king of scotland. 1416
  • 1057/--/-- malcolm iii kills macbeth and becomes king of scotland. 1417
  • 1094/--/-- the sect of the assassins is established. 1418
  • 1147/--/-- the almohads kill the last almoravid ruler in marrakech. 1419
  • 1170/--/-- archbishop thomas becket is murdered after a quarrel with king henry ii. 1420
  • 1199/--/-- richard i is killed in battle in france; he is succeeded by john as king of england. 1421
  • 1227/--/-- ghengis khan dies; the mongol empire is divided among his 4 sons. 1422
  • 1250/--/-- frederick ii's death leads to an interregnum in germany and a struggle for the crown. 1423
  • 1265/--/-- simon de montfort is killed at the battle of evesham. 1424
  • 1312/--/-- henry vii is crowned holy roman emperor but dies one year later. 1425
  • 1347/--/-- the black death (bubonic plague) arrives in europe, killing a third of the population. 1426
  • 1347/--/-- the black death (bubonic plague) arrives in europe, killing a third of the population. 1427
  • 1370/--/-- the death of casimir iii ends the piast dynasty in poland. 1428
  • 1384/--/-- the lollard movement grows after the death of john wycliffe. 1429
  • 1400/--/-- the hohokam culture dies out in the american southwest. 1430
  • 1407/--/-- the murder of louis duc d'orleans begins a civil war in france. 1431
  • 1444/--/-- wladyslaw iii is killed by the turks under murad ii at the battle of varna. 1432
  • 1460/--/-- richard of york defeats the royalist forces at northampton, but is killed at wakefield. 1433
  • 1471/--/-- henry vi of england is murdered; edward iv is restored to the throne. 1434
  • 1481/--/-- mehmed ii dies; bayezid ii becomes sultan of the ottoman turks. 1435
  • 1483/--/-- richard iii usurps the throne of england; edward v is murdered. 1436
  • 1506/--/-- christopher columbus dies in poverty. 1437
  • 1520/--/-- corn (zea mays) is imported into spain from the west indies. 1438
  • 1521/--/-- portuguese navigator ferdinand magellan is killed by natives in the philippines. 1439
  • 1526/--/-- the turks defeat the hungarians at the battle of mohacs; king louis ii is killed. 1440
  • 1531/--/-- religious war begins in switzerland; protestant leader zwingli is killed in battle. 1441
  • 1546/--/-- turkish pirate leader barbarossa dies. 1442
  • 1547/--/-- henry viii dies and is succeeded by edward vi as king of england. 1443
  • 1553/--/-- edward vi dies; lady jane grey rules england but is deposed after 9 days. 1444
  • 1553/--/-- the araucanian indian lautaro kills pedro de valdivia during an uprising in chile. 1445
  • 1553/--/-- the english muscovy company begin the search for a northeast passage to the indies. 1446
  • 1556/--/-- an earthquake in china is the worst in history with a death toll of 830,000. 1447
  • 1562/--/-- sir john hawkins begins the slave trade between africa and the west indies. 1448
  • 1572/--/-- sigismund ii dies, ending the jagello dynasty in poland. 1449
  • 1578/--/-- king sebastian of portugal is killed by muslims at alcazrquivir in morocco. 1450
  • 1584/--/-- william i, leader of the dutch revolt, is assassinated. 1451
  • 1584/--/-- russian tsar ivan the terrible dies. 1452
  • 1589/--/-- henry iii is assassinated; he is succeeded by henry iv as king of france. 1453
  • 1591/--/-- the roanoke colony dies out in north carolina. 1454
  • 1603/--/-- queen elizabeth i dies; she is succeeded by james i (james iv of scotland). 1455
  • 1605/--/-- the english claim barbados in the west indies. 1456
  • 1610/--/-- henry iv of france is assassinated; he is succeeded by his son louis xiii. 1457
  • 1616/--/-- emperor ieyasu of japan dies; he is succeeded by his son hidetada. 1458
  • 1628/--/-- the duke of buckingham, a supporter of the french huguenots, is assassinated. 1459
  • 1632/--/-- gustavus ii adolf defeats wallenstein at lutzen but is killed during the battle. 1460
  • 1634/--/-- ferdinand ii declares general wallenstein a traitor; wallenstein is assassinated. 1461
  • 1637/--/-- holy roman emperor ferdinand ii dies; he is succeeded by his son ferdinand iii. 1462
  • 1642/--/-- cardinal richelieu dies; he is succeeded by cardinal mazarin as first minister of france. 1463
  • 1658/--/-- oliver cromwell dies; he is succeeded by his son richard as lord protector of england. 1464
  • 1665/--/-- the portuguese invade the kingdom of kongo and kill the monarch antonio i. 1465
  • 1669/--/-- mount etna erupts in italy, killing 20,000. 1466
  • 1685/--/-- charles ii of england dies; he is succeeded by his brother james ii. 1467
  • 1687/--/-- english actress and royal mistress nell gwynne dies. 1468
  • 1700/--/-- charles ii of spain dies, ending the spanish habsburg line. 1469
  • 1707/--/-- emperor aurangzeb dies; the mogul empire begins to decline in india. 1470
  • 1707/--/-- mount fuji erupts in japan; an earthquake kills 200,000 in tokyo. 1471
  • 1708/--/-- sikh leader guru gobind singh is assassinated; the moguls persecute the sikhs. 1472
  • 1711/--/-- joseph i dies; charles vi is crowned holy roman emperor. 1473
  • 1714/--/-- queen anne of england dies; she is succeeded by george i, elector of hanover. 1474
  • 1715/--/-- french king louis xiv dies; he is succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson louis xv. 1475
  • 1718/--/-- charles xii of sweden is killed during a campaign against norway. 1476
  • 1718/--/-- the english pirate blackbeard is killed by the virginia militia. 1477
  • 1725/--/-- peter the great dies; his wife catherine i succeeds him as empress of russia. 1478
  • 1727/--/-- catherine i dies; peter ii succeeds her as emperor of russia. 1479
  • 1730/--/-- peter ii dies; he is succeeded by anna as empress of russia. 1480
  • 1739/--/-- the british under admiral vernon raid spanish settlements in the west indies. 1481
  • 1740/--/-- anna empress of russia dies; she is succeeded by elizabeth in 1741. 1482
  • 1740/--/-- holy roman emperor charles vi dies; the war of the austrian succession begins. 1483
  • 1747/--/-- nadir shah of persia (iran) is assassinated. 1484
  • 1755/--/-- the lisbon earthquake kills 50,000. 1485
  • 1759/--/-- the british under wolfe defeat montcalm at quebec; wolfe dies from his wounds. 1486
  • 1760/--/-- george ii dies; he is succeeded by his grandson george iii as king of england. 1487
  • 1762/--/-- peter iii succeeds elizabeth as emperor of russia, but is deposed and murdered. 1488
  • 1763/--/-- augustus iii dies; he is succeeded (1764) by stanislaw ii, the last king of poland. 1489
  • 1765/--/-- francis i dies; he is succeeded by joseph ii as holy roman emperor. 1490
  • 1769/--/-- ottawa indian chief pontiac is assassinated by a peoria indian. 1491
  • 1772/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints the death of wolfe. 1492
  • 1774/--/-- louis xv dies; he is succeeded by his grandson louis xvi as king of france. 1493
  • 1775/--/-- american patriot patrick henry states "give me liberty, or give me death." 1494
  • 1779/--/-- british explorer james cook is killed by natives on hawaii. 1495
  • 1780/--/-- maria theresa dies; joseph ii inherits the crown of bohemia and hungary. 1496
  • 1783/--/-- an earthquake kills 30,000 people at calabria in italy. 1497
  • 1786/--/-- frederick ii dies; he is succeeded by his son frederick william ii as king of prussia. 1498
  • 1792/--/-- gustav iii of sweden is assassinated at a masquerade in stockholm. 1499
  • 1793/--/-- french revolutionary jean paul marat is murdered by charlotte corday. 1500
  • 1799/--/-- tippu sultan is killed in battle with the british; the mysore empire is destroyed. 1501
  • 1801/--/-- alexander i becomes emperor of russia after the murder of his father paul i. 1502
  • 1802/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints death on a pale horse. 1503
  • 1804/--/-- american politician aaron burr kills alexander hamilton in a duel. 1504
  • 1805/--/-- nelson defeats the franco-spanish fleet at trafalgar, but is killed during the action. 1505
  • 1806/--/-- emperor jacques i is assassinated; haiti is divided between christophe and petion. 1506
  • 1812/--/-- an earthquake destroys caracas in venezuela, killing 12,000. 1507
  • 1813/--/-- pro-british indian leader tecumseh is killed in the battle of the thames. 1508
  • 1816/--/-- maria i of portugal dies; she is succeeded by john vi who remains in exile in brazil. 1509
  • 1820/--/-- henri christophe commits suicide; haiti is united under jean pierre boyer. 1510
  • 1820/--/-- the prince regent becomes king george iv on the death of george iii. 1511
  • 1820/--/-- u.s. navy hero stephen decatur is killed in a duel. 1512
  • 1821/--/-- napoleon dies on saint helena. 1513
  • 1822/--/-- british statesman lord castlereagh commits suicide. 1514
  • 1824/--/-- english poet lord byron travels to greece to aid the patriots but dies of a fever. 1515
  • 1830/--/-- simon bolivar resigns as dictator of gran colombia, he dies later in the year. 1516
  • 1836/--/-- santa anna's army storms the alamo in texas, killing the defenders. 1517
  • 1837/--/-- mikhail lermontov writes the death of a poet, inspired by the death of pushkin. 1518
  • 1837/--/-- russian poet aleksandr pushkin is killed in a duel. 1519
  • 1837/--/-- william iv dies; victoria succeeds him as queen of england, scotland, and ireland. 1520
  • 1841/--/-- edgar allan poe writes an early detective story the murders in the rue morgue. 1521
  • 1841/--/-- president harrison dies; john tyler is inaugurated as the 10th u.s. president 1522
  • 1844/--/-- joseph smith, founder of the mormons, is killed by a lynch mob. 1523
  • 1847/--/-- american missionary marcus whitman is killed by cayuse indians in oregon. 1524
  • 1850/--/-- president taylor dies; millard fillmore is inaugurated as the 13th u.s. president. 1525
  • 1855/--/-- nicholas i, emperor of russia dies; he is succeeded by his son alexander ii. 1526
  • 1857/--/-- mormons and paiute indians kill 120 settlers in the mountain meadows massacre. 1527
  • 1863/--/-- the confederates defeat the union army at chancellorsville; jackson is killed. 1528
  • 1865/--/-- lincoln is assassinated by john wilkes booth at ford's theatre in washington d.c. 1529
  • 1868/--/-- ndebele king mzilikazi dies in africa; he is succeeded (1870) by his son lobengula. 1530
  • 1869/--/-- john roebling designs the brooklyn bridge but dies after a construction accident. 1531
  • 1870/--/-- paraguayan dictator solano lopez dies, ending the war of the triple alliance. 1532
  • 1872/--/-- photographer eadweard muybridge begins his series of motion studies. 1533
  • 1872/--/-- the death of kamehameha v ends the kamehameha dynasty of hawaiian kings. 1534
  • 1880/--/-- australian bushranger ned kelly is hanged for murder. 1535
  • 1881/--/-- alexander ii is assassinated by narodniki revolutionaries in russia. 1536
  • 1881/--/-- president garfield is assassinated by charles j. guiteau. 1537
  • 1883/--/-- the island volcano of krakatoa explodes in indonesia, causing 36,000 deaths. 1538
  • 1885/--/-- general gordon is killed by mahdist forces at the siege of khartoum in sudan. 1539
  • 1888/--/-- jack the ripper murders seven women in london. 1540
  • 1889/--/-- crown prince rudolf of austria commits suicide at mayerling. 1541
  • 1890/--/-- dutch artist vincent van gogh commits suicide. 1542
  • 1895/--/-- the cuban war of independence begins against spain; jose marti is killed in battle. 1543
  • 1896/--/-- a tsunami (tidal wave) kills 27,000 people in japan. 1544
  • 1897/--/-- british physician havelock ellis begins his studies in the psychology of sex. 1545
  • 1900/--/-- humbert i is assassinated; he is succeeded by victor emanuel iii as king of italy. 1546
  • 1901/--/-- president mckinley is assassinated by the anarchist leon czolgosz. 1547
  • 1901/--/-- queen victoria dies; she is succeeded by her son edward vii. 1548
  • 1903/--/-- alexander, king of serbia, is assassinated; he is succeeded by peter i. 1549
  • 1906/--/-- the san francisco earthquake kills 700. 1550
  • 1908/--/-- an earthquake at messina in italy kills 80,000. 1551
  • 1913/--/-- king george i of greece is assassinated; he is succeeded by constantine i 1552
  • 1913/--/-- victoriano huerta leads a military coup in mexico; president francisco madero is killed. 1553
  • 1914/--/-- archduke franz ferdinand is assassinated in sarajevo, precipitating world war i. 1554
  • 1915/--/-- a german submarine torpedoes the british liner lusitania; 124 americans are killed. 1555
  • 1915/--/-- war poet rupert brooke's 1914 and other poems is published in the year he dies. 1556
  • 1918/--/-- an influenza pandemic begins (it kills 21-22 million in 2 years). 1557
  • 1918/--/-- german air ace manfred von richthofen (the red baron) is shot down and killed. 1558
  • 1919/--/-- german communist rosa luxemburg is murdered after the sparticus uprising. 1559
  • 1919/--/-- mexican revolutionary emiliano zapata is killed. 1560
  • 1920/--/-- mexican president venustiano carranza is deposed and killed by alvaro obregon. 1561
  • 1921/--/-- american anarchists nicola sacco and bartolomeo vanzetti are found guilty of murder. 1562
  • 1921/--/-- japanese premier hara takashi is assassinated. 1563
  • 1922/--/-- irish revolutionary statesman michael collins is assassinated. 1564
  • 1923/--/-- tokyo and yokohama are destroyed by an earthquake; 100,000 are killed. 1565
  • 1923/--/-- warren g. harding dies; calvin coolidge is inaugurated as the 30th u.s. president. 1566
  • 1924/--/-- soviet leader lenin dies; new leader joseph stalin begins a purge of his opponents. 1567
  • 1925/--/-- friedrich ebert dies; paul von hindenburg becomes president of the german republic. 1568
  • 1927/--/-- american dancer isadora duncan is killed in a tragic car accident. 1569
  • 1934/--/-- alexander, king of yugoslavia, is assassinated; his son peter ii succeeds him. 1570
  • 1934/--/-- chancellor engelbert dollfuss is murdered by austrian nazis. 1571
  • 1934/--/-- sa leader ernst roehm is assassinated on the orders of hitler. 1572
  • 1934/--/-- hitler becomes fuhrer (leader) of germany after hindenburg's death. 1573
  • 1934/--/-- john dillinger, public enemy number one, is killed by the fbi. 1574
  • 1935/--/-- controversial louisiana senator huey p. long is assassinated. 1575
  • 1940/--/-- exiled revolutionary leon trotsky is assassinated in mexico on stalin's orders. 1576
  • 1942/--/-- american forces in the philippines surrender; the bataan death march begins. 1577
  • 1944/--/-- german officers attempt to assassinate hitler. 1578
  • 1944/--/-- evangelist aimee semple mcpherson dies from an accidental drug overdose. 1579
  • 1945/--/-- hitler commits suicide in his berlin bunker; germany surrenders to the allies. 1580
  • 1945/--/-- suicide attacks by japanese kamikaze pilots are unable to stem the u.s. advances. 1581
  • 1945/--/-- mussolini is killed by italian partisans. 1582
  • 1945/--/-- roosevelt dies; harry s. truman is inaugurated as the 33rd u.s. president. 1583
  • 1948/--/-- indian leader mahatma gandhi is assassinated by a hindu fanatic. 1584
  • 1949/--/-- arthur miller's play death of a salesman is produced. 1585
  • 1949/--/-- the netherlands grants independence to indonesia (formerly the dutch east indies). 1586
  • 1951/--/-- king abdullah of jordan is assassinated by a palestinian nationalist. 1587
  • 1951/--/-- julius and ethel rosenberg are sentenced to death for espionage against the u.s. 1588
  • 1952/--/-- eva peron, popularly known as evita, dies in argentina. 1589
  • 1952/--/-- queen elizabeth ii ascends to the british throne on the death of her father george vi. 1590
  • 1953/--/-- soviet dictator joseph stalin dies; georgy m. malenkov becomes the new premier. 1591
  • 1955/--/-- film star james dean is killed in a car crash. 1592
  • 1956/--/-- president anastasio somoza garcia is assassinated in nicaragua. 1593
  • 1959/--/-- rock 'n roll star buddy holly is killed in a plane crash. 1594
  • 1960/--/-- congo (zaire) premier patrice lumumba is ousted by joseph mobutu and murdered. 1595
  • 1960/--/-- 69 africans are killed in the sharpeville massacre in south africa. 1596
  • 1960/--/-- an earthquake kills 15,000 at agadir in morocco. 1597
  • 1961/--/-- president rafael trujillo is assassinated in the dominican republic. 1598
  • 1961/--/-- un secretary-general dag hammarskjold is killed in a plane crash in the congo (zaire). 1599
  • 1962/--/-- american film actress marilyn monroe dies from a drug overdose. 1600
  • 1963/--/-- john f. kennedy assassin lee harvey oswald is shot and killed by jack ruby. 1601
  • 1963/--/-- president kennedy is assassinated in dallas, texas. 1602
  • 1963/--/-- president ngo dinh diem of south vietnam is assassinated. 1603
  • 1963/--/-- john f. kennedy assassin lee harvey oswald is shot and killed by jack ruby. 1604
  • 1963/--/-- sylvia plath's novel the bell jar is published in the year of her death. 1605
  • 1964/--/-- the warren commission decides that oswald was the sole assassin of john f. kennedy. 1606
  • 1964/--/-- indian prime minister jawaharlal nehru dies; he is succeeded by lal bahadur shastri. 1607
  • 1965/--/-- the black muslim leader malcolm x is assassinated in new york city. 1608
  • 1966/--/-- south african prime minister hendrik verwoerd is assassinated. 1609
  • 1966/--/-- indian prime minister lal bahadur shastri dies; he is succeeded by indira gandhi. 1610
  • 1966/--/-- nigerian prime minister abubakar tafawa balewa is killed in a military coup. 1611
  • 1967/--/-- a fire kills u.s. astronauts white, grissom and chaffee during a launch test. 1612
  • 1967/--/-- latin american guerrilla leader che guevara is killed in bolivia. 1613
  • 1967/--/-- soviet cosmonaut vladimir komarov is killed during the landing of soyuz 1. 1614
  • 1968/--/-- civil rights leader martin luther king, jr. is assassinated. 1615
  • 1968/--/-- presidential candidate robert f. kennedy is assassinated. 1616
  • 1968/--/-- french downhill skier jean claude killy wins three olympic gold medals. 1617
  • 1969/--/-- charles manson and his followers kill actress sharon tate and six of her friends. 1618
  • 1969/--/-- edward kennedy's female companion dies in a car accident off the chappaquiddick bridge. 1619
  • 1969/--/-- golda meir becomes prime minister of israel after the death of levi eshkol. 1620
  • 1970/--/-- egyptian president gamal abdel nasser dies; he is succeeded by anwar al-sadat. 1621
  • 1970/--/-- ohio national guardsmen kill four kent state students during an anti-war protest. 1622
  • 1970/--/-- rock music guitarist jimi hendrix dies from a drug overdose. 1623
  • 1971/--/-- lt. william calley is found guilty of killing vietnamese civilians at my lai. 1624
  • 1972/--/-- alabama governor george wallace is shot in an assassination attempt. 1625
  • 1972/--/-- japanese novelist kawabata yasunari commits suicide. 1626
  • 1972/--/-- an earthquake kills 10,000 in the nicaraguan capital of managua. 1627
  • 1972/--/-- palestinian terrorists kill 11 israeli athletes at the munich olympics. 1628
  • 1974/--/-- isabel peron becomes president of argentina after the death of her husband. 1629
  • 1975/--/-- saudi king faisal is assassinated; he is succeeded by his brother khalid. 1630
  • 1975/--/-- juan carlos i becomes king of spain after the death of general francisco franco. 1631
  • 1975/--/-- president mujibur rahman is killed in a military coup in bangladesh. 1632
  • 1975/--/-- president n'garta tombalbaye of chad is killed in a coup d'etat. 1633
  • 1975/--/-- taiwanese leader chiang kai-shek dies; he is succeeded by chiang ching-kuo. 1634
  • 1976/--/-- a severe earthquake in china kills over 600,000. 1635
  • 1977/--/-- rock 'n roll performer elvis presley dies. 1636
  • 1978/--/-- italian politician aldo moro is kidnapped and murdered by red brigade terrorists. 1637
  • 1978/--/-- more than 900 members of a religious cult commit suicide at jonestown, guyana. 1638
  • 1978/--/-- the murder of opposition leader pedro joaquin chamorro sparks uprisings in nicaragua. 1639
  • 1978/--/-- afghanistan president mohammad daud khan is killed in a marxist coup. 1640
  • 1979/--/-- ira terrorists assassinate lord mountbatten in ireland. 1641
  • 1979/--/-- south korean president park chung hee is assassinated. 1642
  • 1979/--/-- algerian president houari boumedienne dies; he is succeeded by chadli benjedid. 1643
  • 1980/--/-- ex-nicaraguan president anastasio somoza debayle is assassinated. 1644
  • 1980/--/-- an earthquake in algeria kills 20,000. 1645
  • 1980/--/-- liberian president william r. tolbert is killed in a military coup led by samuel doe. 1646
  • 1980/--/-- mount st. helens erupts in washington state killing eight people. 1647
  • 1981/--/-- anwar al-sadat is killed; hosni mubarak becomes president of egypt. 1648
  • 1981/--/-- ten ira prisoners starve themselves to death as a political protest. 1649
  • 1982/--/-- amin gemayel becomes the president of lebanon after his brother bashir is killed. 1650
  • 1982/--/-- princess grace of monaco dies in a car accident. 1651
  • 1982/--/-- soviet leader leonid brezhnev dies; he is succeeded by yuri andropov. 1652
  • 1983/--/-- opposition leader benigno aquino is assassinated in the philippines. 1653
  • 1984/--/-- indian prime minister indira gandhi is assassinated by sikh extremists. 1654
  • 1984/--/-- a toxic gas leak kills 2,000 and affects an estimated 150,000 in bhopal, india. 1655
  • 1984/--/-- soviet leader yuri andropov dies; he is succeeded by konstantin chernenko. 1656
  • 1985/--/-- albanian premier enver hoxha dies; he is succeeded by ramiz alia. 1657
  • 1985/--/-- american film actor rock hudson dies from aids. 1658
  • 1985/--/-- soviet premier konstantin chernenko dies; he is succeeded by mikhail gorbachev. 1659
  • 1986/--/-- swedish prime minister olof palme is assassinated. 1660
  • 1986/--/-- the space shuttle challenger explodes after launch, killing the crew of seven. 1661
  • 1988/--/-- armenia is hit by a severe earthquake, killing tens of thousands. 1662
  • 1988/--/-- pakistani leader gen. muhammed zia ul-haq is killed in a plane crash. 1663
  • 1989/--/-- ayatollah khomeini dies in iran; ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani becomes president. 1664
  • 1989/--/-- hu yao-pang's death in china sparks public rallies demanding social changes. 1665
  • 1989/--/-- hundreds of demonstrators are killed by troops in peking's t'ien-an-men square. 1666
  • 1989/--/-- romanian president nicolae ceausescu is deposed and killed. 1667
  • 1990/--/-- president samuel doe is killed during a military rebellion in liberia. 1668
  • .......... roman emperor augustus adopts tiberius and recognizes him as his successor. 1669
  • .......... judea becomes a province of rome. 1670
  • .......... roman poet ovid completes his greatest poetic achievement metamorphoses. 1671
  • .......... german leader arminius defeats three roman legions in the battle of teutoburg forest. 1672
  • .......... chinese emperor wang mang founds the hsin dynasty, ending the former han dynasty. 1673
  • .......... augustus dies; he is succeeded by tiberius as emperor of rome. 1674
  • .......... chinese emperor wang mang dies. 1675
  • .......... the later han dynasty is established in china. 1676
  • .......... jesus is baptized by john the baptist. 1677
  • .......... john the baptist is executed by herod antipas. 1678
  • .......... pontius pilate, roman governor of judea, orders the crucifixion of jesus. 1679
  • .......... st. paul is converted to christianity. 1680
  • .......... tiberius dies; he is succeeded by caligula as emperor of rome. 1681
  • .......... the roman encyclopedist celsus dies. 1682
  • .......... an early christian church is erected at corinth. 1683
  • .......... caligula is assassinated; claudius becomes emperor of rome. 1684
  • .......... the romans invade britain. 1685
  • .......... the city of londinium (london) is founded. 1686
  • .......... st. paul begins his christian missionary travels. 1687
  • .......... the epistle of james is begun about this time. 1688
  • .......... thrace becomes a roman province. 1689
  • .......... gallic nobles are admitted to the roman senate. 1690
  • .......... the expansion of the kingdom of aksum begins in present day ethiopia. 1691
  • .......... the first roman colony in britain is founded at colchester. 1692
  • .......... cologne is founded about this time in present day germany. 1693
  • .......... claudius is murdered; nero becomes emperor of rome. 1694
  • .......... st. paul writes his epistles to the corinthians. 1695
  • .......... boadicea, queen of the iceni tribe, rebels against roman rule in britain 1696
  • .......... st. james (the brother of jesus christ) is stoned to death. 1697
  • .......... rome is devastated by fire; the christians are blamed and persecuted. 1698
  • .......... the kushans sack the city of taxila in present day pakistan. 1699
  • .......... roman philosopher seneca commits suicide. 1700
  • .......... writing of the gospel according to mark is begun. 1701
  • .......... a jewish revolt against roman rule begins in judea. 1702
  • .......... roman writer petronius arbiter, the reputed author of the satyricon, dies. 1703
  • .......... st. peter and st. paul are martyred in rome. 1704
  • .......... roman emperor nero commits suicide. 1705
  • .......... buddhism is introduced into china. 1706
  • .......... vespasian becomes emperor of rome and founds the flavian dynasty. 1707
  • .......... roman general titus suppresses a jewish revolt and captures jerusalem. 1708
  • .......... the herod dynasty ends in judea. 1709
  • .......... writing of the acts of the apostles begins. 1710
  • .......... the romans conquer masada, the last jewish stronghold. 1711
  • .......... josephus begins his history of the jewish war. 1712
  • .......... pliny the elder writes his historia naturalis. 1713
  • .......... roman general agricola becomes governor of britain. 1714
  • .......... mount vesuvius erupts, burying the roman city of pompeii. 1715
  • .......... the gospel according to luke and the gospel according to matthew are begun. 1716
  • .......... the building of the colosseum is completed in rome. 1717
  • .......... titus dies; he is succeeded by domitian as emperor of rome. 1718
  • .......... the arch of titus is erected in rome. 1719
  • .......... st. clement becomes bishop of rome. 1720
  • .......... st. timothy is martyred at ephesus. 1721
  • .......... nerva dies; he is succeeded by trajan as emperor of rome. 1722
  • 0100/--/-- teotihuacan in central mexico has a population of 50,000. 1723
  • 0100/--/-- the compilation of the kamasutra is begun in india. 1724
  • 0100/--/-- the earliest chinese dictionary the shuo wen is compiled about this time. 1725
  • 0105/--/-- paper is invented in china. 1726
  • 0106/--/-- the city of petra is conquered by the roman emperor trajan. 1727
  • 0113/--/-- emperor trajan's column is built to glorify his military victories. 1728
  • 0115/--/-- greek writer lucian's the true history describes a fantasy trip to the moon. 1729
  • 0117/--/-- trajan dies; he is succeeded by hadrian as emperor of rome. 1730
  • 0117/--/-- the roman empire is at the height of its territorial power. 1731
  • 0118/--/-- construction of the pantheon begins in rome. 1732
  • 0122/--/-- construction of hadrian's wall is begun to protect britain from northern tribes. 1733
  • 0130/--/-- the taoist religion is accepted in china. 1734
  • 0132/--/-- the jewish bar kochba revolt begins against the romans. 1735
  • 0135/--/-- suppression of the jewish revolt leads to the diaspora (dispersion) of the jews. 1736
  • 0150/--/-- greek astronomer ptolemy writes his almagest and geography. 1737
  • 0150/--/-- the niger region is dominated by berber and mandingo tribes. 1738
  • 0150/--/-- apuleius, author of the latin tale the golden ass, dies. 1739
  • 0150/--/-- the earliest surviving sanskrit inscriptions are made in india. 1740
  • 0161/--/-- marcus aurelius, author of the meditations, becomes emperor of rome. 1741
  • 0170/--/-- pausanias writes his description of greece, a contemporary guide book. 1742
  • 0170/--/-- persecution of the christians increases in rome. 1743
  • 0180/--/-- bronze equestrian statue of marcus aurelius is completed in rome. 1744
  • 0189/--/-- the reign of the last han emperor hsien-ti begins. 1745
  • 0190/--/-- the abacus is used for numerical calculation in china. 1746
  • 0190/--/-- alexandrian surgeon galen compiles his writings on medical treatments. 1747
  • 0196/--/-- roman emperor septimius severus sacks the city of byzantium (istanbul). 1748
  • 0200/--/-- buddhism is established as a vital force in china. 1749
  • 0200/--/-- carthage in north africa becomes a world metropolis under roman rule 1750
  • 0201/--/-- empress jingo reigns as regent in japan. 1751
  • 0206/--/-- the building of the baths of caracalla is begun in rome by septimius severus. 1752
  • 0212/--/-- emperor caracalla grants citizenship to all freemen of the empire. 1753
  • 0220/--/-- the goths invade asia minor and the balkan peninsula. 1754
  • 0220/--/-- the han dynasty ends in china. 1755
  • 0224/--/-- sassanians under ardashir defeat the arascid dynasty in persia. 1756
  • 0250/--/-- emperor decius persecutes the christians and makes emperor-worship compulsory. 1757
  • 0250/--/-- diophantus of alexandria writes the first book on algebra. 1758
  • 0250/--/-- the classical period of the maya begins in mesoamerica. 1759
  • 0250/--/-- the kingdom of aksum gains control of the red sea trade. 1760
  • 0254/--/-- plotinus the founder of neoplatonism begins writing his discourses. 1761
  • 0257/--/-- the visigoths and ostrogoths invade the black sea region. 1762
  • 0257/--/-- the franks invade spain. 1763
  • 0260/--/-- persians under shapur i defeat the roman army and capture emperor valerian. 1764
  • 0265/--/-- the reign of the first chin dynasty begins in china. 1765
  • 0268/--/-- the goths attack athens, sparta, and corinth. 1766
  • 0269/--/-- egypt is occupied by zenobia, queen of palmyra; the library at alexandria is burnt. 1767
  • 0270/--/-- the first compass is used in china about this time. 1768
  • 0276/--/-- mani, founder of manichean sect, is crucified in persia. 1769
  • 0284/--/-- emperor diocletian bans alchemical books. 1770
  • 0285/--/-- confucianism is introduced into japan. 1771
  • 0286/--/-- saint maurice and the theban legion are massacred by emperor maximian. 1772
  • 0286/--/-- diocletian rules the eastern roman empire; maximian rules the western empire. 1773
  • 0295/--/-- diocletian's palace is built on the dalmatian coast of yugoslavia. 1774
  • 0297/--/-- rome recaptures armenia and mesopotamia. 1775
  • 0300/--/-- st. anthony forms christian hermit communities in the egyptian desert. 1776
  • 0305/--/-- roman emperor diocletian abdicates in the east; maximian abdicates in the west 1777
  • 0306/--/-- constantine becomes emperor of the west. 1778
  • 0311/--/-- the final persecution of the christians begins in rome. 1779
  • 0312/--/-- emperor constantine is converted to christianity. 1780
  • 0312/--/-- the edict of toleration at milan legalizes christianity. 1781
  • 0313/--/-- the koguryo kingdom expels the chinese from korea. 1782
  • 0316/--/-- the huns (hsuiung-nu) invade northern china. 1783
  • 0320/--/-- chandragupta i founds the gupta dynasty in northern india. 1784
  • 0324/--/-- constantine defeats licinius, the former emperor of the east, at adrianople (now edirne). 1785
  • 0325/--/-- the council of bishops at nicaea decide that god and christ are one. 1786
  • 0330/--/-- the roman capital moves to constantinople (now instanbul); the byzantine empire begins. 1787
  • 0330/--/-- st. peter's church in rome is designed for christian worship. 1788
  • 0350/--/-- the persians regain armenia from rome. 1789
  • 0350/--/-- the huns invade persia and india. 1790
  • 0350/--/-- a school of church song (schola cantorum) is founded in rome. 1791
  • 0350/--/-- aksum destroys the kingdom of meroe. 1792
  • 0360/--/-- the japanese invade korea. 1793
  • 0360/--/-- the picts and scots cross hadrian's wall and attack roman britain. 1794
  • 0360/--/-- vellum books begin to replace scrolls. 1795
  • 0364/--/-- valentinian becomes emperor of the west; valens becomes emperor of the east. 1796
  • 0370/--/-- the huns appear in europe for the first time. 1797
  • 0370/--/-- theodosius drives the picts and scots out of britain. 1798
  • 0372/--/-- buddhism is introduced into korea. 1799
  • 0376/--/-- the huns invade russia. 1800
  • 0378/--/-- emperor valens is killed by the visigoths at the battle of adrianople (now edirne). 1801
  • 0378/--/-- st. ursus builds a cathedral at ravenna. 1802
  • 0380/--/-- chandragupta ii heads the gupta empire. 1803
  • 0383/--/-- the roman army begins the evacuation of britain. 1804
  • 0386/--/-- hymn singing is introduced by ambrose, bishop of milan. 1805
  • 0386/--/-- st. augustine converts to christianity. 1806
  • 0395/--/-- theodosius dies; the roman empire is permanently divided into east and west. 1807
  • 0396/--/-- alaric king of the visigoths plunders athens 1808
  • 0401/--/-- pope innocent i claims universal power over the roman church. 1809
  • 0401/--/-- the visigoths invade italy. 1810
  • 0406/--/-- the vandals invade gaul; roman legions are withdrawn from britain. 1811
  • 0407/--/-- the first mongol empire is founded by the avars. 1812
  • 0409/--/-- the vandals invade spain. 1813
  • 0410/--/-- the visigoths under alaric destroy rome. 1814
  • 0410/--/-- alchemists begin to search for the philosopher's stone. 1815
  • 0411/--/-- st. augustine writes the city of god. 1816
  • 0425/--/-- vandals, ostrogoths and visigoths settle in former roman provinces. 1817
  • 0425/--/-- constantinople university is founded. 1818
  • 0429/--/-- vandals under gaiseric establish a kingdom in north africa. 1819
  • 0432/--/-- st. patrick's christian mission reaches ireland. 1820
  • 0433/--/-- attila becomes the ruler of the huns. 1821
  • 0439/--/-- the vandals capture carthage. 1822
  • 0449/--/-- jutes, angles, and saxons begin the conquest of britain. 1823
  • 0450/--/-- the basket maker iii period of the anasazi culture begins in north america. 1824
  • 0451/--/-- attila the hun invades gaul but is repulsed at the battle of chalons. 1825
  • 0452/--/-- attila the hun invades italy. 1826
  • 0452/--/-- venice is founded by refugees from the huns. 1827
  • 0455/--/-- the vandals under gaiseric sack rome. 1828
  • 0455/--/-- skandagupta defeats a hun invasion and becomes emperor of india. 1829
  • 0470/--/-- the huns withdraw from europe. 1830
  • 0470/--/-- mayan urban civilization flourishes in southern mexico. 1831
  • 0471/--/-- theodoric the great becomes king of the ostrogoths. 1832
  • 0476/--/-- germanic king odoacer occupies rome, ending the roman empire of the west. 1833
  • 0478/--/-- the first shinto shrines are built in japan. 1834
  • 0480/--/-- the gupta empire begins to decline after an invasion by white huns. 1835
  • 0486/--/-- frankish king clovis defeats the romans in gaul and founds the merovingian dynasty. 1836
  • 0493/--/-- theodoric king of the ostrogoths becomes ruler of all italy 1837
  • 0493/--/-- frankish king clovis becomes the first barbarian ruler to be baptized. 1838
  • 0500/--/-- the colonial period of the hohokam culture begins in north america about this time. 1839
  • 0500/--/-- the lex salica germanic law is composed. 1840
  • 0500/--/-- modern forms of harness for draft animals appear in china about this time. 1841
  • 0501/--/-- gundobad king of the burgundians establishes judicial duel or trial by combat. 1842
  • 0507/--/-- the franks conquer the visigoths; alaric ii is killed by clovis. 1843
  • 0511/--/-- clovis king of the franks dies; his kingdom is divided among his four sons. 1844
  • 0520/--/-- king arthur is said to have organized the celtic defence against saxon invaders. 1845
  • 0523/--/-- hilderic becomes the vandal king of north africa. 1846
  • 0523/--/-- roman scholar boethius writes on the consolation of philosophy. 1847
  • 0525/--/-- theodora marries justinian, the future byzantine emperor. 1848
  • 0526/--/-- theodoric, king of the ostrogoths and ruler of italy, dies. 1849
  • 0527/--/-- justinian becomes emperor of byzantium. 1850
  • 0529/--/-- st. benedict founds the benedictine order and builds an abbey at monte cassino, italy. 1851
  • 0531/--/-- khosru i becomes king of persia; the sassanian empire is at its greatest extent. 1852
  • 0534/--/-- byzantine general belisarius reconquers north africa. 1853
  • 0534/--/-- roman law is codified under justinian as the body of civil law. 1854
  • 0535/--/-- a 12-story pagoda is built in china. 1855
  • 0537/--/-- the church of hagia sophia is completed in constantinople (istanbul). 1856
  • 0538/--/-- buddhism is introduced into japan from korea. 1857
  • 0541/--/-- a bubonic plague ravages europe. 1858
  • 0547/--/-- the byzantine church of san vitale is built at ravenna in italy. 1859
  • 0550/--/-- the crucifix develops as an ornament about this time. 1860
  • 0552/--/-- persian monks smuggle chinese silkworms into constantinople (istanbul). 1861
  • 0553/--/-- justinian reconquers italy from the ostrogoths. 1862
  • 0560/--/-- the mediterranean seaboard falls under byzantine control. 1863
  • 0562/--/-- the silla kingdom expels the japanese from korea. 1864
  • 0563/--/-- st. columba establishes an irish monastery on the island of iona. 1865
  • 0565/--/-- the first recorded sighting of the legendary loch ness monster is made in scotland. 1866
  • 0568/--/-- the lombards invade northern italy. 1867
  • 0570/--/-- the prophet muhammad is born at mecca. 1868
  • 0572/--/-- war begins between persia and byzantium. 1869
  • 0581/--/-- wen ti founds the sui dynasty and reunites china. 1870
  • 0586/--/-- the earliest known depiction of christ on the cross is made. 1871
  • 0589/--/-- the visigoths in spain are converted to christianity. 1872
  • 0590/--/-- gregory i becomes the first monk to be elected as pope. 1873
  • 0594/--/-- the plague that began in 541 ends, after halving the population of europe. 1874
  • 0597/--/-- st. augustine begins his christian mission to england at canterbury. 1875
  • 0600/--/-- the anglo-saxons are dominant in britain; romanized britons survive in the west. 1876
  • 0600/--/-- a mayan center is established at bonampak in mexico about this time. 1877
  • 0600/--/-- the city of huari is established in central peru about this time. 1878
  • 0600/--/-- irish missionaries work in scotland and germany. 1879
  • 0600/--/-- windmills are in use in persia for irrigation. 1880
  • 0600/--/-- the game of chess is invented in india about this time. 1881
  • 0600/--/-- smallpox spreads from india to europe. 1882
  • 0600/--/-- pope gregory i supervises the compiling of plainsong (gregorian chants). 1883
  • 0600/--/-- the kettledrum originates in the near east about this time. 1884
  • 0607/--/-- the first buddhist temple is built at nara in japan. 1885
  • 0610/--/-- muhammad, the founder of islam, receives his first prophetic message. 1886
  • 0614/--/-- persian armies overrun asia minor and capture jerusalem. 1887
  • 0618/--/-- the t'ang dynasty in china establishes an imperial bureaucracy. 1888
  • 0619/--/-- the persians conquer egypt 1889
  • 0620/--/-- lyric poetry of the t'ang dynasty promotes the use of the chinese language. 1890
  • 0622/--/-- the muslim era begins with the flight of muhammad from mecca to medina. 1891
  • 0627/--/-- the byzantines under heraclius defeat the persians at nineveh. 1892
  • 0629/--/-- the visigoths drive the byzantines from spain. 1893
  • 0630/--/-- a holy war (jihad) by muslims leads to the conquest of mecca. 1894
  • 0630/--/-- the sutton hoo treasure is buried in a grave of an anglo-saxon king in england. 1895
  • 0632/--/-- muhammad dies; he is succeeded by the first caliph (successor) abu bakr. 1896
  • 0637/--/-- arab armies destroy the sassanian empire. 1897
  • 0642/--/-- the arabs conquer syria, mesopotamia, and egypt. 1898
  • 0645/--/-- t'ang dynasty artist yen li-pen is active about this time. 1899
  • 0645/--/-- buddhism reaches tibet from india. 1900
  • 0646/--/-- the taika reform remodels japanese imperial authority on chinese lines. 1901
  • 0650/--/-- teotihuacan falls into decline in central mexico; the city is looted and burned. 1902
  • 0650/--/-- coptic art in egypt incorporates christian and arab influences. 1903
  • 0651/--/-- the koran, sacred book of islam, reaches its final form. 1904
  • 0658/--/-- chinese power in central asia reaches its maximum extent. 1905
  • 0661/--/-- classical arab music evolves under the umayyad caliphs (leaders). 1906
  • 0661/--/-- the schism of islam into shiite and sunnite factions begins. 1907
  • 0664/--/-- the arabs conquer the city of kabul in present day afghanistan. 1908
  • 0668/--/-- korea is unified under the kingdom of silla. 1909
  • 0670/--/-- the first english poet caedmon writes christian verse. 1910
  • 0673/--/-- greek fire is used against the muslims during the siege of constantinople (istanbul). 1911
  • 0674/--/-- the arab eastward conquest reaches the indus river. 1912
  • 0678/--/-- a muslim blockade of constantinople fails; the byzantines and arabs establish a truce. 1913
  • 0680/--/-- the bulgars invade the balkans 1914
  • 0688/--/-- construction begins of the dome of the rock mosque in jerusalem. 1915
  • 0695/--/-- the jews are persecuted in spain. 1916
  • 0697/--/-- the arabs begin the permanent destruction of carthage. 1917
  • 0698/--/-- the lindisfarne gospels are produced in england. 1918
  • 0700/--/-- the arabs capture tunis, exterminating christianity in north africa. 1919
  • 0700/--/-- the rise of the empire of ghana begins in africa. 1920
  • 0700/--/-- the mississippian culture is founded in north america; the cahokia mounds are begun. 1921
  • 0700/--/-- the zapotec center at monte alban in mexico is abandoned about this time. 1922
  • 0700/--/-- waterwheels are in use throughout europe. 1923
  • 0700/--/-- chichen itza becomes an important mayan center in the yucatan (mexico). 1924
  • 0700/--/-- the mochica culture declines about this time in peru. 1925
  • 0700/--/-- the anglo-saxon epic poem beowulf is composed. 1926
  • 0700/--/-- arabic becomes the official language of egypt. 1927
  • 0700/--/-- first pueblo period begins in north america; above-ground adobe dwellings are built. 1928
  • 0706/--/-- the city of nara is founded as the first capital of japan. 1929
  • 0711/--/-- the moors (arabs and berbers) invade spain. 1930
  • 0712/--/-- the arabs establish a state in sind in present day pakistan. 1931
  • 0712/--/-- the earliest japanese history the kojiki (record of ancient matters) is written. 1932
  • 0718/--/-- emperor leo iii defeats the arab siege of constantinople (istanbul). 1933
  • 0725/--/-- the arabs introduce the lute into spain. 1934
  • 0726/--/-- byzantine ruler leo iii forbids the worship of icons. 1935
  • 0730/--/-- printing begins in china. 1936
  • 0731/--/-- the venerable bede writes a history of the english church. 1937
  • 0732/--/-- the franks defeat the moors at tours and halt arab expansion into europe. 1938
  • 0743/--/-- buddhism becomes a state cult in japan. 1939
  • 0744/--/-- the uighurs seize mongolia. 1940
  • 0748/--/-- the first printed newspaper appears in china. 1941
  • 0749/--/-- the abbasid caliphate deposes the umayyads. 1942
  • 0750/--/-- the city of granada is founded in spain. 1943
  • 0750/--/-- the buddhist pala dynasty is founded in bengal (india) about this time. 1944
  • 0750/--/-- the hindu temple complex at bhubaneswar is begun about this time in india. 1945
  • 0751/--/-- the merovingian dynasty ends; pepin begins the carolingian dynasty. 1946
  • 0751/--/-- an arab paper mill is established in samarkand using chinese paper-makers. 1947
  • 0751/--/-- the lombards capture ravenna, the last byzantine stronghold in northern italy. 1948
  • 0755/--/-- the formation of the papal states begins in italy. 1949
  • 0770/--/-- block printing develops in japan; 1 million copies of a prayer paper are produced. 1950
  • 0771/--/-- charlemagne becomes the sole king of the franks. 1951
  • 0774/--/-- charlemagne expels the lombards from italy. 1952
  • 0780/--/-- lu yu's the classic of tea, the first handbook on tea, is published in china. 1953
  • 0782/--/-- charlemagne invites alcuin of york to lead a cultural revival in aix-la-chapelle (aachen). 1954
  • 0785/--/-- the arabs begin the construction of the great mosque at cordoba in spain. 1955
  • 0786/--/-- the golden age of arab music begins under caliph harun al-rashid. 1956
  • 0787/--/-- byzantine empress irene convenes the second council of nicaea to rule on iconoclasm. 1957
  • 0787/--/-- the city of bremen is founded in germany. 1958
  • 0789/--/-- vikings begin their attacks on england. 1959
  • 0790/--/-- the city of fez is founded in morocco. 1960
  • 0792/--/-- charlemagne begins building his chapel at aix-la-chapelle (aachen). 1961
  • 0794/--/-- the japanese capital moves from nara to kyoto. 1962
  • 0799/--/-- the book of kells is completed about this time. 1963
  • 0800/--/-- pope leo iii crowns charlemagne as the first european emperor since the romans. 1964
  • 0800/--/-- the mayan center of palenque begins to decline in mexico. 1965
  • 0800/--/-- the srivijaya empire is dominant in the straits of malacca. 1966
  • 0800/--/-- the kanem-bornu empire is founded about this time in west africa. 1967
  • 0800/--/-- irish monks reach iceland. 1968
  • 0800/--/-- the oseberg viking longship is buried about this time 1969
  • 0800/--/-- the temple of borobudur is constructed in java. 1970
  • 0800/--/-- mayan murals are completed at bonampak in mexico. 1971
  • 0812/--/-- the chinese government issues paper bank drafts as money. 1972
  • 0814/--/-- construction of the doge's palace begins in venice. 1973
  • 0814/--/-- the arabs adopt indian numerals (1-9). 1974
  • 0838/--/-- the arabs sack marseille and settle in southern italy. 1975
  • 0840/--/-- viking settlers found the city of dublin in ireland. 1976
  • 0843/--/-- the carolingian empire is partitioned by the treaty of verdun. 1977
  • 0844/--/-- a viking raid on seville is repulsed. 1978
  • 0845/--/-- the vikings sack paris. 1979
  • 0846/--/-- the arabs sack rome and destroy the venetian fleet. 1980
  • 0849/--/-- the city of pagan is founded in burma. 1981
  • 0850/--/-- sian, capital of the t'ang empire, has a population of over 1 million inhabitants. 1982
  • 0850/--/-- the acropolis of zimbabwe is built in africa. 1983
  • 0851/--/-- an earthquake devastates rome. 1984
  • 0860/--/-- the cyrillic alphabet is developed in eastern europe about this time. 1985
  • 0860/--/-- rus vikings attack constantinople (istanbul). 1986
  • 0862/--/-- novgorod in russia is founded by the rus viking, ulrich. 1987
  • 0866/--/-- danish vikings establish a kingdom in york, england. 1988
  • 0867/--/-- photius, the patriarch of constantinople, initiates a schism with the church of rome. 1989
  • 0867/--/-- byzantine mosaics are created in the church of hagia sophia in constantinople. 1990
  • 0868/--/-- the earliest known woodcut illustration is made in china. 1991
  • 0870/--/-- the vikings found settlements on iceland about this time. 1992
  • 0871/--/-- alfred the great becomes king of wessex; the danish advance is halted in england. 1993
  • 0872/--/-- harold i gains control of norway. 1994
  • 0879/--/-- rurik establishes kiev as the center of the kievan rus' domains. 1995
  • 0880/--/-- angkor is founded as the capital city of the khmer empire in cambodia (kampuchea). 1996
  • 0880/--/-- byzantine emperor basil i drives the arabs from italy. 1997
  • 0884/--/-- charles iii becomes king of france and reunites the frankish empire. 1998
  • 0886/--/-- alfred divides england with the danes under the danelaw pact. 1999
  • 0887/--/-- arnulf deposes charles iii to become the last carolingian frankish emperor. 2000
  • 0895/--/-- the fujiwaras become rulers of japan. 2001
  • 0896/--/-- the magyars migrate to the danube region. 2002
  • 0900/--/-- the second pueblo period begins in north america. 2003
  • 0900/--/-- the vikings raid along the mediterranean coast. 2004
  • 0900/--/-- cordoba in spain becomes the center of islamic science. 2005
  • 0900/--/-- the windmill arrives in muslim spain from persia. 2006
  • 0906/--/-- the last t'ang emperor is deposed; civil war begins in china. 2007
  • 0909/--/-- a benedictine abbey is founded at cluny in france. 2008
  • 0910/--/-- the mystical islamic religion sufism flourishes. 2009
  • 0911/--/-- the viking chief rollo is granted land by the franks and founds normandy in france. 2010
  • 0915/--/-- fatimid armies invade egypt. 2011
  • 0918/--/-- the state of koryo is founded in korea. 2012
  • 0920/--/-- the golden age of the empire of ghana begins in africa. 2013
  • 0922/--/-- the fatimid dynasty conquers morocco. 2014
  • 0936/--/-- otto i becomes king of germany. 2015
  • 0939/--/-- the kingdom of leon captures madrid from the arabs. 2016
  • 0939/--/-- the annamese drive the chinese out of vietnam. 2017
  • 0941/--/-- rus vikings attack constantinople (istanbul). 2018
  • 0947/--/-- the liao dynasty is established in china with its capital at peking. 2019
  • 0950/--/-- the arabs import drums and trumpets into europe. 2020
  • 0950/--/-- organs are installed in european abbeys and cathedrals. 2021
  • 0950/--/-- the classical mayan period ends about this time. 2022
  • 0950/--/-- tula is established as the capital of toltec power in mexico. 2023
  • 0950/--/-- al-farabi, arab philosopher and author of the grand book of music, dies. 2024
  • 0950/--/-- the building of the temple complex at khajuraho begins in india. 2025
  • 0950/--/-- the ottonian art period begins. 2026
  • 0955/--/-- otto i defeats the magyars at lechfeld. 2027
  • 0960/--/-- the sung dynasty begins in china. 2028
  • 0960/--/-- the piasts found the first polish dynasty. 2029
  • 0962/--/-- pope john xii crowns otto i as holy roman emperor. 2030
  • 0966/--/-- the poles convert to christianity 2031
  • 0966/--/-- fujiwara domination of japan is at its height. 2032
  • 0969/--/-- the fatimids conquer egypt and found cairo. 2033
  • 0975/--/-- the arabs introduce arithmetical notation into europe. 2034
  • 0979/--/-- the sung dynasty reunites china. 2035
  • 0980/--/-- arabs settle along the east coast of africa. 2036
  • 0980/--/-- danish raids on england are renewed. 2037
  • 0981/--/-- viking leader eric the red discovers greenland. 2038
  • 0982/--/-- otto ii is defeated by the saracens in southern italy. 2039
  • 0985/--/-- venice and genoa trade between asia and western europe. 2040
  • 0986/--/-- viking ships sail in newfoundland waters. 2041
  • 0987/--/-- the carolingian dynasty ends; the capetians rule france. 2042
  • 0987/--/-- the toltecs capture chichen itza from the mayas in mexico. 2043
  • 0988/--/-- vladimir i of kiev introduces eastern christianity to russia. 2044
  • 0991/--/-- aethelred ii pays the first danegeld ransom to stop danish attacks on england. 2045
  • 0991/--/-- japanese poet sei shonagon begins her diary the pillow book. 2046
  • 0995/--/-- olaf i conquers norway and proclaims it a christian kingdom. 2047
  • 0996/--/-- cane sugar arrives in venice from egypt. 2048
  • 0999/--/-- baguda becomes the first king of kano in nigeria. 2049
  • 1000/--/-- stephen i is crowned as the first king of hungary. 2050
  • 1000/--/-- christianity reaches greenland and iceland. 2051
  • 1000/--/-- olaf i dies; norway is ruled by the danes. 2052
  • 1000/--/-- venice has domain over the dalmatian coast and the adriatic sea. 2053
  • 1000/--/-- leif eriksson, son of eric the red, explores the coast of north america. 2054
  • 1000/--/-- eilmer of malmesbury makes a glider flight from malmesbury abbey in england. 2055
  • 1000/--/-- sancho iii rules all of christian spain. 2056
  • 1000/--/-- zanzibar is settled about this time in africa. 2057
  • 1000/--/-- the canonization of saints is formalized by the christian church. 2058
  • 1000/--/-- the frame harp is in use in ireland about this time. 2059
  • 1001/--/-- mahmud of ghazni begins a holy war to conquer india for islam. 2060
  • 1002/--/-- brian boru defeats the norse and becomes the king of ireland. 2061
  • 1004/--/-- henry ii of germany is crowned king of lombardy. 2062
  • 1010/--/-- viking explorer thorfinn karlsefni attempts to found a settlement in north america. 2063
  • 1010/--/-- persian poet firdawsi completes the shah namah (book of kings). 2064
  • 1013/--/-- the danes conquer england; aethelred flees to normandy. 2065
  • 1014/--/-- henry ii is crowned holy roman emperor. 2066
  • 1015/--/-- vikings abandon the vinland settlement on the coast of north america. 2067
  • 1016/--/-- the danes under canute rule england. 2068
  • 1016/--/-- olaf ii regains norway from the danes. 2069
  • 1017/--/-- fatimid caliph al-hakim founds the druze religion. 2070
  • 1018/--/-- the byzantine empire annexes bulgaria. 2071
  • 1020/--/-- female japanese author murasaki shikibu completes the tale of genji. 2072
  • 1025/--/-- the cholas invade bengal, ceylon (sri lanka) and java. 2073
  • 1025/--/-- poland is divided after the death of boleslaw i. 2074
  • 1025/--/-- guido d'arezzo invents the use of the staff in musical notation. 2075
  • 1027/--/-- conrad ii becomes holy roman emperor, founding the franconian dynasty. 2076
  • 1028/--/-- canute, king of england and denmark, conquers norway. 2077
  • 1030/--/-- the cumans begin their conquest of southern russia. 2078
  • 1031/--/-- the caliphate of cordoba collapses in spain. 2079
  • 1035/--/-- aragon and castile become separate kingdoms in spain. 2080
  • 1037/--/-- avicenna, muslim philosopher and physician, dies. 2081
  • 1039/--/-- the camera obscure is described for the first time. 2082
  • 1040/--/-- macbeth kills duncan i and becomes king of scotland. 2083
  • 1042/--/-- edward the confessor rules england with the support of the danes. 2084
  • 1044/--/-- the first burmese state is established by anawratha at pagan. 2085
  • 1046/--/-- henry iii is crowned as holy roman emperor. 2086
  • 1050/--/-- the city of oslo is founded in norway. 2087
  • 1050/--/-- timbuktu is founded in north africa by the tuaregs. 2088
  • 1050/--/-- chinese books are printed with movable wooden type. 2089
  • 1050/--/-- polyphonic singing replaces gregorian chants. 2090
  • 1050/--/-- edward the confessor begins the construction of westminster abbey. 2091
  • 1051/--/-- isfahan becomes the capital of the seljuk empire. 2092
  • 1054/--/-- the great schism begins between the orthodox church and the roman church. 2093
  • 1054/--/-- a supernova or guest star (the crab nebula) is reported by the chinese. 2094
  • 1055/--/-- the seljuk turks occupy baghdad. 2095
  • 1056/--/-- the almoravids conquer north africa 2096
  • 1057/--/-- malcolm iii kills macbeth and becomes king of scotland. 2097
  • 1059/--/-- the florence baptistery is consecrated. 2098
  • 1062/--/-- the city of marrakech is founded in morocco. 2099
  • 1063/--/-- the building of pisa cathedral is begun. 2100
  • 1064/--/-- the seljuks under alp-arslan conquer armenia. 2101
  • 1064/--/-- the hungarians seize belgrade from the byzantines. 2102
  • 1066/--/-- william duke of normandy defeats the saxon king harold at the battle of hastings. 2103
  • 1071/--/-- the seljuks under alp-arslan defeat the byzantines at the battle of manzikert. 2104
  • 1072/--/-- the normans under robert guiscard conquer much of byzantine italy. 2105
  • 1072/--/-- alfonso vi becomes king of leon and castile. 2106
  • 1073/--/-- pope gregory vii removes the power of investiture from the state. 2107
  • 1075/--/-- persian poet omar khayyam writes the rubaiyat. 2108
  • 1076/--/-- holy roman emperor henry iv tries to depose pope gregory vii. 2109
  • 1077/--/-- the almoravids are dominant in ghana, africa. 2110
  • 1078/--/-- the building of the tower of london begins in england. 2111
  • 1079/--/-- the building of winchester cathedral begins in england. 2112
  • 1080/--/-- the city of newcastle is founded in england. 2113
  • 1080/--/-- the bayeux tapestry depicts the norman victory at the battle of hastings. 2114
  • 1083/--/-- emperor henry iv storms rome and installs the antipope clement iii. 2115
  • 1085/--/-- alfonso vi captures toledo from the moors. 2116
  • 1086/--/-- the almoravids cross into spain and defeat the christian army of reconquest. 2117
  • 1086/--/-- the domesday book records land use and tenure in england. 2118
  • 1086/--/-- over 5,000 waterwheels are in use in england according to the domesday book. 2119
  • 1091/--/-- ladislas i unites hungary and croatia. 2120
  • 1091/--/-- byzantine emperor alexius i defeats the normans and the pechnegs. 2121
  • 1093/--/-- saint mark's basilica is completed in venice. 2122
  • 1094/--/-- spanish leader el cid takes valencia from the moors. 2123
  • 1094/--/-- the sect of the assassins is established. 2124
  • 1096/--/-- the almoravids rule muslim spain. 2125
  • 1096/--/-- the first christian crusade begins against the muslims. 2126
  • 1098/--/-- the first cistercian monastery is founded by st. robert. 2127
  • 1098/--/-- st. anselm writes why god became man. 2128
  • 1099/--/-- the crusaders capture jerusalem and establish the latin kingdom of jerusalem. 2129
  • 1100/--/-- the third pueblo period begins in southwest north america. 2130
  • 1100/--/-- kano becomes an important hausa city state in nigeria about this time. 2131
  • 1100/--/-- the temne probably inhabit present-day sierra leone by this date. 2132
  • 1100/--/-- the epic poem chanson de roland celebrates the age of charlemagne. 2133
  • 1105/--/-- holy roman emperor henry iv is captured and forced to abdicate by his son henry v. 2134
  • 1108/--/-- louis vi succeeds his father philip i as king of france. 2135
  • 1114/--/-- chichester cathedral is founded in england. 2136
  • 1117/--/-- the first reference of a compass used for navigation at sea is made in china. 2137
  • 1118/--/-- the knights templar military and religious order is founded. 2138
  • 1119/--/-- french theologian peter abelard becomes a monk after his love affair with heloise. 2139
  • 1120/--/-- ibn tumart declares himself the mahdi and founds the almohad dynasty. 2140
  • 1121/--/-- peter abelard's teachings on the trinity are condemned by the council of soissons. 2141
  • 1122/--/-- the concordat of worms ends the investiture controversy over church and state powers. 2142
  • 1130/--/-- the almohad dynasty is established in morocco. 2143
  • 1130/--/-- stained glass is used to decorate church windows for the first time. 2144
  • 1135/--/-- the almohads are dominant in northwestern africa and muslim spain. 2145
  • 1135/--/-- geoffrey of monmouth begins his history of britain. 2146
  • 1137/--/-- louis vii becomes king of france. 2147
  • 1137/--/-- wena (vienna) is chartered as a city. 2148
  • 1137/--/-- the building of saint-denis church in paris marks the beginning of the gothic art period. 2149
  • 1138/--/-- the hohenstaufen dynasty begins its domain over the holy roman empire. 2150
  • 1139/--/-- roger ii, the norman ruler of sicily, founds the kingdom of naples. 2151
  • 1145/--/-- the legendary christian king prester john is mentioned for the first time. 2152
  • 1147/--/-- the moors are expelled from lisbon by the christian portuguese. 2153
  • 1147/--/-- the first reference is made to the city of moscow. 2154
  • 1147/--/-- the almohads kill the last almoravid ruler in marrakech. 2155
  • 1150/--/-- the destruction of tula marks the end of the toltec empire. 2156
  • 1150/--/-- the yoruba city states begin to flourish in nigeria. 2157
  • 1150/--/-- europe's first paper mill is established at jativa, spain. 2158
  • 1150/--/-- the chinese develop the first rockets. 2159
  • 1150/--/-- a medical school is established at bologna university. 2160
  • 1150/--/-- the temple of angkor wat is built in cambodia (kampuchea). 2161
  • 1150/--/-- oxford university is founded in england about this time. 2162
  • 1152/--/-- louis vii the king of france annuls his marriage to eleanor of aquitane. 2163
  • 1152/--/-- eleanor of aquitane marries henry of anjou. 2164
  • 1153/--/-- parakrama bahu i begins his reign at plonnaruwa, capital of lanka (sri lanka). 2165
  • 1154/--/-- henry of anjou is crowned henry ii of england -- the first plantagenet king. 2166
  • 1154/--/-- muslim ruler nur al-din captures damascus from the seljuk turks. 2167
  • 1155/--/-- frederick i (frederick barbarossa) is crowned as holy roman emperor. 2168
  • 1159/--/-- civil war between the taira and minamoto samurai ravages japan. 2169
  • 1160/--/-- the almohads drive the almoravid muslims from spain and north africa. 2170
  • 1160/--/-- the rolls of oleron (maritime laws) are proclaimed in france. 2171
  • 1160/--/-- french court poet chretien de troyes is active about this time. 2172
  • 1163/--/-- notre dame cathedral is begun; flying buttresses are used for the first time. 2173
  • 1168/--/-- the jewish philosopher maimonides completes the mishnah torah. 2174
  • 1170/--/-- a military faction seizes control in korea and suppresses buddhism. 2175
  • 1170/--/-- archbishop thomas becket is murdered after a quarrel with king henry ii. 2176
  • 1170/--/-- the university of paris is founded. 2177
  • 1171/--/-- saladin defeats the fatimids and conquers egypt. 2178
  • 1171/--/-- king henry ii of england annexes ireland. 2179
  • 1174/--/-- the building of the leaning tower of pisa begins in italy. 2180
  • 1174/--/-- the first public horse race course is constructed in london. 2181
  • 1175/--/-- the building of strasbourg cathedral begins in germany. 2182
  • 1175/--/-- the first version of the french fable reynard the fox is written. 2183
  • 1176/--/-- the lombard league defeats emperor frederick i at legnano. 2184
  • 1176/--/-- the building of old london bridge is begun. 2185
  • 1177/--/-- the city of belfast is founded in ireland. 2186
  • 1180/--/-- the khmer empire is at its greatest extent in cambodia (kampuchea). 2187
  • 1180/--/-- japanese warrior minamoto no yoritomo begins the 5-year gempei war. 2188
  • 1180/--/-- spanish arab philosopher averroes writes the incoherence of the incoherence. 2189
  • 1185/--/-- minamoto no yoritomo establishes the kamakura shogunate in japan. 2190
  • 1186/--/-- bulgaria reestablishes its independence from the byzantine empire. 2191
  • 1187/--/-- saladin recaptures jerusalem from the crusaders. 2192
  • 1187/--/-- the toltecs are deposed at chichen itza in mexico. 2193
  • 1188/--/-- the third crusade begins. 2194
  • 1190/--/-- frederick i drowns enroute to the crusades; henry vi becomes holy roman emperor (1191). 2195
  • 1190/--/-- the mongol empire begins to expand in eastern asia. 2196
  • 1190/--/-- the order of the teutonic knights is founded during the third crusade. 2197
  • 1190/--/-- zen buddhism is introduced into japan. 2198
  • 1190/--/-- king philip augustus grants a charter to the perfumers of paris. 2199
  • 1191/--/-- king richard i of england captures cyprus. 2200
  • 1192/--/-- minamoto no yoritomo rules as the shogun of japan. 2201
  • 1192/--/-- king richard i of england is captured by duke leopold of austria. 2202
  • 1194/--/-- the kingdom of naples and sicily become part of the holy roman empire under henry vi. 2203
  • 1194/--/-- king richard i is released from imprisonment after a ransom is paid. 2204
  • 1194/--/-- a gothic cathedral is begun at chartres, replacing an earlier structure. 2205
  • 1197/--/-- henry vi is succeeded by otto iv as holy roman emperor. 2206
  • 1199/--/-- richard i is killed in battle in france; he is succeeded by john as king of england. 2207
  • 1200/--/-- the empire of mali begins to flourish in west africa. 2208
  • 1200/--/-- cambridge university is founded in england. 2209
  • 1200/--/-- the jewish kabbalistic philosophy develops. 2210
  • 1200/--/-- the german epic nibelungenlied is composed. 2211
  • 1200/--/-- troubadour performances are at their height in europe. 2212
  • 1202/--/-- the fourth crusade begins. 2213
  • 1202/--/-- italian mathematician leonardo pisano uses 0 (zero) for the first time in europe. 2214
  • 1204/--/-- the crusaders capture constantinoplem (istanbul) and found the latin empire. 2215
  • 1204/--/-- the city of amsterdam is founded in holland. 2216
  • 1206/--/-- mongol tribal chief temujin is proclaimed as genghis khan (universal ruler). 2217
  • 1206/--/-- the delhi sultanate is established in india. 2218
  • 1207/--/-- the city of liverpool is settled in england. 2219
  • 1209/--/-- pope innocent iii instigates a crusade against the albigenses in southern france. 2220
  • 1210/--/-- the mongols begin to invade china. 2221
  • 1210/--/-- st. francis of assisi founds the franciscan order. 2222
  • 1211/--/-- the building of st. james' cathedral is begun in santiago, spain. 2223
  • 1212/--/-- the children's crusade begins. 2224
  • 1212/--/-- castile defeats the muslim almohads in spain. 2225
  • 1214/--/-- philip ii defeats emperor otto iv and king john of england at the battle of bouvines. 2226
  • 1215/--/-- king john of england signs the magna carta. 2227
  • 1215/--/-- the mongols defeat the chin empire and occupy peking. 2228
  • 1217/--/-- the fifth crusade begins with an attack on egypt. 2229
  • 1217/--/-- the kingdom of serbia is founded. 2230
  • 1219/--/-- denmark institutes a national flag, the oldest in europe. 2231
  • 1219/--/-- the city of samarkand is conquered by ghengis khan. 2232
  • 1220/--/-- the building of salisbury cathedral is begun in england. 2233
  • 1222/--/-- the university of padua is founded in italy. 2234
  • 1223/--/-- the khanate of the golden horde is established in russia by the mongols. 2235
  • 1225/--/-- french poet guillaume de lorris writes the romance of the rose. 2236
  • 1227/--/-- ghengis khan dies; the mongol empire is divided among his 4 sons. 2237
  • 1227/--/-- the building of toledo cathedral is begun in spain. 2238
  • 1229/--/-- james i of aragon captures majorca from the moors. 2239
  • 1230/--/-- the qutb minar minaret is built near present-day new delhi, india 2240
  • 1231/--/-- jalal al-din al-rumi founds the sufi order known as whirling dervishes. 2241
  • 1231/--/-- pope gregory ix institutes the papal inquisition. 2242
  • 1234/--/-- the printing of buddhist texts using movable wooden type begins in korea. 2243
  • 1240/--/-- russian prince alexander nevsky defeats the swedes at the battle of neva. 2244
  • 1240/--/-- the mongol golden horde conquers kievan russia. 2245
  • 1241/--/-- the mongols invade hungary. 2246
  • 1242/--/-- english monk roger bacon describes a formula for making gunpowder. 2247
  • 1244/--/-- the city of berlin is mentioned for the first time. 2248
  • 1245/--/-- pope innocent iv sends the franciscan friar carpini to the mongols as a missionary. 2249
  • 1248/--/-- the christian reconquest of spain is almost complete; the muslims still hold granada. 2250
  • 1248/--/-- the building of cologne cathedral is begun in germany. 2251
  • 1249/--/-- alfonso iii drives the moors from portugal. 2252
  • 1250/--/-- louis ix of france is captured by the muslims during the seventh crusade. 2253
  • 1250/--/-- egyptian mamelukes overthrow the ayyubid dynasty. 2254
  • 1250/--/-- frederick ii's death leads to an interregnum in germany and a struggle for the crown. 2255
  • 1250/--/-- albertus magnus describes a method for manufacturing arsenic. 2256
  • 1250/--/-- naval warfare in the mediterranean is dominated by galleys. 2257
  • 1250/--/-- vincent of beauvais publishes the greater mirror, a contemporary encyclopedia. 2258
  • 1252/--/-- the city of stockholm is founded in sweden. 2259
  • 1256/--/-- the order of augustinian hermits is founded. 2260
  • 1257/--/-- the sorbonne theological college is founded at the university of paris. 2261
  • 1258/--/-- the mongols sack baghdad, ending the abbasid caliphate. 2262
  • 1260/--/-- kublai khan is proclaimed as the mongol emperor. 2263
  • 1260/--/-- venetian merchants nicolo and maffeo polo begin their journey to china. 2264
  • 1260/--/-- the first flagellant movements appear in italy. 2265
  • 1260/--/-- paris becomes the center of tapestry weaving. 2266
  • 1261/--/-- michael viii regains constantinople (istanbul) and refounds the byzantine empire. 2267
  • 1263/--/-- norway gains control of iceland. 2268
  • 1264/--/-- simon de montfort and the english barons defeat henry iii at the battle of lewes. 2269
  • 1265/--/-- simon de montfort is killed at the battle of evesham. 2270
  • 1266/--/-- norway surrenders the hebrides to scotland. 2271
  • 1266/--/-- charles i of anjou becomes king of naples and sicily. 2272
  • 1268/--/-- the angevins and guelphs defeat the ghibellines at tagliacozzo in italy. 2273
  • 1269/--/-- the mamelukes seize mecca. 2274
  • 1271/--/-- venetian merchant marco polo begins his journey to the court of kublai khan in china. 2275
  • 1273/--/-- rudolf i becomes king of germany, establishing the habsburg dynasty. 2276
  • 1273/--/-- dominican theologian thomas aquinas completes his summa theologiae. 2277
  • 1274/--/-- the mongols invade japan. 2278
  • 1277/--/-- ottone visconti rules milan and founds the visconti dynasty. 2279
  • 1279/--/-- kublai khan establishes the yuan dynasty in china. 2280
  • 1280/--/-- syrian scholar al-hassan-al-rammah describes "chinese arrows" (rockets). 2281
  • 1282/--/-- sicilians revolt against the french during the sicilian vespers. 2282
  • 1282/--/-- sicily splits from the kingdom of naples; peter iii of aragon is elected to the throne. 2283
  • 1284/--/-- the genoese fleet defeats pisa to become dominant in the mediterranean. 2284
  • 1284/--/-- the pied piper of hamelin is alleged to have appeared about this time. 2285
  • 1285/--/-- sienese artist duccio paints the rucellai madonna in florence. 2286
  • 1287/--/-- pagan is conquered by the mongols in burma. 2287
  • 1290/--/-- edward i expels the jews from england. 2288
  • 1290/--/-- osman i founds the dynasty of the ottoman turks. 2289
  • 1290/--/-- florentine artist cimabue paints the crucifix. 2290
  • 1290/--/-- moses de leon composes the kabbalistic work zohar. 2291
  • 1291/--/-- the mamelukes capture acre, ending the latin kingdom of jerusalem. 2292
  • 1291/--/-- the swiss confederation (switzerland) is formed. 2293
  • 1293/--/-- italian poet dante writes his first book la vita nuova (the new life). 2294
  • 1293/--/-- the majapahit empire is founded in java. 2295
  • 1294/--/-- philip iv of france institutes sumptuary laws against extravagant costumes. 2296
  • 1294/--/-- the building of florence cathedral is begun in italy. 2297
  • 1295/--/-- marco polo brings a pasta recipe to italy from asia. 2298
  • 1297/--/-- william wallace expels the english from scotland. 2299
  • 1297/--/-- the genoese defeat the venetian fleet at curzola. 2300
  • 1298/--/-- english king edward i defeats william wallace and reconquers scotland. 2301
  • 1298/--/-- marco polo dictates the memoirs of his travels from a prison in genoa. 2302
  • 1300/--/-- the city of cholula regains prominence under the mixtecs in mexico. 2303
  • 1300/--/-- the forbidden city is built in peking about this time. 2304
  • 1300/--/-- apothecaries become popular in germany. 2305
  • 1300/--/-- the first mechanical clocks appear in europe. 2306
  • 1300/--/-- the use of eyeglasses (spectacles) becomes common. 2307
  • 1300/--/-- the spinning wheel is in use in europe. 2308
  • 1303/--/-- philip iv of france tries to abduct pope boniface viii. 2309
  • 1305/--/-- florentine painter giotto begins his frescoes in the arena chapel in padua. 2310
  • 1306/--/-- robert the bruce leads the scots in a rebellion against english rule. 2311
  • 1306/--/-- philip iv expels the jews from france. 2312
  • 1307/--/-- italian poet dante begins his masterwork the divine comedy. 2313
  • 1308/--/-- charles i becomes the first angevin king of hungary. 2314
  • 1309/--/-- pope clement v moves the papal court from rome to avignon in france. 2315
  • 1312/--/-- henry vii is crowned holy roman emperor but dies one year later. 2316
  • 1312/--/-- mansa musa becomes emperor of mali in west africa. 2317
  • 1314/--/-- louis of bavaria and frederick of austria contest the rule of the holy roman empire. 2318
  • 1314/--/-- the scots defeat the english at the battle of bannockburn. 2319
  • 1320/--/-- poland is reunited under king wladyslaw i. 2320
  • 1322/--/-- louis iv defeats frederick of austria at the battle of muhldorf. 2321
  • 1322/--/-- english folk hero robin hood is first mentioned. 2322
  • 1325/--/-- arab geographer ibn battuta begins his explorations. 2323
  • 1326/--/-- edward ii of england is deposed by queen isabella and roger mortimer. 2324
  • 1327/--/-- louis iv king of germany invades italy. 2325
  • 1327/--/-- the city of munich is destroyed by fire. 2326
  • 1328/--/-- louis iv crowns himself as holy roman emperor and installs an antipope. 2327
  • 1328/--/-- sienese artist simone martini portrays the warlord guidoriccio da fogliano. 2328
  • 1331/--/-- the moscow kremlin (fortress) is mentioned for the first time. 2329
  • 1333/--/-- the minamoto shogunate comes to an end; civil war breaks out in japan. 2330
  • 1337/--/-- the hundred years' war begins between england and france. 2331
  • 1338/--/-- the ashikaga shogunate begins in japan. 2332
  • 1340/--/-- a british fleet defeats the french at sluys. 2333
  • 1341/--/-- the muslims rule kashmir in india. 2334
  • 1342/--/-- italian poet petrarch writes his canzoniere love lyrics. 2335
  • 1345/--/-- the aztecs found tenochtitlan (now mexico city). 2336
  • 1345/--/-- the building of the present doge's palace begins in venice. 2337
  • 1346/--/-- louis iv is deposed by charles iv as king of germany. 2338
  • 1346/--/-- english archers defeat the french at crecy; cannons (bombards) are used in the battle. 2339
  • 1346/--/-- stephen dusan crowns himself emperor of serbia and the greeks. 2340
  • 1347/--/-- the english capture the french port of calais. 2341
  • 1347/--/-- the black death (bubonic plague) arrives in europe, killing a third of the population. 2342
  • 1348/--/-- italian writer boccaccio begins the decameron. 2343
  • 1348/--/-- prague university is founded in czechoslovakia. 2344
  • 1350/--/-- no drama develops in japan about this time. 2345
  • 1351/--/-- zurich joins the swiss confederation. 2346
  • 1352/--/-- arab geographer ibn battuta explores nigeria. 2347
  • 1354/--/-- the shroud of turin is mentioned for the first time. 2348
  • 1355/--/-- charles iv is crowned holy roman emperor. 2349
  • 1356/--/-- edward the black prince defeats the french at poitiers and captures king john ii. 2350
  • 1356/--/-- charles iv establishes the golden bull constitution for the holy roman empire. 2351
  • 1358/--/-- lubeck becomes headquarters of the hanseatic league. 2352
  • 1360/--/-- the treaty of bretigny ends the first phase of the hundred years' war. 2353
  • 1360/--/-- sir john hawkwood leads his white company of mercenaries into italy. 2354
  • 1362/--/-- according to the kensington rune stone, the vikings reach minnesota in america. 2355
  • 1362/--/-- english poet william langland writes piers plowman. 2356
  • 1364/--/-- polish king casimir iii founds krakow university. 2357
  • 1368/--/-- the ming dynasty begins in china. 2358
  • 1369/--/-- the french renew the war against england and recapture most of aquitaine. 2359
  • 1370/--/-- mongol leader timur (tamerlane) begins his wars of conquest in asia. 2360
  • 1370/--/-- the death of casimir iii ends the piast dynasty in poland. 2361
  • 1370/--/-- the building of the bastille fortress begins in paris. 2362
  • 1370/--/-- the first modern perfume hungary water is made for queen elizabeth of hungary. 2363
  • 1377/--/-- pope gregory xi returns the papacy to rome. 2364
  • 1377/--/-- playing cards are described for the first time. 2365
  • 1378/--/-- the great schism begins; 2 popes reign from rome and avignon. 2366
  • 1379/--/-- italian historian muraroti describes the use of rockets during the siege of chiozzia, italy. 2367
  • 1380/--/-- russian prince dimitry donskoi defeats the mongols at kulikovo. 2368
  • 1380/--/-- venice defeats genoa and maintains sovereignty over the eastern mediterranean. 2369
  • 1381/--/-- the peasants' revolt begins in england. 2370
  • 1382/--/-- john wycliffe translates the bible into english. 2371
  • 1384/--/-- the lollard movement grows after the death of john wycliffe. 2372
  • 1386/--/-- poland and lithuania are united by marriage; the jagello dynasty is founded. 2373
  • 1386/--/-- heidelberg university is founded in germany. 2374
  • 1386/--/-- english poet geoffrey chaucer begins the canterbury tales. 2375
  • 1387/--/-- the viscontis win the city-states of verona and vicenza from the scala family. 2376
  • 1387/--/-- timur (tamerlane) conquers the city of isfahan in persia (iran). 2377
  • 1389/--/-- the ottoman turks defeat the hungarians at the battle of kosovo. 2378
  • 1392/--/-- the yi dynasty usurps power from the koryos in korea. 2379
  • 1394/--/-- the thais invade cambodia (kampuchea). 2380
  • 1395/--/-- claus sluter begins the well of moses sculpture at chartreuse in france. 2381
  • 1396/--/-- a christian army is defeated by the ottoman turks at nicopolis, bulgaria. 2382
  • 1397/--/-- the kalmar union unites sweden, denmark, and norway. 2383
  • 1398/--/-- timur (tamerlane) invades india and sacks the kingdom of delhi. 2384
  • 1399/--/-- bolingbroke (henry iv) deposes richard ii and founds the house of lancaster. 2385
  • 1400/--/-- owen glendower leads a welsh revolt against english rule. 2386
  • 1400/--/-- norse settlers die out in greenland. 2387
  • 1400/--/-- the hohokam culture dies out in the american southwest. 2388
  • 1400/--/-- bedlam, england's first hospital for the mentally ill, is founded in london. 2389
  • 1400/--/-- the first reported discovery is made of a frozen mammoth in siberia. 2390
  • 1400/--/-- french historian jean froissart completes his chronicles. 2391
  • 1402/--/-- timur (tamerlane) defeats the ottomans at ankara and captures sultan bayezid i. 2392
  • 1402/--/-- the building of seville cathedral begins in spain. 2393
  • 1403/--/-- henry iv, king of england, defeats the percy family at the battle of shrewsbury. 2394
  • 1403/--/-- italian sculptor lorenzo ghiberti begins the bronze doors for the florence baptistery. 2395
  • 1406/--/-- the city-state of pisa is defeated by florence. 2396
  • 1407/--/-- the murder of louis duc d'orleans begins a civil war in france. 2397
  • 1407/--/-- the chinese reoccupy vietnam. 2398
  • 1409/--/-- czech religious reformer john huss (jan hus) lectures at prague university. 2399
  • 1410/--/-- the poles and the lithuanians defeat the teutonic knights at the battle of tannenberg. 2400
  • 1410/--/-- flemish illuminators the limbourg brothers begin the belle heures du duc de berry. 2401
  • 1411/--/-- open conflict breaks out between the armagnacs and burgundians in france. 2402
  • 1415/--/-- henry v invades france and defeats the french at the battle of agincourt. 2403
  • 1415/--/-- the portuguese capture ceuta, laying the foundations for portugal's african empire. 2404
  • 1415/--/-- the council of constance is convened to end the schism caused by 2 competing popes. 2405
  • 1415/--/-- john huss (jan hus) is burned at the stake for heresy. 2406
  • 1418/--/-- prince henry the navigator dispatches the first portuguese voyages of exploration. 2407
  • 1418/--/-- the earliest known european woodcut illustration is made. 2408
  • 1418/--/-- german author thomas a kempis writes the imitation of christ. 2409
  • 1420/--/-- henry v of england is acknowledged as heir to the french throne. 2410
  • 1421/--/-- the first known patent is issued in florence. 2411
  • 1425/--/-- florentine sculptor donatello begins his bronze statue of david around this time. 2412
  • 1427/--/-- the portuguese discover the azores. 2413
  • 1427/--/-- the first major witch hunt takes place in switzerland. 2414
  • 1427/--/-- masaccio completes the expulsion of adam and eve fresco in the brancacci chapel. 2415
  • 1428/--/-- copenhagen becomes the residence of the danish monarchs. 2416
  • 1428/--/-- le loi defeats the chinese and founds the le dynasty in vietnam. 2417
  • 1429/--/-- the french under joan of arc raise the siege of orleans and defeat the english. 2418
  • 1431/--/-- joan of arc is burned as a witch by the english at rouen in france. 2419
  • 1431/--/-- tenochtitlan emerges as a dominant city-state in central mexico under aztec rule. 2420
  • 1431/--/-- thai forces destroy the khmer capital of angkor. 2421
  • 1431/--/-- luca della robbia sculpts the cantoria (singing gallery) for florence cathedral. 2422
  • 1433/--/-- sigismund king of germany is crowned holy roman emperor. 2423
  • 1434/--/-- phnom penh is established as the new khmer capital. 2424
  • 1434/--/-- cosimo de'medici gains control of florence. 2425
  • 1434/--/-- the portuguese explore the african coast south of cape bojador. 2426
  • 1434/--/-- flemish artist jan van eyck paints the wedding portrait of giovanni arnolfini. 2427
  • 1435/--/-- italian artist leon battista alberti writes on the laws of perspective. 2428
  • 1436/--/-- the french end the english occupation of paris. 2429
  • 1438/--/-- the inca empire is established in peru. 2430
  • 1440/--/-- hungary and poland are united under wladyslaw iii to oppose the turks. 2431
  • 1440/--/-- the mayan city of mayapan is destroyed in mexico. 2432
  • 1440/--/-- king henry vi founds eton college in england. 2433
  • 1442/--/-- the kingdom of naples comes under aragonnese rule. 2434
  • 1442/--/-- florentine architect filippo brunelleschi begins work on the pazzi chapel. 2435
  • 1443/--/-- flemish painter rogier van der weyden paints the descent from the cross. 2436
  • 1444/--/-- wladyslaw iii is killed by the turks under murad ii at the battle of varna. 2437
  • 1446/--/-- the building of the chapel at king's college is begun in cambridge, england. 2438
  • 1448/--/-- the hungarians are defeated by the turks at the second battle of kosovo. 2439
  • 1450/--/-- the sforza family conquer the city-state of milan. 2440
  • 1450/--/-- the portuguese begin the west african slave trade about this time. 2441
  • 1450/--/-- the thurn and taxis families establish a postal service for the holy roman empire. 2442
  • 1450/--/-- german goldsmith johann gutenberg perfects printing by movable metal type. 2443
  • 1450/--/-- the arabian nights are written about this time. 2444
  • 1452/--/-- frederick iii is crowned as the first habsburg holy roman emperor. 2445
  • 1452/--/-- florentine painter fra filippo lippi begins his frescoes for the prato cathedral. 2446
  • 1453/--/-- the french capture bordeaux from the english, ending the hundred years' war. 2447
  • 1453/--/-- ottoman turks capture constantinople (istanbul), marking the end of the byzantine empire. 2448
  • 1454/--/-- the building of the topkapi palace begins in constantinople (istanbul). 2449
  • 1455/--/-- the wars of the roses begin in england. 2450
  • 1455/--/-- the gutenberg bible becomes the first book to be printed with movable metal type. 2451
  • 1455/--/-- florentine artist paolo uccello begins painting the battle of san romano. 2452
  • 1456/--/-- the turks capture athens. 2453
  • 1456/--/-- hungarians under janos hunyadi defeat the turks at belgrade. 2454
  • 1456/--/-- vlad the impaler becomes prince of walachia. 2455
  • 1457/--/-- the first printed almanac is published. 2456
  • 1458/--/-- matthias corvinus becomes king of hungary. 2457
  • 1458/--/-- the building of the pitti palace begins in florence. 2458
  • 1459/--/-- the turks conquer serbia. 2459
  • 1460/--/-- richard of york defeats the royalist forces at northampton, but is killed at wakefield. 2460
  • 1460/--/-- woodcuts are in use for illustrating books. 2461
  • 1460/--/-- italian artist mantegna begins painting the agony in the garden. 2462
  • 1461/--/-- richard of york's son edward iv is crowned king of england. 2463
  • 1462/--/-- spain captures gibraltar from the muslims. 2464
  • 1464/--/-- sunni ali founds the songhai empire in west africa. 2465
  • 1466/--/-- west prussia is ceded to poland by the treaty of torun. 2466
  • 1467/--/-- charles the bold becomes the duke of burgundy. 2467
  • 1467/--/-- the 10-year onin war begins in japan. 2468
  • 1469/--/-- henry vi and the earl of warwick depose edward iv of england. 2469
  • 1469/--/-- ferdinand of aragon marries isabella of castile. 2470
  • 1470/--/-- sir thomas malory completes the morte d'arthur. 2471
  • 1470/--/-- the first ballad appears about the swiss hero william tell. 2472
  • 1471/--/-- the portuguese capture tangier from the muslims. 2473
  • 1471/--/-- henry vi of england is murdered; edward iv is restored to the throne. 2474
  • 1473/--/-- the building of the sistine chapel begins in rome. 2475
  • 1475/--/-- the english under edward iv invade france. 2476
  • 1475/--/-- the turks conquer the crimea. 2477
  • 1475/--/-- stephen the great defeats the turks at the battle of vaslui. 2478
  • 1475/--/-- burgundy is at the height of power under charles the bold. 2479
  • 1476/--/-- copperplate (intaglio) engravings are developed. 2480
  • 1477/--/-- william caxton prints the first book in england. 2481
  • 1477/--/-- louis xi establishes a royal postal service in france. 2482
  • 1478/--/-- lorenzo de'medici rules florence. 2483
  • 1479/--/-- ferdinand ii becomes king of aragon, which unites with his wife's kingdom of castile. 2484
  • 1480/--/-- ivan iii defeats the tartars and begins the unification of russia. 2485
  • 1480/--/-- ludovico sforza becomes the duke of milan. 2486
  • 1480/--/-- the spanish inquisition is established to interrogate heretics and converted jews. 2487
  • 1480/--/-- brussels becomes the center of the european tapestry industry about this time. 2488
  • 1480/--/-- flemish artist hans memling is active about this time. 2489
  • 1481/--/-- mehmed ii dies; bayezid ii becomes sultan of the ottoman turks. 2490
  • 1481/--/-- edward iv establishes a postal service in england. 2491
  • 1482/--/-- the portuguese settle on the african gold coast (ghana). 2492
  • 1482/--/-- the portuguese explore the congo river and encounter the kingdom of kongo. 2493
  • 1483/--/-- richard iii usurps the throne of england; edward v is murdered. 2494
  • 1483/--/-- italian reformer girolamo savonarola is executed for heresy. 2495
  • 1483/--/-- torquemada becomes the grand inquisitor of the spanish inquisition. 2496
  • 1483/--/-- italian artist leonardo da vinci sketches an early helicopter design. 2497
  • 1483/--/-- artist giovanni bellini is appointed as painter to the venetian republic. 2498
  • 1485/--/-- henry tudor defeats richard iii at the battle of bosworth field. 2499
  • 1485/--/-- portuguese explorers discover the kingdom of benin. 2500
  • 1485/--/-- english land owners begin enclosing their fields with hedges. 2501
  • 1485/--/-- german playing card symbols (hearts, leaves, bells and acorns) are established. 2502
  • 1485/--/-- sandro botticelli paints the birth of venus in florence. 2503
  • 1486/--/-- henry vii of england unites the warring houses of york and lancaster. 2504
  • 1486/--/-- the aztecs found the city of oaxaca in mexico. 2505
  • 1486/--/-- the first major book on witchcraft hammer of sorceresses is published in germany. 2506
  • 1487/--/-- quito becomes the northern capital of the inca empire. 2507
  • 1488/--/-- bartolomeu dias becomes the first european to round the cape of good hope. 2508
  • 1488/--/-- italian philosopher pico della mirandola is imprisoned for heresy. 2509
  • 1489/--/-- venice gains control of the island of cyprus. 2510
  • 1490/--/-- italian printer aldus manutius establishes the aldine press in venice. 2511
  • 1490/--/-- ballet originates in italy about this time. 2512
  • 1490/--/-- papal singer and composer josquin des prez is active during this period. 2513
  • 1492/--/-- ferdinand ii conquers granada, ending the muslim influence in spain. 2514
  • 1492/--/-- christopher columbus sails from spain to the new world. 2515
  • 1492/--/-- spanish jews are given 3 months to become christians or to leave the country. 2516
  • 1492/--/-- german geographer martin benhaim makes the first terrestrial globe. 2517
  • 1493/--/-- maximilian i succeeds frederick iii as holy roman emperor. 2518
  • 1494/--/-- charles viii of france invades italy, beginning the italian wars. 2519
  • 1494/--/-- the treaty of tordesillas establishes a boundary between new world discoveries. 2520
  • 1494/--/-- german artist albrecht durer travels from nuremberg to italy. 2521
  • 1494/--/-- german satirist sebastian brant writes the ship of fools. 2522
  • 1495/--/-- french king charles viii is crowned at naples. 2523
  • 1495/--/-- the jews are expelled from portugal. 2524
  • 1495/--/-- leonardo da vinci begins painting the last supper in milan. 2525
  • 1495/--/-- printed editions of the greek classics becomes available in europe. 2526
  • 1496/--/-- the first description of the tobacco plant appears in europe. 2527
  • 1497/--/-- italian explorer john cabot discovers newfoundland for england. 2528
  • 1498/--/-- portuguese explorer vasco da gama reaches india. 2529
  • 1498/--/-- louis xii succeeds charles viii as king of france. 2530
  • 1498/--/-- columbus lands on the coast of south america during his third voyage. 2531
  • 1498/--/-- the toothbrush is invented by a chinese dentist. 2532
  • 1498/--/-- michelangelo begins sculpting the pieta for st. peter's church in rome. 2533
  • 1499/--/-- french forces under louis xii capture milan. 2534
  • 1499/--/-- perkin warbeck, pretender to the english throne, is executed by henry vii. 2535
  • 1499/--/-- venetian artist giorgione paints portrait of a young man. 2536
  • 1500/--/-- portuguese navigator pedro cabral lays claim to brazil for portugal. 2537
  • 1500/--/-- dutch artist hieronymus bosch paints the garden of earthly delights. 2538
  • 1501/--/-- france and spain divide the kingdom of naples. 2539
  • 1501/--/-- italian navigator amerigo vespucci explores brazil. 2540
  • 1502/--/-- a peace treaty is established between venice and the ottoman turks. 2541
  • 1502/--/-- shah ismail founds the safavid dynasty; shiism becomes the religion of persia (iran). 2542
  • 1502/--/-- a portuguese trading post is established at cochin in india. 2543
  • 1502/--/-- columbus sails on his fourth voyage of discovery. 2544
  • 1503/--/-- spanish general fernandez de cordoba forces the french to abandon naples. 2545
  • 1503/--/-- juan bermudez lands on the island of bermuda, which is named for him. 2546
  • 1503/--/-- arquebuses (handguns) help the spanish defeat the french in italy. 2547
  • 1503/--/-- the spanish crown approves encomienda (enforced slavery) in the american colonies. 2548
  • 1503/--/-- leonardo da vinci begins painting the mona lisa. 2549
  • 1504/--/-- babur occupies kabul and establishes a kingdom in afghanistan. 2550
  • 1504/--/-- italian artist raphael paints the marriage of the virgin. 2551
  • 1505/--/-- the portuguese colonize mozambique and arrive at ceylon (sri lanka). 2552
  • 1505/--/-- christian king alfonso i (nzinga mbemba) rules the kingdom of kongo. 2553
  • 1506/--/-- christopher columbus dies in poverty. 2554
  • 1506/--/-- italian architect bramante begins the plans for st. peters in rome. 2555
  • 1507/--/-- cartographer martin waldseemuller uses the word america on a map for the first time. 2556
  • 1508/--/-- the league of cambrai is formed to oppose venice. 2557
  • 1508/--/-- michelangelo begins painting the ceiling of the sistine chapel in rome. 2558
  • 1509/--/-- venice is defeated by the league of cambrai at agnadello. 2559
  • 1509/--/-- henry viii succeeds his father henry vii as king of england. 2560
  • 1509/--/-- the first sugar cane mill is established in the americas. 2561
  • 1509/--/-- dutch scholar erasmus writes the praise of folly. 2562
  • 1510/--/-- spain conquers tripoli in north africa. 2563
  • 1510/--/-- the portuguese colony of goa is founded on the coast of india. 2564
  • 1510/--/-- the polygraphia, the first printed work on cryptology, is published in germany. 2565
  • 1510/--/-- the english morality play everyman is adapted from an earlier dutch work. 2566
  • 1511/--/-- the portuguese capture malacca (now melaka) in malaysia. 2567
  • 1511/--/-- pope julius ii organizes a holy league against louis xii of france. 2568
  • 1511/--/-- the portuguese become the first europeans to reach siam (thailand). 2569
  • 1511/--/-- german artist matthias grunewald begins painting the isenheim altarpiece. 2570
  • 1512/--/-- the habsburgs reinstate the medicis as the rulers of florence. 2571
  • 1512/--/-- selim i becomes sultan of the ottoman empire. 2572
  • 1512/--/-- albrecht durer is appointed court painter to holy roman emperor maximilian i. 2573
  • 1513/--/-- louis xii is defeated by the holy league; french forces are expelled from italy. 2574
  • 1513/--/-- vasco nunez de balboa becomes the first european to sight the pacific ocean. 2575
  • 1513/--/-- spanish explorer juan ponce de leon lands on the coast of florida. 2576
  • 1513/--/-- italian political theorist niccolo machiavelli writes the prince. 2577
  • 1514/--/-- the turks defeat the persians at the battle of chaldiran. 2578
  • 1514/--/-- bartolome de las casas tries to improve the treatment of south american indians. 2579
  • 1514/--/-- italian artist raphael becomes the chief architect of st. peter's in rome. 2580
  • 1514/--/-- spanish conquistadors under diego velazquez de cuellar conquer cuba. 2581
  • 1515/--/-- the french defeat the habsburgs and their allies at the battle of marignano. 2582
  • 1515/--/-- thomas wolsey is appointed lord chancellor of england. 2583
  • 1515/--/-- the building of hampton court is begun in england. 2584
  • 1515/--/-- italian artist michelangelo sculpts his monumental statue of moses. 2585
  • 1516/--/-- milan is ceded to france by the treaty of noyon. 2586
  • 1516/--/-- charles i succeeds ferdinand ii as king of spain. 2587
  • 1516/--/-- the ottoman turks capture algiers in north africa. 2588
  • 1516/--/-- english intellectual and statesman sir thomas more writes utopia. 2589
  • 1517/--/-- the turks defeat the mamelukes for possession of syria and egypt. 2590
  • 1517/--/-- theologian martin luther displays his 95 theses at wittenberg in germany. 2591
  • 1517/--/-- andrea del sarto paints the madonna of the harpies. 2592
  • 1518/--/-- spanish conquistador pedro de alvarado explores the yucatan peninsula. 2593
  • 1519/--/-- charles i of spain succeeds maximilian i as holy roman emperor charles v. 2594
  • 1519/--/-- spanish conquistador hernan cortes meets the aztec leader montezuma in mexico. 2595
  • 1519/--/-- panama city is founded by the spanish in central america. 2596
  • 1519/--/-- ulrich zwingli leads the reformation in switzerland. 2597
  • 1519/--/-- chocolate is introduced into spain as a beverage. 2598
  • 1520/--/-- suleiman i (the magnificent) succeeds selim i as sultan of the ottoman empire. 2599
  • 1520/--/-- king christian ii of denmark conquers sweden. 2600
  • 1520/--/-- francis i meets henry viii at the field of the cloth of gold in calais, france. 2601
  • 1520/--/-- portuguese navigator ferdinand magellan discovers the strait of magellan. 2602
  • 1520/--/-- the earliest state lottery is organized in france. 2603
  • 1520/--/-- corn (zea mays) is imported into spain from the west indies. 2604
  • 1521/--/-- spanish conquistador hernan cortes conquers the aztec capital of tenochtitlan. 2605
  • 1521/--/-- portuguese navigator ferdinand magellan is killed by natives in the philippines. 2606
  • 1521/--/-- martin luther is excommunicated as a heretic at the diet of worms. 2607
  • 1522/--/-- magellan's crew aboard the victoria complete the first global circumnavigation. 2608
  • 1522/--/-- jean clouet becomes the court painter to francis i of france. 2609
  • 1523/--/-- gustav i drives out the danes to become king of sweden. 2610
  • 1523/--/-- spanish settlements are established in venezuela. 2611
  • 1523/--/-- venetian artist titian paints bacchus and ariadne. 2612
  • 1524/--/-- the peasants' war breaks out in central europe. 2613
  • 1524/--/-- giovanni da verrazano discovers new york bay and the hudson river. 2614
  • 1525/--/-- holy roman emperor charles v defeats and captures francis i at the battle of pavia. 2615
  • 1526/--/-- the turks defeat the hungarians at the battle of mohacs; king louis ii is killed. 2616
  • 1526/--/-- the domains of hungary and bohemia are inherited by the habsburgs. 2617
  • 1526/--/-- correggio paints the assumption of the virgin in parma cathedral. 2618
  • 1526/--/-- babur founds the mogul dynasty in india, ending the delhi sultanate. 2619
  • 1527/--/-- rome is sacked by the spanish and habsburg armies. 2620
  • 1527/--/-- german physician paracelsus lectures on medicine at basel in switzerland. 2621
  • 1527/--/-- italian courtier baldassare castiglione writes the book of the courtier. 2622
  • 1528/--/-- the building of the chateau de fontainebleau is begun in france. 2623
  • 1529/--/-- henry viii dismisses cardinal wolsey for failing to secure his divorce. 2624
  • 1529/--/-- the ottoman turks besiege vienna. 2625
  • 1530/--/-- the hospitalers (knights of st. john) are granted malta by charles v. 2626
  • 1530/--/-- humayun succeeds babur as mogul emperor. 2627
  • 1530/--/-- the lutheran confession of faith is issued at the diet of augsburg. 2628
  • 1531/--/-- religious war begins in switzerland; protestant leader zwingli is killed in battle. 2629
  • 1531/--/-- the league of schmalkald is formed as an alliance of protestant german rulers. 2630
  • 1532/--/-- thomas cromwell becomes chief minister to henry viii of england. 2631
  • 1532/--/-- french scholar francois rabelais begins the publication of gargantua and pantagruel. 2632
  • 1533/--/-- catherine de medicis marries henry ii, the future king of france. 2633
  • 1533/--/-- the church of england breaks with rome. 2634
  • 1533/--/-- henry viii divorces catherine of aragon and marries anne boleyn. 2635
  • 1533/--/-- francisco pizarro conquers the incas in peru; the inca leader atahulpa is executed. 2636
  • 1533/--/-- catherine de medicis introduces the italian balleto into france as the ballet. 2637
  • 1533/--/-- german artist hans holbein the younger paints the ambassadors. 2638
  • 1534/--/-- anabaptists seize the city of munster in germany. 2639
  • 1534/--/-- martin luther completes his translation of the bible into german. 2640
  • 1535/--/-- suleiman i completes the conquest of the last arab domains in mesopotamia. 2641
  • 1535/--/-- spanish conquistador diego de almagro discovers chile. 2642
  • 1535/--/-- french explorer jacques cartier navigates the st. lawrence river in canada. 2643
  • 1535/--/-- spanish conquistador francisco pizarro founds the city of lima in peru. 2644
  • 1535/--/-- the spanish discover the galapagos islands. 2645
  • 1535/--/-- english humanist and statesman thomas more is executed. 2646
  • 1536/--/-- christian iii establishes the state lutheran church of denmark and norway. 2647
  • 1536/--/-- spanish conquistador pedro de mendoza founds buenos aries in argentina. 2648
  • 1536/--/-- henry viii executes anne boleyn and marries jane seymour. 2649
  • 1536/--/-- dissolution of the monasteries and nunneries begins in england. 2650
  • 1536/--/-- english reformer william tyndale is burned at the stake for heresy. 2651
  • 1536/--/-- french theologian john calvin publishes his institutes of the christian religion. 2652
  • 1537/--/-- kempe gowda founds the city of bangalore in india. 2653
  • 1537/--/-- niccolo tartaglia publishes his work on ballistics the new science. 2654
  • 1538/--/-- the spanish found the city of bogota in columbia. 2655
  • 1538/--/-- italian artist benvenuto cellini begins his autobiography. 2656
  • 1539/--/-- afghan ruler sher shah defeats the mogul emperor humayun. 2657
  • 1540/--/-- henry viii marries anne of cleves; he is divorced and marries catherine howard. 2658
  • 1540/--/-- henry viii executes his principal minister thomas cromwell. 2659
  • 1540/--/-- hernando de soto defeats the choctaw indians under chief tuscaloosa. 2660
  • 1540/--/-- coronado explores the american southwest in search of the fabled cities of cibola. 2661
  • 1540/--/-- the grand canyon is discovered by garcia lopez de cardenas. 2662
  • 1540/--/-- the order of jesuits is inaugurated under ignatius loyola. 2663
  • 1541/--/-- geneva becomes the center of calvinism. 2664
  • 1541/--/-- spanish conquistador pedro de valdivia founds the city of santiago in chile. 2665
  • 1541/--/-- spanish explorer hernando de soto discovers the mississippi river. 2666
  • 1542/--/-- the infant mary stuart succeeds james v as queen of scotland. 2667
  • 1542/--/-- spanish explorer francisco de orellana discovers the amazon river. 2668
  • 1542/--/-- catherine howard is executed by henry viii. 2669
  • 1543/--/-- portuguese explorers land in japan. 2670
  • 1543/--/-- henry viii marries catherine parr, his sixth wife. 2671
  • 1543/--/-- the first botanical garden is founded in pisa. 2672
  • 1543/--/-- nicolaus copernicus' on the revolutions of the heavenly spheres is published. 2673
  • 1543/--/-- anatomist andreas vesalius publishes on the structure of the human body. 2674
  • 1543/--/-- the first single-cast cannon is made in england. 2675
  • 1544/--/-- french surgeon ambroise pare publishes his book on surgical treatments. 2676
  • 1545/--/-- silver mines are discovered in bolivia; the city of potosi is founded. 2677
  • 1545/--/-- pope paul iii opens the council of trent to reform the catholic church. 2678
  • 1545/--/-- mathematician gerolamo cardano publishes his treatise the great art. 2679
  • 1545/--/-- henry viii's warship the mary rose sinks near portsmouth in england. 2680
  • 1546/--/-- turkish pirate leader barbarossa dies. 2681
  • 1546/--/-- francis i commissions pierre lescot to begin the design of the louvre art museum. 2682
  • 1546/--/-- physician girolamo fracastoro describes the transmission of disease by living germs. 2683
  • 1546/--/-- german physician georgius agricola publishes on the nature of fossils. 2684
  • 1547/--/-- henry viii dies and is succeeded by edward vi as king of england. 2685
  • 1547/--/-- ivan iv (the terrible) is crowned tsar of russia. 2686
  • 1547/--/-- henry ii succeeds francis i as king of france. 2687
  • 1547/--/-- antonio torquemada publishes the first book on the game of checkers. 2688
  • 1548/--/-- sigismund ii is crowned king of poland. 2689
  • 1548/--/-- francis xavier founds the jesuit mission in japan. 2690
  • 1548/--/-- the spanish found the city of la paz in bolivia. 2691
  • 1548/--/-- venetian artist tintoretto paints the miracle of the slave. 2692
  • 1549/--/-- english theologian thomas cranmer promotes the book of common prayer. 2693
  • 1550/--/-- virtually all of italy comes under the rule of habsburg emperor charles v. 2694
  • 1550/--/-- pedro de valdivia founds the city of concepcion in chile. 2695
  • 1550/--/-- king gustav i founds the city of helsinki in finland. 2696
  • 1550/--/-- tobacco smoking is introduced into spain and portugal. 2697
  • 1550/--/-- the violin evolves about this time from the medieval fiddle. 2698
  • 1550/--/-- commedia dell'arte performances evolve in italy about this time. 2699
  • 1550/--/-- the sport of curling becomes popular in scotland about his time. 2700
  • 1550/--/-- vasari writes the lives of most eminent painters, sculptors, and architects. 2701
  • 1551/--/-- the university of mexico is founded. 2702
  • 1551/--/-- italian architect andrea palladio completes the design of the villa rotunda. 2703
  • 1552/--/-- ivan iv conquers the tatar khanate of kazan. 2704
  • 1553/--/-- edward vi dies; lady jane grey rules england but is deposed after 9 days. 2705
  • 1553/--/-- mary i (bloody mary) becomes queen of england. 2706
  • 1553/--/-- the araucanian indian lautaro kills pedro de valdivia during an uprising in chile. 2707
  • 1553/--/-- the english muscovy company begin the search for a northeast passage to the indies. 2708
  • 1553/--/-- venetian artist paolo veronese paints the ceiling panels of the doge's palace. 2709
  • 1554/--/-- the turks conquer the barbary states along the north african coast. 2710
  • 1554/--/-- mary i, queen of england, marries philip, heir to the spanish throne. 2711
  • 1554/--/-- the catholic restoration begins in england under mary i. 2712
  • 1554/--/-- italian composer palestrina dedicates his masses to pope julius iii. 2713
  • 1554/--/-- tomatoes from south america are cultivated in europe. 2714
  • 1555/--/-- 300 english protestants are burned at the stake. 2715
  • 1555/--/-- the peace of augsburg gives german princes a right to chose catholicism or lutheranism. 2716
  • 1555/--/-- french astrologer nostradamus publishes the centuries, a book of predictions. 2717
  • 1555/--/-- the building of st. basil's cathedral is begun in moscow. 2718
  • 1556/--/-- akbar succeeds humayun as mogul emperor. 2719
  • 1556/--/-- charles v abdicates; the holy roman empire is divided between philip ii and ferdinand i. 2720
  • 1556/--/-- protestant theologian thomas cranmer is executed by mary i. 2721
  • 1556/--/-- an earthquake in china is the worst in history with a death toll of 830,000. 2722
  • 1556/--/-- agricola's treatise on mining and metallurgy de re mettalica is published. 2723
  • 1556/--/-- turkish architect sinan builds the suleimaniye mosque in constantinople (istanbul). 2724
  • 1557/--/-- philip ii of spain defeats the french at saint quentin. 2725
  • 1557/--/-- the portuguese establish a settlement at macao in china. 2726
  • 1557/--/-- the equals symbol (=) is first used. 2727
  • 1558/--/-- the trinh and nguyen divide the kingdom of vietnam. 2728
  • 1558/--/-- the english lose calais, their last french possession. 2729
  • 1558/--/-- mary, queen of scots, marries the french dauphin francis ii. 2730
  • 1558/--/-- elizabeth i succeeds mary i as queen of england. 2731
  • 1558/--/-- ferdinand i is crowned holy roman emperor. 2732
  • 1559/--/-- calvinist preacher john knox returns to scotland to lead the protestant struggle. 2733
  • 1559/--/-- the treaty of cateau-cambresis ends the italian wars between france and spain. 2734
  • 1559/--/-- pope paul iv issues the first index of forbidden books. 2735
  • 1560/--/-- puritanism begins in england about this time. 2736
  • 1560/--/-- tulips are imported into europe from turkey about this time. 2737
  • 1560/--/-- the building of the uffizi palace is begun in florence. 2738
  • 1561/--/-- philip ii makes madrid the capital of spain. 2739
  • 1561/--/-- mary, queen of scots, returns from france to scotland. 2740
  • 1561/--/-- ruy lopez de segura analyzes chess movements. 2741
  • 1561/--/-- the building of the tomb of humayun begins in dehli. 2742
  • 1562/--/-- giuseppe arcimboldo becomes court painter to maximilian ii. 2743
  • 1562/--/-- religious wars break out in france between protestant huguenots and catholics. 2744
  • 1562/--/-- sir john hawkins begins the slave trade between africa and the west indies. 2745
  • 1562/--/-- french huguenots attempt to colonize florida. 2746
  • 1563/--/-- vientiane becomes the capital of the lao kingdom (laos). 2747
  • 1564/--/-- maximilian ii succeeds ferdinand i as holy roman emperor. 2748
  • 1564/--/-- spain founds the first european settlement in the u.s. at saint augustine in florida. 2749
  • 1564/--/-- the spanish found their first colony in the philippines at cebu. 2750
  • 1564/--/-- ivan iv begins a reign of terror in russia. 2751
  • 1564/--/-- the manufacture of lead (graphite) pencils begins in england. 2752
  • 1564/--/-- the first horse-drawn coaches come to england from holland. 2753
  • 1565/--/-- the spanish massacre french huguenot settlers in florida. 2754
  • 1565/--/-- muslims destroy the hindu capital of vijayanagar in southern india. 2755
  • 1566/--/-- a revolt begins in the netherlands against spanish rule. 2756
  • 1567/--/-- mary, queen of scots, is forced to abdicate in favor of her son james vi. 2757
  • 1567/--/-- the portuguese oust huguenot settlers and found the city of rio de janeiro in brazil. 2758
  • 1567/--/-- the duque de alba is sent to the netherlands to quell the dutch revolt. 2759
  • 1568/--/-- mary, queen of scots, is imprisoned in england for 19 years by elizabeth i. 2760
  • 1568/--/-- nobunaga seizes kyoto and begins the reunification of japan. 2761
  • 1568/--/-- flemish painter bruegel the elder paints the blind leading the blind. 2762
  • 1569/--/-- the union of lublin unites the polish states under sigismund ii. 2763
  • 1569/--/-- mogul emperor akbar establishes a new capital at fatehpur sikri in india. 2764
  • 1569/--/-- jacques besson develops the first screw-cutting lathe. 2765
  • 1569/--/-- cartographer gerardus mercator uses the first cylindrical projection for a world map. 2766
  • 1570/--/-- the kanem-bornu empire flourishes in west africa. 2767
  • 1570/--/-- italian architect andrea palladio publishes the four books of architecture. 2768
  • 1570/--/-- nicholas hilliard paints a miniature portrait of elizabeth i. 2769
  • 1571/--/-- the turks conquer the island of cyprus. 2770
  • 1571/--/-- the allied fleet of spain, venice, and the papacy destroys the turks at lepanto. 2771
  • 1571/--/-- the spanish found the city of manila in the philippines. 2772
  • 1571/--/-- a calligraphy manual the useful writer is published in italy. 2773
  • 1572/--/-- huguenots are massacred in france on st. bartholomew's day. 2774
  • 1572/--/-- sigismund ii dies, ending the jagello dynasty in poland. 2775
  • 1572/--/-- the gujarat state is annexed by the moguls in india. 2776
  • 1572/--/-- francisco de toledo executes tupac amaru, ending inca resistance in peru. 2777
  • 1572/--/-- bogota university is founded in columbia. 2778
  • 1573/--/-- an era of castle building begins in japan during the momoyama period. 2779
  • 1573/--/-- the potato is brought back from the americas and cultivated in spain. 2780
  • 1574/--/-- the turks regain tunis in north africa from spain. 2781
  • 1574/--/-- henry iii is crowned king of france. 2782
  • 1575/--/-- stephen bathory is elected king of poland. 2783
  • 1575/--/-- indian leader hiawatha allegedly founds the iroquois league. 2784
  • 1576/--/-- the dutch provinces unite to drive out the spanish. 2785
  • 1576/--/-- rudolf ii is crowned holy roman emperor; the imperial court moves to prague. 2786
  • 1576/--/-- martin frobisher commands an expedition to search for a northwest passage. 2787
  • 1576/--/-- henry iii outlaws protestantism in france. 2788
  • 1576/--/-- danish astronomer tycho brahe builds an observatory on the island of ven. 2789
  • 1576/--/-- the first playhouse, the theater, is erected by actor james burbage in london. 2790
  • 1577/--/-- english explorer francis drake begins his voyage of circumnavigation. 2791
  • 1577/--/-- ram das founds the city of amritsar, a sikh religious center. 2792
  • 1578/--/-- king sebastian of portugal is killed by muslims at alcazrquivir in morocco. 2793
  • 1578/--/-- the christian catacombs are rediscovered in rome. 2794
  • 1578/--/-- english dramatist john lyly writes euphues, the anatomy of wit. 2795
  • 1579/--/-- english explorer francis drake discovers san francisco bay. 2796
  • 1580/--/-- philip ii of spain invades portugal. 2797
  • 1580/--/-- witches are persecuted throughout western europe. 2798
  • 1580/--/-- french writer michel de montaigne publishes his essays. 2799
  • 1581/--/-- the dutch republic is founded after the union of utrecht. 2800
  • 1581/--/-- the russian conquest of siberia begins with the expedition of yermak timofeyevich. 2801
  • 1581/--/-- beaujoyeux's ballet comique de la reigne is performed in paris. 2802
  • 1582/--/-- the gregorian calendar is introduced into catholic countries by pope gregory xiii. 2803
  • 1582/--/-- geographer richard hakluyt publishes an account of the discovery of america. 2804
  • 1583/--/-- sir humphrey gilbert claims newfoundland for england. 2805
  • 1583/--/-- edinburgh university is founded in scotland. 2806
  • 1583/--/-- japanese leader hideyoshi builds osaka castle. 2807
  • 1584/--/-- russian tsar ivan the terrible dies. 2808
  • 1584/--/-- william i, leader of the dutch revolt, is assassinated. 2809
  • 1584/--/-- walter raleigh and richard grenville organize english colonizing ventures to north america. 2810
  • 1585/--/-- england is at war with spain (until 1604). 2811
  • 1585/--/-- roanoke island in north carolina is settled as the first english colony in virginia. 2812
  • 1585/--/-- john davis discovers davis strait between greenland and north america. 2813
  • 1586/--/-- mary, queen of scots, is found guilty of treason and executed (1587). 2814
  • 1586/--/-- pipe smoking is introduced into england. 2815
  • 1587/--/-- francis drake attacks the spanish fleet in cadiz harbor. 2816
  • 1587/--/-- japanese leader hideyoshi bans christian missionaries. 2817
  • 1588/--/-- the spanish armada is defeated by the english navy. 2818
  • 1588/--/-- christian iv succeeds frederick ii as king of denmark. 2819
  • 1588/--/-- the catholic league expels henry iii from paris. 2820
  • 1588/--/-- timothy bright composes the first manual of shorthand. 2821
  • 1589/--/-- henry iii is assassinated; he is succeeded by henry iv as king of france. 2822
  • 1589/--/-- galileo galilei is made professor of mathematics at pisa. 2823
  • 1590/--/-- hideyoshi completes the unification of japan. 2824
  • 1590/--/-- viete, inventor of symbolic algebra, writes his introduction to the analytic art. 2825
  • 1590/--/-- english poet edmund spenser begins the faerie queene. 2826
  • 1590/--/-- christopher marlowe's drama tamburlaine the great is published in london. 2827
  • 1590/--/-- william shakespeare begins writing plays about this time. 2828
  • 1591/--/-- the songhai empire is destroyed by the moroccan army. 2829
  • 1591/--/-- the roanoke colony dies out in north carolina. 2830
  • 1592/--/-- elizabeth i founds trinity college in dublin. 2831
  • 1592/--/-- italian philosopher giordano bruno is imprisoned for heresy. 2832
  • 1592/--/-- thomas kyd writes his revenge play the spanish tragedy. 2833
  • 1592/--/-- playwright christopher marlowe writes doctor faustus. 2834
  • 1592/--/-- london theaters are closed because of the plague. 2835
  • 1593/--/-- henry iv of france converts to catholicism. 2836
  • 1593/--/-- english theologian richard hooker publishes his laws of ecclesiastical polity. 2837
  • 1594/--/-- henry iv of france captures paris. 2838
  • 1594/--/-- jacopo peri's dafne, the first opera, is performed in italy about this time. 2839
  • 1595/--/-- hugh o'neill leads a rebellion against the english in ireland. 2840
  • 1596/--/-- warsaw is established as the capital of poland. 2841
  • 1597/--/-- spanish artist el greco paints the agony in the garden. 2842
  • 1597/--/-- english composer john dowland publishes his first booke of songes. 2843
  • 1598/--/-- the edict of nantes grants french huguenots equal rights with catholics. 2844
  • 1598/--/-- abbas i of persia (iran) defeats the uzbeks at herat. 2845
  • 1598/--/-- philip iii succeeds philip ii as king of spain. 2846
  • 1598/--/-- boris godunov becomes tsar of russia; the time of troubles begin. 2847
  • 1598/--/-- john florio produces an italian-english dictionary. 2848
  • 1598/--/-- english playwright ben jonson writes every man in his humour. 2849
  • 1599/--/-- the earl of essex is imprisoned for negotiating a truce with the irish rebels. 2850
  • 1599/--/-- the globe theater is built in london. 2851
  • 1600/--/-- maurice of nassau defeats the austrian army at nieuport. 2852
  • 1600/--/-- giordano bruno is burned at the stake in rome for heretical writing. 2853
  • 1600/--/-- a charter is granted to the east india company by queen elizabeth i. 2854
  • 1600/--/-- wigs become fashionable at european courts about this time. 2855
  • 1600/--/-- hans and zacharias jannsen construct the first microscope about this time. 2856
  • 1600/--/-- william gilbert publishes his treatise on magnetism. 2857
  • 1600/--/-- the baroque period in art and architecture begins in italy about this time. 2858
  • 1601/--/-- the earl of essex is executed by elizabeth i after his rebellion fails. 2859
  • 1601/--/-- manchurian leader nurhachi unites the manchu tribes under the banner system. 2860
  • 1601/--/-- jesuit missionary matteo ricci arrives in peking. 2861
  • 1601/--/-- the gobelins tapestry factory is established in paris. 2862
  • 1601/--/-- italian artist caravaggio paints the conversion of st. paul. 2863
  • 1602/--/-- the bodleian library, the first public library in europe, opens in oxford, england 2864
  • 1602/--/-- abbas i leads persia (iran) in a holy war against the ottoman turks. 2865
  • 1602/--/-- bartholomew gosnold explores the new england coast and names cape cod. 2866
  • 1602/--/-- the dutch east india company is founded. 2867
  • 1603/--/-- ieyasu founds the tokugawa shogunate in japan. 2868
  • 1603/--/-- queen elizabeth i dies; she is succeeded by james i (james iv of scotland). 2869
  • 1603/--/-- william shakespeare's play hamlet is performed for the first time. 2870
  • 1603/--/-- the first kabuki performance is given in japan. 2871
  • 1604/--/-- england and spain are at peace after 19 years of war. 2872
  • 1604/--/-- a false dmitry lays claim to the russian throne during the "time of troubles." 2873
  • 1604/--/-- charles ix is crowned king of sweden. 2874
  • 1604/--/-- the spanish capture the dutch city of ostend after a 3-year siege. 2875
  • 1604/--/-- the french east india company is founded. 2876
  • 1604/--/-- hieronymus fabricius writes de formata foctu, a study of human embryology. 2877
  • 1604/--/-- flemish artist carel van mander publishes a handbook for painters het schilderboeck. 2878
  • 1605/--/-- the gunpowder plot to blow up the english parliament is discovered. 2879
  • 1605/--/-- jahangir succeeds akbar as mogul emperor of india. 2880
  • 1605/--/-- the first french settlement in north america is founded at port royal in nova scotia. 2881
  • 1605/--/-- the english claim barbados in the west indies. 2882
  • 1605/--/-- english philosopher francis bacon publishes the advancement of learning. 2883
  • 1605/--/-- spanish writer cervantes publishes part one of don quixote. 2884
  • 1606/--/-- ben jonson's play volpone is performed for the first time. 2885
  • 1607/--/-- john smith founds the first english colony at jamestown in virginia. 2886
  • 1607/--/-- claudio monteverdi's first opera orfeo is performed. 2887
  • 1608/--/-- emperor rudolf ii cedes hungary to his brother matthias. 2888
  • 1608/--/-- samuel de champlain founds a french settlement in quebec. 2889
  • 1608/--/-- the first telescope is invented by dutch optician hans lippershey. 2890
  • 1608/--/-- italian scientist galileo galilei assembles an astronomical telescope. 2891
  • 1608/--/-- girolamo frescobaldi is appointed as organist at st. peter's in rome. 2892
  • 1609/--/-- a truce with spain gives the united provinces (the netherlands) virtual independence. 2893
  • 1609/--/-- the spanish found santa fe in new mexico. 2894
  • 1609/--/-- the english colonize bermuda. 2895
  • 1609/--/-- johannes kepler publishes his first law of planetary motion in new astronomy. 2896
  • 1609/--/-- spanish playwright lope de vega publishes the new art of writing plays. 2897
  • 1610/--/-- henry iv of france is assassinated; he is succeeded by his son louis xiii. 2898
  • 1610/--/-- maximilian of bavaria forms the catholic league to oppose the protestant union. 2899
  • 1610/--/-- the polish army of sigismund iii invades russia and captures moscow. 2900
  • 1610/--/-- galileo galilei publishes his first stellar observations in the starry messenger. 2901
  • 1610/--/-- english navigator henry hudson becomes the first european to explore hudson bay. 2902
  • 1610/--/-- ben jonson's play the alchemist is performed for the first time. 2903
  • 1611/--/-- english and scottish protestants settle in ireland under the ulster plantation. 2904
  • 1611/--/-- christian iv of denmark declares war on sweden. 2905
  • 1611/--/-- gustav ii adolf succeeds charles ix as king of sweden. 2906
  • 1611/--/-- an edition of the bible authorized by king james i is completed in england. 2907
  • 1612/--/-- matthias succeeds his brother rudolf ii as holy roman emperor. 2908
  • 1612/--/-- john webster's tragedy the white devil is produced. 2909
  • 1613/--/-- michael becomes tsar of russia, founding the romanov dynasty. 2910
  • 1613/--/-- virginia colonists destroy french settlements in maine and nova scotia. 2911
  • 1613/--/-- gabor bethlen becomes prince of transylvania. 2912
  • 1613/--/-- gustav ii adolf ends the war of kalmar with denmark and attacks russia. 2913
  • 1614/--/-- james i dissolves the addled parliament in england. 2914
  • 1614/--/-- pocahontas, a north american indian princess, marries english settler john rolfe. 2915
  • 1614/--/-- sir walter raleigh writes his history of the world. 2916
  • 1614/--/-- scottish mathematician john napier publishes marvelous canon of logarithms. 2917
  • 1615/--/-- manchu tribes in china expand to eight banners (military regions) under nurhachi. 2918
  • 1615/--/-- the dutch seize the spice islands (the moluccas) from the portuguese. 2919
  • 1615/--/-- the first english language reference is made to tea. 2920
  • 1615/--/-- coffee is introduced into italy from turkey. 2921
  • 1616/--/-- cardinal richelieu becomes minister of state for foreign affairs in france. 2922
  • 1616/--/-- emperor ieyasu of japan dies; he is succeeded by his son hidetada. 2923
  • 1616/--/-- william baffin searches for the northwest passage and discovers baffin bay. 2924
  • 1616/--/-- a smallpox epidemic decimates the indian population in new england. 2925
  • 1616/--/-- the catholic church issues an edict against copernicanism. 2926
  • 1617/--/-- the treaty of stolbovo ends the war between russia and sweden. 2927
  • 1617/--/-- tobacco is established as the major industry in north america. 2928
  • 1618/--/-- conflict between catholic and protestant states begins the thirty years' war. 2929
  • 1618/--/-- james i orders the execution of sir walter raleigh. 2930
  • 1619/--/-- louis xiii of france defeats the supporters of his mother maria de medicis. 2931
  • 1619/--/-- dutch ships bring the first negro slaves to the colony of virginia. 2932
  • 1619/--/-- ferdinand ii is elected holy roman emperor and king of bohemia. 2933
  • 1619/--/-- the bohemians depose ferdinand and elect frederick v (elector palatine) as king. 2934
  • 1619/--/-- inigo jones designs the banqueting house at whitehall, london. 2935
  • 1619/--/-- spanish artist diego velazquez paints the water seller of seville. 2936
  • 1620/--/-- the pilgrim fathers arrive at cape cod and found the plymouth colony. 2937
  • 1620/--/-- catholic league forces under graf von tilly defeat the bohemians under frederick v. 2938
  • 1620/--/-- ferdinand ii is restored to the throne of bohemia. 2939
  • 1620/--/-- gustavus ii adolf begins a war with poland and captures livonia. 2940
  • 1620/--/-- cornelis drebbel demonstrates a submarine on the river thames. 2941
  • 1621/--/-- a huguenot (protestant) revolt begins against louis xiii in france. 2942
  • 1621/--/-- philip iv becomes king of spain and portugal. 2943
  • 1621/--/-- war is renewed between spain and the united provinces (the netherlands). 2944
  • 1621/--/-- the dutch west india company is founded. 2945
  • 1621/--/-- english scholar robert burton publishes anatomy of melancholy. 2946
  • 1622/--/-- indians massacre 347 settlers in virginia. 2947
  • 1623/--/-- abbas i, shah of persia (iran), captures bagdhad from the turks. 2948
  • 1623/--/-- catholic league and imperial forces overrun the palatinate in germany. 2949
  • 1623/--/-- the first english settlement is founded in new hampshire. 2950
  • 1623/--/-- philosopher francis bacon publishes on the dignity and growth of sciences. 2951
  • 1623/--/-- diego velazquez is made court painter to philip iv of spain. 2952
  • 1624/--/-- flemish chemist johannes baptista van helmont names compressible fluid gas. 2953
  • 1624/--/-- dutch artist frans hals paints the laughing cavalier. 2954
  • 1624/--/-- english poet john donne publishes devotions upon emergent occasions. 2955
  • 1625/--/-- charles i succeeds james i as king of england. 2956
  • 1625/--/-- the spanish capture breda from the dutch. 2957
  • 1625/--/-- albrecht wenzel von wallenstein is made general of ferdinand ii's imperial armies. 2958
  • 1625/--/-- peter minuit founds the dutch colony of new amsterdam (now new york). 2959
  • 1625/--/-- flemish baroque artist peter paul rubens paints the judgement of paris. 2960
  • 1626/--/-- the dutch purchase manhattan island from the indians for the equivalent of $24. 2961
  • 1626/--/-- imperial forces under wallenstein defeat graf von mansfield at dessau. 2962
  • 1626/--/-- graf von tilly's catholic army routs the danes under christian iv. 2963
  • 1627/--/-- the huguenots (protestants) revolt against cardinal richelieu at la rochelle. 2964
  • 1627/--/-- shah jahan succeeds jahangir as mogul emperor of india. 2965
  • 1627/--/-- the manchus (ch'ing) begin their conquest of korea. 2966
  • 1628/--/-- king charles i is forced to accept parliament's petition of right. 2967
  • 1628/--/-- the duke of buckingham, a supporter of the french huguenots, is assassinated. 2968
  • 1628/--/-- the huguenots surrender la rochelle after a 14-month siege. 2969
  • 1628/--/-- french philosopher rene descartes begins rules for the direction of the mind. 2970
  • 1628/--/-- puritans under john endecott settle at salem in massachusetts. 2971
  • 1628/--/-- english physician william harvey publishes on the motions of the heart and blood. 2972
  • 1629/--/-- charles i dissolves parliament and rules england directly. 2973
  • 1629/--/-- ferdinand ii's edict of restitution restores catholic properties taken by protestants. 2974
  • 1630/--/-- the ottoman turks capture hamadan in persia (iran). 2975
  • 1630/--/-- gustav ii adolf invades germany in support of the protestant cause. 2976
  • 1630/--/-- spanish artist francisco de zubaran paints the holy house of nazareth. 2977
  • 1630/--/-- john winthrop founds a puritan settlement at boston in massachusetts. 2978
  • 1630/--/-- bhutan becomes independent from tibet about this time. 2979
  • 1630/--/-- dutch landscape artist salomon van ruisdael paints river landscape. 2980
  • 1631/--/-- baldassarre longhena begins building the church of santa maria della salute in venice. 2981
  • 1631/--/-- marie de medicis goes into exile after a plot to remove cardinal richelieu fails. 2982
  • 1631/--/-- gustav ii adolf defeats graf von tilly's imperial forces at breitenfeld. 2983
  • 1631/--/-- the building of the taj mahal begins at agra in india. 2984
  • 1631/--/-- the first newspaper, the gazette de france, is published in paris. 2985
  • 1632/--/-- charles i grants a charter for the english colony of maryland. 2986
  • 1632/--/-- imperial general graf von tilly is mortally wounded at the battle of lech. 2987
  • 1632/--/-- gustavus ii adolf defeats wallenstein at lutzen but is killed during the battle. 2988
  • 1632/--/-- christina becomes queen of sweden at age 6; count oxenstierna rules as regent. 2989
  • 1632/--/-- antony van dyck settles in london and becomes court painter to king charles i. 2990
  • 1632/--/-- dutch artist rembrandt harmenszoon van rijn paints the anatomy lesson. 2991
  • 1632/--/-- bernal diaz del castillo's true story of the conquest of mexico is published. 2992
  • 1633/--/-- an english colony is established in connecticut. 2993
  • 1633/--/-- french artist nicolas poussin paints the adoration of the golden calf. 2994
  • 1633/--/-- galileo galilei is imprisoned for "vehement suspicion of heresy." 2995
  • 1634/--/-- ferdinand ii declares general wallenstein a traitor; wallenstein is assassinated. 2996
  • 1634/--/-- imperial forces under ferdinand iii defeat the swedes at nordlingen. 2997
  • 1634/--/-- french fur trader jean nicolet explores wisconsin. 2998
  • 1634/--/-- hackney carriages are in use in london for public transport. 2999
  • 1635/--/-- the dutch occupy parts of formosa (taiwan). 3000
  • 1635/--/-- the peace of prague is signed between ferdinand ii and protestant german princes. 3001
  • 1635/--/-- france forms an alliance with sweden and enters the thirty years' war. 3002
  • 1635/--/-- cardinal richelieu founds the academie francaise in paris. 3003
  • 1635/--/-- spanish playwright pedro calderon de la barca writes life is a dream. 3004
  • 1636/--/-- the dutch settle in ceylon (sri lanka). 3005
  • 1636/--/-- radical puritan roger williams establishes the town of providence, rhode island. 3006
  • 1636/--/-- harvard university is founded in boston. 3007
  • 1637/--/-- pequot indians are decimated during the first indian war in new england. 3008
  • 1637/--/-- holy roman emperor ferdinand ii dies; he is succeeded by his son ferdinand iii. 3009
  • 1637/--/-- rene descartes publishes his concepts of analytic geometry discourse on method. 3010
  • 1637/--/-- religious radical anne hutchinson is tried for heresy in massachusetts. 3011
  • 1637/--/-- the first opera house teatro san cassiano opens in venice. 3012
  • 1637/--/-- french dramatist pierre corneille writes le cid. 3013
  • 1638/--/-- the turks under murad iv conquer baghdad. 3014
  • 1638/--/-- john davenport and theophilus eaton found new haven, connecticut. 3015
  • 1638/--/-- swedish settlers found fort christina (now wilmington) on the delaware river. 3016
  • 1638/--/-- swedish and protestant forces defeat the imperial army at breisach. 3017
  • 1639/--/-- tokugawa begins a period of isolation in japan; only nagasaki is open to foreigners. 3018
  • 1639/--/-- persia (iran) and the ottoman empire sign a peace treaty. 3019
  • 1639/--/-- charles i concedes to scottish demands after the first bishops' war. 3020
  • 1639/--/-- the first north american printing press is established in cambridge, mass.. 3021
  • 1639/--/-- spanish artist jusepe de ribera paints the martyrdom of saint bartholomew. 3022
  • 1640/--/-- scots invade england during the second bishops' war; charles i sues for peace. 3023
  • 1640/--/-- the portuguese rebel against spanish rule; john iv is crowned king. 3024
  • 1640/--/-- russian explorers cross siberia and arrive at the pacific ocean. 3025
  • 1640/--/-- coke is made from coal for the first time. 3026
  • 1641/--/-- the dutch seize melaka and deny the british access to the moluccas. 3027
  • 1641/--/-- irish catholics revolt against the protestants in ulster. 3028
  • 1642/--/-- the english civil war begins between the parliamentarians and the royalists. 3029
  • 1642/--/-- the swedes under torstenson defeat the imperial forces at breitenfeld. 3030
  • 1642/--/-- dutch navigator abel tasman discovers tasmania and new zealand. 3031
  • 1642/--/-- montreal is founded by the french nobleman sieur de maisonneuve. 3032
  • 1642/--/-- cardinal richelieu dies; he is succeeded by cardinal mazarin as first minister of france. 3033
  • 1642/--/-- english parliamentarians close the london theaters. 3034
  • 1642/--/-- dutch artist rembrandt paints the night watch. 3035
  • 1643/--/-- the new england confederation is formed against the indians, dutch and french. 3036
  • 1643/--/-- louis xiv ascends to the french throne at age 5; anne of austria rules as regent. 3037
  • 1643/--/-- christian iv of denmark renews the war against sweden. 3038
  • 1643/--/-- the first french settlement is founded on madagascar. 3039
  • 1643/--/-- italian physicist torricelli demonstrates the principles of the barometer. 3040
  • 1643/--/-- the building of the potala palace, residence of the dalai lama, is begun in lhasa, tibet. 3041
  • 1643/--/-- roger williams publishes a key into the language of america. 3042
  • 1644/--/-- french landscape artist claude lorrain paints the embarkation of saint ursula. 3043
  • 1644/--/-- the manchus seize peking and establish the ch'ing dynasty. 3044
  • 1644/--/-- queen christina begins her reign in sweden. 3045
  • 1644/--/-- oliver cromwell's model army defeats a royalist army at marston moor. 3046
  • 1644/--/-- french philosopher descartes proclaims cogito, ergo sum (i think, therefore i am). 3047
  • 1644/--/-- italian artist giovanni bernini sculpts the ecstasy of st. teresa. 3048
  • 1645/--/-- oliver cromwell defeats charles i at the battle of naseby. 3049
  • 1645/--/-- the swedes defeat denmark and later defeat the imperial forces at jankau. 3050
  • 1645/--/-- william laud archbishop of canterbury is executed. 3051
  • 1645/--/-- french philosopher and scientist blaise pascal invents the first adding machine. 3052
  • 1645/--/-- alexis succeeds michael as the romanov tsar of russia. 3053
  • 1646/--/-- the english civil war ends when charles i surrenders to the parliamentarians. 3054
  • 1646/--/-- the swedes capture prague and invade bavaria with their french allies. 3055
  • 1646/--/-- flemish painter teniers the younger paints the village fete. 3056
  • 1646/--/-- spanish artist bartolome esteban murillo paints holy family with a bird. 3057
  • 1647/--/-- charles i escapes from england and concludes a treaty with the scots. 3058
  • 1647/--/-- peter stuyvesant becomes governor of the dutch colony of the new netherlands. 3059
  • 1648/--/-- the english settle in the bahamas. 3060
  • 1648/--/-- the treaty of westphalia ends the thirty years' war. 3061
  • 1648/--/-- the dutch and swiss republics achieve independence. 3062
  • 1648/--/-- the scots renew the civil war but are defeated at preston; charles i is captured. 3063
  • 1648/--/-- the fronde revolt begins in france against anne of austria and cardinal mazarin. 3064
  • 1648/--/-- naples is restored to spanish rule after a brief uprising. 3065
  • 1648/--/-- frederick iii succeeds christian iv as king of denmark. 3066
  • 1648/--/-- russian explorer semyon dezhnev discovers the bering strait. 3067
  • 1648/--/-- george fox founds the society of friends (quakers) about this time. 3068
  • 1648/--/-- margaret jones becomes the first person executed as a witch in north america. 3069
  • 1648/--/-- dutch architect jacob van campen designs the amsterdam city hall. 3070
  • 1649/--/-- charles i is executed; the english commonwealth (republic) begins. 3071
  • 1649/--/-- french artist georges de la tour paints saint irene mourning saint sebastian. 3072
  • 1649/--/-- oliver cromwell suppresses a catholic rebellion in ireland. 3073
  • 1650/--/-- the holy roman empire and sweden sign the treaty of nuremberg. 3074
  • 1650/--/-- charles ii lands in scotland to renew the english civil war. 3075
  • 1650/--/-- irish bishop james ussher establishes the date of creation at 4004 bc. 3076
  • 1650/--/-- whaling becomes an important industry in new england about this time. 3077
  • 1650/--/-- the first coffeehouses are opened in london about this time. 3078
  • 1650/--/-- oratorios become a popular form of musical performance in italy. 3079
  • 1650/--/-- dutch landscape artist aelbert cuyp paints the view of dordrecht. 3080
  • 1650/--/-- the ukiyo-e school of art begins to flourish in japan about this time. 3081
  • 1651/--/-- charles ii is crowned by the scots; defeated at worcester, he escapes to france. 3082
  • 1651/--/-- thomas hobbes publishes leviathan, a defense of absolute monarchy. 3083
  • 1652/--/-- cape town is founded by the dutch in south africa. 3084
  • 1652/--/-- the english navigation acts (1651) lead to the first anglo-dutch war. 3085
  • 1653/--/-- oliver cromwell becomes the lord protector of england. 3086
  • 1653/--/-- louis xiv becomes known as the sun king after his role in the ballet de la nuit. 3087
  • 1653/--/-- french composer jean baptiste lully writes the first minuet. 3088
  • 1653/--/-- english writer izaak walton publishes the compleat angler. 3089
  • 1654/--/-- the portuguese drive the dutch from brazil. 3090
  • 1654/--/-- the treaty of westminster ends the first anglo-dutch war. 3091
  • 1654/--/-- poland and russia are at war over possession of the ukraine. 3092
  • 1654/--/-- queen christina of sweden abdicates and becomes a roman catholic. 3093
  • 1654/--/-- french philosopher blaise pascal joins the jansenist sect at port-royal. 3094
  • 1654/--/-- blaise pascal and pierre de fermat collaborate on theories of probability. 3095
  • 1655/--/-- the english capture jamaica from spain. 3096
  • 1655/--/-- dutch colonists under peter stuyvesant seize swedish settlements in delaware. 3097
  • 1655/--/-- the little northern war begins with sweden invading poland and capturing warsaw. 3098
  • 1656/--/-- the holy roman empire, russia and denmark declare war on sweden. 3099
  • 1656/--/-- england joins france in the war against spain. 3100
  • 1656/--/-- dutch philosopher baruch spinoza is expelled from the synagogue at amsterdam. 3101
  • 1656/--/-- diego velazquez paints the maids of honor at the court of spain. 3102
  • 1656/--/-- italian artist and architect giovanni bernini designs the piazza of st. peter's, rome. 3103
  • 1656/--/-- dutch philosopher christiaan huygens patents the first pendulum clock. 3104
  • 1657/--/-- otto von guericke demonstrates that it is possible for a vacuum to exist. 3105
  • 1657/--/-- the swedes attack denmark and besiege copenhagen. 3106
  • 1658/--/-- leopold i succeeds ferdinand iii as holy roman emperor. 3107
  • 1658/--/-- oliver cromwell dies; he is succeeded by his son richard as lord protector of england. 3108
  • 1658/--/-- aurangzeb deposes his father shah jahan as mogul emperor of india. 3109
  • 1658/--/-- french colonists found the city of saint-louis on the senegal river in africa. 3110
  • 1658/--/-- dutch naturalist jan swammerdam describes red blood cells. 3111
  • 1658/--/-- dutch genre artist jan vermeer paints the milkmaid. 3112
  • 1659/--/-- richard cromwell resigns as lord protector of england. 3113
  • 1659/--/-- the peace of the pyrenees ends a 24-year war between france and spain. 3114
  • 1659/--/-- french explorers radisson and groseilliers explore minnesota. 3115
  • 1660/--/-- charles ii is restored to the english throne by parliament. 3116
  • 1660/--/-- the bambara kingdom begins to flourish on the upper niger about this time. 3117
  • 1660/--/-- louis xiv of france marries marie therese of spain. 3118
  • 1660/--/-- dutch farmers (boers) settle in south africa. 3119
  • 1660/--/-- the peace of oliva ends the war between sweden, poland, austria and brandenburg. 3120
  • 1660/--/-- frederick william, elector of brandenburg, gains control of prussia from poland. 3121
  • 1660/--/-- the peace of copenhagen ends the war between sweden and denmark. 3122
  • 1660/--/-- theaters are reopened in england; the period of restoration drama begins. 3123
  • 1660/--/-- dutch genre artist gabriel metsu paints the sick child. 3124
  • 1660/--/-- peter stuyvesant founds the first permanent settlement in new jersey at bergen (jersey city). 3125
  • 1660/--/-- english public servant samuel pepys begins his diary. 3126
  • 1661/--/-- charles ii orders that cromwell's corpse be disinterred, hanged and beheaded. 3127
  • 1661/--/-- the english acquire bombay from portugal. 3128
  • 1661/--/-- chinese pirate koxinga drives the dutch from formosa (taiwan). 3129
  • 1661/--/-- emperor k'ang-hsi succeeds to the throne in china. 3130
  • 1661/--/-- the first bible printed in north america is john elliot's translation into algonquian. 3131
  • 1661/--/-- dutch-born artist peter lely is made court painter to charles ii. 3132
  • 1662/--/-- the portuguese surrender tangier to england. 3133
  • 1662/--/-- france purchases dunkerque from england. 3134
  • 1662/--/-- charles ii grants a charter to the royal society of london for natural knowledge. 3135
  • 1662/--/-- robert boyle develops his theory of gases (now known as boyle's law). 3136
  • 1662/--/-- french architect andre le notre designs the gardens for the palace of versailles. 3137
  • 1662/--/-- the theatre royal is built in drury lane, london. 3138
  • 1663/--/-- the ottoman turks invade hungary. 3139
  • 1663/--/-- the first turnpike (toll) roads are established in england. 3140
  • 1663/--/-- dutch genre artist jan steen paints the woman undressing. 3141
  • 1664/--/-- england seizes new amsterdam from the dutch, renaming it new york. 3142
  • 1664/--/-- the austrians defeat the turks at saint gotthard and conclude a 20-year truce. 3143
  • 1664/--/-- the french east india company is founded. 3144
  • 1664/--/-- the trappists order of monks is founded at la trappe in france. 3145
  • 1665/--/-- jean baptiste colbert becomes minister of finance for louis xiv. 3146
  • 1665/--/-- the second anglo-dutch war begins. 3147
  • 1665/--/-- england and portugal defeat spain and establish portuguese independence. 3148
  • 1665/--/-- charles ii succeeds philip iv as king of spain. 3149
  • 1665/--/-- the portuguese invade the kingdom of kongo and kill the monarch antonio i. 3150
  • 1665/--/-- an outbreak of the great plague begins in london. 3151
  • 1665/--/-- robert hooke publishes his microscope observations in micrographia. 3152
  • 1665/--/-- the first horse race track in north america is constructed on long island. 3153
  • 1665/--/-- dutch genre artist gerard ter borch paints the flea hunt. 3154
  • 1666/--/-- the alawite dynasty assumes power in morocco. 3155
  • 1666/--/-- the french join the dutch in the war with england. 3156
  • 1666/--/-- puritans from connecticut settle in new jersey. 3157
  • 1666/--/-- large sections of london are destroyed in the great fire. 3158
  • 1666/--/-- sabbatai zevi claims to be the messiah and founds a jewish sect. 3159
  • 1666/--/-- british scientist isaac newton completes his theory of fluxional calculus. 3160
  • 1666/--/-- moliere's play the misanthrope is performed for the first time. 3161
  • 1667/--/-- the dutch destroy the english fleet at anchor in the medway. 3162
  • 1667/--/-- the peace of breda ends the war between the english, french and dutch. 3163
  • 1667/--/-- louis xiv begins the war of devolution and captures the spanish netherlands. 3164
  • 1667/--/-- suleiman succeeds abbas ii as shah of persia (iran). 3165
  • 1667/--/-- the dutch acquire suriname from the british in exchange for manhattan. 3166
  • 1667/--/-- the building of the paris observatory is begun. 3167
  • 1667/--/-- mexico city cathedral is completed. 3168
  • 1667/--/-- louis xiv sponsors the first official salon art exhibition at the louvre. 3169
  • 1667/--/-- japanese poet basho begins to compose his haiku poetry. 3170
  • 1667/--/-- english poet john milton writes paradise lost. 3171
  • 1668/--/-- a triple alliance of england, sweden, and the dutch republic is formed against france. 3172
  • 1668/--/-- by the treaty of aix-la-chapelle france gives up its conquests but keeps flanders. 3173
  • 1668/--/-- by the treaty of lisbon spain recognizes the independence of portugal. 3174
  • 1668/--/-- king john ii of poland abdicates; he is succeeded by michael wisniowiecki. 3175
  • 1668/--/-- jacques marquette founds the first settlement in michigan at sault saint marie. 3176
  • 1668/--/-- french fabulist jean de la fontaine begins publishing his fables. 3177
  • 1669/--/-- venice surrenders crete to the ottoman turks. 3178
  • 1669/--/-- mount etna erupts in italy, killing 20,000. 3179
  • 1669/--/-- german alchemist hennig brandt makes phosphorus for the first time. 3180
  • 1669/--/-- louis le vau begins the expansion of the palace of versailles for louis xiv. 3181
  • 1669/--/-- french courtesan madame de sevigne begins writing her letters. 3182
  • 1670/--/-- the english establish a settlement at charles towne (charleston), south carolina. 3183
  • 1670/--/-- the don cossacks under stenka razin rebel against russian rule. 3184
  • 1670/--/-- the hudson's bay company is founded. 3185
  • 1670/--/-- english architect sir christopher wren begins rebuilding saint paul's cathedral. 3186
  • 1671/--/-- buccaneers under sir henry morgan capture the city of panama. 3187
  • 1672/--/-- william iii prince of orange leads the defense of the netherlands. 3188
  • 1672/--/-- the french and british declare war on the dutch. 3189
  • 1672/--/-- grenades become an important weapon; the french army forms grenadier companies. 3190
  • 1672/--/-- sebastien le prestre de vauban founds the french army engineering corps. 3191
  • 1672/--/-- astronomer giovanni cassini becomes the first director of the paris observatory. 3192
  • 1672/--/-- jean baptiste lully produces the first french operas. 3193
  • 1673/--/-- the polish army under john sobieski defeats the turks at cochim (khotin). 3194
  • 1673/--/-- the test act excludes catholics from public office in england. 3195
  • 1673/--/-- marquette and jolliet explore the great lakes region and the mississippi river. 3196
  • 1673/--/-- the first mail service in north america is established between new york and boston. 3197
  • 1673/--/-- leibniz begins to develop his theories of differential and integral calculus. 3198
  • 1674/--/-- the treaty of westminster establishes new yorkers as british subjects. 3199
  • 1674/--/-- maratha leader sivaji establishes a kingdom in maharashtra, india. 3200
  • 1674/--/-- john sobieski is elected as king john iii of poland. 3201
  • 1674/--/-- holy roman emperor leopold i declares war on france. 3202
  • 1674/--/-- the dutch under william iii make peace with england. 3203
  • 1674/--/-- early american artist the freake limner paints portraits of the freake family. 3204
  • 1675/--/-- conflict begins between the indians under king philip and new england settlers . 3205
  • 1675/--/-- the prussians under frederick william defeat the swedes at fehrbellin. 3206
  • 1675/--/-- the royal observatory is established at greenwich. 3207
  • 1675/--/-- dutch-jewish philosopher baruch spinoza finishes his ethics. 3208
  • 1675/--/-- english dramatist william wycherley writes the country wife. 3209
  • 1676/--/-- the sikhs under guru gobind singh revolt against mogul rule in india. 3210
  • 1676/--/-- indians in new england are subdued after the year-long king philip's war. 3211
  • 1676/--/-- the swedes defeat the danes at the battle of lunden. 3212
  • 1676/--/-- german astronomer ole romer discovers the velocity of light. 3213
  • 1676/--/-- english playwright sir george etherege writes man of mode. 3214
  • 1677/--/-- william iii prince of orange marries mary, daughter of the duke of york. 3215
  • 1677/--/-- charles ii appoints henry purcell as court composer. 3216
  • 1677/--/-- english author john dryden writes the tragedy all for love. 3217
  • 1677/--/-- french dramatist jean racine writes the tragedy of phedre. 3218
  • 1678/--/-- the treaty of nijmegen establishes peace between france, the dutch and spain. 3219
  • 1678/--/-- french explorer louis hennepin discovers niagara falls. 3220
  • 1678/--/-- charles le brun designs the hall of mirrors for the palace of versailles. 3221
  • 1678/--/-- the hungarians rebel against habsburg rule. 3222
  • 1678/--/-- comtesse de la fayette writes the novel la princesse de cleves. 3223
  • 1678/--/-- john bunyan publishes the first part of the pilgrim's progress. 3224
  • 1679/--/-- the english parliament passes the habeas corpus act. 3225
  • 1680/--/-- antonio stradivari opens his violin workshop in cremona, italy. 3226
  • 1680/--/-- sadler's wells theater opens in london. 3227
  • 1680/--/-- the comedie francaise is founded in paris. 3228
  • 1681/--/-- aurangzeb suppresses a rajput revolt and campaigns against hindu kingdoms in india. 3229
  • 1681/--/-- english quaker william penn is granted the providence of pennsylvania. 3230
  • 1681/--/-- the dodo, a large flightless bird, becomes extinct. 3231
  • 1681/--/-- john dryden publishes his satirical poem absalom and achitophel. 3232
  • 1682/--/-- peter the great succeeds fyodor iii as tsar of russia. 3233
  • 1682/--/-- william penn founds the city of philadelphia. 3234
  • 1682/--/-- french explorer la salle navigates the mississippi river to the gulf of mexico. 3235
  • 1682/--/-- the spanish establish the first settlement in texas at yselta (near el paso). 3236
  • 1682/--/-- edmund halley observes the great comet, which is later named for him. 3237
  • 1682/--/-- the palace of versailles becomes the french royal residence. 3238
  • 1683/--/-- the turks lay siege to vienna but are defeated by imperial and polish forces. 3239
  • 1683/--/-- louis xiv secretly marries madame de maintenon . 3240
  • 1683/--/-- chinese emperor k'ang-hsi conquers formosa (taiwan). 3241
  • 1683/--/-- william penn makes a peace treaty with the delaware indians. 3242
  • 1683/--/-- van leeuwenhoek's microscope drawings of protozoa are published. 3243
  • 1684/--/-- england abandons tangier to the moroccans. 3244
  • 1684/--/-- la salle claims louisiana, a region from quebec to the gulf of mexico, for france. 3245
  • 1684/--/-- the dutch whaling fleet at spitsbergen (svalbard) numbers 246 vessels. 3246
  • 1685/--/-- charles ii of england dies; he is succeeded by his brother james ii. 3247
  • 1685/--/-- the duke of monmouth rebels against james ii; he is captured and executed. 3248
  • 1685/--/-- louis xiv revokes the edict of nantes and exiles thousands of french huguenots. 3249
  • 1685/--/-- the huguenots begin a silk industry in london and settle in the american colonies. 3250
  • 1685/--/-- rice cultivation begins in north america. 3251
  • 1685/--/-- increase mather becomes president of harvard college. 3252
  • 1685/--/-- japanese bunraku (puppet theater) is performed in osaka about this time. 3253
  • 1686/--/-- the turks are expelled from budapest by a habsburg army. 3254
  • 1686/--/-- the league of augsburg is formed as a coalition of european states against france. 3255
  • 1686/--/-- henri de tonty establishes the first european settlement in arkansas. 3256
  • 1687/--/-- the city of lima, peru, is virtually destroyed by an earthquake. 3257
  • 1687/--/-- james ii issues a declaration of indulgence suspending the laws against catholics. 3258
  • 1687/--/-- english actress and royal mistress nell gwynne dies. 3259
  • 1687/--/-- isaac newton publishes principia, establishing his laws of motion and gravity. 3260
  • 1688/--/-- english protestants demand a glorious revolution against catholicism. 3261
  • 1688/--/-- william of orange is invited to england as king; james ii escapes to france. 3262
  • 1688/--/-- louis xiv declares war on the holy roman empire and captures heidelberg. 3263
  • 1688/--/-- insurance underwriters begin meeting at lloyd's coffee house in london. 3264
  • 1689/--/-- william and mary are proclaimed king and queen of england. 3265
  • 1689/--/-- england and the netherlands join the grand alliance against france. 3266
  • 1689/--/-- french and indian allies attack english colonists during king william's war. 3267
  • 1689/--/-- chinese emperor k'ang-hsi establishes diplomatic relations with russia. 3268
  • 1689/--/-- british composer henry purcell writes the opera dido and aeneas. 3269
  • 1690/--/-- william iii defeats james ii at the battle of the boyne in ireland. 3270
  • 1690/--/-- the french defeat the english fleet at the battle of beachy head. 3271
  • 1690/--/-- spain joins the war of grand alliance against france. 3272
  • 1690/--/-- philosopher john locke publishes his essay concerning human understanding. 3273
  • 1690/--/-- jose churriguera becomes court architect to philip v of spain. 3274
  • 1690/--/-- carlos de siguenza y gongora publishes the misadventures of alfonso ramirez. 3275
  • 1690/--/-- benjamin harris publishes the first american newspaper in boston. 3276
  • 1691/--/-- the irish rebellion ends with the treaty of limerick. 3277
  • 1691/--/-- juana ines de la cruz writes a defense of women's rights reply to sister philotea. 3278
  • 1692/--/-- the macdonald clan are massacred by the campbells at glencoe in scotland. 3279
  • 1692/--/-- port royal in jamaica is destroyed by an earthquake; the city of kingston is founded. 3280
  • 1692/--/-- witchcraft trials are held at salem in new england. 3281
  • 1692/--/-- the first english patent for a wallpaper design is issued. 3282
  • 1693/--/-- john ray publishes the first major classification of animals. 3283
  • 1693/--/-- james blair founds william and mary college in williamsburg, virginia. 3284
  • 1694/--/-- the bank of england is founded. 3285
  • 1694/--/-- the academie francaise introduces the first french national dictionary. 3286
  • 1696/--/-- russian tsar peter the great captures azov from the turks. 3287
  • 1696/--/-- william iii campaigns in holland against the french. 3288
  • 1696/--/-- russia annexes the kamchatka peninsula. 3289
  • 1696/--/-- the chinese under k'ang-hsi defeat the dzungar mongol chieftain galdan. 3290
  • 1697/--/-- the habsburg army under eugene of savoy defeats the turks at zenta. 3291
  • 1697/--/-- augustus ii elector of saxony becomes king of poland. 3292
  • 1697/--/-- the treaty of ryswick ends the war of the grand alliance. 3293
  • 1697/--/-- russian tsar peter the great sets out to study the european way of life. 3294
  • 1697/--/-- french poet charles perrault publishes the tales from mother goose. 3295
  • 1697/--/-- sir john vanbrugh's play the relapse is produced in london. 3296
  • 1698/--/-- calcutta is founded by the british east india company. 3297
  • 1698/--/-- russian tsar peter the great imposes a tax on beards. 3298
  • 1698/--/-- thomas savery invents a water pump -- the first practical application of steam power. 3299
  • 1699/--/-- austria, russia, poland and venice sign the peace of karlowitz treaty with turkey. 3300
  • 1699/--/-- peter the great changes the russian new year from september 1 to january 1. 3301
  • 1699/--/-- william dampier explores the northwest coast of australia. 3302
  • 1699/--/-- japanese master ceramicist ogata kenzan opens his kiln at narutaki. 3303
  • 1699/--/-- francis moore's vox stellarum, known as old moore's almanac, is published. 3304
  • 1700/--/-- the great northern war begins; denmark, poland and russia attack sweden. 3305
  • 1700/--/-- the swedes under charles xii defeat the danes. 3306
  • 1700/--/-- peter the great's russian army is defeated by the swedes at the battle of narva. 3307
  • 1700/--/-- charles ii of spain dies, ending the spanish habsburg line. 3308
  • 1700/--/-- philip v, grandson of louis xiv, becomes the first bourbon king of spain. 3309
  • 1700/--/-- johann denner invents the clarinet about this time. 3310
  • 1700/--/-- the rococo style is introduced into french architecture about this time. 3311
  • 1700/--/-- kabuki theater develops in japan about this time. 3312
  • 1700/--/-- william congreve's comedy the way of the world is produced in london. 3313
  • 1701/--/-- the act of settlement in britain establishes the hanoverian succession to the throne. 3314
  • 1701/--/-- frederick i elector of saxony proclaims himself the first king of prussia. 3315
  • 1701/--/-- the war of the spanish succession begins. 3316
  • 1701/--/-- captain kidd is hanged for piracy. 3317
  • 1701/--/-- yale university is founded in new haven, connecticut. 3318
  • 1701/--/-- french artist hyacinthe rigaud paints a portrait of louis xiv. 3319
  • 1702/--/-- anne succeeds william iii as queen of england. 3320
  • 1702/--/-- england declares war on france and spain. 3321
  • 1702/--/-- queen anne's war begins in america; the british attack saint augustine in florida. 3322
  • 1702/--/-- the camisards (french huguenots) rebel in southern france. 3323
  • 1702/--/-- the french under the duc de villars defeat the grand alliance at friedlingen. 3324
  • 1702/--/-- the royal colony of new jersey is founded in america. 3325
  • 1702/--/-- the first daily newspaper the daily courant is published in london. 3326
  • 1702/--/-- french fur traders found vincennes, the first permanent european settlement in indiana. 3327
  • 1703/--/-- archduke charles of austria claims the spanish throne for the habsburgs. 3328
  • 1703/--/-- peter the great lays the foundations of st. petersburg (leningrad). 3329
  • 1703/--/-- buckingham palace is rebuilt for the duke of buckingham in london. 3330
  • 1704/--/-- the duke of marlborough and eugene of savoy defeat the french at blenheim. 3331
  • 1704/--/-- augustus ii is deposed; stanislaw i is crowned king of poland. 3332
  • 1704/--/-- the indians and the french massacre british settlers in deerfield, mass. 3333
  • 1704/--/-- the english capture gibraltar from spain. 3334
  • 1704/--/-- issac newton publishes his theory of color and light in opticks. 3335
  • 1704/--/-- john campbell founds the boston news-letter, the first successful american newspaper. 3336
  • 1705/--/-- the english navy occupies barcelona. 3337
  • 1705/--/-- edmund halley predicts that the comet of 1682 will return in 1758. 3338
  • 1705/--/-- nicolas hawksmoor designs blenheim palace for the duke of marlborough. 3339
  • 1706/--/-- the duke of marlborough conquers the spanish netherlands. 3340
  • 1706/--/-- eugene of savoy defeats the french at turin and drives them from italy. 3341
  • 1706/--/-- george farquhar's comedy the recruiting officer is produced. 3342
  • 1707/--/-- john v succeeds peter ii as king of portugal. 3343
  • 1707/--/-- the duke of berwick routs the allied forces at almanza in spain. 3344
  • 1707/--/-- great britain is formed by the act of union between england and scotland. 3345
  • 1707/--/-- emperor aurangzeb dies; the mogul empire begins to decline in india. 3346
  • 1707/--/-- the british attack the french colony of acadia (nova scotia). 3347
  • 1707/--/-- mount fuji erupts in japan; an earthquake kills 200,000 in tokyo. 3348
  • 1708/--/-- the british capture the island of minorca from spain. 3349
  • 1708/--/-- french forces under vendome are defeated by marlborough at oudenarde. 3350
  • 1708/--/-- sikh leader guru gobind singh is assassinated; the moguls persecute the sikhs. 3351
  • 1709/--/-- peter the great defeats the swedes at the battle of poltava. 3352
  • 1709/--/-- charles xii of sweden flees to the ottoman empire. 3353
  • 1709/--/-- the duke of marlborough defeats the french at the battle of malplaquet. 3354
  • 1709/--/-- the first copyright act becomes law in britain. 3355
  • 1709/--/-- abraham darby builds a blast furnace using coke for casting iron. 3356
  • 1709/--/-- italian musician bartolommeo cristofori invents the piano. 3357
  • 1709/--/-- steele and addison's periodical the tatler is published in london. 3358
  • 1710/--/-- augustus ii regains the polish throne. 3359
  • 1710/--/-- french forces under vendome defeat the allies at villaviciosa in spain. 3360
  • 1710/--/-- charles xii persuades the turks to attack russia. 3361
  • 1710/--/-- the british seize acadia (nova scotia) from the french. 3362
  • 1710/--/-- the meissen porcelain factory is founded near dresden in germany. 3363
  • 1710/--/-- george berkeley publishes a treatise concerning the principles of human knowledge. 3364
  • 1711/--/-- joseph i dies; charles vi is crowned holy roman emperor. 3365
  • 1711/--/-- the tuscarora war begins in north carolina when indians massacre 130 colonists. 3366
  • 1711/--/-- the french found the first permanent settlement in alabama at mobile. 3367
  • 1711/--/-- the building of the baroque zwinger complex begins in dresden, germany. 3368
  • 1711/--/-- publication of the tatler ceases; steele and addison introduce the spectator. 3369
  • 1712/--/-- carolina is divided into north and south colonies. 3370
  • 1712/--/-- the new england whaling industry expands rapidly with the hunting of sperm whales. 3371
  • 1712/--/-- english poet alexander pope publishes the rape of the lock. 3372
  • 1713/--/-- the peace of utrecht ends the war of spanish succession. 3373
  • 1713/--/-- spain cedes gibraltar and minorca to britain. 3374
  • 1713/--/-- france cedes acadia (nova scotia) and newfoundland to britain. 3375
  • 1713/--/-- sicily is ceded to the house of savoy; victor amadeus ii is crowned as king. 3376
  • 1713/--/-- frederick william i succeeds frederick i as king of prussia. 3377
  • 1713/--/-- emperor charles vi issues the pragmatic sanction, allowing for a female heir. 3378
  • 1713/--/-- the asiento treaty establishes british rights to the african slave trade. 3379
  • 1714/--/-- queen anne of england dies; she is succeeded by george i, elector of hanover. 3380
  • 1714/--/-- german composer george frideric handel makes london his permanent home. 3381
  • 1714/--/-- grinling gibbons is appointed as master carver in wood to george i. 3382
  • 1715/--/-- a jacobite uprising supports james edward as the old pretender to the british throne. 3383
  • 1715/--/-- french king louis xiv dies; he is succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson louis xv. 3384
  • 1715/--/-- phillipe ii duc d'orleans becomes regent of france. 3385
  • 1715/--/-- the yamasee indians rebel against british settlers in south carolina. 3386
  • 1715/--/-- japan's leading playwright chikamatsu monzaemon writes the battles of coxinga. 3387
  • 1715/--/-- french author alain rene lesage publishes the adventures of gil blas. 3388
  • 1716/--/-- emperor charles vi declares war on the ottoman empire. 3389
  • 1717/--/-- eugene of savoy captures belgrade from the turks. 3390
  • 1717/--/-- spain seizes sardinia and sicily. 3391
  • 1717/--/-- john law forms the mississippi company in france. 3392
  • 1717/--/-- the first freemason lodge is formed in london. 3393
  • 1717/--/-- french artist antoine watteau paints the pilgrimage to cythera. 3394
  • 1718/--/-- the quadruple alliance of austria, britain, france and the dutch declare war on spain. 3395
  • 1718/--/-- charles xii of sweden is killed during a campaign against norway. 3396
  • 1718/--/-- sultan ahmed iii concludes the treaty of passarowitz with the holy roman empire. 3397
  • 1718/--/-- spain establishes the viceroyalty of new granada in south america. 3398
  • 1718/--/-- the english pirate blackbeard is killed by the virginia militia. 3399
  • 1718/--/-- the french found new orleans in louisiana. 3400
  • 1718/--/-- voltaire writes the tragedy of oedipe while imprisoned in the bastille. 3401
  • 1719/--/-- liechtenstein becomes an independent principality of the holy roman empire. 3402
  • 1719/--/-- james figg becomes the first heavyweight boxing champion of england. 3403
  • 1719/--/-- teams from london and kent play one of the first cricket matches. 3404
  • 1719/--/-- english writer daniel defoe publishes robinson crusoe. 3405
  • 1720/--/-- the quadruple alliance defeats spain; spain renounces all claims to sicily and sardinia. 3406
  • 1720/--/-- victor amadeus ii surrenders sicily to austria in exchange for sardinia. 3407
  • 1720/--/-- tibet becomes a protectorate of china. 3408
  • 1720/--/-- the south sea bubble speculation craze collapses in england. 3409
  • 1720/--/-- the mississippi scheme speculation craze collapses in france. 3410
  • 1721/--/-- the great northern war ends; sweden loses most of her overseas possessions. 3411
  • 1721/--/-- prime minister robert walpole restores public confidence in britain's finances. 3412
  • 1721/--/-- the french settle on the island of mauritius. 3413
  • 1721/--/-- italian composer alessandro scarlatti writes his opera griselda. 3414
  • 1721/--/-- german composer johann sebastian bach writes the brandenburg concertos. 3415
  • 1722/--/-- the afghans invade persia (iran) and overthrow the safavid rulers. 3416
  • 1722/--/-- dutch explorer jacob roggeveen discovers samoa and easter island. 3417
  • 1722/--/-- english author daniel defoe publishes moll flanders. 3418
  • 1724/--/-- the british build fort dummer, the first permanent european settlement in vermont. 3419
  • 1724/--/-- the quakers make a statement opposing slavery. 3420
  • 1725/--/-- peter the great dies; his wife catherine i succeeds him as empress of russia. 3421
  • 1725/--/-- danish explorer vitus bering begins his voyage in search of a northeast passage. 3422
  • 1725/--/-- francisco romero establishes the current style of spanish bullfighting. 3423
  • 1726/--/-- cardinal andre fleury becomes chief advisor to louis xv. 3424
  • 1726/--/-- the spanish found montevideo in uruguay. 3425
  • 1726/--/-- alexander pope completes his translation of homer's odyssey. 3426
  • 1726/--/-- english satirist jonathan swift publishes gulliver's travels. 3427
  • 1727/--/-- the spanish lay siege to gibraltar. 3428
  • 1727/--/-- george ii succeeds his father george i as king of great britain and ireland. 3429
  • 1727/--/-- catherine i dies; peter ii succeeds her as emperor of russia. 3430
  • 1728/--/-- danish navigator vitus bering explores bering strait. 3431
  • 1728/--/-- john harrison begins his development of an accurate chronometer. 3432
  • 1728/--/-- james gibbs' book of architecture influences colonial american designs. 3433
  • 1728/--/-- english poet and playwright john gay writes the beggar's opera. 3434
  • 1728/--/-- chambers's cyclopedia; or an universal dictionary of arts and sciences is issued. 3435
  • 1729/--/-- denmark assumes control of greenland. 3436
  • 1729/--/-- corsica rebels against genoese rule. 3437
  • 1729/--/-- the city of karachi is founded in india (now in pakistan). 3438
  • 1729/--/-- the city of baltimore is founded in maryland. 3439
  • 1729/--/-- english actress kitty clive establishes her reputation at the drury lane theatre. 3440
  • 1730/--/-- peter ii dies; he is succeeded by anna as empress of russia. 3441
  • 1730/--/-- construction of the province-hall (now independence hall) begins in philadelphia. 3442
  • 1730/--/-- canaletto paints the basin of san marco, one of his many views of venice. 3443
  • 1731/--/-- john hadley invents the quadrant for navigating at sea. 3444
  • 1731/--/-- french novelist abbe prevost writes manon lescaut. 3445
  • 1731/--/-- the gentleman's magazine, the first magazine, is published in london. 3446
  • 1732/--/-- nadir shah expels the afghans from persia (iran) and reinstates safavid rule. 3447
  • 1732/--/-- covent garden opera house opens in london. 3448
  • 1732/--/-- nicola salvi designs the trevi fountain in rome. 3449
  • 1732/--/-- william hogarth completes his series of engravings the harlot's progress. 3450
  • 1732/--/-- benjamin franklin publishes poor richard's almanack in philadelphia. 3451
  • 1733/--/-- nadir shah defeats the turks and occupies bagdhad. 3452
  • 1733/--/-- stanislaw i is elected king of poland with the support of louis xv of france. 3453
  • 1733/--/-- the war of polish succession begins. 3454
  • 1733/--/-- james oglethorpe founds the colony of georgia and the city of savannah. 3455
  • 1733/--/-- john kay invents the flying shuttle to increase the speed of weaving machines. 3456
  • 1734/--/-- stanislaw i is deposed; augustus iii is installed as king of poland. 3457
  • 1735/--/-- george hadley proposes the hadley cell, a circulation system for the atmosphere. 3458
  • 1735/--/-- antonio de ulloa discovers the element platinum in south america. 3459
  • 1736/--/-- ch'ien-lung becomes emperor of china. 3460
  • 1736/--/-- nadir assumes the title of shah of persia and founds the afshar dynasty. 3461
  • 1736/--/-- parliament passes the gin act to discourage public drunkenness in england. 3462
  • 1736/--/-- swiss mathematician leonhard euler begins writing his mechanica. 3463
  • 1736/--/-- french artist maurice quentin de la tour paints his portrait of voltaire. 3464
  • 1737/--/-- william mayo founds the city of richmond, virginia. 3465
  • 1738/--/-- the treaty of vienna concludes the war of the polish succession; stanislaw i abdicates. 3466
  • 1738/--/-- george whitefield precipitates the great awakening religious revival in america. 3467
  • 1738/--/-- bernoulli publishes hydrodynamica, stating his law of hydrodynamics. 3468
  • 1738/--/-- the excavation of herculaneum begins in italy. 3469
  • 1738/--/-- a porcelain factory is established in france at vincennes; it moves later to sevres. 3470
  • 1739/--/-- the persians under nadir shah defeat the mogul army and destroy delhi. 3471
  • 1739/--/-- mutilation of an english sea captain by the spanish leads to the war of jenkins' ear. 3472
  • 1739/--/-- the british under admiral vernon raid spanish settlements in the west indies. 3473
  • 1739/--/-- john wesley founds the methodist religious movement. 3474
  • 1740/--/-- frederick ii (frederick the great) assumes the prussian throne. 3475
  • 1740/--/-- holy roman emperor charles vi dies; the war of the austrian succession begins. 3476
  • 1740/--/-- charles vi's daughter maria theresa succeeds to the austrian habsburg empire. 3477
  • 1740/--/-- frederick ii of prussia invades the habsburg province of silesia. 3478
  • 1740/--/-- the british under james oglethorpe attack spanish possessions in florida. 3479
  • 1740/--/-- anna empress of russia dies; she is succeeded by elizabeth in 1741. 3480
  • 1740/--/-- scottish philosopher david hume writes his treatise of human nature. 3481
  • 1740/--/-- english novelist samuel richardson writes pamela; or virtue rewarded. 3482
  • 1741/--/-- prussia forms an anti-habsburg coalition with bavaria, spain and france. 3483
  • 1741/--/-- george frideric handel composes the messiah. 3484
  • 1742/--/-- the anti-habsburg coalition elects charles vii as holy roman emperor. 3485
  • 1742/--/-- a spanish invasion of georgia is defeated by british forces under james oglethorpe. 3486
  • 1742/--/-- maria theresa makes peace with frederick ii; silesia is ceded to prussia. 3487
  • 1742/--/-- swedish astronomer anders celsius invents the celsius scale for temperature. 3488
  • 1742/--/-- the cast iron franklin stove is invented by benjamin franklin. 3489
  • 1743/--/-- an english porcelain factory is established at chelsea in london. 3490
  • 1743/--/-- the first permanent bullring is built in madrid. 3491
  • 1744/--/-- king george's war begins in north america between britain and france. 3492
  • 1744/--/-- muhammad ibn abd al-wahhab founds the wahhabi muslim sect about this time. 3493
  • 1745/--/-- the british under pepperrell capture the french fortress of louisburg in canada. 3494
  • 1745/--/-- charles edward stuart (bonnie prince charlie) leads a second jacobite rebellion. 3495
  • 1745/--/-- the french under the comte de saxe defeat austrian, english and dutch forces at fontenoy. 3496
  • 1745/--/-- the treaty of dresden confirms prussian control of silesia. 3497
  • 1745/--/-- maria theresa's husband francis succeeds charles vii as holy roman emperor. 3498
  • 1745/--/-- louis xv installs the marquise de pompadour as his official mistress. 3499
  • 1745/--/-- giovanni piranesi begins his etchings of carceri d'invenzione (imaginary prisons). 3500
  • 1746/--/-- charles edward stuart (bonnie prince charlie) is defeated at culloden. 3501
  • 1746/--/-- ferdinand vi succeeds philip v as king of spain. 3502
  • 1746/--/-- britain and france struggle for the domination of india; france seizes madras. 3503
  • 1746/--/-- princeton university is founded in new jersey. 3504
  • 1746/--/-- english actor david garrick becomes the manager of the drury lane theatre. 3505
  • 1747/--/-- the pathans defeat the persians; ahmad shah sadozai founds a new dynasty. 3506
  • 1747/--/-- nadir shah of persia (iran) is assassinated. 3507
  • 1747/--/-- the ohio company is formed to promote settlement west of the appalachians. 3508
  • 1748/--/-- the treaty of aix-la-chapelle ends the war of the austrian succession. 3509
  • 1748/--/-- french political philosopher montesquieu writes the spirit of the laws. 3510
  • 1748/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints robert andrews and mary, his wife. 3511
  • 1749/--/-- the british found halifax in nova scotia as a military base. 3512
  • 1749/--/-- italian dramatist carlo goldoni writes la putta honorata (the respectable girl). 3513
  • 1749/--/-- english novelist henry fielding writes tom jones. 3514
  • 1750/--/-- the afshars are replaced by the zand dynasty in persia (iran); shiraz becomes the capital. 3515
  • 1750/--/-- baal shem tov founds the jewish sect of hasidism about this time. 3516
  • 1750/--/-- poona becomes the capital of the maratha confederacy in india. 3517
  • 1750/--/-- american frontiersman christopher gist explores the ohio river region. 3518
  • 1750/--/-- the conestoga wagon develops in pennsylvania about this time. 3519
  • 1750/--/-- the waltz becomes a popular dance in europe about this time. 3520
  • 1750/--/-- the neoclassical movement in art develops in europe about this time. 3521
  • 1751/--/-- english soldier robert clive captures arcot in india. 3522
  • 1751/--/-- the worcester royal porcelain company is founded in england. 3523
  • 1751/--/-- jean etienne guettard produces the first geological maps of france. 3524
  • 1751/--/-- the first volume of diderot's encyclopedie is published. 3525
  • 1751/--/-- english novelist tobias smollett writes the expedition of humphrey clinker. 3526
  • 1752/--/-- benjamin franklin invents the lightning conductor. 3527
  • 1752/--/-- italian artist tiepolo paints the marriage of frederick barbarossa. 3528
  • 1752/--/-- french artist francois boucher paints mademoiselle o'murphy. 3529
  • 1753/--/-- swedish biologist carolus linnaeus publishes his system of plant classification. 3530
  • 1753/--/-- the british museum is founded in london. 3531
  • 1754/--/-- french attacks against the english in ohio lead to the last french and indian war. 3532
  • 1754/--/-- italian architect rastrelli designs the winter palace in saint petersburg (leningrad). 3533
  • 1754/--/-- the royal and ancient golf club is founded at saint andrews in scotland. 3534
  • 1754/--/-- thomas chippendale publishes the gentleman and cabinet maker's directory. 3535
  • 1755/--/-- the british under braddock are defeated by the french at fort duquesne. 3536
  • 1755/--/-- the french population of acadia (nova scotia) is deported by the british. 3537
  • 1755/--/-- pasquale paoli founds an independent state in corsica. 3538
  • 1755/--/-- adventurer and lover casanova is arrested in venice for witchcraft. 3539
  • 1755/--/-- the lisbon earthquake kills 50,000. 3540
  • 1755/--/-- samuel johnson publishes his dictionary of the english language. 3541
  • 1756/--/-- the seven years' war begins with a prussian attack on austria. 3542
  • 1756/--/-- french general montcalm captures fort oswego and dominates the great lakes. 3543
  • 1756/--/-- william pitt (the elder) becomes prime minister of britain. 3544
  • 1756/--/-- 123 british soldiers are alleged to have died in the black hole of calcutta in bengal, india. 3545
  • 1757/--/-- robert clive defeats the nawab of bengal at the battle of plassey in india. 3546
  • 1757/--/-- frederick ii of prussia defeats the franco-austrian army at rossbach. 3547
  • 1758/--/-- americans and british regulars under general forbes capture fort duquesne. 3548
  • 1758/--/-- the french under montcalm defeat the british at fort ticonderoga. 3549
  • 1758/--/-- the burmese overthrow the mons; rangoon becomes the new capital of burma. 3550
  • 1759/--/-- the british defeat the french at niagara; amherst captures fort ticonderoga. 3551
  • 1759/--/-- the british under wolfe defeat montcalm at quebec; wolfe dies from his wounds. 3552
  • 1759/--/-- the russians defeat frederick ii at kunersdorf. 3553
  • 1759/--/-- the botanical gardens are founded at kew in london. 3554
  • 1759/--/-- josiah wedgwood establishes his first pottery works. 3555
  • 1759/--/-- french poet and dramatist voltaire publishes his philosophical novel candide. 3556
  • 1760/--/-- the british under amherst capture montreal, ending french resistance in north america. 3557
  • 1760/--/-- the russians invade prussia and burn berlin. 3558
  • 1760/--/-- george ii dies; he is succeeded by his grandson george iii as king of england. 3559
  • 1760/--/-- english architect robert adam begins the design of syon house. 3560
  • 1760/--/-- english novelist laurence sterne publishes the first volumes of tristram shandy. 3561
  • 1761/--/-- franz josef haydn becomes court composer to prince esterhazy. 3562
  • 1762/--/-- britain seizes cuba and the philippines from spain. 3563
  • 1762/--/-- peter iii succeeds elizabeth as emperor of russia, but is deposed and murdered. 3564
  • 1762/--/-- catherine ii (catherine the great) succeeds her husband as empress of russia. 3565
  • 1762/--/-- the russians end their alliance with austria against prussia. 3566
  • 1762/--/-- american indian religious leader, the delaware prophet, is active in the ohio valley. 3567
  • 1762/--/-- france cedes louisiana to spain to prevent british control of the region. 3568
  • 1762/--/-- french philosopher rousseau publishes the social contract and emile. 3569
  • 1762/--/-- wolfgang amadeus mozart performs at the imperial court in vienna at age 6. 3570
  • 1762/--/-- british animal painter george stubbs completes the horse attacked by a lion. 3571
  • 1763/--/-- the wahhabi saudis begin to establish control over arabia. 3572
  • 1763/--/-- the treaty of paris ends the seven years' war and the french and indian wars. 3573
  • 1763/--/-- french forces withdraw from germany; prussia retains silesia. 3574
  • 1763/--/-- france cedes canada and all territories east of the mississippi river to britain. 3575
  • 1763/--/-- france recognizes british dominance in india. 3576
  • 1763/--/-- britain returns cuba and the philippines to spain in exchange for florida. 3577
  • 1763/--/-- the ottawa chief pontiac leads an uprising against the british. 3578
  • 1763/--/-- james boswell meets samuel johnson for the first time. 3579
  • 1763/--/-- augustus iii dies; he is succeeded (1764) by stanislaw ii, the last king of poland. 3580
  • 1764/--/-- german historian johann winckelmann publishes his history of the art of antiquity. 3581
  • 1764/--/-- thomas chatterton forges the rowley poems at the age of 12. 3582
  • 1765/--/-- francis i dies; he is succeeded by joseph ii as holy roman emperor. 3583
  • 1765/--/-- robert clive is appointed governor of bengal in india. 3584
  • 1765/--/-- george grenville's stamp act imposes a tax on all publications in the american colonies. 3585
  • 1765/--/-- samuel adams helps to found the sons of liberty to oppose the stamp act. 3586
  • 1765/--/-- sir william blackstone begins his commentaries on the laws of england. 3587
  • 1765/--/-- lancelot capability brown designs the gardens at blenheim palace. 3588
  • 1765/--/-- french artist francois boucher is appointed court painter to louis xv. 3589
  • 1765/--/-- horace walpole publishes his gothic novel the castle of otranto. 3590
  • 1766/--/-- the stamp act is repealed after strong opposition from american colonists. 3591
  • 1766/--/-- the declaratory act imposes parliament's right to make laws in the colonies. 3592
  • 1766/--/-- english chemist henry cavendish isolates hydrogen gas for the first time. 3593
  • 1766/--/-- the nautical almanac provides the first practical method for determining longitude. 3594
  • 1766/--/-- german dramatist and critic gotthold ephraim lessing publishes laocoon. 3595
  • 1766/--/-- french artist jean honore fragonard paints the swing. 3596
  • 1766/--/-- anglo-irish author oliver goldsmith publishes the vicar of wakefield. 3597
  • 1767/--/-- the burmese destroy the siam capital of ayutthaya; the bangkok period begins. 3598
  • 1767/--/-- the mason-dixon line establishes the pennsylvania-maryland boundary. 3599
  • 1767/--/-- the townshend acts impose a tax on imports to north america. 3600
  • 1767/--/-- german-jewish philosopher moses mendelssohn publishes phaedon. 3601
  • 1767/--/-- german composer christoph willibald gluck writes his opera alceste. 3602
  • 1768/--/-- genoa sells its rights in corsica to france. 3603
  • 1768/--/-- louis antoine de bougainville claims the pacific island of tahiti for france. 3604
  • 1768/--/-- the russo-turkish war is renewed. 3605
  • 1768/--/-- joshua reynolds becomes the first president of the royal academy in london. 3606
  • 1768/--/-- the first weekly numbers of the encyclopaedia britannica are issued. 3607
  • 1769/--/-- french forces in corsica defeat pasquale paoli; corsica becomes a province of france. 3608
  • 1769/--/-- the gurkhas conquer nepal. 3609
  • 1769/--/-- ottawa indian chief pontiac is assassinated by a peoria indian. 3610
  • 1769/--/-- american pioneer daniel boone explores a route through the cumberland gap. 3611
  • 1769/--/-- the comtesse du barry becomes the official mistress to louis xv. 3612
  • 1769/--/-- james watt patents a condenser to improve the performance of steam engines. 3613
  • 1769/--/-- richard arkwright invents a spinning frame to mechanize cotton weaving. 3614
  • 1770/--/-- lord north becomes prime minister of britain. 3615
  • 1770/--/-- the british parliament repeals the townshend acts. 3616
  • 1770/--/-- louis, the future king of france, marries marie antoinette. 3617
  • 1770/--/-- a brawl between british troops and colonists leads to the boston massacre. 3618
  • 1770/--/-- english navigator james cook explores new zealand and the east coast of australia. 3619
  • 1770/--/-- british explorer james bruce discovers the source of the blue nile. 3620
  • 1770/--/-- thomas jefferson begins building monticello, his house in virginia. 3621
  • 1770/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints the blue boy. 3622
  • 1771/--/-- governor tyron defeats the regulators (dissident farmers) in north carolina. 3623
  • 1771/--/-- gustav iii succeeds his father as king of sweden. 3624
  • 1772/--/-- poland is partitioned among russia, prussia and austria. 3625
  • 1772/--/-- english artist joshua reynolds paints a portrait of samuel johnson. 3626
  • 1772/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints the death of wolfe. 3627
  • 1773/--/-- don cossack yemelian pugachev leads the peasant's revolt in russia. 3628
  • 1773/--/-- calcutta is established as the capital of british india. 3629
  • 1773/--/-- pope clement xiv persecutes the jesuits. 3630
  • 1773/--/-- american colonists throw british tea into boston harbor during the boston tea party. 3631
  • 1773/--/-- anglo-irish author oliver goldsmith writes the play she stoops to conquer. 3632
  • 1774/--/-- the treaty of kuchuk kainarji ends the russo-turkish war. 3633
  • 1774/--/-- louis xv dies; he is succeeded by his grandson louis xvi as king of france. 3634
  • 1774/--/-- britain passes the intolerable acts and closes the port of boston. 3635
  • 1774/--/-- warren hastings is appointed as the first governor-general of british india. 3636
  • 1774/--/-- edmund burke's speech on american taxation defends the colony's rights. 3637
  • 1774/--/-- the first continental congress meets and condemns britain's intolerable acts. 3638
  • 1774/--/-- rhode island becomes the first state to abolish slavery. 3639
  • 1774/--/-- the quebec act grants religious liberty to roman catholics in canada. 3640
  • 1774/--/-- british scientist joseph priestley discovers oxygen. 3641
  • 1774/--/-- johann wolfgang von goethe publishes the sorrows of young werther. 3642
  • 1775/--/-- american patriot patrick henry states "give me liberty, or give me death." 3643
  • 1775/--/-- paul revere rides to lexington to warn of approaching british troops. 3644
  • 1775/--/-- british troops and colonial militia clash at lexington, starting the american revolution. 3645
  • 1775/--/-- british troops suffer heavy losses at the battle of bunker hill. 3646
  • 1775/--/-- the continental congress chooses george washington to head the continental army. 3647
  • 1775/--/-- americans under montgomery occupy montreal, but fail to capture quebec. 3648
  • 1775/--/-- french dramatist caron de beaumarchais writes the barber of seville. 3649
  • 1776/--/-- grigory aleksandrovich potemkin organizes the russian black sea fleet. 3650
  • 1776/--/-- swiss banker jacques necker is appointed director of the treasury by louis xvi. 3651
  • 1776/--/-- thomas paine publishes his revolutionary war pamphlet common sense. 3652
  • 1776/--/-- british forces are evacuated from boston. 3653
  • 1776/--/-- the continental congress adopts the declaration of independence. 3654
  • 1776/--/-- the british under howe defeat washington on long island and occupy new york. 3655
  • 1776/--/-- nathan hale is executed by the british as a spy. 3656
  • 1776/--/-- david bushnell's submarine the turtle makes an abortive attack on british ships. 3657
  • 1776/--/-- british forces under sir henry clinton bombard charleston harbor. 3658
  • 1776/--/-- american general charles lee is captured by the british. 3659
  • 1776/--/-- howe defeats washington at white plains; washington retreats across the delaware. 3660
  • 1776/--/-- ann lee establishes a shaker community at wartervliet in new york. 3661
  • 1776/--/-- economist adam smith publishes the wealth of nations. 3662
  • 1776/--/-- edward gibbon publishes the first volume of decline and fall of the roman empire. 3663
  • 1776/--/-- charles burney publishes the first volume of a general history of music. 3664
  • 1776/--/-- the sturm und drang (storm and stress) literary movement begins in germany. 3665
  • 1776/--/-- washington defeats british forces at trenton and princeton (1777). 3666
  • 1777/--/-- the marquis de lafayette offers his services to the continental congress. 3667
  • 1777/--/-- general burgoyne captures ticonderoga and defeats the americans in pennsylvania. 3668
  • 1777/--/-- the british under howe capture philadelphia, forcing congress to flee. 3669
  • 1777/--/-- burgoyne capitulates to horatio gates' american forces at saratoga. 3670
  • 1777/--/-- the british under howe defeat washington's continental army at brandywine creek. 3671
  • 1777/--/-- the continental congress adopts the stars and stripes as the american flag. 3672
  • 1777/--/-- washington's continental army spends a hard winter at valley forge. 3673
  • 1777/--/-- christianity is introduced into korea. 3674
  • 1777/--/-- french chemist lavoisier proves that air is composed of oxygen and nitrogen. 3675
  • 1777/--/-- richard brinsley sheridan's comedy the school for scandal is produced. 3676
  • 1778/--/-- france enters the american war of independence in support of the colonies. 3677
  • 1778/--/-- washington clashes with british forces under clinton at monmouth, n.j. 3678
  • 1778/--/-- portugal transfers its rights in equatorial guinea to spain. 3679
  • 1778/--/-- franz anton mesmer opens a paris practice to treat patients using magnetism. 3680
  • 1778/--/-- la scala opera house opens in milan, italy. 3681
  • 1778/--/-- john singleton copley paints watson and the shark. 3682
  • 1778/--/-- english novelist fanny burney writes evelina. 3683
  • 1779/--/-- george rogers clark recaptures vincennes from the british. 3684
  • 1779/--/-- spain declares war on britain and lays siege to gibraltar. 3685
  • 1779/--/-- an american squadron led by john paul jones attacks british shipping. 3686
  • 1779/--/-- american forces under sullivan campaign against the iroquois on the new york border. 3687
  • 1779/--/-- war breaks out between dutch settlers and the xhosas in south africa. 3688
  • 1779/--/-- british explorer james cook is killed by natives on hawaii. 3689
  • 1779/--/-- samuel crompton develops his spinning mule for england's cotton industry. 3690
  • 1779/--/-- samuel johnson begins writing the lives of the poets 3691
  • 1780/--/-- english spy john andre is caught and executed by the americans. 3692
  • 1780/--/-- andre's capture exposes benedict arnold's plot to surrender west point. 3693
  • 1780/--/-- the british under clinton occupy charleston, s.c. and capture the garrison. 3694
  • 1780/--/-- americans under horatio gates are defeated by cornwallis at camden, s.c. 3695
  • 1780/--/-- francis marion and thomas sumter lead guerrilla forces against the british. 3696
  • 1780/--/-- maria theresa dies; joseph ii inherits the crown of bohemia and hungary. 3697
  • 1780/--/-- peruvian indians under tupac amaru revolt against spainish rule. 3698
  • 1780/--/-- the gordon riots begin in london against catholic emancipation. 3699
  • 1780/--/-- luigi galvani begins experiments on the effect of electricity on nerves and muscles. 3700
  • 1780/--/-- the derby horse race is established in england. 3701
  • 1780/--/-- venetian artist francesco guardi paints the gondola on the lagoon. 3702
  • 1781/--/-- american forces under daniel morgan defeat the british at the battle of cowpens. 3703
  • 1781/--/-- the french aid washington in the siege of yorktown. 3704
  • 1781/--/-- the british under cornwallis surrender to the americans at yorktown. 3705
  • 1781/--/-- the british defeat hyder ali the muslim ruler of mysore (now karnataka) in india. 3706
  • 1781/--/-- english astronomer william herschel discovers the planet uranus. 3707
  • 1781/--/-- german philosopher immanuel kant publishes his critique of pure reason. 3708
  • 1782/--/-- tippu sultan succeeds his father as ruler of mysore (now karnataka) in india. 3709
  • 1782/--/-- peace talks open in paris between britain and america. 3710
  • 1782/--/-- rama i founds the chakkri dynasty in siam (thailand) with bangkok as its capital. 3711
  • 1782/--/-- kamehameha i begins a ten-year war for control of hawaii. 3712
  • 1782/--/-- henry grattan's patriot party achieves legislative independence for ireland. 3713
  • 1782/--/-- the design for the great seal of the united states is adopted by the continental congress. 3714
  • 1782/--/-- pierre choderlos de laclos writes les liaisons dangereuses. 3715
  • 1783/--/-- british forces abandon new york, their last stronghold in north america. 3716
  • 1783/--/-- britain recognizes the independence of the united states at the treaty of paris. 3717
  • 1783/--/-- the british return florida to spain under the terms of the treaty of paris. 3718
  • 1783/--/-- william pitt (the younger) becomes prime minister of britain at age 24. 3719
  • 1783/--/-- russia gains control of the crimea after three centuries of turkish rule. 3720
  • 1783/--/-- an earthquake kills 30,000 people at calabria in italy. 3721
  • 1783/--/-- the montgolfier brothers make the first manned flight in a hot air balloon. 3722
  • 1783/--/-- french scientist jacques charles demonstrates the first hydrogen-inflated balloon. 3723
  • 1784/--/-- thomas jefferson's proposes a ban on slavery in the western territories. 3724
  • 1784/--/-- grigory shelekhov founds the first russian colony in america at kodiak island, alaska. 3725
  • 1784/--/-- american inventor oliver evans develops the first automated flour mill. 3726
  • 1784/--/-- french neoclassical artist jacques louis david paints the oath of horatii. 3727
  • 1784/--/-- french dramatist caron de beaumarchais writes the marriage of figaro. 3728
  • 1785/--/-- new york city becomes the temporary capital of the united states. 3729
  • 1785/--/-- french navigator la perouse sails to the pacific to find the northwest passage. 3730
  • 1785/--/-- jean pierre blanchard makes the first balloon flight across the english channel. 3731
  • 1785/--/-- newspaper publisher john walter founds the times of london. 3732
  • 1785/--/-- english poet william cowper publishes the task. 3733
  • 1786/--/-- lord cornwallis succeeds warren hastings as governor-general of india. 3734
  • 1786/--/-- daniel shays leads a rebellion against the state government in massachusetts. 3735
  • 1786/--/-- singapore, penang and melaka are ceded to britain as the straits settlements. 3736
  • 1786/--/-- frederick ii dies; he is succeeded by his son frederick william ii as king of prussia. 3737
  • 1786/--/-- swiss climbers make the first ascent of mount blanc. 3738
  • 1786/--/-- francisco de goya becomes court painter to charles iii of spain. 3739
  • 1786/--/-- robert burns publishes poems, chiefly in the scottish dialect. 3740
  • 1787/--/-- turkey declares war on russia, beginning a new russo-turkish war. 3741
  • 1787/--/-- the assembly of notables is summoned by louis xvi to reform french taxation. 3742
  • 1787/--/-- the british found freetown and establish sierra leone as a colony for freed slaves. 3743
  • 1787/--/-- the constitutional convention meets in philadelphia to draw up a u.s. constitution. 3744
  • 1787/--/-- the continental congress excludes slavery from the northwest territory. 3745
  • 1787/--/-- alexander hamilton, john jay and james madison write the first federalist essays. 3746
  • 1787/--/-- british reformer william wilberforce declares his aims to abolish slavery. 3747
  • 1787/--/-- the marylebone cricket club (m.c.c.) is formed in london, england. 3748
  • 1787/--/-- american inventor john fitch launches a steam-powered ferry boat on the delaware. 3749
  • 1787/--/-- henry holland builds the first royal pavilion at brighton for the prince regent. 3750
  • 1787/--/-- austrian composer wolfgang amadeus mozart writes the opera don giovanni. 3751
  • 1787/--/-- royall tyler's the contrast becomes the first stage comedy to be produced in the u.s. 3752
  • 1788/--/-- captain arthur phillip founds the first australian penal colony at sydney cove. 3753
  • 1788/--/-- a crop failure in france leads to bread riots. 3754
  • 1788/--/-- george iii of england has his first attack of mental illness. 3755
  • 1788/--/-- austria joins russia in the war against turkey. 3756
  • 1788/--/-- swedish forces under gustav iii attack russia. 3757
  • 1788/--/-- warren hastings is impeached for maladministration in india. 3758
  • 1788/--/-- french physicist lagrange publishes his analytical mechanics. 3759
  • 1788/--/-- mozart composes 3 symphonies: e-flat, g minor and jupiter in less than 7 weeks. 3760
  • 1789/--/-- a national assembly is declared in france, ending the power of the states-general. 3761
  • 1789/--/-- the french revolution begins with an attack on the bastille. 3762
  • 1789/--/-- the french national assembly formulates a declaration of the rights of man. 3763
  • 1789/--/-- louis xvi is forced to capitulate; france becomes a constitutional monarchy. 3764
  • 1789/--/-- austrian forces capture belgrade from the turks. 3765
  • 1789/--/-- tippu sultan begins the third mysore war against the british in india. 3766
  • 1789/--/-- the federalist party is formed by supporters of the ratification of the u.s. constitution. 3767
  • 1789/--/-- washington is elected as the first u.s. president; john adams becomes vice-president. 3768
  • 1789/--/-- alexander hamilton becomes the first u.s. secretary of the treasury. 3769
  • 1789/--/-- the supreme court of the united states is founded with john jay as chief justice. 3770
  • 1789/--/-- the first national thanksgiving day is celebrated in the u.s. 3771
  • 1789/--/-- the tammany hall political organization is founded in new york. 3772
  • 1789/--/-- mutinous sailors seize h.m.s. bounty and take refuge on pitcairn island. 3773
  • 1789/--/-- french sculptor jean antoine houdon makes busts of jefferson and washington. 3774
  • 1789/--/-- jeremy bentham publishes an introduction to the principles of morals and legislation. 3775
  • 1789/--/-- english poet and artist william blake publishes songs of innocence. 3776
  • 1790/--/-- leopold ii succeeds joseph ii as holy roman emperor. 3777
  • 1790/--/-- sweden and russia sign a peace treaty. 3778
  • 1790/--/-- philadelphia replaces new york as the temporary capital of the u.s. 3779
  • 1790/--/-- the new york stock exchange is founded. 3780
  • 1790/--/-- new england captains extend whaling into the pacific ocean about this time. 3781
  • 1790/--/-- the bolero spanish dance is introduced about this time. 3782
  • 1790/--/-- thomas jefferson proposes a decimal (metric) system; congress rejects the suggestion. 3783
  • 1791/--/-- louis xvi and marie antoinette are captured while trying to leave france. 3784
  • 1791/--/-- austria returns belgrade to the turks. 3785
  • 1791/--/-- toussaint l'ouverture leads a slave revolt in haiti against the french. 3786
  • 1791/--/-- emperor joseph ii ends the war between austria and turkey. 3787
  • 1791/--/-- the province of quebec is divided into upper canada and lower canada. 3788
  • 1791/--/-- miami indian chief little turtle defeats an american force under general arthur st. clair. 3789
  • 1791/--/-- the bill of rights (the first ten amendments to the u.s. constitution) is ratified. 3790
  • 1791/--/-- vermont becomes the 14th state of the union. 3791
  • 1791/--/-- the first bank of the united states is founded. 3792
  • 1791/--/-- thomas paine publishes the rights of man in defense of the french revolution. 3793
  • 1791/--/-- pierre charles l'enfant designs the new u.s. capital of washington, d.c. 3794
  • 1791/--/-- thomas sheraton publishes the cabinet maker and upholsterer's drawing book. 3795
  • 1791/--/-- mozart's opera the magic flute is performed for the first time. 3796
  • 1791/--/-- james boswell publishes his life of samuel johnson. 3797
  • 1791/--/-- marquis de sade writes the novel justine from his prison cell. 3798
  • 1791/--/-- chinese author ts'ao hsueh-ch'in publishes the dream of the red chamber. 3799
  • 1792/--/-- swiss scientist aime argand develops a practical oil lamp using a tubular wick. 3800
  • 1792/--/-- the treaty of jasso ends the russo-turkish war. 3801
  • 1792/--/-- gustav iii of sweden is assassinated at a masquerade in stockholm. 3802
  • 1792/--/-- francis ii succeeds leopold ii to become the last holy roman emperor. 3803
  • 1792/--/-- russia and prussia invade poland, which is still recovering from the partition of 1772. 3804
  • 1792/--/-- france declares war on austria and prussia, beginning the french revolutionary wars. 3805
  • 1792/--/-- new insurrections begin in france; louis xvi is imprisoned by the commune of paris. 3806
  • 1792/--/-- the national convention proclaims france a republic. 3807
  • 1792/--/-- the french republic adopts the guillotine as a uniform method of execution. 3808
  • 1792/--/-- the french under dumouriez halt the prussians and defeat the austrians at jemappes. 3809
  • 1792/--/-- jefferson leads the democratic-republican party in opposition to the federalists. 3810
  • 1792/--/-- george washington is reelected as president. 3811
  • 1792/--/-- kentucky becomes the 15th state of the union. 3812
  • 1792/--/-- the columbia river is discovered by boston trader robert gray. 3813
  • 1792/--/-- the dollar is selected as the u.s. unit of currency. 3814
  • 1792/--/-- architect james hoban wins the competition to design the white house. 3815
  • 1792/--/-- charles bulfinch designs the connecticut state house (now hartford city hall). 3816
  • 1792/--/-- thomas paine publishes the rights of man and is outlawed for treason in england. 3817
  • 1792/--/-- german philosopher fichte writes an essay toward a critique of all revelations. 3818
  • 1792/--/-- mary wollstonecraft publishes a vindication of the rights of women. 3819
  • 1793/--/-- louis xvi and marie antoinette are executed; the reign of terror begins in france. 3820
  • 1793/--/-- britain, holland, spain and sardinia form a new anti-french coalition. 3821
  • 1793/--/-- france raises the first national army of conscripts to oppose the coalition forces. 3822
  • 1793/--/-- russia and prussia seize polish lands as part of the second partition of poland. 3823
  • 1793/--/-- french revolutionary jean paul marat is murdered by charlotte corday. 3824
  • 1793/--/-- france adopts the metric system of measurement. 3825
  • 1793/--/-- eli whitney invents the cotton gin. 3826
  • 1793/--/-- jean pierre blanchard makes the first u.s. balloon flight in philadelphia. 3827
  • 1793/--/-- george washington lays the cornerstone for the capitol building in washington d.c. 3828
  • 1794/--/-- robespierre's execution ends the reign of terror in france; the thermidorian reaction begins. 3829
  • 1794/--/-- the british occupy the french island of corsica for a two-year period. 3830
  • 1794/--/-- tadeusz kosciuszko leads a revolt of polish peasants against russia. 3831
  • 1794/--/-- the qajar (kajar) dynasty is founded in persia (iran). 3832
  • 1794/--/-- u.s. forces under anthony wayne defeat the indians at the battle of fallen timbers. 3833
  • 1794/--/-- militia under general henry lee suppress the whiskey rebellion in pennsylvania. 3834
  • 1794/--/-- jay's treaty settles disputes between britain and the u.s. 3835
  • 1794/--/-- french engineer claude chappe invents the semaphore signaling system. 3836
  • 1794/--/-- ann ward radcliffe publishes her gothic novel the mysteries of udolpho. 3837
  • 1795/--/-- the constitution of 1795 establishes a directory to rule france. 3838
  • 1795/--/-- the british capture cape province (south africa) from the dutch. 3839
  • 1795/--/-- the final partition of poland is made among russia, prussia and austria. 3840
  • 1795/--/-- stanislaw ii abdicates as the last king of poland. 3841
  • 1795/--/-- napoleon bonaparte defeats the insurrectionists in paris. 3842
  • 1795/--/-- prussia and spain sue for peace with france. 3843
  • 1795/--/-- spain recognizes u.s. claims to west florida (mississippi). 3844
  • 1795/--/-- france claims the island of hispaniola. 3845
  • 1795/--/-- scottish explorer mungo park reaches the gambia and niger rivers. 3846
  • 1795/--/-- the methodists separate from the church of england. 3847
  • 1795/--/-- austrian composer franz josef haydn completes the 12 london symphonies. 3848
  • 1795/--/-- american artist charles wilson peale paints the staircase group. 3849
  • 1795/--/-- scottish geologist james hutton publishes his theory of the earth. 3850
  • 1796/--/-- the british seize ceylon (sri lanka) from the dutch. 3851
  • 1796/--/-- napoleon marries josephine, the widow of the vicomte de beauharnais. 3852
  • 1796/--/-- napoleon defeats the austrian and sardinian armies in italy. 3853
  • 1796/--/-- napoleon restores corsica to french rule. 3854
  • 1796/--/-- spain sides with france in the war against britain. 3855
  • 1796/--/-- george washington declines to serve as president for a third term. 3856
  • 1796/--/-- john adams is elected as the 2nd u.s. president; jefferson becomes vice-president. 3857
  • 1796/--/-- tennessee becomes the 16th state of the union. 3858
  • 1796/--/-- samuel hahnemann publishes his findings on homeopathic treatment. 3859
  • 1796/--/-- english physician edward jenner develops vaccination against smallpox. 3860
  • 1796/--/-- gilbert stuart paints a portrait of washington (used later on the dollar bill). 3861
  • 1796/--/-- english novelist fanny burney publishes camilla. 3862
  • 1797/--/-- nelson defeats the spanish fleet at cape st. vincent, and the dutch at camperdown. 3863
  • 1797/--/-- the british capture the spanish colony of trinidad. 3864
  • 1797/--/-- the directory appoint talleyrand as minister of foreign affairs for france. 3865
  • 1797/--/-- the treaty of campo formio ends the war of the first coalition against france. 3866
  • 1797/--/-- the venetian republic is dissolved; venice is ruled by austria. 3867
  • 1797/--/-- austria cedes the austrian netherlands (present-day belgium) to france. 3868
  • 1797/--/-- david thompson surveys the mississippi headwaters for the north west company. 3869
  • 1797/--/-- british wood engraver thomas bewick publishes a history of british birds. 3870
  • 1798/--/-- french armies occupy rome and invade switzerland, creating the helvetic republic. 3871
  • 1798/--/-- napoleon's army invades egypt and defeats the mamelukes at the battle of the pyramids. 3872
  • 1798/--/-- the french fleet is destroyed by nelson at abukir bay, cutting off napoleon's forces in egypt. 3873
  • 1798/--/-- britain, austria, russia and turkey form a second coalition against france. 3874
  • 1798/--/-- lord wellesley becomes governor-general of india. 3875
  • 1798/--/-- wolfe tone leads a revolt against the british by the society of united irishmen. 3876
  • 1798/--/-- the xyz affair leads to the quasi war between france and the u.s. 3877
  • 1798/--/-- the u.s. congress passes the controversial alien and sedition acts. 3878
  • 1798/--/-- the territory of mississippi becomes part of the united states. 3879
  • 1798/--/-- eli whitney uses early mass production techniques to manufacture muskets. 3880
  • 1798/--/-- economist thomas malthus publishes an essay on the principle of population. 3881
  • 1798/--/-- america's first professional author charles brockden brown publishes wieland. 3882
  • 1798/--/-- william wordsworth publishes lyrical ballads with samuel taylor coleridge. 3883
  • 1799/--/-- napoleon attacks syria to prevent a turkish invasion of egypt, but is defeated at acre. 3884
  • 1799/--/-- napoleon returns to france as first consul; the consulate replaces the directory. 3885
  • 1799/--/-- russian forces under suvorov defeat the french in italy, but are held at zurich. 3886
  • 1799/--/-- tippu sultan is killed in battle with the british; the mysore empire is destroyed. 3887
  • 1799/--/-- ranjit singh establishes a sikh kingdom in northwest india. 3888
  • 1799/--/-- the russian-american company is founded to administer the alaskan fur trade. 3889
  • 1799/--/-- britain becomes the first nation to introduce a national income tax. 3890
  • 1799/--/-- city hotel, the first american structure designed as a hotel, opens in new york. 3891
  • 1799/--/-- the rosetta stone, the key to deciphering hieroglyphics, is discovered in egypt. 3892
  • 1799/--/-- a 33,000 year-old frozen mammoth is discovered at the lena river in russia. 3893
  • 1799/--/-- humboldt and bonpland begin their scientific expedition in south american. 3894
  • 1800/--/-- napoleon defeats the austrians at the battle of marengo. 3895
  • 1800/--/-- napoleon commissions cambaceres to develop the napoleonic code of law. 3896
  • 1800/--/-- france regains louisiana from spain under the secret treaty of san ildefonso. 3897
  • 1800/--/-- jefferson defeats adams in the u.s. presidential election, but ties with burr. 3898
  • 1800/--/-- the seat of u.s. government is transferred to washington, d.c. 3899
  • 1800/--/-- black slave gabriel leads an abortive uprising near richmond, virginia. 3900
  • 1800/--/-- johnny appleseed (john chapman) arrives in the ohio river valley around this time. 3901
  • 1800/--/-- italian physicist alessandro volta invents the first electric battery. 3902
  • 1800/--/-- the library of congress is founded in washington d.c. 3903
  • 1800/--/-- madame de stael publishes the influence of literature upon society. 3904
  • 1801/--/-- jefferson is selected as the 3rd u.s. president; burr becomes vice-president. 3905
  • 1801/--/-- alexander i becomes emperor of russia after the murder of his father paul i. 3906
  • 1801/--/-- castlereagh secures passage of the act of union, which unites britain and ireland. 3907
  • 1801/--/-- the peace of luneville ends the war between france and austria. 3908
  • 1801/--/-- nelson defeats the danish fleet at copenhagen. 3909
  • 1801/--/-- the british defeat napoleon's army of egypt at alexandria. 3910
  • 1801/--/-- barbary pirates begin the tripolitan war; a u.s. squadron sails to the mediterranean. 3911
  • 1801/--/-- the union jack becomes the official flag of the united kingdom. 3912
  • 1801/--/-- robert fulton demonstrates his 3-man submarine the nautilus. 3913
  • 1801/--/-- chemists proust and berthollet debate the constancy of chemical composition. 3914
  • 1802/--/-- napoleon is created first consul for life. 3915
  • 1802/--/-- the french capture haitian leader toussaint, but are defeated by christophe. 3916
  • 1802/--/-- the treaty of amiens brings a temporary halt to the french revolutionary wars. 3917
  • 1802/--/-- britain returns the island of minorca to spain. 3918
  • 1802/--/-- alexander von humboldt climbs mt. chimborazo, setting a world height record. 3919
  • 1802/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints death on a pale horse. 3920
  • 1803/--/-- france sells louisiana to the u.s. 3921
  • 1803/--/-- britain declares war on france, beginning the napoleonic wars. 3922
  • 1803/--/-- britain establishes a new penal colony on van diemen's land (tasmania). 3923
  • 1803/--/-- robert emmet leads an irish rebellion in dublin; he is captured and executed. 3924
  • 1803/--/-- ohio is inaugurated as the l7th state of the union. 3925
  • 1803/--/-- matthew flinders completes the first circumnavigation of australia. 3926
  • 1803/--/-- english scientist john dalton describes his atomic theory. 3927
  • 1804/--/-- francis ii assumes the title of emperor of austria. 3928
  • 1804/--/-- napoleon crowns himself emperor of france. 3929
  • 1804/--/-- serbian nationalists revolt against the turks. 3930
  • 1804/--/-- stephen decatur leads a u.s. navy skirmish into tripoli harbor. 3931
  • 1804/--/-- fulani leader usman dan fodio leads a holy war against the hausa in nigeria. 3932
  • 1804/--/-- dessalines declares haitian independence and names himself emperor jacques i. 3933
  • 1804/--/-- jefferson is reelected as u.s. president; clinton becomes vice-president. 3934
  • 1804/--/-- american politician aaron burr kills alexander hamilton in a duel. 3935
  • 1804/--/-- meriwether lewis and william clark begin exploring the american north-west. 3936
  • 1804/--/-- english engineer richard trevithick builds the first steam locomotive. 3937
  • 1805/--/-- britain, austria, russia and sweden form a third coalition against france. 3938
  • 1805/--/-- nelson defeats the franco-spanish fleet at trafalgar, but is killed during the action. 3939
  • 1805/--/-- muhammad ali is appointed pasha (governor) of egypt by the ottoman sultan. 3940
  • 1805/--/-- the french defeat austro-russian forces at the battle of austerlitz. 3941
  • 1805/--/-- austria sues for peace with france at the treaty of pressburg. 3942
  • 1805/--/-- american explorers lewis and clark reach the pacific ocean. 3943
  • 1805/--/-- the shawnee prophet, brother of tecumseh, begins planning an indian uprising. 3944
  • 1806/--/-- napoleon forces the abdication of francis ii; the holy roman empire is dissolved. 3945
  • 1806/--/-- prussia joins the coalition against france, but is defeated at jena-auerstadt. 3946
  • 1806/--/-- napoleon begins the continental system, closing european ports to british vessels. 3947
  • 1806/--/-- the british employ congreve rockets against a french invasion fleet. 3948
  • 1806/--/-- emperor jacques i is assassinated; haiti is divided between christophe and petion. 3949
  • 1806/--/-- revolutionary leader francisco de miranda makes an abortive invasion of venezuela. 3950
  • 1806/--/-- u.s. explorer zebulon pike is sent west to descend the red river. 3951
  • 1806/--/-- william murdock installs gas lighting in a manchester cotton mill. 3952
  • 1807/--/-- napoleon defeats the russian armies; russia and prussia sue for peace at tilsit. 3953
  • 1807/--/-- the janissaries depose sultan selim iii and place mustafa iv on the ottoman throne. 3954
  • 1807/--/-- portugal refuses to observe the blockade against england; france invades portugal. 3955
  • 1807/--/-- the u.s. frigate chesapeake is involved in an incident with a british man-of-war. 3956
  • 1807/--/-- congress passes the embargo act in response to interference with u.s. shipping. 3957
  • 1807/--/-- aaron burr is tried for treason and acquitted. 3958
  • 1807/--/-- the slave trade is outlawed throughout the british empire. 3959
  • 1807/--/-- robert fulton's steamship the clermont makes its maiden voyage. 3960
  • 1807/--/-- british chemist humphry davy discovers the elements potassium and sodium. 3961
  • 1807/--/-- beethoven completes his fifth symphony and begins the sixth (pastoral). 3962
  • 1807/--/-- german philosopher hegel publishes the phenomenology of the spirit. 3963
  • 1808/--/-- napoleon appoints his brother joseph as king of spain. 3964
  • 1808/--/-- the british under wellington aid portugal against france in the peninsular war. 3965
  • 1808/--/-- john jacob astor founds the american fur company. 3966
  • 1808/--/-- french chemist joseph louis gay-lussac isolates the element boron. 3967
  • 1808/--/-- francisco de goya paints the third of may, depicting the cruelty of war. 3968
  • 1808/--/-- japanese artist buncho paints true view of mount hiko. 3969
  • 1808/--/-- german artist caspar david friedrich exhibits the cross in the mountains. 3970
  • 1809/--/-- metternich draws austria into the war of the fifth coalition against france. 3971
  • 1809/--/-- napoleon annexes the papal states and takes pope pius vii prisoner. 3972
  • 1809/--/-- the french defeat the austrians at wagram; francis ii accepts the treaty of schonbrunn. 3973
  • 1809/--/-- russia seizes finland from sweden; king gustav iv adolf abdicates. 3974
  • 1809/--/-- lamarck publishes his theories of evolution in zoological philosophy. 3975
  • 1809/--/-- john stevens' steamboat the phoenix makes the first ocean-going voyage. 3976
  • 1809/--/-- frenchman nicolas appert develops the first effective method for canning food. 3977
  • 1809/--/-- german artists overbeck and pforr found the nazarenes. 3978
  • 1810/--/-- wellington's anglo-portuguese army holds the french on the outskirts of lisbon. 3979
  • 1810/--/-- mexican priest miguel hidalgo y costilla leads a rebellion against spanish rule. 3980
  • 1810/--/-- a rebellion against spain breaks out in buenos aires, argentina. 3981
  • 1810/--/-- american settlers rebel against the spanish in west florida. 3982
  • 1810/--/-- kamehameha i becomes ruler of hawaii and establishes the kamehameha dynasty. 3983
  • 1810/--/-- the krupp arms factory is established at essen in germany. 3984
  • 1811/--/-- mexican rebel leader hidalgo y costilla is captured and executed. 3985
  • 1811/--/-- bolivar and miranda lead the venezuelan congress in a declaration of independence. 3986
  • 1811/--/-- jose artigas raises a force to expel the spanish from the banda oriental (uruguay). 3987
  • 1811/--/-- the ruling mameluke aristocracy is massacred in cairo by muhammad ali. 3988
  • 1811/--/-- henri christophe declares himself king of northern haiti. 3989
  • 1811/--/-- george iii becomes mentally unstable; the prince of wales assumes power as regent. 3990
  • 1811/--/-- the luddites riot in england against the mechanization of the textile industry. 3991
  • 1811/--/-- the building of the national road, the first u.s. federal highway, begins in maryland. 3992
  • 1811/--/-- italian chemist amedeo avogadro develops the concept known as avogadro's law. 3993
  • 1811/--/-- the first rowing race in the united states is held in new york. 3994
  • 1811/--/-- william henry harrison defeats the shawnee indians at the battle of tippecanoe. 3995
  • 1812/--/-- napoleon invades russia with 450,000 men. 3996
  • 1812/--/-- wellington defeats the french at the battle of salamanca in spain. 3997
  • 1812/--/-- the french defeat the russians at borodino; napoleon occupies moscow. 3998
  • 1812/--/-- territorial and shipping disputes lead to the war of 1812 between the u.s. and britain. 3999
  • 1812/--/-- general william hull surrenders detroit to the british. 4000
  • 1812/--/-- the u.s. navy frigate constitution defeats 2 british frigates. 4001
  • 1812/--/-- stephen decatur's frigate united states defeats the british frigate macedonian. 4002
  • 1812/--/-- rebel leader morelos y pavon defeats the mexican royalist forces at oaxaca. 4003
  • 1812/--/-- spanish forces defeat bolivar and miranda in venezuela; miranda is imprisoned. 4004
  • 1812/--/-- napoleon's army retreats from moscow; only 40,000 men reach france. 4005
  • 1812/--/-- louisiana is inaugurated as the 18th state of the union. 4006
  • 1812/--/-- an earthquake destroys caracas in venezuela, killing 12,000. 4007
  • 1812/--/-- swiss explorer jakob burckhardt rediscovers the ancient city of petra. 4008
  • 1812/--/-- georges cuvier develops his theory of catastrophism through the study of fossils. 4009
  • 1812/--/-- the ancient city of petra (now in present-day jordan) is rediscovered by johann burckhardt. 4010
  • 1812/--/-- john nash begins the oriental conversion of the royal pavilion at brighton. 4011
  • 1812/--/-- the first coal gas generating station is chartered in london to provide gas lighting. 4012
  • 1812/--/-- english caricaturist thomas rowlandson illustrates the tour of dr. syntax. 4013
  • 1812/--/-- grimm's fairy tales are published in germany. 4014
  • 1813/--/-- napoleon is defeated at the battle of leipzig by the sixth coalition. 4015
  • 1813/--/-- wellington defeats the french in spain at vitoria and invades southern france. 4016
  • 1813/--/-- oliver hazard perry's ships destroy the british fleet on lake erie. 4017
  • 1813/--/-- william henry harrison defeats the british at the battle of the thames. 4018
  • 1813/--/-- pro-british indian leader tecumseh is killed in the battle of the thames. 4019
  • 1813/--/-- james wilkinson captures a fort at mobile, the last spanish possession in west florida. 4020
  • 1813/--/-- rebel forces invade venezuela and capture caracas; bolivar is declared the liberator. 4021
  • 1813/--/-- 14 luddites are hanged at york in england. 4022
  • 1813/--/-- robert southey is made poet laureate of england. 4023
  • 1813/--/-- english novelist jane austen publishes pride and prejudice. 4024
  • 1814/--/-- coalition armies invade france; napoleon abdicates and is exiled to the island of elba. 4025
  • 1814/--/-- andrew jackson annihilates the creek indians at the battle of horseshoe bend. 4026
  • 1814/--/-- louis xviii assumes the french throne. 4027
  • 1814/--/-- british forces burn washington, d.c., but are repulsed at fort mchenry. 4028
  • 1814/--/-- u.s. forces under thomas macdonough destroy the british fleet on lake champlain. 4029
  • 1814/--/-- new england states discuss their secession from the union at the hartford convention. 4030
  • 1814/--/-- the treaty of ghent ends the war of 1812 between the u.s. and britain. 4031
  • 1814/--/-- pope pius vii returns to rome; the jesuit order is reestablished. 4032
  • 1814/--/-- george stephenson constructs his first steam locomotive. 4033
  • 1814/--/-- actor edmund kean makes his debut as shylock in the merchant of venice. 4034
  • 1814/--/-- french artist ingres paints the grand odalisque. 4035
  • 1815/--/-- the americans defeat the british at new orleans before news of peace arrives. 4036
  • 1815/--/-- napoleon escapes from elba and marches on paris during the hundred days. 4037
  • 1815/--/-- the spanish army reconquers venezuela; bolivar flees to jamaica. 4038
  • 1815/--/-- napoleon is defeated at the battle of waterloo; he is exiled to the island of saint helena. 4039
  • 1815/--/-- the barbary states sue for peace with the u.s. 4040
  • 1815/--/-- the spanish capture and execute the mexican rebel leader morelos y pavon. 4041
  • 1815/--/-- the first gurkha regiment is formed by the british army. 4042
  • 1816/--/-- nepal is made a protectorate of british india. 4043
  • 1816/--/-- the united provinces of the rio de la plata (argentina) declare independence. 4044
  • 1816/--/-- shaka begins establishing the zulu empire in south africa. 4045
  • 1816/--/-- indiana is inaugurated as the 19th state of the union. 4046
  • 1816/--/-- the british museum buys the elgin marbles (smuggled from greece by lord elgin). 4047
  • 1816/--/-- gioacchino rossini's opera the barber of seville is performed in rome. 4048
  • 1816/--/-- maria i of portugal dies; she is succeeded by john vi who remains in exile in brazil. 4049
  • 1817/--/-- monroe is inaugurated as the 5th u.s. president; tompkins becomes vice-president. 4050
  • 1817/--/-- jose de san martin and bernardo o'higgins defeat the spanish in chile. 4051
  • 1817/--/-- mississippi is inaugurated as the 20th state of the union. 4052
  • 1817/--/-- construction of the erie canal begins in new york state. 4053
  • 1817/--/-- french physician rene laennec invents the stethoscope. 4054
  • 1817/--/-- sir walter scott writes the scottish adventure novel rob roy. 4055
  • 1818/--/-- bernardo o'higgins becomes the supreme director of independent chile. 4056
  • 1818/--/-- illinois is inaugurated as the 21st state of the union. 4057
  • 1818/--/-- sir john ross sails in search of the northwest passage. 4058
  • 1818/--/-- english chemist sir humphry davy invents the miner's safety lamp. 4059
  • 1818/--/-- arthur schopenhauer publishes the world as will and representation. 4060
  • 1818/--/-- composer franz schubert becomes the music teacher to count esterhazy's family. 4061
  • 1818/--/-- thomas love peacock publishes his comic novel nightmare abbey. 4062
  • 1818/--/-- mary wollstonecroft shelley publishes the horror novel frankenstein. 4063
  • 1819/--/-- spain surrenders east and west florida to the u.s. in the adams-onis treaty. 4064
  • 1819/--/-- bolivar defeats the spanish in colombia at the battle of boyaca. 4065
  • 1819/--/-- sir thomas stamford raffles acquires singapore for the east india company. 4066
  • 1819/--/-- alabama is inaugurated as the 22nd state of the union. 4067
  • 1819/--/-- the savannah becomes the first steamship to cross the atlantic. 4068
  • 1819/--/-- the prado museum is inaugurated in madrid. 4069
  • 1819/--/-- american artist washington allston paints moonlit landscape. 4070
  • 1819/--/-- lord byron begins his satirical poem don juan. 4071
  • 1820/--/-- juan manuel de rosas becomes the virtual dictator of argentina. 4072
  • 1820/--/-- the first free american slaves to be resettled in africa land in liberia. 4073
  • 1820/--/-- the prince regent becomes king george iv on the death of george iii. 4074
  • 1820/--/-- henri christophe commits suicide; haiti is united under jean pierre boyer. 4075
  • 1820/--/-- maine is inaugurated as the 23rd state of the union. 4076
  • 1820/--/-- u.s. navy hero stephen decatur is killed in a duel. 4077
  • 1820/--/-- stephen h. long explores the rocky mountain region. 4078
  • 1820/--/-- the missouri compromise admits missouri to the union as a slave state. 4079
  • 1820/--/-- carbonari italian nationalists rebel against the rule of ferdinand i in naples. 4080
  • 1820/--/-- the first american missionaries are admitted to hawaii. 4081
  • 1820/--/-- russian admiral fabian von bellingshausen sights land in the antarctic. 4082
  • 1820/--/-- french navigator dumont d'urville discovers the venus de milo on the island of melos. 4083
  • 1820/--/-- english poet john keats writes ode to a nightingale. 4084
  • 1820/--/-- french poet alphonse de lamartine publishes meditations poetiques. 4085
  • 1820/--/-- english poet percy bysshe shelley writes prometheus unbound. 4086
  • 1820/--/-- washington irving publishes rip van winkle and the legend of sleepy hollow. 4087
  • 1821/--/-- the greek war of independence begins against turkey. 4088
  • 1821/--/-- king john vi is reinstated on the portuguese throne. 4089
  • 1821/--/-- revolutionary leader iturbide declares mexican independence from spain. 4090
  • 1821/--/-- simon bolivar defeats the spanish forces in venezuela and ecuador. 4091
  • 1821/--/-- bolivar forms gran colombia (ecuador, colombia, venezuela and panama). 4092
  • 1821/--/-- revolutionary general san martin enters lima and declares peru independent. 4093
  • 1821/--/-- brazil annexes the banda oriental (uruguay). 4094
  • 1821/--/-- napoleon dies on saint helena. 4095
  • 1821/--/-- missouri is inaugurated as the 24th state of the union. 4096
  • 1821/--/-- american captain john davis is the first to land on the continent of antarctica. 4097
  • 1821/--/-- the cherokee indian sequoya develops the cherokee written language. 4098
  • 1821/--/-- english landscape artist john constable paints the hay wain. 4099
  • 1821/--/-- thomas de quincey's confessions of an english opium eater is published. 4100
  • 1822/--/-- egyptian leader muhammad ali completes the conquest of northern sudan. 4101
  • 1822/--/-- dom pedro, son of portuguese king john vi, declares brazil independent. 4102
  • 1822/--/-- british statesman lord castlereagh commits suicide. 4103
  • 1822/--/-- antonio jose de sucre defeats the spanish in ecuador at the battle of pichincha. 4104
  • 1822/--/-- denmark vesey leads a slave revolt in charleston; 35 blacks are executed. 4105
  • 1822/--/-- american surgeon william beaumont begins his study of the gastric process. 4106
  • 1822/--/-- french scholar jean francois champollion deciphers the rosetta stone hieroglyphics. 4107
  • 1823/--/-- general santa anna leads a coup against mexican emperor agustin i (iturbide). 4108
  • 1823/--/-- the monroe doctrine warns europe not to interfere in the americas. 4109
  • 1823/--/-- charles babbage begins work on his difference engine, a precursor of the computer. 4110
  • 1823/--/-- charles macintosh patents the waterproof fabric used in mackintosh raincoats. 4111
  • 1823/--/-- japanese artist hokusai begins a series of thirty-six views of mount fuji. 4112
  • 1823/--/-- rugby football originates at rugby school in england. 4113
  • 1823/--/-- ludwig van beethoven completes his 9th symphony. 4114
  • 1823/--/-- james fenimore cooper publishes the first volume of the leatherstocking tales. 4115
  • 1823/--/-- charles lamb publishes his essays of elia in the london magazine. 4116
  • 1824/--/-- disputes over the border of india lead to war between britain and burma. 4117
  • 1824/--/-- the ashanti begin a war of resistance against britain in the gold coast (ghana). 4118
  • 1824/--/-- de sucre defeats the spanish at the battle of ayacucho, liberating peru. 4119
  • 1824/--/-- the national gallery is founded in london. 4120
  • 1824/--/-- english poet lord byron travels to greece to aid the patriots but dies of a fever. 4121
  • 1824/--/-- sadi carnot lays the foundations for the second law of thermodynamics. 4122
  • 1824/--/-- jons jakob berzelius discovers the element silicon about this time. 4123
  • 1825/--/-- adams is inaugurated as the 6th u.s. president; calhoun becomes vice-president. 4124
  • 1825/--/-- uruguayan leader lavalleja precipitates a war between brazil and argentina. 4125
  • 1825/--/-- the central american federation declares its independence from mexico. 4126
  • 1825/--/-- nicholas i is made emperor of russia; the decembrists revolt breaks out. 4127
  • 1825/--/-- welsh reformer robert owen founds a community at new harmony, indiana. 4128
  • 1825/--/-- mountain man james bridger discovers the great salt lake. 4129
  • 1825/--/-- american painter thomas cole founds the hudson river school about this time. 4130
  • 1825/--/-- english literary critic william hazlitt publishes the spirit of the age. 4131
  • 1825/--/-- kappa alpha, the first social fraternity, is formed at union college, new york. 4132
  • 1826/--/-- revolutionary leader antonio jose de sucre is elected first president of bolivia. 4133
  • 1826/--/-- ohm's law establishes the relationship of electrical voltage, current and resistance. 4134
  • 1826/--/-- british engineer thomas telford builds the menai suspension bridge in wales. 4135
  • 1826/--/-- andre ampere publishes his theory of electrodynamic phenomenon. 4136
  • 1826/--/-- american engineer john stevens builds the first u.s. steam locomotive. 4137
  • 1826/--/-- felix mendelssohn composes his overture to a midsummer night's dream at age 17. 4138
  • 1826/--/-- german poet heine begins the publication of reisebilder (travel pictures). 4139
  • 1827/--/-- britain, france and russia demand that turkey ends the war with greece. 4140
  • 1827/--/-- the allied navies destroy the turkish and egyptian fleet at navarino in greece. 4141
  • 1827/--/-- mountain man jedediah smith pioneers an overland route to california. 4142
  • 1827/--/-- american frontiersman davy crockett is elected to congress. 4143
  • 1827/--/-- english inventor john walker introduces the first friction matches. 4144
  • 1827/--/-- ornithologist john james audubon begins the publication of his birds of america. 4145
  • 1827/--/-- french landscape artist camille corot paints the bridge at narni. 4146
  • 1828/--/-- lavalleja's thirty-three immortals achieve uruguayan independence from brazil. 4147
  • 1828/--/-- the duke of wellington becomes prime minister of britain. 4148
  • 1828/--/-- rammohun roy founds the brahmo samaj religious society in india. 4149
  • 1828/--/-- virtuoso violin player niccolo paganini performs in vienna. 4150
  • 1828/--/-- composer frederic chopin begins concert tours at age 18. 4151
  • 1828/--/-- noah webster publishes his american dictionary of the english language. 4152
  • 1829/--/-- jackson is inaugurated as the 7th u.s. president; calhoun continues as vice-president. 4153
  • 1829/--/-- serbia becomes an autonomous principality under prince milos. 4154
  • 1829/--/-- sir robert peel sponsers the catholic emancipation act in britain. 4155
  • 1829/--/-- the convict-free british colony of western australia is founded. 4156
  • 1829/--/-- explorer charles sturt charts the murray river in australia. 4157
  • 1829/--/-- sir robert peel reorganizes the london police; his policemen are nicknamed bobbies. 4158
  • 1829/--/-- lord bentinck bans the indian custom of suttee (the burning of widows). 4159
  • 1829/--/-- louis braille publishes his braille system of writing for the blind. 4160
  • 1829/--/-- the first u.s. encyclopedia, the encyclopedia americana, is begun. 4161
  • 1830/--/-- fructuoso rivera is elected as first president of uruguay. 4162
  • 1830/--/-- william iv succeeds george iv as king of england, scotland, and ireland. 4163
  • 1830/--/-- the july revolution in france forces the abdication of charles x. 4164
  • 1830/--/-- louis philippe is chosen as the citizen king of france. 4165
  • 1830/--/-- greece becomes independent from turkey. 4166
  • 1830/--/-- belgium asserts its independence from the netherlands. 4167
  • 1830/--/-- polish rebellions are suppressed by russia. 4168
  • 1830/--/-- simon bolivar resigns as dictator of gran colombia, he dies later in the year. 4169
  • 1830/--/-- the indian removal act is passed to move the southeastern tribes to indian territory. 4170
  • 1830/--/-- joseph smith founds the mormon church at fayette, new york. 4171
  • 1830/--/-- the locomotive best friend of charleston is in use on the first u.s. railroad. 4172
  • 1830/--/-- british geologist charles lyell begins publishing his principles of geology. 4173
  • 1830/--/-- george catlin begins his paintings of north american indians about this time. 4174
  • 1830/--/-- philipon publishes the satirical weekly la caricature, with contributions by daumier. 4175
  • 1830/--/-- hector berlioz composes his first major work the symphonie fantastique. 4176
  • 1830/--/-- the women's magazine godey's lady's book is published in the u.s. 4177
  • 1831/--/-- leopold i is selected as the first king of belgium. 4178
  • 1831/--/-- jose antonio paez becomes the first president of venezuela. 4179
  • 1831/--/-- italian revolutionary giuseppe mazzini founds the young italy movement. 4180
  • 1831/--/-- the crown colony of british guiana (guyana) is formed. 4181
  • 1831/--/-- nat turner leads a black slave revolt in virginia; he is captured and hanged. 4182
  • 1831/--/-- explorer james clark ross determines the position of the north magnetic pole. 4183
  • 1831/--/-- british naturalist charles darwin sails to south america aboard h.m.s. beagle. 4184
  • 1831/--/-- king louis philippe founds the french foreign legion. 4185
  • 1831/--/-- william lloyd garrison publishes the abolitionist newspaper the liberator. 4186
  • 1831/--/-- cyrus mccormick invents a mechanical reaper. 4187
  • 1831/--/-- michael faraday demonstrates his theory of electromagnetic induction. 4188
  • 1831/--/-- russian poet aleksandr pushkin completes his masterpiece eugene onegin. 4189
  • 1832/--/-- the black hawk war is the last major indian conflict east of the mississippi river. 4190
  • 1832/--/-- the democratic party is formally established as a national organization. 4191
  • 1832/--/-- japanese artist hiroshige begins work on fifty-three stages of the tokaido. 4192
  • 1832/--/-- george sand (aurore dudevant) publishes her first novel indiana. 4193
  • 1833/--/-- britain occupies the falkland islands. 4194
  • 1833/--/-- isabella ii succeeds ferdinand vii, king of spain; the carlist wars begin. 4195
  • 1833/--/-- general santa anna becomes president of mexico. 4196
  • 1833/--/-- a bavarian prince becomes king otto of greece. 4197
  • 1833/--/-- president jackson withdraws federal deposits from the bank of the united states. 4198
  • 1833/--/-- the american anti-slavery society is inaugurated in philadelphia. 4199
  • 1833/--/-- carl von clausewitz's classic study of warfare on war is published. 4200
  • 1833/--/-- victor hugo's novel the hunchback of notre dame is published in english. 4201
  • 1834/--/-- the carlist wars resume in spain. 4202
  • 1834/--/-- a quadruple alliance is formed to aid isabella ii of spain and maria ii of portugal. 4203
  • 1834/--/-- british politician sir robert peel founds the conservative party. 4204
  • 1834/--/-- the whig party is formed to oppose andrew jackson and the democratic party. 4205
  • 1834/--/-- the hansom cab is designed; it becomes the standard horse-drawn cab in london. 4206
  • 1834/--/-- american inventor jacob perkins patents the first practical ice-making machine. 4207
  • 1835/--/-- attempts to move the seminole indians begins the second seminole war. 4208
  • 1835/--/-- american settlers begin the texas revolution against mexican rule. 4209
  • 1835/--/-- french politician alexis de tocqueville publishes democracy in america. 4210
  • 1835/--/-- james gordon bennett founds the new york herald newspaper. 4211
  • 1835/--/-- danish writer hans christian andersen publishes tales told for children. 4212
  • 1836/--/-- bolivian president santa cruz invades peru and forms the peru-bolivian confederation. 4213
  • 1836/--/-- boer (afrikaner) settlers begin the great trek into the south african interior. 4214
  • 1836/--/-- santa anna's army storms the alamo in texas, killing the defenders. 4215
  • 1836/--/-- texans under sam houston defeat santa anna at the san jacinto river. 4216
  • 1836/--/-- arkansas is inaugurated as the 25th state of the union. 4217
  • 1836/--/-- john c. calhoun supports the gag rules to prevent congress debating slavery. 4218
  • 1836/--/-- american inventor samuel colt begins manufacturing the first revolver. 4219
  • 1836/--/-- the arc de triomphe, the world's largest triumphal arch, is completed in paris. 4220
  • 1836/--/-- charles barry designs westminster palace in the gothic revival style. 4221
  • 1836/--/-- american educator william holmes mcguffey begins editing his readers. 4222
  • 1836/--/-- russian author nikolai gogol writes his play the inspector general. 4223
  • 1836/--/-- american literary figure ralph waldo emerson founds the transcendental club. 4224
  • 1836/--/-- charles dickens publishes his first popular work the pickwick papers. 4225
  • 1837/--/-- van buren is inaugurated as the 8th u.s. president; johnson becomes vice-president. 4226
  • 1837/--/-- william iv dies; victoria succeeds him as queen of england, scotland, and ireland. 4227
  • 1837/--/-- britain's refusal to grant more home rule in canada leads to the rebellions of 1837. 4228
  • 1837/--/-- michigan is inaugurated as the 26th state of the union. 4229
  • 1837/--/-- seminole indian leader osceola is captured. 4230
  • 1837/--/-- british scientist charles wheatstone designs an electric telegraph system. 4231
  • 1837/--/-- louis daguerre invents the daguerreotype method for taking permanent photographs. 4232
  • 1837/--/-- scottish historian thomas carlyle publishes the french revolution. 4233
  • 1837/--/-- russian poet aleksandr pushkin is killed in a duel. 4234
  • 1837/--/-- mikhail lermontov writes the death of a poet, inspired by the death of pushkin. 4235
  • 1838/--/-- boer (afrikaner) leader andries pretorius defeats the zulus at the battle of blood river. 4236
  • 1838/--/-- charles wilkes heads a u.s. navy expedition to antarctica. 4237
  • 1838/--/-- samuel f.b. morse develops the morse code for electric telegraph systems. 4238
  • 1838/--/-- scottish blacksmith kirkpatrick macmillan makes the first pedal-driven bicycle. 4239
  • 1838/--/-- john deere develops a steel-tipped plow capable of turning heavy prairie soil. 4240
  • 1838/--/-- french philosopher auguste comte inaugurates the science of sociology. 4241
  • 1838/--/-- british artist joseph mallord william turner paints the fighting temeraire. 4242
  • 1839/--/-- chile defeats santa cruz's peru-bolivian confederation at the battle of yungay. 4243
  • 1839/--/-- jose rafael carrera captures guatemala; the central american federation is dissolved. 4244
  • 1839/--/-- the opium wars begin between britain and china. 4245
  • 1839/--/-- the anglo-afghan wars begin in afghanistan. 4246
  • 1839/--/-- american inventor charles goodyear develops the vulcanization of rubber. 4247
  • 1839/--/-- theodor schwann and matthias jakob schleiden formulate the cell theory. 4248
  • 1839/--/-- stephens and catherwood explore maya ruins in the yucatan. 4249
  • 1839/--/-- hungarian composer and pianist franz liszt embarks on a concert tour of europe. 4250
  • 1839/--/-- french novelist stendhal writes the charterhouse of parma. 4251
  • 1840/--/-- civil war breaks out in uruguay between the colorados (reds) and blancos (whites). 4252
  • 1840/--/-- upper and lower canada are united in the single province of canada. 4253
  • 1840/--/-- queen victoria marries prince albert of saxe-coburg. 4254
  • 1840/--/-- maori chiefs sign over their tribal lands to queen victoria in the treaty of waitangi. 4255
  • 1840/--/-- the underground railroad is active in helping escaping slaves in the u.s. 4256
  • 1840/--/-- the liberty party is founded in albany, n.y. based exclusively on an antislavery platform. 4257
  • 1840/--/-- the metric system of measurement is reinstated in france. 4258
  • 1840/--/-- the first adhesive postage stamp, the penny black, is issued in london. 4259
  • 1840/--/-- swiss-american naturalist louis agassiz postulates his theory of ice ages. 4260
  • 1840/--/-- french philosopher and anarchist pierre joseph proudhon writes what is property. 4261
  • 1840/--/-- horatio greenough's classical statue of george washington is strongly criticized. 4262
  • 1841/--/-- harrison is inaugurated as the 9th u.s. president; tyler becomes vice-president. 4263
  • 1841/--/-- new zealand is established as a separate british colony. 4264
  • 1841/--/-- george grey is appointed governor of south australia to help save the colony. 4265
  • 1841/--/-- muhammad ali defeats the ottomans and becomes the hereditary ruler of egypt. 4266
  • 1841/--/-- whig prime minister lord melbourne resigns; he is succeeded by sir robert peel. 4267
  • 1841/--/-- president harrison dies; john tyler is inaugurated as the 10th u.s. president 4268
  • 1841/--/-- william henry talbot patents the calotype photographic process. 4269
  • 1841/--/-- italian ballerina carlotta grisi creates the role of giselle. 4270
  • 1841/--/-- horace greeley founds the new york tribune newspaper. 4271
  • 1841/--/-- edgar allan poe writes an early detective story the murders in the rue morgue. 4272
  • 1842/--/-- china is defeated in the first opium war; chinese ports are opened to british trade. 4273
  • 1842/--/-- china cedes hong kong to britain. 4274
  • 1842/--/-- austrian physicist christian johann doppler predicts the doppler effect. 4275
  • 1842/--/-- american explorer john c. fremont begins surveying the oregon trail. 4276
  • 1842/--/-- american showman p.t. barnum discovers the 40-inch midget tom thumb. 4277
  • 1842/--/-- italian composer gaetano donizetti writes his opera don pasquale. 4278
  • 1843/--/-- a coup in greece forces king otto to accept a constitutional monarchy. 4279
  • 1843/--/-- black american sojourner truth begins her reform mission. 4280
  • 1843/--/-- danish philosopher soren kierkegaard publishes either/or. 4281
  • 1843/--/-- english art critic john ruskin begins publishing modern painters. 4282
  • 1843/--/-- german astronomer samuel schwabe discovers the sunspot cycle. 4283
  • 1844/--/-- eastern hispaniola declares independence from haiti as the dominican republic. 4284
  • 1844/--/-- settlers in new south wales force britain to stop sending convicts to the colony. 4285
  • 1844/--/-- joseph smith, founder of the mormons, is killed by a lynch mob. 4286
  • 1844/--/-- the young men's christian association (ymca) is founded in england. 4287
  • 1844/--/-- samuel f.b. morse establishes the first u.s. telegraph link. 4288
  • 1844/--/-- william henry talbot begins his pencil of nature, the first book of photographs. 4289
  • 1844/--/-- french author alexandre dumas (dumas pere) publishes the three musketeers. 4290
  • 1845/--/-- polk is inaugurated as the 11th u.s. president; dallas becomes vice-president 4291
  • 1845/--/-- the term manifest destiny is first used in defense of u.s. territorial ambitions. 4292
  • 1845/--/-- the sikh wars begin in british india. 4293
  • 1845/--/-- civil war ends in peru; castilla ramon is elected as president. 4294
  • 1845/--/-- florida is inaugurated as the 27th state of the union. 4295
  • 1845/--/-- the republic of texas is annexed by the u.s.; it becomes the 28th state of the union. 4296
  • 1845/--/-- failure of the potato crop leads to a famine in ireland. 4297
  • 1845/--/-- sir john franklin leads an ill-fated expedition in search of the northwest passage. 4298
  • 1845/--/-- the first clipper ship the rainbow is built in new york. 4299
  • 1845/--/-- british archaeologist austen layard excavates the sites of nimrud and nineveh. 4300
  • 1845/--/-- german scientist alexander von humboldt publishes the first volume of his kosmos. 4301
  • 1845/--/-- german composer robert schumann writes his piano concerto in a minor. 4302
  • 1845/--/-- french artists gavarni and grandville begin designing the first elaborate posters. 4303
  • 1845/--/-- american author margaret fuller publishes women in the nineteenth century. 4304
  • 1846/--/-- the border between the u.s. and canada is established, settling the oregon question. 4305
  • 1846/--/-- the mexican war begins over the u.s. annexation of texas. 4306
  • 1846/--/-- u.s. forces under zachary taylor defeat the mexicans at palo alto and monterrey. 4307
  • 1846/--/-- the mexican government collapses; santa anna is reelected as president. 4308
  • 1846/--/-- u.s. forces under stephen watts kearny occupy new mexico. 4309
  • 1846/--/-- the smithsonian institution is created by congress. 4310
  • 1846/--/-- german astronomer johann galle makes the first observation of the planet neptune. 4311
  • 1846/--/-- henry creswicke rawlinson deciphers the mesopotamian cuneiform script. 4312
  • 1846/--/-- american dentist william morton extracts a tooth using ether as an anesthetic. 4313
  • 1846/--/-- german philosopher ludwig feuerbach publishes the essence of religion. 4314
  • 1846/--/-- adolphe sax patents the saxophone in paris. 4315
  • 1846/--/-- the christy minstrels begin performing in new york. 4316
  • 1846/--/-- writer and artist edward lear publishes a book of nonsense. 4317
  • 1847/--/-- u.s. forces under stockton, fremont and kearny occupy california. 4318
  • 1847/--/-- taylor defeats santa anna's mexican army at the battle of buena vista. 4319
  • 1847/--/-- u.s. forces under winfield scott land at veracruz and advance on mexico city. 4320
  • 1847/--/-- scott enters mexico city after a series of battles; mexico sues for peace. 4321
  • 1847/--/-- the african slave colony of liberia is declared independent. 4322
  • 1847/--/-- american missionary marcus whitman is killed by cayuse indians in oregon. 4323
  • 1847/--/-- the mormons under brigham young found salt lake city. 4324
  • 1847/--/-- maria mitchell, the first woman astronomer in america, discovers a new comet. 4325
  • 1847/--/-- american oceanographer matthew maury publishes his first wind and current charts. 4326
  • 1847/--/-- the u.s. post office begins using adhesive postage stamps. 4327
  • 1847/--/-- italian statesman cavour founds the liberal newspaper il risorgimento (resurgence). 4328
  • 1847/--/-- honore de balzac completes la comedie humaine, a collection of over 100 novels. 4329
  • 1847/--/-- english novelist william makepeace thackeray begins vanity fair. 4330
  • 1847/--/-- charlotte bronte publishes jane eyre; emily bronte publishes wuthering heights. 4331
  • 1847/--/-- the american medical association is founded. 4332
  • 1848/--/-- the revolutions of 1848 break out in europe. 4333
  • 1848/--/-- risorgimento leader garibaldi returns to italy to fight in the war of independence. 4334
  • 1848/--/-- the treaty of guadalupe hidalgo ratifies the cession of california and new mexico. 4335
  • 1848/--/-- louis philippe abdicates; a second republic is declared in france. 4336
  • 1848/--/-- uprisings in berlin force frederick william iv to summon a constitutional assembly. 4337
  • 1848/--/-- a czech uprising under frantisek palacky is suppressed by austria. 4338
  • 1848/--/-- the austrian revolution begins in vienna; chancellor metternich resigns. 4339
  • 1848/--/-- ferdinand i abdicates; francis joseph becomes emperor of austria. 4340
  • 1848/--/-- wisconsin is inaugurated as the 30th state of the union. 4341
  • 1848/--/-- the first u.s. women's rights assembly meets at the seneca falls convention. 4342
  • 1848/--/-- the discovery of gold at sutter's mill begins the california gold rush. 4343
  • 1848/--/-- karl marx and friedrich engels publish the communist manifesto. 4344
  • 1848/--/-- american engineer james bogardus begins using cast-iron for building construction. 4345
  • 1848/--/-- scottish physicist william thomson kelvin proposes an absolute temperature scale. 4346
  • 1848/--/-- french barbizon artist theodore rousseau paints the forest at fontainebleau. 4347
  • 1848/--/-- holman hunt, millais and rossetti form the pre-raphaelite brotherhood in britain. 4348
  • 1848/--/-- french author alexandre dumas (dumas fils) publishes his novel camille. 4349
  • 1849/--/-- taylor is inaugurated as the 12th u.s. president; fillmore becomes vice-president 4350
  • 1849/--/-- austrian forces crush the italian revolution; mazzini and garibaldi flee from italy. 4351
  • 1849/--/-- russian anarchist mikhail bakunin is deported to siberia. 4352
  • 1849/--/-- lajos kossuth declares hungarian independence from austria. 4353
  • 1849/--/-- austrian premier felix schwarzenberg uses the russian army to defeat the hungarians. 4354
  • 1849/--/-- black slave harriet tubman escapes and begins her underground railway work. 4355
  • 1849/--/-- elizabeth blackwell becomes the first woman to obtain a medical degree. 4356
  • 1849/--/-- amelia bloomer publicizes bloomers (baggy trousers for women) in the lily magazine. 4357
  • 1849/--/-- french physicist armand fizeau measures the velocity of light. 4358
  • 1849/--/-- francois rene de chateaubriand publishes memoirs from beyond the tomb. 4359
  • 1850/--/-- the taiping rebellion breaks out in china against the ch'ing dynasty. 4360
  • 1850/--/-- president taylor dies; millard fillmore is inaugurated as the 13th u.s. president. 4361
  • 1850/--/-- the compromise of 1850 establishes california as a non-slavery state. 4362
  • 1850/--/-- congress reinforces the fugitive slave law for the return of escaped slaves. 4363
  • 1850/--/-- california is inaugurated as the 31st state of the union. 4364
  • 1850/--/-- allan pinkerton founds the pinkerton national detective agency. 4365
  • 1850/--/-- photographer mathew brady publishes the gallery of illustrious americans. 4366
  • 1850/--/-- american popular songwriter stephen foster publishes camptown races. 4367
  • 1850/--/-- jenny lind the swedish nightingale begins her u.s. tour. 4368
  • 1850/--/-- french realist artist gustave courbet paints the stone breakers. 4369
  • 1850/--/-- the first issue of harper's magazine is published. 4370
  • 1850/--/-- american author nathaniel hawthorne writes the scarlet letter. 4371
  • 1850/--/-- english author charles dickens writes david copperfield. 4372
  • 1850/--/-- elizabeth barrett browning publishes her sonnets from the portuguese. 4373
  • 1851/--/-- mongkut (rama iv) becomes king of siam (thailand). 4374
  • 1851/--/-- a gold rush begins in victoria, australia; victoria becomes a separate colony. 4375
  • 1851/--/-- henry jarvis raymond and george jones found the new york times. 4376
  • 1851/--/-- the first college sorority is established at wesleyan college, georgia. 4377
  • 1851/--/-- jacob fussell begins making ice cream in commercial quantities in baltimore. 4378
  • 1851/--/-- isaac merrit singer invents the first practical sewing machine. 4379
  • 1851/--/-- the crystal palace is built in london to house the great exhibition. 4380
  • 1851/--/-- the u.s. yacht america defeats 17 british yachts in the first america's cup contest. 4381
  • 1851/--/-- giuseppe verdi's opera rigoletto is produced in venice. 4382
  • 1851/--/-- american author herman melville publishes moby-dick. 4383
  • 1851/--/-- harriet beecher stowe begins publishing uncle tom's cabin. 4384
  • 1852/--/-- the second empire begins in france under napoleon iii. 4385
  • 1852/--/-- argentinean dictator rosas is defeated by forces under urquiza at monte caseros. 4386
  • 1852/--/-- britain gains control of the irrawaddy delta after the second anglo-burma war. 4387
  • 1852/--/-- the grimms begin publication of their deutsches worterbuch (german dictionary). 4388
  • 1853/--/-- franklin pierce is inaugurated as the 14th u.s. president; king becomes vice-president. 4389
  • 1853/--/-- napoleon iii marries the empress eugenie. 4390
  • 1853/--/-- chinese rebels capture nanking and make it the capital of the taiping kingdom. 4391
  • 1853/--/-- general santa anna becomes dictator of mexico for the last time. 4392
  • 1853/--/-- a u.s. naval squadron under matthew perry enters tokyo bay to negotiate a treaty. 4393
  • 1853/--/-- russia occupies the turkish principalities of moldavia and walachia. 4394
  • 1853/--/-- turkey issues an ultimatum to russia; the russians destroy the turkish fleet at sinope. 4395
  • 1853/--/-- the u.s. adds land to new mexico and arizona with the gadsden purchase. 4396
  • 1853/--/-- georges haussmann begins the reconstruction of paris. 4397
  • 1853/--/-- richard wagner begins his cycle of four operas the ring of the nibelung. 4398
  • 1854/--/-- britain and france declare war on russia, beginning the crimean war. 4399
  • 1854/--/-- a commercial treaty is signed between the u.s. and japan, ending japanese isolation. 4400
  • 1854/--/-- the british grant independence to the orange free state in south africa. 4401
  • 1854/--/-- an anglo-french-turkish expeditionary force lands at sevastopol in the crimea. 4402
  • 1854/--/-- the charge of the light brigade is made by the british during the battle of balaklava. 4403
  • 1854/--/-- the allied armies defeat the russians at the battle of inkerman. 4404
  • 1854/--/-- the kansas-nebraska act reopens the controversy over the spread of slavery. 4405
  • 1854/--/-- the republican party is formed after the passage of the kansas-nebraska act. 4406
  • 1854/--/-- pope pius ix proclaims the dogma of the immaculate conception of the virgin mary. 4407
  • 1854/--/-- pre-raphaelite artist holman hunt paints the scapegoat. 4408
  • 1854/--/-- american writer and naturalist henry david thoreau publishes walden. 4409
  • 1855/--/-- mexican dictator santa anna is overthrown. 4410
  • 1855/--/-- the allies occupy the russian fortress at sevastapol in the crimea. 4411
  • 1855/--/-- nicholas i, emperor of russia dies; he is succeeded by his son alexander ii. 4412
  • 1855/--/-- lord palmerston becomes prime minister of great britain for the first time. 4413
  • 1855/--/-- scottish explorer david livingstone discovers the victoria falls in africa. 4414
  • 1855/--/-- matthew fontaine maury publishes the physical geography of the sea. 4415
  • 1855/--/-- british photographer roger fenton documents the crimean war. 4416
  • 1855/--/-- florence nightingale reforms hygienic standards in crimean hospitals. 4417
  • 1855/--/-- the first formal ice hockey game is played in kingston, ontario. 4418
  • 1855/--/-- robert browning publishes his poetry collection men and women. 4419
  • 1855/--/-- henry wadsworth longfellow publishes the songs of hiawatha. 4420
  • 1855/--/-- walt whitman publishes his first book of poetry, the leaves of grass. 4421
  • 1856/--/-- the treaty of paris ends the crimean war. 4422
  • 1856/--/-- a new opium war begins between china, britain and france. 4423
  • 1856/--/-- english chemist william perkin discovers synthetic dyes. 4424
  • 1856/--/-- the first neanderthaler (prehistoric human) skeleton is discovered in germany. 4425
  • 1856/--/-- victor hugo writes les miserables during his exile from france. 4426
  • 1857/--/-- buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th u.s. president; breckinridge becomes vice-president. 4427
  • 1857/--/-- disputes between mormons and non-mormon settlers leads to the utah war. 4428
  • 1857/--/-- the indian mutiny begins when indian troops rebel against the british in meerut. 4429
  • 1857/--/-- mormons and paiute indians kill 120 settlers in the mountain meadows massacre. 4430
  • 1857/--/-- elisha graves otis installs the first passenger elevator in a new york city store. 4431
  • 1857/--/-- the oxford english dictionary is begun in england. 4432
  • 1857/--/-- french novelist gustave flaubert publishes madame bovary. 4433
  • 1857/--/-- french poet baudelaire publishes flowers of evil and is arrested for immorality. 4434
  • 1857/--/-- english author thomas hughes publishes tom brown's schooldays. 4435
  • 1858/--/-- federal forces end the utah war; brigham young is replaced as governor of utah territory. 4436
  • 1858/--/-- the indian mutiny is suppressed by the british army and loyal indian troops. 4437
  • 1858/--/-- the government of india is transferred from the east india company to the british crown. 4438
  • 1858/--/-- the fenians (irish republican brotherhood) are founded to overthrow british rule. 4439
  • 1858/--/-- britain and france impose the tientsin treaty on china. 4440
  • 1858/--/-- benito juarez becomes the first mexican president of indian descent. 4441
  • 1858/--/-- minnesota is inaugurated as the 32nd state of the union. 4442
  • 1858/--/-- british explorer john hanning speke discovers lake victoria in africa. 4443
  • 1858/--/-- french photographer nadar takes the first aerial photograph from a balloon. 4444
  • 1858/--/-- british naturalist alfred russel wallace outlines his theories of evolution. 4445
  • 1858/--/-- cyrus w. field lays the first transatlantic telegraph cable. 4446
  • 1858/--/-- james renwick begins the design of saint patrick's cathedral in new york city. 4447
  • 1858/--/-- charles frederick worth establishes his paris fashion house. 4448
  • 1858/--/-- german-american artist albert bierstadt begins his landscapes of the american west. 4449
  • 1858/--/-- jacques offenbach's operetta orpheus in the underworld premiers in paris. 4450
  • 1858/--/-- bernadette soubirous sees visions of the vigin mary in a grotto near lourdes, france. 4451
  • 1859/--/-- napoleon iii assists the italian statesman cavour in a war against austria. 4452
  • 1859/--/-- oregon is inaugurated as the 33rd state of the union. 4453
  • 1859/--/-- queensland becomes a separate colony of australia. 4454
  • 1859/--/-- abolitionist john brown leads an attack on harpers ferry; he is captured and executed. 4455
  • 1859/--/-- french inventor ferdinand carre develops a refrigeration system. 4456
  • 1859/--/-- ferdinand de lesseps begins building the suez canal in egypt. 4457
  • 1859/--/-- charles darwin publishes on the origin of species by means of natural selection. 4458
  • 1860/--/-- italian patriot garibaldi invades sicily and naples with his 1,000 redshirts. 4459
  • 1860/--/-- sardinia-piedmont seizes the papal states in italy. 4460
  • 1860/--/-- china resists the tientsin treaty; anglo-french forces occupy peking. 4461
  • 1860/--/-- the maori wars begin against the british in new zealand. 4462
  • 1860/--/-- abraham lincoln is elected as the first republican president of the united states. 4463
  • 1860/--/-- the crittenden compromise tries to prevent a split between slave and free states. 4464
  • 1860/--/-- south carolina becomes the first southern state to secede from the union. 4465
  • 1860/--/-- the pony express is inaugurated to deliver mail from missouri to california. 4466
  • 1860/--/-- jean joseph etienne lenoir patents the first internal-combustion engine. 4467
  • 1860/--/-- florence nightingale establishes a school for training nurses. 4468
  • 1860/--/-- george eliot (mary anne evans) publishes the mill on the floss. 4469
  • 1860/--/-- english novelist wilkie collins writes the woman in white. 4470
  • 1861/--/-- italy is unified under victor emmanuel ii. 4471
  • 1861/--/-- nicholas ii abolishes serfdom in russia. 4472
  • 1861/--/-- lincoln is inaugurated as the 16th u.s. president; hamlin becomes vice-president. 4473
  • 1861/--/-- kansas is inaugurated as the 34th state of the union. 4474
  • 1861/--/-- the southern states meet to draft a constitution; davis is selected as president. 4475
  • 1861/--/-- the confederate states of america declare their independence from the u.s. 4476
  • 1861/--/-- the bombardment of fort sumter in charleston harbor begins the u.s. civil war. 4477
  • 1861/--/-- the confederates defeat the union army in the first battle of bull run. 4478
  • 1861/--/-- general george b. mcclellan is made commander of the union forces. 4479
  • 1861/--/-- the trent affair begins when a union ship intercepts a british steamer. 4480
  • 1861/--/-- explorers burke and wills die during their north-south crossing of australia. 4481
  • 1861/--/-- the united states introduce the first national income tax. 4482
  • 1861/--/-- john ericsson designs the monitor, the first ship with a revolving gun-turret. 4483
  • 1861/--/-- american locksmith linus yale jr. patents the cylinder lock. 4484
  • 1861/--/-- french artist eugene delacroix paints the lion hunt. 4485
  • 1861/--/-- english designer william morris starts the arts and crafts movement. 4486
  • 1862/--/-- william i appoints otto von bismarck as minister president of prussia. 4487
  • 1862/--/-- napoleon iii imposes the austrian prince maximilian as emperor of mexico. 4488
  • 1862/--/-- bartolome mitre unites argentina and is elected president. 4489
  • 1862/--/-- the ironclad warships monitor and merrimack clash at hampton roads, va. 4490
  • 1862/--/-- union forces under mcclellan begin the peninsular campaign to capture richmond. 4491
  • 1862/--/-- union forces under grant defeat the confederates at the battle of shiloh. 4492
  • 1862/--/-- a union fleet under david g. farragut captures new orleans. 4493
  • 1862/--/-- mcclellan is defeated in the seven days battle and retreats from the peninsular. 4494
  • 1862/--/-- lee defeats the union army in the second battle of bull run. 4495
  • 1862/--/-- lee's confederate invasion of maryland is halted at the battle of antietam. 4496
  • 1862/--/-- union forces under burnside are defeated at the battle of fredricksburg. 4497
  • 1862/--/-- explorer john mcdouall stuart makes the first south to north crossing of australia. 4498
  • 1862/--/-- french physicist jean foucault successfully measures the speed of light. 4499
  • 1862/--/-- richard j. gatling invents the first practical machine gun. 4500
  • 1862/--/-- brady, o'sullivan and gardner document the civil war in photographs. 4501
  • 1862/--/-- the first recorded ski competition is held near oslo in norway. 4502
  • 1862/--/-- french actress sarah bernhardt makes her debut at the comedie francaise. 4503
  • 1862/--/-- french impressionist artist edouard manet paints le dejeuner sur l'herbe. 4504
  • 1862/--/-- russian novelist ivan turgenev publishes fathers and sons. 4505
  • 1862/--/-- french writer victor hugo completes his social novel les miserables. 4506
  • 1863/--/-- cambodia (kampuchea) becomes a french protectorate. 4507
  • 1863/--/-- ismail pasha rules egypt under the suzerainty of the ottoman empire. 4508
  • 1863/--/-- the french occupy mexico city in support of maximilian, emperor of mexico. 4509
  • 1863/--/-- george i succeeds otto as king of greece. 4510
  • 1863/--/-- lincoln's emancipation proclamation abolishes slavery in the confederate states. 4511
  • 1863/--/-- the confederate guerrilla band quantrill's raiders pillage lawrence, kansas. 4512
  • 1863/--/-- the confederates defeat the union army at chancellorsville; jackson is killed. 4513
  • 1863/--/-- grant defeats the confederates in the vicksburg campaign. 4514
  • 1863/--/-- the confederates under lee are defeated at the battle of gettysburg. 4515
  • 1863/--/-- west virginia is inaugurated as the 35th state of the union. 4516
  • 1863/--/-- london's metropolitan railway becomes the first underground subway. 4517
  • 1863/--/-- english philosopher john stuart mill publishes utilitarianism. 4518
  • 1863/--/-- the london football association issues the first soccer rules. 4519
  • 1863/--/-- french impressionist artist camille pissarro exhibits at the salon des refuses. 4520
  • 1864/--/-- denmark is defeated by prussia; schleswig-holstein is ceded to germany. 4521
  • 1864/--/-- a chinese army under gordon recaptures nanking and ends the taiping rebellion. 4522
  • 1864/--/-- the ionian islands are ceded to greece by britain. 4523
  • 1864/--/-- paraguayan dictator francisco solano lopez begins the war of the triple alliance. 4524
  • 1864/--/-- ulysses s. grant is made general in chief of all the union armies. 4525
  • 1864/--/-- the union launches a drive on richmond but falters in the wilderness campaign. 4526
  • 1864/--/-- a union army under sherman invades georgia, begining the atlanta campaign. 4527
  • 1864/--/-- the confederate submarine hunley sinks a federal ship but is sunk in the process. 4528
  • 1864/--/-- sherman defeats the confederates at atlanta and begins his march to the sea. 4529
  • 1864/--/-- the colorado militia massacre cheyenne indians at sand creek. 4530
  • 1864/--/-- the geneva convention sets standards of humane treatment in time of war. 4531
  • 1864/--/-- nevada is inaugurated as the 36th state of the union. 4532
  • 1865/--/-- the petersburg campaign is won by union forces; lee evacuates richmond. 4533
  • 1865/--/-- confederate forces under lee surrender to grant at appomattox court house. 4534
  • 1865/--/-- lincoln is assassinated by john wilkes booth at ford's theatre in washington d.c. 4535
  • 1865/--/-- andrew johnson becomes the 17th president of the u.s. 4536
  • 1865/--/-- johnston surrenders the last confederate army to sherman, ending the u.s. civil war. 4537
  • 1865/--/-- the 13th amendment to the u.s. constitution abolishes slavery. 4538
  • 1865/--/-- english author lewis carroll writes alice's adventures in wonderland. 4539
  • 1865/--/-- count leo tolstoi begins his monumental russian novel war and peace. 4540
  • 1865/--/-- russian author fyodor dostoevsky publishes crime and punishment. 4541
  • 1866/--/-- prussia and italy defeat austria in the seven weeks' war. 4542
  • 1866/--/-- the ku klux klan is founded in the southern united states. 4543
  • 1866/--/-- mendel publishes his genetic research in experiments with plant hybrids. 4544
  • 1866/--/-- british engineer robert whitehead invents the first self-propelled torpedo. 4545
  • 1866/--/-- congress authorize (but do not mandate) the use of the metric system in the u.s. 4546
  • 1867/--/-- french troops withdraw from mexico; emperor maximilian is executed by juarez. 4547
  • 1867/--/-- bismark forms the north german confederation under prussian leadership. 4548
  • 1867/--/-- the compromise (ausgleich) of 1867 creates the dual monarchy of austria-hungary. 4549
  • 1867/--/-- the dominion of canada is established by the british north america act. 4550
  • 1867/--/-- sir john a. macdonald becomes canada's first prime minister. 4551
  • 1867/--/-- nebraska is inaugurated as the 37th state of the union. 4552
  • 1867/--/-- diamond fields are discovered in south africa. 4553
  • 1867/--/-- karl marx publishes the first volume of das kapital. 4554
  • 1867/--/-- english photographer julia margaret cameron takes sir john herschel's portrait. 4555
  • 1868/--/-- the meiji dynasty is restored in japan; the tokugawa shogunate is abolished. 4556
  • 1868/--/-- william gladstone becomes liberal prime minister of britain for the first time. 4557
  • 1868/--/-- a military coup led by general juan prim deposes queen isabella ii of spain. 4558
  • 1868/--/-- the ten years' war begins in cuba against spanish rule. 4559
  • 1868/--/-- u.s. president andrew johnson is impeached by congress but acquitted by the senate. 4560
  • 1868/--/-- chulalongkorn succeeds his father mongkut as the king of siam (thailand). 4561
  • 1868/--/-- ndebele king mzilikazi dies in africa; he is succeeded (1870) by his son lobengula. 4562
  • 1868/--/-- british labor unions form the trades union congress. 4563
  • 1868/--/-- a skeleton of cro-magnon man is discovered in southern france. 4564
  • 1868/--/-- christopher sholes patents the first practical typewriter. 4565
  • 1868/--/-- johannes brahms' a german requiem is performed for the first time. 4566
  • 1868/--/-- feminists susan b. anthony and elizabeth cady stanton publish revolution. 4567
  • 1869/--/-- grant is inaugurated as the 18th u.s. president; colfax becomes vice-president. 4568
  • 1869/--/-- the suez canal is opened in egypt. 4569
  • 1869/--/-- louis riel leads the red river rebellion in canada. 4570
  • 1869/--/-- the transcontinental railroad is completed at promontory point, utah. 4571
  • 1869/--/-- john roebling designs the brooklyn bridge but dies after a construction accident. 4572
  • 1869/--/-- philadelphia garment workers organize the knights of labor, an early labor union. 4573
  • 1869/--/-- pope pius ix calls the first vatican council to discuss the dogma of papal infallibility. 4574
  • 1869/--/-- james gordon bennett jr. commissions stanley to search for livingston in africa. 4575
  • 1869/--/-- the first manufacturing patent is issued for chewing gum. 4576
  • 1869/--/-- the cincinnati red stockings become the first professional baseball team. 4577
  • 1869/--/-- russian composer modest mussorgsky begins work on his opera boris gudunov. 4578
  • 1869/--/-- ludwig ii (mad ludwig) begins building his fantasy castles in bavaria. 4579
  • 1869/--/-- french artist eugene louis boudin paints on the beach at deauville. 4580
  • 1869/--/-- english author matthew arnold publishes culture and anarchy. 4581
  • 1870/--/-- the franco-prussian war begins over a diplomatic incident engineered by bismark. 4582
  • 1870/--/-- the prussians defeat the french at sedan; napoleon iii is taken prisoner. 4583
  • 1870/--/-- the third republic is formed in france; a government of national defense is established. 4584
  • 1870/--/-- french war minister leon gambetta escapes from besieged paris in a balloon. 4585
  • 1870/--/-- paraguayan dictator solano lopez dies, ending the war of the triple alliance. 4586
  • 1870/--/-- the city of miami is founded in florida. 4587
  • 1870/--/-- rome becomes the capital of the kingdom of italy. 4588
  • 1870/--/-- american industrialist john d. rockefeller founds the standard oil company. 4589
  • 1870/--/-- german archaeologist heinrich schliemann excavates the ancient city of troy. 4590
  • 1871/--/-- the german empire is formally proclaimed at the palace of versailles. 4591
  • 1871/--/-- the franco-prussian war ends; alsace and lorraine are ceded to germany. 4592
  • 1871/--/-- the french surrender to prussia incites the commune of paris uprising. 4593
  • 1871/--/-- the paris commune is suppressed by government troops after a 2-month siege. 4594
  • 1871/--/-- charles taze russell founds the jehovah's witnesses about this time. 4595
  • 1871/--/-- fire destroys one-third of the city of chicago. 4596
  • 1871/--/-- american explorer henry morton stanley finds dr. livingston in central africa. 4597
  • 1871/--/-- p.t barnum launches a traveling circus, museum and menagerie. 4598
  • 1872/--/-- the death of kamehameha v ends the kamehameha dynasty of hawaiian kings. 4599
  • 1872/--/-- indian leader kintpuash leaves the modoc reservation; the modoc wars begin. 4600
  • 1872/--/-- the cities of buda and pest unite to form budapest (the capital of hungary from 1918). 4601
  • 1872/--/-- the challenger expedition begins the first systematic oceanographic survey. 4602
  • 1872/--/-- photographer eadweard muybridge begins his series of motion studies. 4603
  • 1872/--/-- american artist james mcneill whistler paints the portrait of the artist's mother. 4604
  • 1872/--/-- monet paints impression: sunrise; the term impressionism is derived from the title. 4605
  • 1872/--/-- the first woman impressionist artist berthe morisot paints the cradle. 4606
  • 1872/--/-- english author george eliot (mary anne evans) publishes middlemarch. 4607
  • 1873/--/-- the pacific scandal in canada causes the collapse of the conservative government. 4608
  • 1873/--/-- the panic of 1873 leads to 5 years of economic depression in the u.s. 4609
  • 1873/--/-- englishman maj. walter clopton wingfield invents lawn tennis. 4610
  • 1873/--/-- french novelist jules verne publishes around the world in eighty days. 4611
  • 1874/--/-- benjamin disraeli becomes the conservative prime minister of britain. 4612
  • 1874/--/-- the comanche, kiowa and other indian tribes attack adobe walls in texas. 4613
  • 1874/--/-- the greenback party advocates currency reform in the u.s. 4614
  • 1874/--/-- french impressionist artist pierre auguste renoir paints la loge (the box). 4615
  • 1874/--/-- the first exhibition of impressionist paintings is held in paris. 4616
  • 1874/--/-- english author thomas hardy publishes far from the madding crowd. 4617
  • 1875/--/-- the bourbon monarchy is restored in spain under alfonso xii. 4618
  • 1875/--/-- britain buys suez canal shares from the bankrupt egyptian leader ismail pasha. 4619
  • 1875/--/-- mary baker eddy, founder of christian science, publishes science and health. 4620
  • 1875/--/-- georges bizet's opera carmen is performed in paris. 4621
  • 1875/--/-- american author mark twain publishes tom sawyer. 4622
  • 1876/--/-- sioux indians defeat general custer at the battle of little bighorn. 4623
  • 1876/--/-- general porfirio diaz seizes power as the dictator of mexico. 4624
  • 1876/--/-- abd al-hamid ii assumes his rule as the last ottoman sultan. 4625
  • 1876/--/-- queen victoria assumes the title of empress of india. 4626
  • 1876/--/-- japan forces korea to open up to foreign trade, countering the influence of china. 4627
  • 1876/--/-- colorado is inaugurated as the 38th state of the union. 4628
  • 1876/--/-- alexander graham bell patents his invention of the telephone. 4629
  • 1876/--/-- german archaeologist heinrich schliemann excavates the ancient city of mycenae. 4630
  • 1876/--/-- the u.s. centennial exposition of 1876 is held in fairmount park, philadelphia. 4631
  • 1876/--/-- johann strauss jr. composes his waltz the beautiful blue danube. 4632
  • 1876/--/-- the bayreuth musical festival opens with a performance of wagner's ring cycle. 4633
  • 1876/--/-- impressionist artist alfred sisley paints flood at the port of marly. 4634
  • 1876/--/-- british philosopher herbert spencer begins publishing the principles of sociology. 4635
  • 1877/--/-- hayes is inaugurated as the 19th u.s. president; wheeler becomes vice-president 4636
  • 1877/--/-- the japanese army suppresses a samurai revolt led by saigo takamori. 4637
  • 1877/--/-- britain annexes transvaal in south africa. 4638
  • 1877/--/-- turkish suppression of balkan nationalists leads to a new russo-turkish war. 4639
  • 1877/--/-- chief joseph leads the nez perce tribe against the u.s. army. 4640
  • 1877/--/-- thomas edison invents the phonograph. 4641
  • 1877/--/-- italian astronomer giovanni schiaparelli observes canali (channels) on mars. 4642
  • 1877/--/-- the all-england lawn tennis championship is played at wimbledon for the first time. 4643
  • 1877/--/-- tchaikovsky's swan lake is performed by the bolshoi ballet in moscow. 4644
  • 1878/--/-- the russo-turkish war ends; the treaty of san stefano is imposed on turkey. 4645
  • 1878/--/-- the congress of berlin reverses russian gains from the san stefano treaty. 4646
  • 1878/--/-- serbia, montenegro and romania are granted independence from turkey. 4647
  • 1878/--/-- turkey's provinces of bosnia and hercegovina are placed under austrian administration. 4648
  • 1878/--/-- the second anglo-afghan war begins. 4649
  • 1878/--/-- ismail pasha presents cleopatra's needles to britain (1878) and the u.s. (1880). 4650
  • 1878/--/-- the d'oyly carte opera company performs gilbert and sullivan's h.m.s. pinafore. 4651
  • 1879/--/-- cetewayo's zulus defeat the british at isandhlwana, but are beaten at ulundi. 4652
  • 1879/--/-- tawfiq pasha succeeds his father ismail pasha as khedive (viceroy) of egypt. 4653
  • 1879/--/-- belgian king leopold ii sponsors henry morton stanley's expedition to the congo. 4654
  • 1879/--/-- charles stewart parnell leads the home rule for ireland party. 4655
  • 1879/--/-- territorial disputes lead to the war of the pacific between chile and peru. 4656
  • 1879/--/-- general roca defeats the patagonian indians, opening the pampas for settlement. 4657
  • 1879/--/-- thomas edison develops the first workable incandescent lamp (light bulb). 4658
  • 1879/--/-- impressionist artist edgar degas paints ballerina posing for a photograph. 4659
  • 1879/--/-- norwegian playwright henrik ibsen writes a doll's house. 4660
  • 1880/--/-- boer (afrikaner) uprisings begin against the british in transvaal, south africa. 4661
  • 1880/--/-- gladstone succeeds disraeli as british prime minister. 4662
  • 1880/--/-- france annexes the pacific island of tahiti. 4663
  • 1880/--/-- australian bushranger ned kelly is hanged for murder. 4664
  • 1880/--/-- american impressionist artist mary cassatt exhibits a woman in black at the opera. 4665
  • 1880/--/-- german composer jacques offenbach writes the opera tales of hoffmann. 4666
  • 1880/--/-- russian composer peter ilich tchaikovsky writes the 1812 overture. 4667
  • 1880/--/-- french novelist emile zola writes nana, a portrait of a prostitute. 4668
  • 1881/--/-- garfield is inaugurated as the 20th u.s. president; arthur becomes vice-president. 4669
  • 1881/--/-- japanese statesman itagaki taisuke founds the jiyuto (liberal party). 4670
  • 1881/--/-- president garfield is assassinated by charles j. guiteau. 4671
  • 1881/--/-- chester a. arthur is inaugurated as the 21st u.s. president. 4672
  • 1881/--/-- alexander ii is assassinated by narodniki revolutionaries in russia. 4673
  • 1881/--/-- the sudanese under mahdi muhammad ahmad overthrow egyptian rule. 4674
  • 1881/--/-- ferdinand de lesseps begins an abortive attempt to build the panama canal. 4675
  • 1881/--/-- the first u.s. tennis championship is held in newport, r.i. 4676
  • 1881/--/-- lillie langtry, mistress of the prince of wales, makes her acting debut. 4677
  • 1882/--/-- a triple alliance is established between austria, italy and germany. 4678
  • 1882/--/-- the british take control of egypt, suppressing uprisings against tawfiq pasha. 4679
  • 1882/--/-- the u.s. begins to restrict immigration with the chinese exclusion acts. 4680
  • 1882/--/-- japanese statesman okuma shigenobu founds the kaishinto, or progressive, party. 4681
  • 1882/--/-- edison's new york plant begins supplying 59 customers with electricity. 4682
  • 1882/--/-- impressionist artist edouard manet completes the bar at the folies-bergere. 4683
  • 1883/--/-- paul kruger becomes president of the boer republic of the transvaal in south africa. 4684
  • 1883/--/-- the fabian society is founded in london to spread socialist ideas. 4685
  • 1883/--/-- the island volcano of krakatoa explodes in indonesia, causing 36,000 deaths. 4686
  • 1883/--/-- the brooklyn bridge is completed in new york. 4687
  • 1883/--/-- the first skyscraper (10 stories) is built in chicago by william lebaron jenney. 4688
  • 1883/--/-- buffalo bill cody organizes his wild west show. 4689
  • 1883/--/-- russian scientist tsiolkovsky proves that a rocket could work in the vacuum of space. 4690
  • 1883/--/-- german philosopher frederich wilhelm nietzsche begins thus spake zarathustra. 4691
  • 1883/--/-- cyrus h. k. curtis publishes the lady's home journal magazine. 4692
  • 1884/--/-- germany occupies south west africa (namibia). 4693
  • 1884/--/-- german east africa is formed from rwanda, mozambique,tanzania and burundi. 4694
  • 1884/--/-- belva lockwood becomes the first woman nominated as a u.s. presidential candidate. 4695
  • 1884/--/-- lewis e. waterman invents the first fountain pen with an ink reservoir. 4696
  • 1884/--/-- american author mark twain publishes the adventures of huckleberry finn. 4697
  • 1885/--/-- cleveland is inaugurated as the 22nd u.s. president; hendricks becomes vice-president. 4698
  • 1885/--/-- general gordon is killed by mahdist forces at the siege of khartoum in sudan. 4699
  • 1885/--/-- the indian national congress movement is founded in bombay. 4700
  • 1885/--/-- the congo free state (zaire) becomes the possession of king leopold ii of belgium. 4701
  • 1885/--/-- french chemist louis pasteur develops a vaccine for rabies. 4702
  • 1885/--/-- gottlieb daimler develops the first motorcycle. 4703
  • 1885/--/-- j. k. stanley introduces his safety cycle, the basic model for the modern bicycle. 4704
  • 1885/--/-- boston symphony orchestra organizes its promenade concerts (the boston pops). 4705
  • 1886/--/-- british prime minister gladstone introduces an unsuccessful home rule bill for ireland. 4706
  • 1886/--/-- britain makes burma a province of india after winning the anglo-burma war. 4707
  • 1886/--/-- the anglo-german agreement recognizes german control over tanganyika (tanzania). 4708
  • 1886/--/-- gold is discovered in transvaal, south africa. 4709
  • 1886/--/-- apache indian chief geronimo surrenders to general nelson miles. 4710
  • 1886/--/-- samuel gompers organizes the american federation of labor. 4711
  • 1886/--/-- jose balmaceda becomes president of chile. 4712
  • 1886/--/-- the statue of liberty is unveiled in new york harbor. 4713
  • 1886/--/-- french sculptor auguste rodin completes the kiss. 4714
  • 1887/--/-- france creates the union of indochina (most of modern day vietnam and kampuchea). 4715
  • 1887/--/-- the michelson-morley experiment confirms the absence of ether. 4716
  • 1887/--/-- arthur conan doyle publishes the first sherlock holmes story. 4717
  • 1888/--/-- william ii succeeds frederick iii as emperor of germany. 4718
  • 1888/--/-- britain unites its caribbean colonies of trinidad and tobago. 4719
  • 1888/--/-- american inventor george eastman introduces the kodak box camera. 4720
  • 1888/--/-- a patent is issued to american inventor john h. loud for the first ball-point pen. 4721
  • 1888/--/-- jack the ripper murders seven women in london. 4722
  • 1888/--/-- russian composer nikolai rimsky-korsakov writes scheherazade. 4723
  • 1888/--/-- dutch artist vincent van gogh paints still life with sunflowers. 4724
  • 1888/--/-- the national geographic magazine is published for the first time. 4725
  • 1889/--/-- benjamin harrison is inaugurated as the 23rd u.s. president. 4726
  • 1889/--/-- crown prince rudolf of austria commits suicide at mayerling. 4727
  • 1889/--/-- german revolutionary rosa luxemburg is exiled in switzerland. 4728
  • 1889/--/-- japan's first prime minister ito hirobumi introduces the meiji constitution. 4729
  • 1889/--/-- north dakota and south dakota are inaugurated as the 39th and 40th states. 4730
  • 1889/--/-- pedro ii emperor of brazil is overthrown in a coup; brazil is declared a republic. 4731
  • 1889/--/-- montana is inaugurated as the 41st state; washington is inaugurated as the 42nd state. 4732
  • 1889/--/-- gustave eiffel designs the eiffel tower for the paris exposition. 4733
  • 1890/--/-- german chancellor otto von bismarck is dismissed by emperor william ii. 4734
  • 1890/--/-- zanzibar becomes a british protectorate. 4735
  • 1890/--/-- sioux indians are massacred at the battle of wounded knee. 4736
  • 1890/--/-- cecil rhodes becomes prime minister of the cape colony in south africa. 4737
  • 1890/--/-- the british south africa company occupies zimbabwe; conflicts begin with the ndebele. 4738
  • 1890/--/-- idaho is inaugurated as the 43rd state; wyoming is inaugurated as the 44th state. 4739
  • 1890/--/-- the forth railway bridge is opened, replacing the brooklyn bridge as the longest span. 4740
  • 1890/--/-- american psychologist william james publishes the principles of psychology. 4741
  • 1890/--/-- claude debussy begins composing suite bergamasque, including clair de lune. 4742
  • 1890/--/-- photographer jacob riis documents new york's poor in how the other half lives. 4743
  • 1890/--/-- dutch artist vincent van gogh commits suicide. 4744
  • 1890/--/-- american naval officer alfred mahan publishes the influence of sea power upon history. 4745
  • 1890/--/-- indian poet rabindranath tagore publishes manasi (the mind's embodiment). 4746
  • 1891/--/-- the american express company introduces the first traveler's checks. 4747
  • 1891/--/-- eugene dubois discovers the first homo erectus remains on java in indonesia. 4748
  • 1891/--/-- james naismith devises the game of basketball in springfield, mass. 4749
  • 1891/--/-- french postimpressionist artist paul gauguin travels to tahiti. 4750
  • 1891/--/-- english novelist thomas hardy writes tess of the d'urbervilles. 4751
  • 1891/--/-- anglo-irish author oscar wilde publishes his only novel the picture of dorian gray. 4752
  • 1892/--/-- writer and political revolutionary jose marti founds the cuban revolutionary party. 4753
  • 1892/--/-- james j. corbett wins the heavyweight boxing championship from john l. sullivan. 4754
  • 1892/--/-- the san francisco examiner begins printing the first newspaper comic strip. 4755
  • 1892/--/-- impressionist artist paul cezanne completes the card players. 4756
  • 1892/--/-- french artist henri de toulouse-lautrec paints at the moulin rouge. 4757
  • 1893/--/-- cleveland is inaugurated as the 24th u.s. president; hendricks becomes vice-president. 4758
  • 1893/--/-- the ivory coast becomes a french colony. 4759
  • 1893/--/-- gladstone's second irish home rule bill is vetoed by the house of lords in britain. 4760
  • 1893/--/-- france adds laos to the union of indochina. 4761
  • 1893/--/-- queen liliuokalani is ousted in hawaii; sanford b. dole, is elected president (1894). 4762
  • 1893/--/-- victor horta's tassel house in brussels initiates the art nouveau architectural style. 4763
  • 1893/--/-- american artist louis comfort tiffany begins producing art nouveau glassware. 4764
  • 1894/--/-- rebellion in korea begins the first sino-japanese war. 4765
  • 1894/--/-- britain establishes a protectorate over buganda and conquers the rest of uganda. 4766
  • 1894/--/-- thousands of armenians are massacred in turkey. 4767
  • 1894/--/-- the arrest of army captain albert dreyfus creates a political crisis in france. 4768
  • 1894/--/-- percival lowell builds an observatory to study the martian canals. 4769
  • 1894/--/-- english artist aubrey beardsley illustrates oscar wilde's salome. 4770
  • 1894/--/-- czech decorative artist alfons mucha designs a poster of sarah bernhardt. 4771
  • 1894/--/-- english author rudyard kipling publishes the jungle book. 4772
  • 1895/--/-- the jameson raid on the boer republic of transvaal increases anti-british hostility. 4773
  • 1895/--/-- russian revolutionary vladimir ilich lenin is exiled to siberia. 4774
  • 1895/--/-- the cuban war of independence begins against spain; jose marti is killed in battle. 4775
  • 1895/--/-- japan defeats china; the shimonoseki treaty establishes korean independence. 4776
  • 1895/--/-- x rays are discovered by german physicist wilhelm c. roentgen. 4777
  • 1895/--/-- the american bowling congress (abc) is founded. 4778
  • 1895/--/-- louis and auguste lumiere show the first motion pictures to a paris cafe audience. 4779
  • 1895/--/-- sir henry irving becomes the first british actor to be knighted. 4780
  • 1895/--/-- anglo-irish playwright oscar wilde writes the importance of being earnest. 4781
  • 1895/--/-- the first list of best-selling books is published by the bookman magazine. 4782
  • 1896/--/-- king menelik ii defeats the italians at adwa, maintaining ethiopian independence. 4783
  • 1896/--/-- utah is inaugurated as the 45th state of the union. 4784
  • 1896/--/-- a tsunami (tidal wave) kills 27,000 people in japan. 4785
  • 1896/--/-- the first modern olympic games are held at athens in greece; 13 countries compete. 4786
  • 1896/--/-- italian composer giacomo puccini writes the opera la boheme. 4787
  • 1896/--/-- john philip sousa composes the stars and stripes forever. 4788
  • 1897/--/-- mckinley is inaugurated as the 25th u.s. president; hobart becomes vice-president. 4789
  • 1897/--/-- theodor herzl organizes the world zionist congress at basel in switzerland. 4790
  • 1897/--/-- british physician havelock ellis begins his studies in the psychology of sex. 4791
  • 1897/--/-- the first subway un the u.s. opens in boston. 4792
  • 1897/--/-- austrian artist gustav klimt helps to found the vienna secession group. 4793
  • 1897/--/-- french primitive artist henri rousseau paints the sleeping gypsy. 4794
  • 1897/--/-- american comic strip the katzenjammer kids is begun by rudolph dirks. 4795
  • 1897/--/-- french dramatist edmond rostand writes cyrano de bergerac. 4796
  • 1897/--/-- stanislavsky founds the moscow art theater and begins the method acting technique. 4797
  • 1897/--/-- russian author anton chekhov writes the play uncle vanya. 4798
  • 1897/--/-- english author rudyard kipling publishes captains courageous. 4799
  • 1898/--/-- william randolph hearst's yellow journalism inflames anti-spanish feelings. 4800
  • 1898/--/-- the u.s. battleship maine explodes in the spanish port of manila in the philippines. 4801
  • 1898/--/-- the spanish-american war begins with a declaration of war by congress. 4802
  • 1898/--/-- commodore dewey destroys the spanish fleet in manila harbor. 4803
  • 1898/--/-- u.s. troops land on cuba; theodore roosevelt's rough riders are in action. 4804
  • 1898/--/-- the u.s. army uses machine guns for the first time in the battle of santiago. 4805
  • 1898/--/-- the spanish fleet is destroyed off cuba; spain sues for peace. 4806
  • 1898/--/-- britain obtains a 99-year lease for hong kong from the chinese. 4807
  • 1898/--/-- the british under kitchener defeat the mahdists at omdurman in sudan. 4808
  • 1898/--/-- spain cedes puerto rico, guam and the philippines to the u.s. in the treaty of paris. 4809
  • 1898/--/-- the fashoda incident leads to a french withdrawal from the sudan. 4810
  • 1898/--/-- the boxer uprising begins in china; empress tz'u-hsi imprisons the emperor. 4811
  • 1898/--/-- anglo-irish playwright george bernard shaw publishes arms and the man. 4812
  • 1898/--/-- english author h. g. wells publishes the war of the worlds. 4813
  • 1899/--/-- the south african war begins between the boers (afrikaners) and the british. 4814
  • 1899/--/-- the british under robert baden-powell are besieged by the boers at mafeking. 4815
  • 1899/--/-- journalist and future statesman winston churchill escapes from boer captivity. 4816
  • 1899/--/-- designer charles rennie mackintosh completes the glasgow school of art. 4817
  • 1899/--/-- american composer scott joplin publishes his maple leaf rag. 4818
  • 1899/--/-- american artist winslow homer paints the gulf stream. 4819
  • 1899/--/-- english composer edward elgar writes the enigma variations. 4820
  • 1899/--/-- u.s. secretary of state john m. hay advocates an open door policy for china. 4821
  • 1900/--/-- chinese nationalists besiege foreigners in peking during the boxer uprising. 4822
  • 1900/--/-- an international force lifts the boxer siege of peking. 4823
  • 1900/--/-- the british defeat the boer (afrikaner) armies in south africa and occupy pretoria. 4824
  • 1900/--/-- the boers begin a guerrilla war against the british occupation forces. 4825
  • 1900/--/-- humbert i is assassinated; he is succeeded by victor emanuel iii as king of italy. 4826
  • 1900/--/-- british politician keir hardie helps to found the labour party. 4827
  • 1900/--/-- hawaii is made a u.s. territory; sanford dole serves as the first governor. 4828
  • 1900/--/-- max planck formulates the quantum theory in physics. 4829
  • 1900/--/-- sir arthur evans begins the excavation of the minoan palace at knossos, crete. 4830
  • 1900/--/-- dutch physiologist willem einthoven invents the electrocardiograph. 4831
  • 1900/--/-- the u.s. wins the first davis cup tennis contest. 4832
  • 1900/--/-- james j. jeffries beats jim corbett to retain the heavyweight boxing title. 4833
  • 1900/--/-- american novelist theodore dreiser publishes his first novel sister carrie. 4834
  • 1900/--/-- italian author gabriele d'annunzio publishes the flame of life. 4835
  • 1900/--/-- psychoanalyst sigmund freud publishes the interpretation of dreams. 4836
  • 1900/--/-- hector guimard uses art nouveau designs for the entrances to the paris metro. 4837
  • 1901/--/-- russia occupies manchuria in north-east china. 4838
  • 1901/--/-- britain incorporates ashanti territory into the gold coast (ghana). 4839
  • 1901/--/-- the commonwealth of australia is founded. 4840
  • 1901/--/-- queen victoria dies; she is succeeded by her son edward vii. 4841
  • 1901/--/-- president mckinley is assassinated by the anarchist leon czolgosz. 4842
  • 1901/--/-- theodore roosevelt is inaugurated as the 26th u.s. president. 4843
  • 1901/--/-- victor l. berger and eugene v. debs help found the american socialist party. 4844
  • 1901/--/-- andrew carnegie sells his company and devotes himself to philanthropy. 4845
  • 1901/--/-- temperance advocate carry nation uses a hatchet to attack a kansas saloon. 4846
  • 1901/--/-- king c. gillette founds the american safety razor company. 4847
  • 1901/--/-- guglielmo marconi tests radio transmissions between england and newfoundland. 4848
  • 1901/--/-- american surgeon walter reed proves that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. 4849
  • 1901/--/-- a 39,000 year-old frozen mammoth is discovered in russia. 4850
  • 1901/--/-- an american league of baseball is formed in competition to the national league. 4851
  • 1901/--/-- the first u.s. national bowling tournament is held. 4852
  • 1901/--/-- spanish painter pablo picasso's blue period begins. 4853
  • 1901/--/-- sergei rachmaninoff writes his second piano concerto. 4854
  • 1901/--/-- sir edward elgar composes the first of his five pomp and circumstance marches. 4855
  • 1901/--/-- english author beatrix potter publishes her children's book the tale of peter rabbit. 4856
  • 1901/--/-- a stele bearing the code of hammurabi is discovered in susa, iran. 4857
  • 1902/--/-- the treaty of vereeniging ends the south african war. 4858
  • 1902/--/-- oliver wendell holmes jr. is appointed to the u.s. supreme court. 4859
  • 1902/--/-- italian opera singer enrico caruso makes his first phonographic recording. 4860
  • 1902/--/-- english author joseph conrad publishes heart of darkness. 4861
  • 1902/--/-- maksim gorky's the lower depths is produced at the moscow art theater. 4862
  • 1902/--/-- the photo-secession group is founded in new york by photographer alfred stieglitz. 4863
  • 1902/--/-- french filmmaker georges melies produces a trip to the moon. 4864
  • 1902/--/-- conan doyle writes the sherlock holmes adventure the hound of the baskervilles. 4865
  • 1902/--/-- american artist robert henri paints the new york street scene west 57th street. 4866
  • 1903/--/-- vladimir ilich lenin organizes the bolshevik revolutionary group. 4867
  • 1903/--/-- panama declares its independence from columbia; the u.s. recognizes the new republic. 4868
  • 1903/--/-- the u.s. acquires perpetual control over the panama canal zone. 4869
  • 1903/--/-- colonel francis younghusband leads a british military expedition into tibet. 4870
  • 1903/--/-- emmeline pankhurst founds the women's social and political union in britain. 4871
  • 1903/--/-- alexander, king of serbia, is assassinated; he is succeeded by peter i. 4872
  • 1903/--/-- the rolls-royce automobile company is founded in britain. 4873
  • 1903/--/-- orville wright makes the first successful flight in a self-propelled airplane. 4874
  • 1903/--/-- marie and pierre curie win the nobel prize for physics for their work on radioactivity. 4875
  • 1903/--/-- the first world series baseball game is played. 4876
  • 1903/--/-- bernard shaw's play man and superman is produced in london. 4877
  • 1903/--/-- american novelist henry james publishes the ambassadors. 4878
  • 1903/--/-- edwin s. porter directs the pioneering western film the great train robbery. 4879
  • 1903/--/-- american author jack london publishes the call of the wild. 4880
  • 1904/--/-- territorial disputes in manchuria begin the russo-japanese war. 4881
  • 1904/--/-- ivan pavlov, discoverer of the conditioned reflex, is awarded the nobel prize. 4882
  • 1904/--/-- italian composer giacomo puccini's opera madame butterfly is produced. 4883
  • 1904/--/-- the abbey theatre is founded in dublin. 4884
  • 1904/--/-- james barrie's play peter pan is produced in london. 4885
  • 1904/--/-- russian author anton chekhov's play the cherry orchard is produced. 4886
  • 1904/--/-- the new york city subway is opened. 4887
  • 1904/--/-- max weber publishes the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism. 4888
  • 1905/--/-- psychologist alfred binet develops intelligence tests for school children. 4889
  • 1905/--/-- the russian fleet is destroyed by the japanese at the battle of tsushima. 4890
  • 1905/--/-- a general strike and revolution begin in russia; nicholas ii grants a constitution. 4891
  • 1905/--/-- the union of norway and sweden is dissolved; haakon vii is elected king of norway. 4892
  • 1905/--/-- chinese revolutionary sun yat-sen founds the t'ung-meng hui (alliance society). 4893
  • 1905/--/-- french territorial ambitions spark the first moroccan crisis. 4894
  • 1905/--/-- roosevelt begins his second term as u.s. president; fairbanks becomes vice-president. 4895
  • 1905/--/-- the sinn fein irish nationalist movement is founded by arthur griffith. 4896
  • 1905/--/-- w.e.b. du bois forms the niagara movement to demand full civil rights for black americans. 4897
  • 1905/--/-- american labor leader eugene v. debs founds the industrial workers of the world. 4898
  • 1905/--/-- ambrose fleming invents the thermionic valve, used to improve radio reception. 4899
  • 1905/--/-- german physicist albert einstein proposes his special theory of relativity. 4900
  • 1905/--/-- the cullinan diamond is found in south africa; it weighs 3,106 carats. 4901
  • 1905/--/-- american humorist and actor will rogers makes his new york city debut. 4902
  • 1905/--/-- ernst ludwig kirchner organizes the expressionist painters group die brucke. 4903
  • 1905/--/-- henri matisse and andre derain form the fauves (wild beasts) art movement. 4904
  • 1905/--/-- german poet rainer maria rilke publishes the book of hours. 4905
  • 1906/--/-- under the platt amendment u.s. troops return to cuba to quell rebellion and restore order. 4906
  • 1906/--/-- the dreyfus affair ends with the pardoning of french army officer alfred dreyfus. 4907
  • 1906/--/-- the aga khan iii forms the all-india moslim league. 4908
  • 1906/--/-- h.m.s. dreadnought, the first modern battleship, is launched. 4909
  • 1906/--/-- the san francisco earthquake kills 700. 4910
  • 1906/--/-- norwegian explorer roald amundsen traverses the northwest passage. 4911
  • 1906/--/-- british author john galsworthy publishes the first novel of the forsythe saga. 4912
  • 1906/--/-- upton sinclair's novel the jungle leads to the u.s. pure foods and drugs act. 4913
  • 1907/--/-- a triple entente is formed between britain, france and russia. 4914
  • 1907/--/-- rasputin gains influence at the court of russian emperor nicholas ii. 4915
  • 1907/--/-- oklahoma is inaugurated as the 46th state of the union. 4916
  • 1907/--/-- the panic of 1907 begins with the collapse of the u.s. stock market. 4917
  • 1907/--/-- lee de forest invents the triode, a key component for amplifying radio signals. 4918
  • 1907/--/-- the first ziegfeld follies are staged in new york city. 4919
  • 1907/--/-- irish playwright j.m. synge writes the playboy of the western world. 4920
  • 1907/--/-- anna pavlova dances the dying swan, choreographed by mikhail fokine. 4921
  • 1908/--/-- king leopold ii of the belgians establishes the independent state of congo in africa. 4922
  • 1908/--/-- austria-hungary annexes bosnia and hercegovina. 4923
  • 1908/--/-- the young turk revolution in turkey leads to political reform. 4924
  • 1908/--/-- liberal leader herbert asquith becomes prime minister of britain. 4925
  • 1908/--/-- an earthquake at messina in italy kills 80,000. 4926
  • 1908/--/-- the tunguska fireball explodes in siberia with the force of a modern h-bomb. 4927
  • 1908/--/-- the ford motor company produces the first model t automobile. 4928
  • 1908/--/-- automaker william durant founds the general motors company. 4929
  • 1908/--/-- british soldier robert baden-powell founds the boy scout movement. 4930
  • 1908/--/-- mary baker eddy establishes the christian science monitor. 4931
  • 1908/--/-- the national association for the advancement of colored people (naacp) is founded. 4932
  • 1908/--/-- jack johnson becomes the first black heavyweight boxing champion. 4933
  • 1908/--/-- filmmakers charles pathe and leon gaumont produce the first newsreel. 4934
  • 1908/--/-- pablo picasso and georges braque cofound the cubism art movement. 4935
  • 1908/--/-- the ashcan school of painters exhibit in new york city. 4936
  • 1908/--/-- austrian artist gustav klimt paints the kiss. 4937
  • 1908/--/-- kenneth grahame publishes his children's story the wind in the willows. 4938
  • 1909/--/-- taft is inaugurated as the 27th u.s. president; sherman becomes vice-president. 4939
  • 1909/--/-- american explorer robert e. peary reaches the north pole. 4940
  • 1909/--/-- french aviator louis bleriot makes the first flight across the english channel. 4941
  • 1909/--/-- russian impresario serge diaghilev presents the ballet russe in paris. 4942
  • 1909/--/-- american writer gertrude stein publishes three lives. 4943
  • 1909/--/-- american architect frank lloyd wright builds the robie house in chicago. 4944
  • 1909/--/-- american artist george bellows paints the prize fight scene stag at sharkey's. 4945
  • 1909/--/-- american poet william carlos williams publishes poems, his first book. 4946
  • 1910/--/-- japanese forces annex korea. 4947
  • 1910/--/-- the union of south africa is formed; louis botha becomes the first prime minister. 4948
  • 1910/--/-- france groups four african territories together as french equatorial africa. 4949
  • 1910/--/-- madero, villa and zapata lead a revolution against mexican dictator porfirio diaz. 4950
  • 1910/--/-- george v succeeds his father edward vii as king of great britain and ireland. 4951
  • 1910/--/-- british politician winston churchill is appointed first lord of the admiralty. 4952
  • 1910/--/-- german bacteriologist paul ehrlich synthesizes salversan, a cure for syphilis. 4953
  • 1910/--/-- the art deco architectural and decorative arts style begins to become popular. 4954
  • 1910/--/-- french sculptor auguste rodin casts the bronze figure the thinker. 4955
  • 1910/--/-- russian-born artist wassily kandinsky executes his first abstract painting. 4956
  • 1910/--/-- french primitive artist henri rousseau paints the dream. 4957
  • 1910/--/-- italian artists led by umberto boccioni found the futurism movement. 4958
  • 1910/--/-- british author arnold bennett publishes clayhanger. 4959
  • 1911/--/-- the ch'ing dynasty is deposed in china; a republic is formed under sun yat-sen. 4960
  • 1911/--/-- tibet declares its independence from china. 4961
  • 1911/--/-- italy's attempts to annex cyrenaica and tripolitania leads to the italo-turkish war. 4962
  • 1911/--/-- mexican dictator porfirio diaz is overthrown; francisco madero becomes president. 4963
  • 1911/--/-- norwegian explorer roald amundsen reaches the south pole ahead of robert scott. 4964
  • 1911/--/-- sir ernest rutherford formulates his theory of atomic structure. 4965
  • 1911/--/-- hans geiger invents an electrical device to count individual alpha particles. 4966
  • 1911/--/-- willis carrier designs the first practical air conditioning system. 4967
  • 1911/--/-- elmer a. sperry designs the first american gyrocompass. 4968
  • 1911/--/-- american aviator glen curtiss flies the first successful seaplane. 4969
  • 1911/--/-- the first film studio is established at hollywood in california. 4970
  • 1911/--/-- american songwriter irving berlin publishes alexander's ragtime band. 4971
  • 1911/--/-- richard strauss' opera der rosenkavalier is performed for the first time. 4972
  • 1911/--/-- english author g.k. chesterton publishes the first father brown story. 4973
  • 1911/--/-- russian artist marc chagall paints i and my village. 4974
  • 1911/--/-- american novelist edith wharton publishes ethan frome. 4975
  • 1911/--/-- german-american anthropologist franz boas publishes the mind of primitive man. 4976
  • 1912/--/-- the balkan league begins the first balkan war against the ottoman empire. 4977
  • 1912/--/-- morocco is divided between france and spain after the second moroccan crisis. 4978
  • 1912/--/-- new mexico is inaugurated as the 47th state; arizona is inaugurated as the 48th state. 4979
  • 1912/--/-- theodore roosevelt campaigns for the u.s. presidency under the bull moose ticket. 4980
  • 1912/--/-- british explorers under scott reach the south pole but die during their return. 4981
  • 1912/--/-- the liner titanic sinks after colliding with an iceberg on her maiden voyage. 4982
  • 1912/--/-- german geophysicist alfred wegener formulates his continental drift hypothesis. 4983
  • 1912/--/-- piltdown man is discovered in britain, beginning an elaborate scientific hoax. 4984
  • 1912/--/-- austrian psychologist alfred adler publishes the neurotic constitution. 4985
  • 1912/--/-- american indian jim thorpe wins the olympic decathlon and pentathlon. 4986
  • 1912/--/-- russian dancer vaslav nijinsky choreographs and dances in the afternoon of the faun. 4987
  • 1912/--/-- american writer willa cather publishes her first novel alexander's bridge. 4988
  • 1912/--/-- french dada artist marcel duchamp paints nude descending a staircase. 4989
  • 1912/--/-- american author edgar rice burroughs publishes tarzan of the apes. 4990
  • 1913/--/-- wilson is inaugurated as the 28th u.s. president; marshall becomes vice-president. 4991
  • 1913/--/-- king george i of greece is assassinated; he is succeeded by constantine i 4992
  • 1913/--/-- russian revolutionary joseph stalin is exiled to siberia by the tsarist government. 4993
  • 1913/--/-- the island of crete is united with greece. 4994
  • 1913/--/-- the second balkan war begins with a bulgarian attack on serbia. 4995
  • 1913/--/-- victoriano huerta leads a military coup in mexico; president francisco madero is killed. 4996
  • 1913/--/-- medical missionary albert schweitzer builds a hospital at lambarene in africa. 4997
  • 1913/--/-- federal income tax is introduced in the u.s. 4998
  • 1913/--/-- bertrand russell and a.e. whitehead publish principia mathematica. 4999
  • 1913/--/-- danish physicist niels bohr publishes his atomic theory. 5000
  • 1913/--/-- socialists sidney and beatrice webb found the political journal the new statesman. 5001
  • 1913/--/-- samuel goldwyn founds his first movie company with jesse lasky and cecil b. de mille. 5002
  • 1913/--/-- igor stravinsky's ballet the rite of spring causes a scandal at the paris premiere. 5003
  • 1913/--/-- the constructivism art movement begins in russia. 5004
  • 1913/--/-- english novelist d.h. lawrence publishes sons and lovers. 5005
  • 1913/--/-- marcel proust writes the first volume of remembrance of things past. 5006
  • 1913/--/-- indian poet rabindranath tagore wins the nobel prize for literature. 5007
  • 1913/--/-- american poet robert frost publishes a boy's will. 5008
  • 1914/--/-- archduke franz ferdinand is assassinated in sarajevo, precipitating world war i. 5009
  • 1914/--/-- france, russia and britain (the allies) are at war with germany and austria-hungary. 5010
  • 1914/--/-- president wilson declares u.s. neutrality in world war i. 5011
  • 1914/--/-- german forces invade belgium and france but are halted at the marne. 5012
  • 1914/--/-- russian forces invade east prussia but are defeated at the battle of tannenberg. 5013
  • 1914/--/-- austrian forces invade serbia but are repulsed with heavy losses. 5014
  • 1914/--/-- a german fleet defeats the british at coronel but is decimated at the falklands. 5015
  • 1914/--/-- german submarines begin to exact a heavy toll on allied shipping. 5016
  • 1914/--/-- turkey declares war on the allies; britain annexes turkish cyprus. 5017
  • 1914/--/-- japan joins the allies and captures the german base of tsingtao in china. 5018
  • 1914/--/-- u.s. marines land at veracruz in mexico; president huerta resigns. 5019
  • 1914/--/-- the panama canal is completed, connecting the atlantic and pacific oceans. 5020
  • 1914/--/-- mack sennett produces comedy films starring the keystone kops. 5021
  • 1914/--/-- charlie chaplin develops his little tramp character in a series of slapstick films. 5022
  • 1914/--/-- parisian couturier coco chanel begins designing clothes. 5023
  • 1914/--/-- a british expedition led by ernest shackleton is marooned in the antarctic. 5024
  • 1914/--/-- george bernard shaw's play pygmallion is performed for the first time. 5025
  • 1914/--/-- black composer w.c. handy writes the st. louis blues. 5026
  • 1915/--/-- president wilson recognizes the mexican government of venustiano carranza. 5027
  • 1915/--/-- emiliano zapata and pancho villa lead rebellions against venustiano carranza in mexico. 5028
  • 1915/--/-- u.s. marines land in haiti, beginning a 20-year period of military occupation. 5029
  • 1915/--/-- german zeppelin airships begin bombing attacks on britain. 5030
  • 1915/--/-- the germans use poison gas for the first time at ypres on the western front. 5031
  • 1915/--/-- anglo-french forces land at gallipoli in an attempt to force turkey out of the war. 5032
  • 1915/--/-- the anzacs (australian and new zealand army corps) fight at gallipoli. 5033
  • 1915/--/-- italy joins the allies and invades austrian territory. 5034
  • 1915/--/-- a german submarine torpedoes the british liner lusitania; 124 americans are killed. 5035
  • 1915/--/-- serbia is overrun by the combined forces of austria, germany and bulgaria. 5036
  • 1915/--/-- albert einstein formulates his general theory of relativity. 5037
  • 1915/--/-- d. w. griffith's movie the birth of a nation is shown for the first time. 5038
  • 1915/--/-- the dada art and literary movement is formed. 5039
  • 1915/--/-- english author somerset maugham publishes of human bondage. 5040
  • 1915/--/-- austrian writer franz kafka publishes the metamorphosis. 5041
  • 1915/--/-- war poet rupert brooke's 1914 and other poems is published in the year he dies. 5042
  • 1916/--/-- allied forces withdraw from gallipoli after strong turkish opposition. 5043
  • 1916/--/-- german assaults at verdun are repulsed by the french with great loss of life. 5044
  • 1916/--/-- british forces assault the german line at the somme; tanks are used for the first time. 5045
  • 1916/--/-- the russian brusilov offensive meets with success on the eastern front. 5046
  • 1916/--/-- the british and german fleets clash at the battle of jutland. 5047
  • 1916/--/-- the easter rising in dublin is suppressed within a week by the british. 5048
  • 1916/--/-- u.s. troops under pershing invade mexico in retaliation for raids by pancho villa. 5049
  • 1916/--/-- u.s. marines land in santo domingo to quell unrest; the occupation lasts until 1924. 5050
  • 1916/--/-- lloyd george becomes prime minister of britain's wartime coalition government. 5051
  • 1916/--/-- margaret sanger is arrested for opening a birth-control clinic in brooklyn. 5052
  • 1916/--/-- jeannette rankin becomes the first female member of u.s. house of representatives. 5053
  • 1916/--/-- the trans-siberian railway is completed -- the longest continuous rail line in the world. 5054
  • 1916/--/-- north sea storms flood lowlands in the netherlands, 10,000 lives are lost. 5055
  • 1916/--/-- james joyce publishes a portrait of the artist as a young man. 5056
  • 1916/--/-- american poet carl sandburg publishes his first book chicago poems. 5057
  • 1917/--/-- germany announces the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare. 5058
  • 1917/--/-- the russian revolution begins; emperor nicholas ii abdicates. 5059
  • 1917/--/-- the germans help lenin return to russia from exile in switzerland. 5060
  • 1917/--/-- the provisional kerensky government is deposed; bolsheviks seize power in russia. 5061
  • 1917/--/-- the germans and the bolshevik leaders sign an armistice at brest-litovsk. 5062
  • 1917/--/-- the zimmermann note proposing a secret mexican alliance with germany is revealed. 5063
  • 1917/--/-- the united states declares war on germany. 5064
  • 1917/--/-- adoption of the convoy system reduces allied losses to german submarines. 5065
  • 1917/--/-- the disastrous nivelle offensive leads to mutinies in the french army. 5066
  • 1917/--/-- british forces attack the germans in the third battle of ypres. 5067
  • 1917/--/-- italian forces are defeated by austria at the battle of caporetto. 5068
  • 1917/--/-- t.e. lawrence (lawrence of arabia) leads the arab revolt against the turks. 5069
  • 1917/--/-- british forces under allenby capture jerusalem and bagdhad from the turks. 5070
  • 1917/--/-- the balfour declaration endorses a jewish national homeland in palestine. 5071
  • 1917/--/-- the u.s. purchases the virgin islands from denmark. 5072
  • 1917/--/-- the jones act gives all puerto ricans the right to u.s. citizenship. 5073
  • 1917/--/-- astrophysicist karl schwarzschild develops the black hole theory. 5074
  • 1917/--/-- swiss psychiatrist carl jung publishes the psychology of the unconscious. 5075
  • 1917/--/-- art critic and writer guillaume apollinaire coins the term surrealism. 5076
  • 1917/--/-- dutch artists theo van doesburg and piet mondrian found the magazine de stijl. 5077
  • 1917/--/-- the earliest jazz recordings are made in new york city. 5078
  • 1917/--/-- english composer gustav holst completes the planets. 5079
  • 1917/--/-- the first pulitzer prizes are awarded for journalism, letters and music. 5080
  • 1917/--/-- anglo-american poet t.s. eliot publishes the love song of j. alfred prufrock. 5081
  • 1917/--/-- english humorist p.g. wodehouse creates bertie wooster and his butler jeeves. 5082
  • 1918/--/-- german air ace manfred von richthofen (the red baron) is shot down and killed. 5083
  • 1918/--/-- the germans renew their assault on the western front in the ludendorff offensive. 5084
  • 1918/--/-- american forcesunder pershing help to stem the german offensive. 5085
  • 1918/--/-- advances by french, british and american armies force a general german retreat. 5086
  • 1918/--/-- revolution breaks out in germany; emperor william ii flees to the netherlands. 5087
  • 1918/--/-- the weimar republic negotiates an armistice for germany, ending world war i. 5088
  • 1918/--/-- nicholas ii, the last emperor of russia, and his family are executed by the bolsheviks. 5089
  • 1918/--/-- bolshevik leader leon trotsky organizes the red army. 5090
  • 1918/--/-- civil war breaks out between the red and white russian armies. 5091
  • 1918/--/-- austria, poland and czechoslovakia become republics in the aftermath of world war i. 5092
  • 1918/--/-- an influenza pandemic begins (it kills 21-22 million in 2 years). 5093
  • 1918/--/-- women over 30 win the vote in britain. 5094
  • 1918/--/-- the world's largest telescope is installed at mount wilson observatory. 5095
  • 1918/--/-- american astronomer harlow shapley discovers the dimensions of the milky way. 5096
  • 1918/--/-- an airmail service begins among new york, philadelphia and washington, d.c. 5097
  • 1918/--/-- french composer erik satie writes socrate. 5098
  • 1918/--/-- american author booth tarkington writes the magnificent ambersons. 5099
  • 1918/--/-- bloomsbury group member lytton strachey publishes eminent victorians. 5100
  • 1919/--/-- the paris peace conference opens at versailles. 5101
  • 1919/--/-- the league of nations is formed with geneva in switzerland as its headquarters. 5102
  • 1919/--/-- british troops massacre demonstrators at amritsar in india. 5103
  • 1919/--/-- the polish-soviet war begins over territorial disputes. 5104
  • 1919/--/-- italian leader benito mussolini organizes his fascist movement. 5105
  • 1919/--/-- german communist rosa luxemburg is murdered after the sparticus uprising. 5106
  • 1919/--/-- mexican revolutionary emiliano zapata is killed. 5107
  • 1919/--/-- jan smuts succeeds louis botha as prime minister of south africa. 5108
  • 1919/--/-- the german fleet is scuttled at scapa flow in the orkney islands. 5109
  • 1919/--/-- lady astor becomes the first woman member of the british house of commons. 5110
  • 1919/--/-- russian-american anarchist emma goldman is deported to the soviet union. 5111
  • 1919/--/-- english aviators alcock and brown make the first nonstop transatlantic flight. 5112
  • 1919/--/-- the radio corporation of america (rca) is formed. 5113
  • 1919/--/-- boxer jack dempsey knocks out jess willard to become heavyweight champion. 5114
  • 1919/--/-- the chicago white sox conspire to fix the baseball world series. 5115
  • 1919/--/-- french tennis star suzanne lenglen wins the wimbledon tournament for the first time. 5116
  • 1919/--/-- george gershwin composes his first hit song swanee. 5117
  • 1919/--/-- the bauhaus school of design is founded in germany by walter gropius. 5118
  • 1920/--/-- the russian civil war ends with victory for the bolsheviks. 5119
  • 1920/--/-- a home rule bill establishes parliaments for northern and southern ireland. 5120
  • 1920/--/-- mexican president venustiano carranza is deposed and killed by alvaro obregon. 5121
  • 1920/--/-- arturo alessandri becomes president of chile. 5122
  • 1920/--/-- adolf hitler forms the national socialist german workers' (nazi) party. 5123
  • 1920/--/-- german east africa is transferred to british control as tanganyika (now tanzania). 5124
  • 1920/--/-- british east africa becomes a crown colony as kenya. 5125
  • 1920/--/-- admiral miklos horthy is appointed regent of hungary. 5126
  • 1920/--/-- mahatma gandhi begins a noncooperation campaign against british rule in india. 5127
  • 1920/--/-- chaim weizmann is named president of the world zionist organization. 5128
  • 1920/--/-- the u.s. senate votes against joining the league of nations. 5129
  • 1920/--/-- the 18th amendment institutes the prohibition of alcohol throughout the u.s. 5130
  • 1920/--/-- the 19th amendment to the u.s. constitution gives women the right to vote. 5131
  • 1920/--/-- american tennis star bill tilden wins the wimbledon tournament for the first time. 5132
  • 1920/--/-- french art deco glassmaker rene lalique opens a glass factory. 5133
  • 1920/--/-- russian artist aleksandr rodchenko designs the first mobile. 5134
  • 1920/--/-- dutch artist piet mondrian paints the composition with red, yellow and blue. 5135
  • 1920/--/-- mystery writer agatha christie publishes her first hercule poirot story. 5136
  • 1920/--/-- american novelist sinclair lewis publishes main street. 5137
  • 1921/--/-- harding is inaugurated as the 29th u.s. president; coolidge becomes vice-president. 5138
  • 1921/--/-- the reparations commission fixes germany's liability at 132 billion gold marks. 5139
  • 1921/--/-- japanese premier hara takashi is assassinated. 5140
  • 1921/--/-- the irish free state becomes a self-governing dominion of britain. 5141
  • 1921/--/-- berber tribes under abd el-krim attack garrisons in spanish morocco. 5142
  • 1921/--/-- alexander rules the new kingdom of serbs, croats and slovenes. 5143
  • 1921/--/-- w. l. mackenzie king is elected prime minister of canada for the first time. 5144
  • 1921/--/-- american anarchists nicola sacco and bartolomeo vanzetti are found guilty of murder. 5145
  • 1921/--/-- the british broadcasting corporation (bbc) is created by royal charter. 5146
  • 1921/--/-- latin lover rudolph valentino stars in the silent film the sheik. 5147
  • 1921/--/-- german surrealist artist max ernst paints l'elephant celebes. 5148
  • 1921/--/-- mexican artist diego rivera begins painting murals depicting contemporary mexican life. 5149
  • 1921/--/-- french cubist artist fernand leger paints three women. 5150
  • 1921/--/-- luigi pirandello's play six characters in search of an author is produced. 5151
  • 1922/--/-- egypt achieves independence from britain and becomes a monarchy under fuad i. 5152
  • 1922/--/-- mahatma gandhi is imprisoned for civil disobedience in india. 5153
  • 1922/--/-- the fascists march on rome; king victor emmanuel iii names mussolini prime minister. 5154
  • 1922/--/-- kemal ataturk's attempts to restore turkish territory leads to the chanak crisis. 5155
  • 1922/--/-- constantine i abdicates as king of greece; is succeeded by george ii. 5156
  • 1922/--/-- irish revolutionary statesman michael collins is assassinated. 5157
  • 1922/--/-- william t. cosgrave becomes the first prime minister of the irish free state. 5158
  • 1922/--/-- explorer roy chapman andrews discovers the first fossil dinosaur eggs in the gobi desert. 5159
  • 1922/--/-- english egyptologist howard carter excavates tutankhamen's tomb. 5160
  • 1922/--/-- english composer william walton composes facade. 5161
  • 1922/--/-- robert flaherty produces the first major film documentary nanook of the north. 5162
  • 1922/--/-- emily post publishes etiquette in society, in business, in politics, and at home. 5163
  • 1922/--/-- anglo-american poet t.s. eliot writes the waste land. 5164
  • 1922/--/-- dewitt wallace launches reader's digest magazine. 5165
  • 1922/--/-- irish poet and novelist james joyce publishes ulysses. 5166
  • 1923/--/-- general miguel primo de rivera rules as dictator of spain. 5167
  • 1923/--/-- warren g. harding dies; calvin coolidge is inaugurated as the 30th u.s. president. 5168
  • 1923/--/-- french and belgian troops occupy the ruhr to enforce german war reparations. 5169
  • 1923/--/-- the treaty of lausanne establishes the boundaries of modern turkey. 5170
  • 1923/--/-- turkey is declared a republic; ataturk kemal becomes the first president. 5171
  • 1923/--/-- stanley baldwin becomes conservative prime minister of britain for the first time. 5172
  • 1923/--/-- adolf hitler's coup d'etat in munich fails; he is captured and imprisoned. 5173
  • 1923/--/-- tokyo and yokohama are destroyed by an earthquake; 100,000 are killed. 5174
  • 1923/--/-- aircraft designer willy messerschmitt opens a factory in germany. 5175
  • 1923/--/-- physicist hermann oberth publishes the rocket into planetary space. 5176
  • 1923/--/-- vladimir zworykin patents the iconoscope, the first television transmission tube. 5177
  • 1923/--/-- spanish engineer juan de la cierva invents the autogiro. 5178
  • 1923/--/-- child violinist yehudi menuhin makes his public debut at age 7. 5179
  • 1923/--/-- "king" oliver's creole jazz band is the first black band to be recorded. 5180
  • 1923/--/-- filmmaker cecil b. de mille directs the biblical epic the ten commandments. 5181
  • 1923/--/-- jewish philosopher martin buber publishes ich und du (i and thou). 5182
  • 1923/--/-- briton hadden and henry r. luce found the weekly newsmagazine time. 5183
  • 1923/--/-- irish poet william butler yeats wins the nobel prize for literature. 5184
  • 1923/--/-- american poet e. e. cummings writes the novel the enormous room. 5185
  • 1924/--/-- ramsay macdonald forms the first labour government in britain. 5186
  • 1924/--/-- soviet leader lenin dies; new leader joseph stalin begins a purge of his opponents. 5187
  • 1924/--/-- the military declare a republic in greece; king george ii is exiled. 5188
  • 1924/--/-- arab leader ibn saud drives the hashimites from mecca. 5189
  • 1924/--/-- adolf hitler publishes his nazi political tract mein kampf (my battle). 5190
  • 1924/--/-- j. edgar hoover is appointed director of the bureau of investigation (renamed the fbi). 5191
  • 1924/--/-- u.s. congress investigates suspicious dealings in the teapot dome scandal. 5192
  • 1924/--/-- french physicist louis de broglie proposes the wavelength nature of particles. 5193
  • 1924/--/-- the boston bruins become the first professional ice hockey team. 5194
  • 1924/--/-- german novelist thomas mann publishes the magic mountain. 5195
  • 1924/--/-- english novelist e.m. forster publishes a passage to india. 5196
  • 1925/--/-- friedrich ebert dies; paul von hindenburg becomes president of the german republic. 5197
  • 1925/--/-- the locarno pact finalizes the treaties between the world war i protagonists. 5198
  • 1925/--/-- reza shah pahlavi rules as shah of iran. 5199
  • 1925/--/-- ahmed zogu proclaims albania a monarchy and rules as king zog. 5200
  • 1925/--/-- john t. scopes is tried in tennessee for teaching the theory of evolution. 5201
  • 1925/--/-- automaker walter p. chrysler founds the chrysler corporation. 5202
  • 1925/--/-- astronomer edwin hubble composes a classification scheme for galaxies. 5203
  • 1925/--/-- clarence birdseye begins marketing his quick-frozen food packages. 5204
  • 1925/--/-- russian filmmaker sergei eisenstein directs the battleship potemkin. 5205
  • 1925/--/-- the all-black revue runnin' wild introduces the charleston dance craze. 5206
  • 1925/--/-- black american dancer josephine baker stars in la revue negre in paris. 5207
  • 1925/--/-- swiss-born artist paul klee paints fish magic. 5208
  • 1925/--/-- american writer john dos passos publishes manhattan transfer. 5209
  • 1925/--/-- the new yorker magazine is founded in new york city. 5210
  • 1925/--/-- american writer f. scott fitzgerald publishes the great gatsby. 5211
  • 1926/--/-- the general strike breaks out in britain involving 3 million workers. 5212
  • 1926/--/-- germany is admitted to the league of nations. 5213
  • 1926/--/-- french troops in morocco subdue a tribal rebellion led by abd el-krim. 5214
  • 1926/--/-- u.s. marines land in nicaragua to suppress a revolution (they depart in 1933). 5215
  • 1926/--/-- eamon de valera organizes the fianna fail party in the republic of ireland. 5216
  • 1926/--/-- antonio oscar de fragoso carmona becomes president after a military coup in portugal. 5217
  • 1926/--/-- hirohito becomes emperor of japan. 5218
  • 1926/--/-- chiang kai-shek organizes the northern expedition to unite china. 5219
  • 1926/--/-- american physicist robert goddard launches the first liquid-propellant rocket. 5220
  • 1926/--/-- richard e. byrd and floyd bennett make the first airplane flight over the north pole. 5221
  • 1926/--/-- nobile, amundsen and ellsworth pilot the airship norge over the north pole. 5222
  • 1926/--/-- american golfer bobby jones wins the u.s. open and the british open tournaments. 5223
  • 1926/--/-- the harlem globetrotters basketball team is organized in chicago. 5224
  • 1926/--/-- russian composer dmitry shostakovich premiers his first symphony. 5225
  • 1926/--/-- american artist georgia o'keeffe paints her flower portrait black iris. 5226
  • 1926/--/-- english author a.a. milne writes the children's book winnie-the-pooh. 5227
  • 1927/--/-- the iron guard fascist organization is founded in romania. 5228
  • 1927/--/-- charles lindbergh flies solo nonstop from new york to paris in 33.5 hours. 5229
  • 1927/--/-- georges lemaitre proposes an expanding model for the creation of the universe. 5230
  • 1927/--/-- duke ellington's jazz band stars at harlem's cotton club in new york city. 5231
  • 1927/--/-- baseball player babe ruth scores a record 60 home runs for the new york yankees. 5232
  • 1927/--/-- helen newington wills wins the wimbledon tennis championship. 5233
  • 1927/--/-- english novelist virginia woolf writes to the lighthouse. 5234
  • 1927/--/-- finnish architect alvar aalto designs the turun sanomat newspaper building. 5235
  • 1927/--/-- dancer martha graham opens her first dance studio in new york city. 5236
  • 1927/--/-- american dancer isadora duncan is killed in a tragic car accident. 5237
  • 1927/--/-- blackface singer al jolson appears in the first sound motion picture the jazz singer. 5238
  • 1927/--/-- german filmmaker fritz lang directs the futuristic film metropolis. 5239
  • 1927/--/-- comedy team laurel and hardy appear in their first film putting pants on philip. 5240
  • 1927/--/-- american writer thornton wilder publishes the bridge of san luis rey. 5241
  • 1927/--/-- german-swiss author hermann hesse publishes steppenwolf. 5242
  • 1928/--/-- the kellog-briand pact outlawing war is signed by 15 nations. 5243
  • 1928/--/-- british bacteriologist alexander fleming discovers penicillin. 5244
  • 1928/--/-- english physicist paul dirac formulates a mathematical description of elementary particles. 5245
  • 1928/--/-- the first five-year plan for economic reform begins in the soviet union. 5246
  • 1928/--/-- arturo toscanini is made conductor of the new york philharmonic. 5247
  • 1928/--/-- walt disney's mickey mouse appears in steamboat willie, the first sound cartoon. 5248
  • 1928/--/-- american anthropologist margaret mead publishes coming of age in samoa. 5249
  • 1928/--/-- chiang kai-shek captures peking; the kuomintang government is established. 5250
  • 1928/--/-- the chaco war breaks out between bolivia and paraguay over territorial disputes. 5251
  • 1928/--/-- ben hecht and charles macarthur's play the front page is produced. 5252
  • 1928/--/-- american composer virgil thomson writes the opera four saints in three acts. 5253
  • 1928/--/-- french composer maurice ravel composes the ballet bolero. 5254
  • 1928/--/-- spanish poet federico garcia lorca publishes gypsy ballads. 5255
  • 1928/--/-- luis bunuel and salvador dali collaborate on the surrealist film un chien andalou. 5256
  • 1928/--/-- bertolt brecht and kurt weill collaborate on the play the threepenny opera. 5257
  • 1928/--/-- english novelist evelyn waugh publishes decline and fall. 5258
  • 1928/--/-- amelia earhart becomes the first woman to fly across the atlantic. 5259
  • 1928/--/-- american comedy team amos 'n' andy produce their first radio show. 5260
  • 1929/--/-- hoover is inaugurated as the 31st u.s. president; curtis becomes vice-president. 5261
  • 1929/--/-- soviet leader joseph stalin exiles leon trotsky. 5262
  • 1929/--/-- the lateran treaty creates the independent state of the vatican city. 5263
  • 1929/--/-- heinrich himmler is appointed head of the ss, hitler's blackshirted elite guard. 5264
  • 1929/--/-- jews and arabs clash at the wailing wall in jerusalem. 5265
  • 1929/--/-- alexander institutes absolute rule as king of yugoslavia. 5266
  • 1929/--/-- the workers party of america is renamed the communist party of the united states. 5267
  • 1929/--/-- the wall street crash leads to a world-wide economic depression. 5268
  • 1929/--/-- american explorer richard e. byrd flies over the south pole. 5269
  • 1929/--/-- seven chicago gangsters are machine-gunned in the st. valentine's day massacre. 5270
  • 1929/--/-- the museum of modern art (moma) is founded in new york city. 5271
  • 1929/--/-- the first academy awards are presented; wings wins best-picture prize. 5272
  • 1929/--/-- erich maria remarque publishes his war novel all quiet on the western front. 5273
  • 1929/--/-- british poet robert graves publishes his war memoir goodbye to all that. 5274
  • 1929/--/-- american novelist william faulkner publishes the sound and the fury. 5275
  • 1929/--/-- ernest hemingway writes the war novel a farewell to arms. 5276
  • 1929/--/-- french artist and writer jean cocteau publishes les enfants terribles. 5277
  • 1930/--/-- the city of constantinople is re-named istanbul. 5278
  • 1930/--/-- haile selassie is declared emperor of ethiopia. 5279
  • 1930/--/-- getulio vargas is appointed president of brazil after a military coup. 5280
  • 1930/--/-- carol ii is proclaimed king of romania. 5281
  • 1930/--/-- american astronomer clyde w. tombaugh discovers the planet pluto. 5282
  • 1930/--/-- the british airship r101 crashes in france. 5283
  • 1930/--/-- vannevar bush develops a differential analyzer, an early type of analog computer. 5284
  • 1930/--/-- british engineer frank whittle patents a gas turbine engine for jet aircraft. 5285
  • 1930/--/-- artist grant wood paints american gothic. 5286
  • 1930/--/-- american artist edward hopper paints early sunday morning. 5287
  • 1930/--/-- marlene dietrich stars in josef von sternberg's film the blue angel. 5288
  • 1930/--/-- noel coward's play private lives is produced in london. 5289
  • 1930/--/-- american poet hart crane publishes the bridge. 5290
  • 1930/--/-- dashiell hammett publishes the detective novel the maltese falcon. 5291
  • 1930/--/-- english-born american writer w. h. auden publishes his poems. 5292
  • 1931/--/-- japanese forces occupy manchuria. 5293
  • 1931/--/-- spain is declared a republic; king alfonso xiii abdicates. 5294
  • 1931/--/-- chicago gangster al capone is jailed for income tax evasion. 5295
  • 1931/--/-- the empire state building becomes the tallest building in the world. 5296
  • 1931/--/-- the star-spangled banner becomes the u.s. national anthem. 5297
  • 1931/--/-- auguste piccard makes the first manned balloon flight into the stratosphere. 5298
  • 1931/--/-- explorer george hubert wilkins makes a submarine voyage under the arctic ice. 5299
  • 1931/--/-- radio astronomy begins when karl jansky detects radio waves from space. 5300
  • 1931/--/-- organic chemist w. h. carothers invents nylon, the first successful synthetic fiber. 5301
  • 1931/--/-- ben shahn begins a series of paintings inspired by the sacco-vanzetti case. 5302
  • 1931/--/-- american journalist and writer damon runyon publishes guys and dolls. 5303
  • 1931/--/-- american cartoonist chester gould creates the adventure comic strip dick tracy. 5304
  • 1931/--/-- american writer pearl buck publishes the good earth. 5305
  • 1932/--/-- presidential nominee franklin d. roosevelt pledges a new deal. 5306
  • 1932/--/-- antonio de oliveira salazar assumes dictatorial powers as premier of portugal. 5307
  • 1932/--/-- sir oswald mosley founds the british union of fascists. 5308
  • 1932/--/-- eamon de valera is elected president of the republic of ireland. 5309
  • 1932/--/-- arab leader ibn saud founds the kingdom of saudi arabia. 5310
  • 1932/--/-- revolution in siam (thailand) replaces the monarchy with a constitutional government. 5311
  • 1932/--/-- engelbert dollfuss is elected chancellor of austria. 5312
  • 1932/--/-- the bonus army of war veterans is dispersed by troops in washington, d.c. 5313
  • 1932/--/-- charles lindbergh's infant son is kidnapped. 5314
  • 1932/--/-- american physicist carl d. anderson discovers the positron. 5315
  • 1932/--/-- english physicist james chadwick discovers the neutron. 5316
  • 1932/--/-- the first particle accelerator is built at the cavendish laboratory in england. 5317
  • 1932/--/-- the royal shakespeare theater opens at stratford-on-avon, england. 5318
  • 1932/--/-- radio city music hall opens in new york city's rockefeller center. 5319
  • 1932/--/-- american sculptor alexander calder creates his first mobile. 5320
  • 1932/--/-- american southern author erskine caldwell publishes tobacco road. 5321
  • 1932/--/-- british author aldous huxley publishes brave new world. 5322
  • 1933/--/-- roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd u.s. president; garner becomes vice-president. 5323
  • 1933/--/-- president paul von hindenburg names adolf hitler as chancellor of germany. 5324
  • 1933/--/-- fulgencio batista leads a military coup against gerardo machado y morales in cuba. 5325
  • 1933/--/-- the stavisky affair causes a financial scandal in france. 5326
  • 1933/--/-- joseph goebbels is appointed as minister of propaganda for the nazi party. 5327
  • 1933/--/-- the reichstag fire gives the nazis a pretext for outlawing the german communist party. 5328
  • 1933/--/-- the nazis erect the first concentration camps in germany. 5329
  • 1933/--/-- norwegian fascist vidkun quisling founds the national unity party. 5330
  • 1933/--/-- frances perkins becomes the first woman cabinet member in u.s. history. 5331
  • 1933/--/-- the 21st amendment ends the prohibition era in the u.s. 5332
  • 1933/--/-- the national recovery administration (nra) is launched by president roosevelt. 5333
  • 1933/--/-- the public works administration (pwa) is formed to fund public construction projects. 5334
  • 1933/--/-- fiorello la guardia is elected mayor of new york city for the first time. 5335
  • 1933/--/-- edwin armstrong invents frequency modulation (fm) to eliminate radio static. 5336
  • 1933/--/-- a fossilized skull of the prehistoric steinheim man is found in germany. 5337
  • 1933/--/-- jimmy and tommy dorsey found their first swing band. 5338
  • 1933/--/-- the marx brothers star in the classic comedy film duck soup. 5339
  • 1933/--/-- mae west stars in the films she done him wrong and i'm no angel. 5340
  • 1933/--/-- busby berkeley choreographs the dances for the film gold diggers of 1933. 5341
  • 1933/--/-- actor charles laughton stars in the film the private life of henry viii. 5342
  • 1933/--/-- dancers fred astaire and ginger rogers star in the film flying down to rio. 5343
  • 1933/--/-- french novelist and political activist andre malraux publishes man's fate. 5344
  • 1934/--/-- alexander, king of yugoslavia, is assassinated; his son peter ii succeeds him. 5345
  • 1934/--/-- chancellor engelbert dollfuss is murdered by austrian nazis. 5346
  • 1934/--/-- sa leader ernst roehm is assassinated on the orders of hitler. 5347
  • 1934/--/-- hitler becomes fuhrer (leader) of germany after hindenburg's death. 5348
  • 1934/--/-- mao tse-tung leads the chinese communists on the long march. 5349
  • 1934/--/-- lazaro cardenas is chosen by plutarco calles as president of mexico. 5350
  • 1934/--/-- the securities and exchange commission (sec) is formed to protect u.s. investors. 5351
  • 1934/--/-- the federal communications commission (fcc) is formed to regulate broadcasting. 5352
  • 1934/--/-- john dillinger, public enemy number one, is killed by the fbi. 5353
  • 1934/--/-- elijah muhammad becomes leader of the nation of islam (the black muslims). 5354
  • 1934/--/-- drought leads to severe dust storms in the dust bowl region of the great plains. 5355
  • 1934/--/-- naturalist charles w. beebe makes a record dive of 3,028 ft in a bathyscaphe. 5356
  • 1934/--/-- the british ocean liner queen mary is launched. 5357
  • 1934/--/-- george balanchine and lincoln kirstein found the school of american ballet. 5358
  • 1934/--/-- surrealist artist rene magritte paints the human condition. 5359
  • 1934/--/-- cole porter writes the score for the broadway musical anything goes. 5360
  • 1934/--/-- lillian hellman's play the children's hour is produced. 5361
  • 1934/--/-- american cartoonist al capp begins the comic strip li'l abner. 5362
  • 1934/--/-- henry miller publishes the tropic of cancer. (it is banned in the u.s. until 1961.) 5363
  • 1935/--/-- the nuremberg racial laws deprive german jews of their citizenship. 5364
  • 1935/--/-- hitler announces german rearmament in violation of the treaty of versailles. 5365
  • 1935/--/-- eduard benes succeeds tomas masaryk as president of czechoslovakia. 5366
  • 1935/--/-- italy invades abyssinia (now ethiopia). 5367
  • 1935/--/-- the monarchy is restored in greece under george ii. 5368
  • 1935/--/-- the moscow subway is opened. 5369
  • 1935/--/-- controversial louisiana senator huey p. long is assassinated. 5370
  • 1935/--/-- the monopoly board game is patented in the u.s. 5371
  • 1935/--/-- scottish physicist robert watson-watt patents the first practical radar system. 5372
  • 1935/--/-- arthur dempster discovers u-235, the isotope of uranium used in atomic bombs. 5373
  • 1935/--/-- physicist hideki yukawa predicts the existence of the meson subatomic particle. 5374
  • 1935/--/-- king of swing benny goodman forms the benny goodman trio. 5375
  • 1935/--/-- george gershwin composes the modern american opera porgy and bess. 5376
  • 1935/--/-- robert sherwood's play the petrified forest is produced. 5377
  • 1935/--/-- filmmaker alfred hitchcock directs the 39 steps. 5378
  • 1935/--/-- child film actress shirley temple stars in the little colonel. 5379
  • 1935/--/-- swedish film actress greta garbo stars in anna karenina. 5380
  • 1935/--/-- errol flynn stars in the swashbuckling adventure film captain blood. 5381
  • 1935/--/-- leni riefenstahl directs the nazi propaganda film triumph of the will. 5382
  • 1935/--/-- american writer thomas wolfe publishes of time and the river. 5383
  • 1936/--/-- edward viii abdicates as king of great britain; he is succeeded by george vi. 5384
  • 1936/--/-- italy annexes abyssinia (ethiopia); emperor haile selassie is exiled. 5385
  • 1936/--/-- hitler and mussolini announce the rome-berlin axis (alliance). 5386
  • 1936/--/-- japan concludes the anti-comintern pact with germany. 5387
  • 1936/--/-- ioannis metaxas establishes a dictatorship in greece. 5388
  • 1936/--/-- the spanish civil war begins when general franco leads a military revolt. 5389
  • 1936/--/-- italy and germany send military forces and aid to support franco in spain. 5390
  • 1936/--/-- the soviet union and the international brigades support the nationalists in spain. 5391
  • 1936/--/-- stalin begins the great purge of soviet russia's political and military leadership. 5392
  • 1936/--/-- the british broadcasting service (bbc) begins the first public television service. 5393
  • 1936/--/-- boulder dam is completed in arizona (it is renamed hoover dam in 1947). 5394
  • 1936/--/-- black athlete jesse owens wins 4 gold medals at the berlin olympic games. 5395
  • 1936/--/-- olympic ice skater sonja henie turns professional. 5396
  • 1936/--/-- john maynard keynes writes the general theory of employment, interest and money. 5397
  • 1936/--/-- the works of the composer dmitry shostakovich are denounced in russia. 5398
  • 1936/--/-- margaret mitchell publishes her only novel gone with the wind. 5399
  • 1936/--/-- henry r. luce begins publishing life magazine. 5400
  • 1937/--/-- the japanese invasion of china begins the second sino-japanese war. 5401
  • 1937/--/-- nationalist and communist forces unite to combat the japanese in china. 5402
  • 1937/--/-- german aircraft supporting franco's forces destroy the town of guernica in spain. 5403
  • 1937/--/-- farouk succeeds fuad i as king of egypt. 5404
  • 1937/--/-- anastasio somoza garcia becomes president of nicaragua. 5405
  • 1937/--/-- neville chamberlain succeeds stanley baldwin as prime minister of britain. 5406
  • 1937/--/-- the duke of windsor (former king edward viii) marries the divorcee mrs. simpson. 5407
  • 1937/--/-- the golden gate bridge is opened in san francisco. 5408
  • 1937/--/-- aviatrix amelia earhart is lost during a flight across the pacific. 5409
  • 1937/--/-- the german airship hindenburg is destroyed by fire at lakehurst, n.j. 5410
  • 1937/--/-- joe louis the brown bomber wins the heavyweight boxing championship. 5411
  • 1937/--/-- frank lloyd wright begins building the taliesin west complex in arizona. 5412
  • 1937/--/-- ballet dancer margot fonteyn debuts in giselle at sadler's wells, london. 5413
  • 1937/--/-- swing bandleader artie shaw records begin the beguine. 5414
  • 1937/--/-- french filmmaker jean renoir directs grand illusion. 5415
  • 1937/--/-- american author john steinbeck publishes of mice and men. 5416
  • 1937/--/-- english writer and scholar j.r.r. tolkien publishes the fantasy novel the hobbit. 5417
  • 1937/--/-- danish author isak dinesen publishes her autobiography out of africa. 5418
  • 1938/--/-- hitler invades austria; a union (anschluss) of austria and germany is proclaimed. 5419
  • 1938/--/-- jewish property is attacked in germany in the kristallnacht (night of broken glass). 5420
  • 1938/--/-- jewish psychoanalyst sigmund freud flees to england to escape nazi persecution. 5421
  • 1938/--/-- chamberlain and daladier appease hitler at the munich conference. 5422
  • 1938/--/-- british prime minister neville chamberlain declares "peace for our time." 5423
  • 1938/--/-- germany occupies the sudetenland in western czechoslovakia. 5424
  • 1938/--/-- general franco isolates the republican forces in spain and attacks catalonia. 5425
  • 1938/--/-- the u.s. and britain send aid to the chinese in their war against japan. 5426
  • 1938/--/-- ismet inonu succeeds kemal atuturk as president of turkey. 5427
  • 1938/--/-- the house committee on un-american activities investigates u.s. subversives. 5428
  • 1938/--/-- chester carlson invents xerography, the first electrostatic dry-copying process. 5429
  • 1938/--/-- hungarian lajos biro invents the first practical ball-point pen. 5430
  • 1938/--/-- german chemist otto hahn discovers the principles of nuclear fission. 5431
  • 1938/--/-- a coelacanth, a fish thought extinct for 65 million years, is caught off the cost of africa. 5432
  • 1938/--/-- don budge becomes the first player to win the grand slam (4 tennis championships). 5433
  • 1938/--/-- american composer aaron copland writes the ballet score for billy the kid. 5434
  • 1938/--/-- orson welles' radio broadcast of war of the worlds causes panic in the u.s. 5435
  • 1938/--/-- american singer ella fitzgerald records a-tisket, a-tasket. 5436
  • 1938/--/-- swing musician glenn miller organizes his band. 5437
  • 1938/--/-- walt disney's feature-length cartoon snow white and the seven dwarfs is shown. 5438
  • 1938/--/-- thornton wilder wins the pulitzer prize for his play our town. 5439
  • 1939/--/-- general franco's forces capture madrid, ending the spanish civil war. 5440
  • 1939/--/-- italian forces occupy albania; king zog is forced into exile. 5441
  • 1939/--/-- germany and italy form the pact of steel military alliance. 5442
  • 1939/--/-- foreign ministers ribbentrop and molotov sign the nazi-soviet pact of nonaggression. 5443
  • 1939/--/-- germany invades poland, beginning world war ii. 5444
  • 1939/--/-- britain and france declare war on germany but are unable to aid poland. 5445
  • 1939/--/-- soviet troops invade poland; germany and the ussr partition the country. 5446
  • 1939/--/-- the russo-finnish war begins with the soviet invasion of finland. 5447
  • 1939/--/-- president roosevelt declares u.s. neutrality in world war ii. 5448
  • 1939/--/-- robert gordon menzies succeeds joseph lyons as prime minister of australia. 5449
  • 1939/--/-- president roosevelt (prompted by einstein) orders a u.s. effort to build an atomic bomb. 5450
  • 1939/--/-- the he 176, the first jet airplane, takes to the air in germany. 5451
  • 1939/--/-- igor sikorsky develops america's first successful helicopter. 5452
  • 1939/--/-- swiss chemist paul muller discovers the chemical insecticide ddt. 5453
  • 1939/--/-- the first nylon stockings are marketed. 5454
  • 1939/--/-- physical chemist linus pauling publishes the nature of the chemical bond. 5455
  • 1939/--/-- an anglo-saxon burial ship is excavated at sutton hoo in england. 5456
  • 1939/--/-- clark gable and vivien leigh star in the film gone with the wind. 5457
  • 1939/--/-- child film actress judy garland stars in the musical the wizard of oz. 5458
  • 1939/--/-- american novelist john steinbeck publishes the grapes of wrath. 5459
  • 1939/--/-- english author christopher isherwood publishes goodbye to berlin. 5460
  • 1939/--/-- american author nathanael west publishes the day of the locust. 5461
  • 1940/--/-- germany invades denmark and norway; allied forces aid norway but are defeated. 5462
  • 1940/--/-- the german army begins a blitzkrieg attack on holland, belgium, and france. 5463
  • 1940/--/-- winston churchill becomes british prime minister after chamberlain resigns. 5464
  • 1940/--/-- the british expeditionary force is evacuated from dunkerque in france. 5465
  • 1940/--/-- italy declares war on the allies and invades southern france. 5466
  • 1940/--/-- german forces reach paris; vichy france under marshal petain signs an armistice. 5467
  • 1940/--/-- general charles de gaulle rallies free french resistance in london. 5468
  • 1940/--/-- british air victory in the battle of britain prevents the german invasion of england. 5469
  • 1940/--/-- the soviet union annexes the baltic states of lithuania, estonia and latvia. 5470
  • 1940/--/-- italian forces invade egypt but are repulsed; the british invade libya. 5471
  • 1940/--/-- japan joins the axis alliance and occupies northern french indochina (vietnam). 5472
  • 1940/--/-- king carol ii of romania abdicates; romania and hungary join the axis forces. 5473
  • 1940/--/-- exiled revolutionary leon trotsky is assassinated in mexico on stalin's orders. 5474
  • 1940/--/-- prehistoric cave paintings are discovered at lascaux in france. 5475
  • 1940/--/-- the tacoma narrows bridge collapses because of oscillations caused by the wind. 5476
  • 1940/--/-- bing crosby, bob hope and dorothy lamour star in the film road to singapore. 5477
  • 1940/--/-- cary grant and katharine hepburn star in the film the philadelphia story. 5478
  • 1940/--/-- ernest hemingway publishes for whom the bell tolls. 5479
  • 1940/--/-- american novelist carson mccullers publishes the heart is a lonely hunter. 5480
  • 1940/--/-- raymond chandler publishes the detective novel farewell, my lovely. 5481
  • 1941/--/-- president roosevelt talks of four freedoms in his state of the union speech. 5482
  • 1941/--/-- the lend-lease act allows the transfer of u.s. war materials to britain and china. 5483
  • 1941/--/-- the german africa corps under erwin rommel begins an offensive in north africa. 5484
  • 1941/--/-- germany invades yugoslavia and greece; british forces are evacuated to crete. 5485
  • 1941/--/-- a british task force sinks the german pocket battleship bismarck. 5486
  • 1941/--/-- german paratroopers land on crete and capture the island from the british. 5487
  • 1941/--/-- the german blitz, the nighttime bombing of london, is at its height. 5488
  • 1941/--/-- german u-boats inflict heavy losses on british shipping in the battle of the atlantic. 5489
  • 1941/--/-- nazi leader rudolf hess flies to england on a quixotic peace mission. 5490
  • 1941/--/-- u.s. troops occupy iceland to forestall its occupation by germany. 5491
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese occupy indochina and move into cambodia (kampuchea) and thailand. 5492
  • 1941/--/-- the u.s. freezes japanese assets in retaliation for japan's territorial aggression. 5493
  • 1941/--/-- germany invades the soviet union. 5494
  • 1941/--/-- churchill and roosevelt's atlantic charter meeting establishes war and peace aims. 5495
  • 1941/--/-- the german advance on moscow is halted by the winter weather. 5496
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese bomb pearl harbor; america enters world war ii. 5497
  • 1941/--/-- japanese forces capture hong kong and invade malaya and the philippines. 5498
  • 1941/--/-- ho chi minh organizes the viet minh to combat the japanese in indochina. 5499
  • 1941/--/-- karsh's photographic portrait of churchill becomes a symbol of british resistance. 5500
  • 1941/--/-- gutzon borglum completes the sculptured heads of four presidents at mount rushmore. 5501
  • 1941/--/-- baseball player joe dimaggio sets a new record for hitting in 56 consecutive games. 5502
  • 1941/--/-- german playwright bertholt brecht writes mother courage and her children. 5503
  • 1941/--/-- swedish film actress greta garbo retires. 5504
  • 1941/--/-- orson welles directs the film citizen kane. 5505
  • 1942/--/-- hitler proposes the final solution of the jewish question; the holocaust begins. 5506
  • 1942/--/-- the japanese conquer malaya, singapore, indonesia and burma. 5507
  • 1942/--/-- american and filipino forces retreat to the bataan peninsula in the philippines. 5508
  • 1942/--/-- general macarthur is ordered to the leave the philippines; he vows i shall return. 5509
  • 1942/--/-- american b-25 bombers make the doolittle raid on tokyo. 5510
  • 1942/--/-- american forces in the philippines surrender; the bataan death march begins. 5511
  • 1942/--/-- the u.s. government transfers 110,000 japanese americans to internment camps. 5512
  • 1942/--/-- the soviet southern offensive is halted; the germans advance on the caucasus. 5513
  • 1942/--/-- the raf makes the first 1,000 bomber raid on the german city of cologne. 5514
  • 1942/--/-- rommel's africa corps capture tobruk and drive the british back to egypt. 5515
  • 1942/--/-- a u.s. fleet defeats the japanese at the battle of midway. 5516
  • 1942/--/-- u.s. marines invade guadalcanal, beginning the campaign of re-conquest. 5517
  • 1942/--/-- gandhi is arrested after the quit india movement demands a british withdrawal. 5518
  • 1942/--/-- the german advance on egypt is halted at the battle of el-alamein. 5519
  • 1942/--/-- the british eighth army under montgomery begins a new drive into libya. 5520
  • 1942/--/-- u.s. forces under general eisenhower invade morocco and algeria. 5521
  • 1942/--/-- german forces occupy vichy france; the french fleet is scuttled in toulon harbor. 5522
  • 1942/--/-- the german advance in the caucasus is halted at stalingrad (now volgograd). 5523
  • 1942/--/-- a russian counterattack isolates the sixth army at stalingrad; hitler orders no retreat. 5524
  • 1942/--/-- manhattan project scientists under fermi produce the first controlled chain reaction. 5525
  • 1942/--/-- v-2 (vengeance weapon 2) rockets are tested at peenemunde in germany. 5526
  • 1942/--/-- french writer albert camus publishes the stranger. 5527
  • 1942/--/-- italian filmmaker luchino visconti directs his first film ossessione. 5528
  • 1942/--/-- american crooner bing crosby records the hit song white christmas. 5529
  • 1942/--/-- actor james cagney wins an academy award for the film yankee doodle dandie. 5530
  • 1942/--/-- american humorist james thurber publishes the secret life of walter mitty. 5531
  • 1942/--/-- humphrey bogart and ingrid bergman star in the classic film casablanca. 5532
  • 1943/--/-- the german sixth army surrenders at stalingrad; 100,000 are taken prisoner. 5533
  • 1943/--/-- churchill and roosevelt meet at casablanca to plan their war strategy. 5534
  • 1943/--/-- the british and american armies link up in africa; 250,000 axis prisoners are taken. 5535
  • 1943/--/-- the russians defeat the germans at kursk in the largest tank battle in history. 5536
  • 1943/--/-- the allied armies invade sicily. 5537
  • 1943/--/-- mussolini is deposed; marshal badoglio assumes power in italy. 5538
  • 1943/--/-- american aircraft join the raf in round the clock bombing of germany. 5539
  • 1943/--/-- the germans suppress a revolt by polish jews; the warsaw ghetto is destroyed. 5540
  • 1943/--/-- the allies invade the southern tip of italy. 5541
  • 1943/--/-- marshal badoglio signs an armistice with the allies; italy declares war on germany. 5542
  • 1943/--/-- german paratroopers rescue mussolini. 5543
  • 1943/--/-- the russian offensive reaches the dnepr river; kiev and smolensk are recaptured. 5544
  • 1943/--/-- churchill, roosevelt and stalin meet at the tehran conference. 5545
  • 1943/--/-- robert oppenheimer establishes the los alamos laboratory to build the atomic bomb. 5546
  • 1943/--/-- marine explorer jacques-yves cousteau invents the aqualung (scuba). 5547
  • 1943/--/-- singer paul robeson stars in the title role of the broadway production of othello. 5548
  • 1943/--/-- richard rodgers and oscar hammerstein's musical oklahoma! is produced. 5549
  • 1943/--/-- american writer ayn rand publishes the fountainhead. 5550
  • 1943/--/-- french existentialist writer jean paul sartre publishes being and nothingness. 5551
  • 1943/--/-- american author carson mccullers publishes the ballad of the sad cafe. 5552
  • 1943/--/-- french writer and feminist simone de beauvoir publishes she came to stay. 5553
  • 1944/--/-- the soviet's relieve the city of leningrad after a german siege lasting 890 days. 5554
  • 1944/--/-- allied forces in italy land behind the german gustav line at anzio. 5555
  • 1944/--/-- american forces under general mark clark occupy rome. 5556
  • 1944/--/-- soviet forces cross the romanian border and reconquer the crimea. 5557
  • 1944/--/-- british forces begin the reconquest of burma from the japanese. 5558
  • 1944/--/-- u.s. marines invade guam and saipan in the marianas. 5559
  • 1944/--/-- u.s. forces under admiral nimitz defeat a japanese fleet in the battle of the philippine sea. 5560
  • 1944/--/-- american aircraft from the marianas begin the strategic bombing of japan. 5561
  • 1944/--/-- allied d-day invasion forces land at normandy in northern france. 5562
  • 1944/--/-- v-1 (and later the v-2) weapons of vengeance are launched against london. 5563
  • 1944/--/-- german officers attempt to assassinate hitler. 5564
  • 1944/--/-- allied forces break out from the normandy enclave and liberate paris. 5565
  • 1944/--/-- an allied invasion force lands in southern france. 5566
  • 1944/--/-- romania and bulgaria sign an armistice with the allies and declare war on germany. 5567
  • 1944/--/-- soviet forces reach the suburbs of warsaw in poland. 5568
  • 1944/--/-- polish resistance fighters are defeated by the germans in the warsaw uprising. 5569
  • 1944/--/-- the u.s. first army occupies aachen -- the first german city to fall to the allies. 5570
  • 1944/--/-- a british airborne landing at arnhem in the netherlands is repulsed by the germans. 5571
  • 1944/--/-- the german army launches the battle of the bulge, its last counteroffensive. 5572
  • 1944/--/-- communist resistance fighters under josip broz-tito liberate yugoslavia. 5573
  • 1944/--/-- british forces occupy athens and intervene in a communist inspired civil war. 5574
  • 1944/--/-- roosevelt is reelected for an unprecedented fourth term; truman becomes vice-president. 5575
  • 1944/--/-- the world bank is established to assist european postwar recovery. 5576
  • 1944/--/-- the g.i. bill of rights is established to provide assistance to war veterans. 5577
  • 1944/--/-- evangelist aimee semple mcpherson dies from an accidental drug overdose. 5578
  • 1944/--/-- oswald avery determines that dna is the hereditary material of the cell. 5579
  • 1944/--/-- aaron copland composes the ballet appalachian spring. 5580
  • 1944/--/-- tennessee williams' play the glass menagerie is produced. 5581
  • 1944/--/-- child film actors mickey rooney and elizabeth taylor star in national velvet. 5582
  • 1944/--/-- french novelist colette writes gigi. 5583
  • 1944/--/-- english writer somerset maugham publishes the razor's edge. 5584
  • 1945/--/-- churchill, roosevelt and stalin meet at the yalta conference. 5585
  • 1945/--/-- allied forces cross the rhine and begin the final assault on germany. 5586
  • 1945/--/-- german jet aircraft are unable to prevent mass allied air attacks. 5587
  • 1945/--/-- advancing allied armies discover nazi extermination camps. 5588
  • 1945/--/-- mussolini is killed by italian partisans. 5589
  • 1945/--/-- marshal zhukov's soviet troops launch the final attack on berlin. 5590
  • 1945/--/-- hitler commits suicide in his berlin bunker; germany surrenders to the allies. 5591
  • 1945/--/-- roosevelt dies; harry s. truman is inaugurated as the 33rd u.s. president. 5592
  • 1945/--/-- churchill, truman and stalin hold the last wartime conference at potsdam. 5593
  • 1945/--/-- the united nations is formed; trygve halvdan lie becomes secretary-general (1946). 5594
  • 1945/--/-- u.s. forces under macarthur liberate the philippines. 5595
  • 1945/--/-- u.s. marines invade the japanese islands of iwo jima and okinawa. 5596
  • 1945/--/-- suicide attacks by japanese kamikaze pilots are unable to stem the u.s. advances. 5597
  • 1945/--/-- the u.s. drops atomic bombs on the japanese cities of hiroshima and nagasaki. 5598
  • 1945/--/-- the soviet union declares war on japan. 5599
  • 1945/--/-- japan signs an armistice with the allies, ending world war ii. 5600
  • 1945/--/-- germany and austria are divided between the allies into 4 zones of occupation. 5601
  • 1945/--/-- general macarthur heads the u.s. occupation forces in japan. 5602
  • 1945/--/-- korea is divided between u.s. and soviet occupation forces along the 38th parallel. 5603
  • 1945/--/-- ho chi minh proclaims the independence of the democratic republic of vietnam. 5604
  • 1945/--/-- churchill is defeated in the british elections by labour leader clement attlee. 5605
  • 1945/--/-- nationalists and communist forces resume their civil war in china. 5606
  • 1945/--/-- the trial of nazi war criminals begins at nuremberg in germany. 5607
  • 1945/--/-- tito becomes head of the socialist federal republic of yugoslavia. 5608
  • 1945/--/-- romulo betancourt becomes president of venezuela for the first time. 5609
  • 1945/--/-- egypt, saudi arabia, syria, lebanon, iraq, jordan and yemen form the arab league. 5610
  • 1945/--/-- indonesian nationalists led by sukarno proclaim the nation independent. 5611
  • 1945/--/-- german rocket engineer wernher von braun continues his research in the u.s. 5612
  • 1945/--/-- charlie "bird" parker and dizzy gillespie make the first bebop recordings. 5613
  • 1945/--/-- german playwright bertholt brecht writes the caucasian chalk circle. 5614
  • 1945/--/-- british actor laurence olivier wins critical acclaim for his portrayal of richard iii. 5615
  • 1945/--/-- singer frank sinatra stars in the film musical anchors aweigh. 5616
  • 1945/--/-- british author george orwell publishes the satirical fable animal farm. 5617
  • 1945/--/-- french dramatist jean giraudoux writes the play the madwoman of chaillot. 5618
  • 1946/--/-- eam-elas communist forces begin a civil war in greece. 5619
  • 1946/--/-- the viet minh begin a guerrilla war against the french in indochina (vietnam). 5620
  • 1946/--/-- communists abolish the monarchy in bulgaria; georgi dimitrov becomes premier. 5621
  • 1946/--/-- general de gaulle resigns as president of france; the fourth republic is formed. 5622
  • 1946/--/-- winston churchill describes the iron curtain created in europe by the soviets. 5623
  • 1946/--/-- the philippines are granted independence with manuel roxas y acuna as president. 5624
  • 1946/--/-- elections in italy abolish the monarchy in favor of a republic. 5625
  • 1946/--/-- macarthur promotes japanese democracy with the emperor as constitutional monarch. 5626
  • 1946/--/-- juan peron is elected president of argentina. 5627
  • 1946/--/-- saint frances xavier cabrini becomes the first u.s. citizen to be canonized. 5628
  • 1946/--/-- eniac, the first successful electronic digital computer, becomes operational. 5629
  • 1946/--/-- swiss-french architect le corbusier designs unite d'habitation in marseilles. 5630
  • 1946/--/-- terence rattigan's play the winslow boy is produced. 5631
  • 1946/--/-- dr. spock publishes the commonsense book of baby and child care. 5632
  • 1946/--/-- greek author nikos kazantzakis publishes zorba the greek. 5633
  • 1946/--/-- american author robert penn warren publishes all the king's men. 5634
  • 1947/--/-- the united nations elect to partition palestine into arab and jewish states. 5635
  • 1947/--/-- india becomes independent and is divided into the nations of india and pakistan. 5636
  • 1947/--/-- jawaharlal nehru becomes the first prime minister of india. 5637
  • 1947/--/-- gheorghiu-dej heads the romanian communist party; king michael abdicates. 5638
  • 1947/--/-- the u.s. marshall plan for economic recovery in europe is established. 5639
  • 1947/--/-- the story of a jewish victim of the nazis, the diary of anne frank, is published. 5640
  • 1947/--/-- french literary figure andre gide wins the nobel prize for literature. 5641
  • 1947/--/-- english composer benjamin britten writes the opera peter grimes. 5642
  • 1947/--/-- french fashion designer christian dior opens his own couture house. 5643
  • 1947/--/-- tennessee williams' play a streetcar named desire is produced. 5644
  • 1947/--/-- conductor sir thomas beecham forms the royal philharmonic orchestra in london. 5645
  • 1947/--/-- edwin land demonstrates the single-step polaroid land camera. 5646
  • 1947/--/-- dennis gabor invents holography, a means of producing a three-dimensional image. 5647
  • 1947/--/-- american pilot kenneth arnold makes the first alleged sighting of flying saucers. 5648
  • 1947/--/-- chuck yeager breaks the sound barrier for the first time in an x-1 rocket plane. 5649
  • 1947/--/-- british atomic bomb scientist klaus fuchs is arrested for giving information to the ussr. 5650
  • 1947/--/-- baseball player jackie robinson becomes the first black to play in the major leagues. 5651
  • 1947/--/-- artist jackson pollock produces full fathom five using drip paint techniques. 5652
  • 1947/--/-- artist mark rothko begins experimenting with color-field painting. 5653
  • 1947/--/-- the dead sea scrolls, a collection of ancient hebrew documents, are discovered. 5654
  • 1947/--/-- norwegian explorer thor heyerdahl sails on the balsa raft kon tiki from peru to polynesia. 5655
  • 1947/--/-- the first india-pakistan war begins when pakistani tribesmen invade kashmir. 5656
  • 1948/--/-- indian leader mahatma gandhi is assassinated by a hindu fanatic. 5657
  • 1948/--/-- britain grants independence to burma. 5658
  • 1948/--/-- palestinian jews proclaim the independent state of israel. 5659
  • 1948/--/-- arab armies invade israel in the first arab-israeli war. 5660
  • 1948/--/-- the soviets blockade west berlin; britain and the u.s. begin the berlin airlift. 5661
  • 1948/--/-- the communist party assumes power in hungary under matyas rakosi. 5662
  • 1948/--/-- stalin expels yugoslavia from the communist bloc. 5663
  • 1948/--/-- the malayan communist party begins an insurrection against british rule. 5664
  • 1948/--/-- the republic of korea (s. korea) is inaugurated, syngman rhee becomes president. 5665
  • 1948/--/-- communist leader kim il sung establishes the people's republic of korea (n. korea). 5666
  • 1948/--/-- the apartheid policy of racial segregation is made official in south africa. 5667
  • 1948/--/-- the transistor is invented at bell laboratories in the u.s. 5668
  • 1948/--/-- the u.s. air force begins the project blue book study of the ufo phenomenon. 5669
  • 1948/--/-- alfred kinsey publishes his report on sexual behavior in the human male. 5670
  • 1948/--/-- dutch track star fanny blankers-koen wins four gold medals in the olympic games. 5671
  • 1948/--/-- american opera singer beverly sills debuts in bizet's carmen. 5672
  • 1948/--/-- george balanchine's ballet society is renamed the new york city ballet. 5673
  • 1948/--/-- alec guinness stars as fagin in the film of dicken's oliver twist. 5674
  • 1948/--/-- italian filmmaker vittorio de sica directs the bicycle thieves. 5675
  • 1948/--/-- american writer norman mailer publishes the war novel the naked and the dead. 5676
  • 1949/--/-- communists under mao defeat the nationalists and form the people's republic of china. 5677
  • 1949/--/-- nationalist chinese forces under chiang kai-shek flee to the island of taiwan. 5678
  • 1949/--/-- the republic of germany (west germany) is established by the western powers. 5679
  • 1949/--/-- konrad adenauer becomes the first chancellor of west germany. 5680
  • 1949/--/-- the soviets establish the german democratic republic (east germany). 5681
  • 1949/--/-- the north atlantic treaty organization is formed to deter soviet aggression. 5682
  • 1949/--/-- the hashimite kingdom of transjordan is renamed as jordan. 5683
  • 1949/--/-- the first india-pakistan war ends with the partition of kashmir. 5684
  • 1949/--/-- arthur miller's play death of a salesman is produced. 5685
  • 1949/--/-- civil war ends in greece with the defeat of the communist forces. 5686
  • 1949/--/-- the netherlands grants independence to indonesia (formerly the dutch east indies). 5687
  • 1949/--/-- the soviet union detonates its first atomic bomb. 5688
  • 1949/--/-- miles davis makes the first "cool" jazz records. 5689
  • 1949/--/-- abstract artist robert motherwell begins his series elegy to the spanish republic. 5690
  • 1949/--/-- architect philip johnson designs the glass house in new caanan, conn. 5691
  • 1949/--/-- british abstract sculptor henry moore completes the bronze family group. 5692
  • 1949/--/-- rogers and hammerstein's broadway musical south pacific is produced. 5693
  • 1949/--/-- british author george orwell publishes the futuristic novel nineteen eighty-four. 5694
  • 1950/--/-- chinese forces invade tibet, which is officially annexed in 1951. 5695
  • 1950/--/-- communist north korean forces invade south korea. 5696
  • 1950/--/-- the un sanctions military aid for south korea; macarthur is appointed commander. 5697
  • 1950/--/-- un forces land at inchon and drive the north koreans out of south korea. 5698
  • 1950/--/-- un forces cross into north korea but are repulsed by the chinese army. 5699
  • 1950/--/-- adnan menderes replaces ismet inonu as prime minister of turkey. 5700
  • 1950/--/-- president truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb. 5701
  • 1950/--/-- senator joseph mccarthy begins his inquiry into un-american activities. 5702
  • 1950/--/-- u.s. official alger hiss is convicted of perjury for denying that he knew a soviet agent. 5703
  • 1950/--/-- japanese film director akira kurosawa achieves recognition with rashomon. 5704
  • 1950/--/-- bette davis stars in the film all about eve. 5705
  • 1950/--/-- george burns and gracie allen star in the burns and allen show television series. 5706
  • 1950/--/-- cartoonist charles schulz creates the peanuts comic strip. 5707
  • 1950/--/-- isaac asimov publishes the science-fiction classic i robot. 5708
  • 1951/--/-- the un general assembly brands communist china an aggressor in the korean war. 5709
  • 1951/--/-- president truman dismisses macarthur as commander in korea. 5710
  • 1951/--/-- a frontline is stabilized at the 38th parallel in korea; peace negotiations begin at kaesong. 5711
  • 1951/--/-- australia, new zealand, and the u.s. sign the mutual defense anzus treaty. 5712
  • 1951/--/-- british conservatives win a general election with winston churchill as leader. 5713
  • 1951/--/-- prime minister muhammad mosaddeq nationalizes iran's oil resources. 5714
  • 1951/--/-- leopold iii of belgium is forced to abdicate because of his wartime conduct. 5715
  • 1951/--/-- king abdullah of jordan is assassinated by a palestinian nationalist. 5716
  • 1951/--/-- british spies burgess and maclean escape to the soviet union. 5717
  • 1951/--/-- the 22nd amendment restricts u.s. presidents to a maximum of two terms. 5718
  • 1951/--/-- julius and ethel rosenberg are sentenced to death for espionage against the u.s. 5719
  • 1951/--/-- the first successful videotape for recording television images is demonstrated. 5720
  • 1951/--/-- univac i, the first commercial computer, is accepted by the u.s. bureau of the census. 5721
  • 1951/--/-- ten million television receivers have been installed in u.s. homes. 5722
  • 1951/--/-- boxer sugar ray robinson defeats jake la motta for the middleweight title. 5723
  • 1951/--/-- auto racer juan fangio wins the world driving championship for the first time. 5724
  • 1951/--/-- artist stuart davis uses words to function as abstract shapes in his painting visa. 5725
  • 1951/--/-- igor stravinsky's opera the rake's progress is premiered. 5726
  • 1951/--/-- comedian lucille ball stars in the television series i love lucy. 5727
  • 1951/--/-- rodgers and hammerstein's broadway musical the king and i is produced. 5728
  • 1951/--/-- american writer james jones publishes the war novel from here to eternity. 5729
  • 1951/--/-- american poet marianne moore publishes her collected poems. 5730
  • 1951/--/-- american novelist kurt vonnegut publishes player piano. 5731
  • 1951/--/-- american writer j.d. salinger publishes the catcher in the rye. 5732
  • 1952/--/-- hostilities continue in korea with increased un air strikes against the north. 5733
  • 1952/--/-- turkey joins the north atlantic treaty organization (nato). 5734
  • 1952/--/-- queen elizabeth ii ascends to the british throne on the death of her father george vi. 5735
  • 1952/--/-- eva peron, popularly known as evita, dies in argentina. 5736
  • 1952/--/-- communist pow riots in south korea delay peace negotiations. 5737
  • 1952/--/-- king farouk of egypt is overthrown in a revolution led by gen. muhammad naguib. 5738
  • 1952/--/-- the mau mau uprising begins in kenya; jomo kenyatta is imprisoned. 5739
  • 1952/--/-- a bloodless coup returns fulgencio batista to power in cuba. 5740
  • 1952/--/-- kwame nkrumah is elected prime minister of the gold coast (ghana). 5741
  • 1952/--/-- the commonwealth of puerto rico is formed with luis munoz marin as governor. 5742
  • 1952/--/-- vice-presidential candidate richard nixon makes his checkers speech. 5743
  • 1952/--/-- medical missionary albert schweitzer is awarded the nobel peace prize. 5744
  • 1952/--/-- british architect michael ventris deciphers the ancient greek linear b script. 5745
  • 1952/--/-- the u.s. tests the first hydrogen bomb in the pacific. 5746
  • 1952/--/-- chuck yaeger sets a new air speed record of 1,650 mph in the x-1a research plane. 5747
  • 1952/--/-- the british de havilland comet becomes the first jet airliner to enter service. 5748
  • 1952/--/-- czech runner emil zatopek wins 3 gold medals in the helsinki olympic games. 5749
  • 1952/--/-- the first automatic pinsetter is installed in a bowling alley in brooklyn, n.y. 5750
  • 1952/--/-- gordon bunshaft designs the lever house, an early international style building. 5751
  • 1952/--/-- american sculptor isamu noguchi designs two bridges for the peace park at hiroshima. 5752
  • 1952/--/-- opera singer maria callas debuts at london's covent garden. 5753
  • 1952/--/-- samuel beckett's play waiting for godot is produced in paris. 5754
  • 1952/--/-- agatha christie's record-breaking play the mouse trap opens in london. 5755
  • 1952/--/-- dancer gene kelly stars in the film singin' in the rain. 5756
  • 1952/--/-- gary cooper and grace kelly star in the western film high noon. 5757
  • 1952/--/-- american writer e.b. white publishes the children's book charlotte's web. 5758
  • 1953/--/-- eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th u.s. president; nixon becomes vice-president. 5759
  • 1953/--/-- hussein i succeeds his father as king of jordan. 5760
  • 1953/--/-- laos, formerly a part of french indochina, is granted independence. 5761
  • 1953/--/-- soviet dictator joseph stalin dies; georgy m. malenkov becomes the new premier. 5762
  • 1953/--/-- lavrenti beria, head of the soviet security service, is arrested and executed. 5763
  • 1953/--/-- an armistice ends the korean war; the country remains divided into north and south. 5764
  • 1953/--/-- israeli prime minister ben-gurion retires; he is succeeded by moshe sharett. 5765
  • 1953/--/-- fidel castro leads an attack on an army barracks in cuba; he is captured and imprisoned. 5766
  • 1953/--/-- communist statesman imre nagy becomes premier of hungary. 5767
  • 1953/--/-- dag hammarskjold succeeds trygve lie as secretary-general of the un. 5768
  • 1953/--/-- john foster dulles is selected as the u.s. secretary of state. 5769
  • 1953/--/-- a redstone rocket (based on the german v-2) is tested at cape canaveral. 5770
  • 1953/--/-- james watson and francis crick propose the double helix structure of dna. 5771
  • 1953/--/-- murray gell-mann proposes the strangeness property of some subatomic particles. 5772
  • 1953/--/-- the first heart-lung machine is developed by dr. john gibbon. 5773
  • 1953/--/-- american physicist charles h. townes invents the maser. 5774
  • 1953/--/-- jacques piccard's bathyscaphe the trieste descends to a depth of 10,330 ft. 5775
  • 1953/--/-- physicist donald glaser invents the bubble chamber to detect subnuclear particles. 5776
  • 1953/--/-- the fossil remains of piltdown man are proved a hoax 41 years after their discovery. 5777
  • 1953/--/-- edmund hillary and tenzing norgay are the first to climb mount everest. 5778
  • 1953/--/-- golfer ben hogan wins the u.s. open, masters, and british open tournaments. 5779
  • 1953/--/-- american tennis player maureen connolly (little mo) wins the grand slam. 5780
  • 1953/--/-- marilyn monroe stars in the film gentlemen prefer blondes. 5781
  • 1953/--/-- arthur miller writes the crucible, a play about the salem witch trials. 5782
  • 1953/--/-- black writer james baldwin publishes his first novel go tell it on the mountain. 5783
  • 1953/--/-- hugh hefner publishes the first issue of playboy magazine. 5784
  • 1953/--/-- american writer saul bellow publishes the adventures of augie march. 5785
  • 1954/--/-- gamal abdel nasser ousts gen. muhammad naguib as president of egypt. 5786
  • 1954/--/-- french forces are defeated at the battle of dien bien phu in north vietnam. 5787
  • 1954/--/-- the geneva conference establishes the partition of vietnam into north and south. 5788
  • 1954/--/-- national liberation front (fln) raids on french property spark the algerian war. 5789
  • 1954/--/-- senator mccarthy is discredited for failing to prove claims of communist penetration. 5790
  • 1954/--/-- a supreme court decision prohibits racial segregation in u.s. public schools. 5791
  • 1954/--/-- the u.s. and canada begin construction of the st. lawrence seaway. 5792
  • 1954/--/-- the u.s. nuclear submarine the nautilus is launched. 5793
  • 1954/--/-- english runner roger bannister is first to run the mile in under 4 minutes. 5794
  • 1954/--/-- british artist francis bacon begins his portrait of pope innocent x series. 5795
  • 1954/--/-- dylan thomas' radio play under milk wood is performed posthumously. 5796
  • 1954/--/-- italian film-maker federico fellini directs la strada. 5797
  • 1954/--/-- marlon brando stars in elia kazan's film on the waterfront. 5798
  • 1954/--/-- british novelist william golding publishes lord of the flies. 5799
  • 1954/--/-- kingsley amis, one of england's angry young men, publishes lucky jim. 5800
  • 1954/--/-- ian fleming publishes the first james bond thriller casino royale. 5801
  • 1954/--/-- american novelist evan hunter publishes the blackboard jungle. 5802
  • 1955/--/-- austria achieves independence; the four-power occupation is terminated. 5803
  • 1955/--/-- the federal republic of germany joins nato. 5804
  • 1955/--/-- the warsaw pact establishes a military alliance of european communist nations. 5805
  • 1955/--/-- anthony eden succeeds winston churchill as prime minister of great britain. 5806
  • 1955/--/-- david ben-gurion returns as prime minister of israel. 5807
  • 1955/--/-- a military coup in argentina deposes president juan peron. 5808
  • 1955/--/-- martin luther king, jr. leads a boycott against racial segregation on buses. 5809
  • 1955/--/-- jonas salk's vaccine against polio comes into widespread use. 5810
  • 1955/--/-- theologian pierre teilhard de chardin publishes the phenomenon of man. 5811
  • 1955/--/-- american artist larry rivers paints double portrait of birdie. 5812
  • 1955/--/-- american artist jasper johns begins his paintings of american flags and targets. 5813
  • 1955/--/-- marian anderson becomes the first black to perform at the metropolitan opera house. 5814
  • 1955/--/-- american rock 'n' roll musician bill haley records rock around the clock. 5815
  • 1955/--/-- film star james dean is killed in a car crash. 5816
  • 1955/--/-- satyajit ray directs pather panchali, the first film in a trilogy on bengali family life. 5817
  • 1955/--/-- british writer graham greene publishes the quiet american. 5818
  • 1955/--/-- british writer and scholar j.r.r. tolkien completes the lord of the rings. 5819
  • 1955/--/-- russian writer vladimir nabokov publishes the novel lolita. 5820
  • 1956/--/-- soviet first secretary nikita khrushchev denounces the crimes of the stalin era. 5821
  • 1956/--/-- sudan gains independence from anglo-egyptian rule. 5822
  • 1956/--/-- archbishop makarios iii is deported from cyprus by the british. 5823
  • 1956/--/-- president ngo dinh diem refuses to hold elections in south vietnam. 5824
  • 1956/--/-- president nasser nationalizes the suez canal before the british lease expires. 5825
  • 1956/--/-- britain, france and israel agree on a secret joint action against egypt. 5826
  • 1956/--/-- israeli forces under moshe dayan seize the gaza strip and the sinai peninsula. 5827
  • 1956/--/-- anglo-french forces invade egypt but withdraw after protests from the u.s. 5828
  • 1956/--/-- president anastasio somoza garcia is assassinated in nicaragua. 5829
  • 1956/--/-- fidel castro and che guevara land in cuba and begin a guerrilla war. 5830
  • 1956/--/-- the hungarian uprising is suppressed by soviet troops. 5831
  • 1956/--/-- tunisia and morocco are granted independence by france. 5832
  • 1956/--/-- the italian ocean liner andrea doria sinks off the u.s. coast after a collision in fog. 5833
  • 1956/--/-- heavyweight boxing champion rocky marciano retires without being defeated. 5834
  • 1956/--/-- british artist richard hamilton produces the first pop art work. 5835
  • 1956/--/-- american television news show the huntley-brinkley report begins. 5836
  • 1956/--/-- rock 'n roll singer elvis presley records his first hit heartbreak hotel. 5837
  • 1956/--/-- film actress grace kelly marries prince rainier iii of monaco. 5838
  • 1956/--/-- david niven stars in the film around the world in eighty days. 5839
  • 1956/--/-- eugene o'neill's play long day's journey into night is produced. 5840
  • 1956/--/-- brendan behan's play the quare fellow opens in london. 5841
  • 1956/--/-- john osborne's first play look back in anger is produced in london. 5842
  • 1956/--/-- lerner and loewe's musical my fair lady opens in new york. 5843
  • 1956/--/-- american beat poet allen ginsberg publishes howl and other poems. 5844
  • 1956/--/-- american writer grace metalious publishes peyton place. 5845
  • 1957/--/-- the viet cong begin acts of rebellion in south vietnam. 5846
  • 1957/--/-- soviet leaders malenkov and molotov fail in an attempt to oust khrushchev from power. 5847
  • 1957/--/-- john g. diefenbaker succeeds louis st. laurent as prime minister of canada. 5848
  • 1957/--/-- british philosopher a.j. ayer publishes the problem of knowledge. 5849
  • 1957/--/-- british prime minister anthony eden resigns; is succeeded by harold macmillan. 5850
  • 1957/--/-- the israeli army withdraws from egypt; the gaza strip is policed by un forces. 5851
  • 1957/--/-- tunku abdul rahman becomes the first prime minister of independent malaya (malaysia). 5852
  • 1957/--/-- ghana gains independence; kwame nkrumah becomes the first prime minister. 5853
  • 1957/--/-- francois duvalier (known as papa doc) is elected president of haiti. 5854
  • 1957/--/-- the ussr launches sputnik i, the first artificial satellite. 5855
  • 1957/--/-- scientists from 67 nations work together during the international geophysical year. 5856
  • 1957/--/-- black tennis player althea gibson wins the u.s. open and wimbledon championships. 5857
  • 1957/--/-- swedish filmmaker ingmar bergman directs the seventh seal. 5858
  • 1957/--/-- jerome robbins is director-choreographer of the musical west side story. 5859
  • 1957/--/-- dr. seuss publishes the children's book the cat in the hat. 5860
  • 1957/--/-- lawrence durrell publishes justine, the first of the alexandria quartet novels. 5861
  • 1957/--/-- beat generation writer jack kerouac publishes on the road. 5862
  • 1958/--/-- nikita khrushchev replaces nikolai bulganin as soviet premier. 5863
  • 1958/--/-- egypt and syria form the united arab republic. 5864
  • 1958/--/-- civil war breaks out in lebanon; it is ended when u.s. marines land at beirut. 5865
  • 1958/--/-- the french army and settlers in algiers revolt over the algerian war stalemate. 5866
  • 1958/--/-- the algerian crisis prompts the recall of charles de gaulle as president of france. 5867
  • 1958/--/-- gen. muhammad ayub khan seizes control in pakistan. 5868
  • 1958/--/-- prime minister hendrik verwoerd extends south africa's apartheid laws. 5869
  • 1958/--/-- the european economic community (eec) is established. 5870
  • 1958/--/-- american economist j.k. galbraith publishes the affluent society. 5871
  • 1958/--/-- bertrand russell founds the campaign for nuclear disarmament (cnd) in britain. 5872
  • 1958/--/-- the u.s. launches the explorer i and vanguard i scientific satellites. 5873
  • 1958/--/-- the nuclear submarine nautilus reaches the north pole under the polar ice cap. 5874
  • 1958/--/-- the first intercontinental ballistic missile (icbm) is launched in the u.s. 5875
  • 1958/--/-- the national aeronautics and space administration (nasa) is founded. 5876
  • 1958/--/-- wilson greatbatch invents an artificial pacemaker to control heartbeats. 5877
  • 1958/--/-- american golfer arnold palmer wins the masters tournament for the first time. 5878
  • 1958/--/-- soccer player pele leads brazil to victory in the world cup. 5879
  • 1958/--/-- leonard bernstein becomes the conductor of the new york philharmonic orchestra. 5880
  • 1958/--/-- russian writer boris pasternak publishes the novel doctor zhivago. 5881
  • 1958/--/-- american playwright edward albee writes the zoo story. 5882
  • 1958/--/-- american writer truman capote publishes the novella breakfast at tiffany's. 5883
  • 1959/--/-- fidel castro ousts cuban leader fulgencio batista in a communist revolution. 5884
  • 1959/--/-- the dalai lama flees to india after china crushes an uprising in tibet. 5885
  • 1959/--/-- cyprus gains independence from britain; archbishop makarios becomes president. 5886
  • 1959/--/-- lee kuan yew becomes prime minister of singapore. 5887
  • 1959/--/-- alaska is inaugurated as the 49th state of the union. 5888
  • 1959/--/-- hawaii is inaugurated as the 50th state of the union. 5889
  • 1959/--/-- the boeing 707 jet airliner enters service. 5890
  • 1959/--/-- the first flight is made by the x-15 rocket-powered research aircraft. 5891
  • 1959/--/-- the soviet union sends a series of luna space probes to the moon. 5892
  • 1959/--/-- sir christopher cockerell tests the first air-cushion vehicle. 5893
  • 1959/--/-- nasa selects the first seven u.s. astronauts. 5894
  • 1959/--/-- anthropologists richard and mary leakey discover an australopithecus skull in africa. 5895
  • 1959/--/-- the guggenheim museum, designed by frank lloyd wright, opens in new york city. 5896
  • 1959/--/-- artist robert rauschenberg creates the three-dimensional collage monogram. 5897
  • 1959/--/-- rock 'n roll star buddy holly is killed in a plane crash. 5898
  • 1959/--/-- rod serling hosts the twilight zone television series. 5899
  • 1959/--/-- french filmmaker alain resnais directs hiroshima mon amour. 5900
  • 1959/--/-- french new wave filmmaker jean luc godard directs breathless. 5901
  • 1959/--/-- jack lemon, tony curtis and marilyn monroe star in the film some like it hot. 5902
  • 1959/--/-- film actor charlton heston wins the academy award for his role in ben-hur. 5903
  • 1959/--/-- french filmmaker francois truffaut directs the 400 blows. 5904
  • 1959/--/-- lorraine hansberry's a raisin in the sun is the first broadway play by a black woman. 5905
  • 1959/--/-- rogers and hammerstein's broadway musical the sound of music is produced. 5906
  • 1959/--/-- american writer leon uris publishes exodus, a novel on the founding of israel. 5907
  • 1959/--/-- german writer gunter grass publishes his first novel the tin drum. 5908
  • 1959/--/-- american writer william burroughs publishes the naked lunch. 5909
  • 1960/--/-- france grants independence to the congo, chad, central african republic, and gabon. 5910
  • 1960/--/-- belgium grants independence to the congo (zaire); patrice lumumba becomes premier. 5911
  • 1960/--/-- the congo crisis begins with the secession of katanga province under moise tshombe. 5912
  • 1960/--/-- britain grants independence to nigeria; abubakar balewa continues as prime minister. 5913
  • 1960/--/-- a military coup takes place in turkey; prime minister adnan menderes is executed (1961). 5914
  • 1960/--/-- former nazi official adolf eichmann is abducted to israel. 5915
  • 1960/--/-- 69 africans are killed in the sharpeville massacre in south africa. 5916
  • 1960/--/-- the south african government bans the african national congress (anc). 5917
  • 1960/--/-- congo (zaire) premier patrice lumumba is ousted by joseph mobutu and murdered. 5918
  • 1960/--/-- a student uprising forces the resignation of syngman rhee, president of south korea. 5919
  • 1960/--/-- sirimavo bandaranaike becomes the world's first woman prime minister in ceylon (sri lanka). 5920
  • 1960/--/-- viet cong groups unite into the national liberation front of south vietnam (nlfsv). 5921
  • 1960/--/-- walter ulbricht becomes head of east germany. 5922
  • 1960/--/-- the soviets shoot down a u-2 spy plane; u.s. pilot francis gary powers is captured. 5923
  • 1960/--/-- the presidential debates of john f. kennedy and richard nixon are televised. 5924
  • 1960/--/-- south african civil rights leader albert luthuli wins the nobel peace prize. 5925
  • 1960/--/-- an earthquake kills 15,000 at agadir in morocco. 5926
  • 1960/--/-- the planned city of brasilia becomes the new capital of brazil. 5927
  • 1960/--/-- jacques piccard and don walsh descend to 35,800 ft in the bathyscaphe trieste. 5928
  • 1960/--/-- the first submerged firing is made of a polaris submarine-launched missile. 5929
  • 1960/--/-- american physicist theodore h. maiman demonstrates the first successful laser. 5930
  • 1960/--/-- the first quasars, the most luminous known objects in the universe, are discovered. 5931
  • 1960/--/-- the echo 1 experimental communications satellite is launched. 5932
  • 1960/--/-- nasa launches the first tiros weather satellite. 5933
  • 1960/--/-- american track star wilma rudolph wins 3 gold medals at the rome olympic games. 5934
  • 1960/--/-- the motown record company is founded in detroit by berry gordy. 5935
  • 1960/--/-- religious broadcaster pat robertson founds the christian broadcasting network. 5936
  • 1960/--/-- harold pinter's play the caretaker is produced. 5937
  • 1960/--/-- filmmaker alfred hitchcock directs the suspense thriller psycho. 5938
  • 1960/--/-- italian filmmaker michelangelo antonioni directs la notte (the night). 5939
  • 1960/--/-- american author john updike publishes the novel rabbit run. 5940
  • 1961/--/-- kennedy is inaugurated as the 35th u.s. president; johnson becomes vice-president. 5941
  • 1961/--/-- agostinho neto and holden roberto lead insurrections in portuguese angola. 5942
  • 1961/--/-- britain grants independence to tanganyika (tanzania) with julius nyerere as prime minister. 5943
  • 1961/--/-- president rafael trujillo is assassinated in the dominican republic. 5944
  • 1961/--/-- india annexes the portugese territories of goa, daman, and diu. 5945
  • 1961/--/-- president kennedy begins to increase the u.s. military presence in vietnam. 5946
  • 1961/--/-- un secretary-general dag hammarskjold is killed in a plane crash in the congo (zaire). 5947
  • 1961/--/-- the berlin wall is constructed, separating east and west berlin. 5948
  • 1961/--/-- the kurds begin a guerrilla war against iraq to gain independence for kurdistan. 5949
  • 1961/--/-- american-aided cuban exiles attempt the unsuccessful bay of pigs invasion. 5950
  • 1961/--/-- president kennedy establishes the peace corps. 5951
  • 1961/--/-- soviet cosmonaut yuri gagarin orbits the earth. 5952
  • 1961/--/-- astronaut alan shepard makes the first u.s. suborbital space flight. 5953
  • 1961/--/-- president kennedy sets a goal for landing a man on the moon within the decade. 5954
  • 1961/--/-- the drug thalidomide is found to cause malformations in new born babies. 5955
  • 1961/--/-- roger maris breaks babe ruth's home-run baseball record with a season total of 61. 5956
  • 1961/--/-- soviet ballet dancer rudolf nureyev defects to the west. 5957
  • 1961/--/-- italian opera singer luciano pavarotti debuts in puccini's la boheme. 5958
  • 1961/--/-- swedish filmmaker ingmar bergman directs max von sydow in through a glass darkly. 5959
  • 1961/--/-- french filmmaker francois truffaut directs jeanne moreau in jules and jim. 5960
  • 1961/--/-- italian filmmaker vittorio de sica directs sophia loren in alberto moravia's two women. 5961
  • 1961/--/-- v.s. naipaul writes about west indian life in a house for mr. biswas. 5962
  • 1961/--/-- science fiction writer robert heinlein publishes stranger in a strange land. 5963
  • 1961/--/-- english writer muriel spark publishes the prime of miss jean brodie. 5964
  • 1961/--/-- british novelist iris murdoch publishes a severed head. 5965
  • 1961/--/-- american writer joseph heller publishes the anti-war novel catch-22. 5966
  • 1962/--/-- britain grants independence to uganda; milton obote becomes prime minister. 5967
  • 1962/--/-- burmese diplomat u thant becomes the first asian secretary general of the un. 5968
  • 1962/--/-- the cuban missile crisis begins; soviet missiles are withdrawn from cuba. 5969
  • 1962/--/-- algeria gains independence from france; ahmed ben bella becomes prime minister. 5970
  • 1962/--/-- georges pompidou becomes premier of france's fifth republic. 5971
  • 1962/--/-- britain grants independence to trinidad and tobago with eric williams as chief minister. 5972
  • 1962/--/-- the university of mississippi is forced to admit black student james meredith. 5973
  • 1962/--/-- the u.s. supreme court rules that school prayers are a violation of the 1st amendment. 5974
  • 1962/--/-- astronaut john glenn becomes the first american to orbit the earth. 5975
  • 1962/--/-- the u.s. launches telstar, the first commercial communications satellite. 5976
  • 1962/--/-- the mariner 2 spacecraft passes within 21,598 miles of venus. 5977
  • 1962/--/-- rachel carson criticizes indiscriminate use of pesticides in her book silent spring. 5978
  • 1962/--/-- american historian barbara tuchman publishes the guns of august. 5979
  • 1962/--/-- sonny liston defeats floyd patterson to become heavyweight boxing champion. 5980
  • 1962/--/-- basketball player wilt chamberlain scores a record 100 points in one game. 5981
  • 1962/--/-- fashion designer yves saint laurent opens his parisian fashion house. 5982
  • 1962/--/-- american artist jim dine paints the pop art subject black saw. 5983
  • 1962/--/-- pop artist andy warhol begins making silk screen prints of mass-media images. 5984
  • 1962/--/-- the british pop group the beatles make their first recordings. 5985
  • 1962/--/-- folk-rock singer and composer bob dylan writes blowin' in the wind. 5986
  • 1962/--/-- television journalist walter cronkite is made anchorman of cbs evening news. 5987
  • 1962/--/-- british filmmaker david lean directs lawrence of arabia. 5988
  • 1962/--/-- richard burton and elizabeth taylor star in cleopatra, the most expensive film to date. 5989
  • 1962/--/-- polish filmmaker roman polanski directs his first film knife in the water. 5990
  • 1962/--/-- american film actress marilyn monroe dies from a drug overdose. 5991
  • 1962/--/-- edward albee's play who's afraid of virginia woolf is produced on broadway. 5992
  • 1962/--/-- actor laurence olivier becomes the first director of the national theatre in london. 5993
  • 1962/--/-- american writer ken kesey publishes one flew over the cuckoo's nest. 5994
  • 1962/--/-- british writer anthony burgess publishes the futuristic novel a clockwork orange. 5995
  • 1962/--/-- science fiction writer j.g. ballard publishes the drowned world. 5996
  • 1962/--/-- aleksandr solzhenitsyn publishes one day in the life of ivan denisovich. 5997
  • 1962/--/-- american writer katherine anne porter publishes the novel ship of fools. 5998
  • 1963/--/-- a un peace keeping force ends the secession attempt of katanga province (shaba). 5999
  • 1963/--/-- president ngo dinh diem of south vietnam is assassinated. 6000
  • 1963/--/-- malaya, singapore, sarawak and sabah form the federation of malaysia. 6001
  • 1963/--/-- britain's entry to the european economic community is blocked by france. 6002
  • 1963/--/-- a limited nuclear test ban treaty is signed by britain, the u.s., and the ussr. 6003
  • 1963/--/-- kenya gains independence from britain; jomo kenyatta becomes prime minister. 6004
  • 1963/--/-- black nationalist joshua nkomo is imprisoned in rhodesia (now zimbabwe). 6005
  • 1963/--/-- the organization of african unity (oau) is established in addis ababa, ethiopia. 6006
  • 1963/--/-- president kennedy is assassinated in dallas, texas. 6007
  • 1963/--/-- lyndon b. johnson is inaugurated as the 36th president of the u.s. 6008
  • 1963/--/-- ludwig erhard succeeds konrad adenauer as chancellor of west germany. 6009
  • 1963/--/-- the profumo sex scandal undermines the conservative government in britain. 6010
  • 1963/--/-- sir alec douglas-home succeeds harold macmillan as british prime minister. 6011
  • 1963/--/-- british spy harold (kim) philby defects to the ussr. 6012
  • 1963/--/-- levi eshkol succeeds david ben-gurion as prime minister of israel. 6013
  • 1963/--/-- john f. kennedy assassin lee harvey oswald is shot and killed by jack ruby. 6014
  • 1963/--/-- martin luther king, jr. makes his "i have a dream" speech in washington, d.c. 6015
  • 1963/--/-- the american x-15 research aircraft establishes an altitude record of 67 miles. 6016
  • 1963/--/-- soviet cosmonaut valentina tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. 6017
  • 1963/--/-- arecibo observatory begins observations with a 1,000-ft wide radio telescope. 6018
  • 1963/--/-- race-car driver jim clark wins seven grand prix events and the world title. 6019
  • 1963/--/-- jack nicklaus becomes the youngest golfer to win the masters tournament. 6020
  • 1963/--/-- football running back jim brown sets a record for rushes of 1,863 yards. 6021
  • 1963/--/-- pop artist roy lichtenstein completes the comic strip painting whaam. 6022
  • 1963/--/-- pop artist claes oldenburg creates the kapok-filled sculpture soft typewriter. 6023
  • 1963/--/-- american pop vocal group the beach boys release the record surfin' u.s.a. 6024
  • 1963/--/-- the rolling stones rock band is formed in britain. 6025
  • 1963/--/-- the first james bond film dr. no is produced. 6026
  • 1963/--/-- filmmaker stanley kubrick directs the anti-war film dr. strangelove. 6027
  • 1963/--/-- british filmmaker joseph losey directs the servant. 6028
  • 1963/--/-- peter sellers stars as inspector clouseau in the film the pink panther. 6029
  • 1963/--/-- czech dissident playwright vaclav havel writes the garden party. 6030
  • 1963/--/-- american writer mary mccarthy publishes the group. 6031
  • 1963/--/-- english writer john le carre publishes the spy who came in from the cold. 6032
  • 1963/--/-- sylvia plath's novel the bell jar is published in the year of her death. 6033
  • 1964/--/-- britain grants independence to zanzibar. 6034
  • 1964/--/-- fighting breaks out on cyprus between greek and turkish cypriots. 6035
  • 1964/--/-- tanganyika joins with zanzibar to form the united republic of tanzania. 6036
  • 1964/--/-- anc leader nelson mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment in south africa. 6037
  • 1964/--/-- frelimo begins a war of independence against the portuguese in mozambique. 6038
  • 1964/--/-- north vietnam allegedly attacks u.s. vessels in the gulf of tonkin. 6039
  • 1964/--/-- the tonkin gulf resolution escalates the use of u.s. personnel in vietnam. 6040
  • 1964/--/-- general westmoreland is appointed to command the u.s. forces in south vietnam. 6041
  • 1964/--/-- indian prime minister jawaharlal nehru dies; he is succeeded by lal bahadur shastri. 6042
  • 1964/--/-- britain grants independence to malawi; h. kamuzu banda becomes prime minister. 6043
  • 1964/--/-- britain grants independence to zambia; kenneth d. kaunda becomes president. 6044
  • 1964/--/-- ian smith becomes prime minister of rhodesia (now zimbabwe). 6045
  • 1964/--/-- the labour party is elected to power in britain; harold wilson becomes prime minister. 6046
  • 1964/--/-- gustavo diaz ordaz becomes president of mexico. 6047
  • 1964/--/-- faisal succeeds his brother saud as king of saudi arabia. 6048
  • 1964/--/-- the palestine liberation organization (plo) is formed to represent palestinians. 6049
  • 1964/--/-- soviet leader nikitakhrushchev is forced from office; aleksei kosygin becomes premier. 6050
  • 1964/--/-- johnson is reeelected as u.s. president; humphrey becomes vice-president (1965). 6051
  • 1964/--/-- the warren commission decides that oswald was the sole assassin of john f. kennedy. 6052
  • 1964/--/-- the u.s. surgeon general reports that cigarette smoking is a health hazard. 6053
  • 1964/--/-- the u.s. civil rights act prohibits discrimination in employment. 6054
  • 1964/--/-- the verrazano-narrows bridge opens in new york. 6055
  • 1964/--/-- an earthquake in alaska causes extensive damage and 114 fatalities. 6056
  • 1964/--/-- the american ranger 7 spacecraft transmits photos of the surface of the moon. 6057
  • 1964/--/-- physicists murray gell-mann and george zweig propose the quark theory. 6058
  • 1964/--/-- arno penzias and robert wilson discover the existence of background radiation. 6059
  • 1964/--/-- the sr-71 blackbird reconnaissance aircraft is flown for the first time. 6060
  • 1964/--/-- the soviet voskhod 1 spacecraft is launched with a three-man crew. 6061
  • 1964/--/-- architect eero saarinen's st. louis arch memorial is completed. 6062
  • 1964/--/-- craig breedlove sets a land speed record of 600 mph in a jet-powered vehicle. 6063
  • 1964/--/-- muhammad ali defeats sonny liston for the heavyweight boxing championship. 6064
  • 1964/--/-- comedian lenny bruce is convicted for giving an obscene performance. 6065
  • 1964/--/-- beatlemania develops during the first u.s. tour of the beatles pop group. 6066
  • 1964/--/-- black female group the supremes record the hit song where did our love go. 6067
  • 1964/--/-- julie andrews and dick van dyke star in the film mary poppins. 6068
  • 1964/--/-- clint eastwood stars in sergio leone's "spaghetti western" a fistful of dollars. 6069
  • 1964/--/-- peter weiss' play marat/ sade is produced by british director peter brook. 6070
  • 1964/--/-- illustrator maurice sendak wins a caldecott medal for where the wild things are. 6071
  • 1965/--/-- nicolae ceausescu succeeds gheorghe gheorghiu-dej as romanian leader. 6072
  • 1965/--/-- the vietnam war escalates as the u.s. begins bombing north vietnam. 6073
  • 1965/--/-- north vietnamese army units are in action in south vietnam for the first time. 6074
  • 1965/--/-- more than 180,000 u.s. troops are deployed in vietnam by the end of the year. 6075
  • 1965/--/-- rhodesia (zimbabwe) makes a unilateral declaration of independence from britain. 6076
  • 1965/--/-- an attempted communist coup leads to military rule in indonesia under suharto. 6077
  • 1965/--/-- singapore secedes from malaysia; lee kuan yew remains as prime minister. 6078
  • 1965/--/-- mobutu sese seko seizes control in the congo (zaire) for the second time. 6079
  • 1965/--/-- the second india-pakistan war begins in kashmir. 6080
  • 1965/--/-- houari boumedienne deposes president ahmed ben bella of algeria. 6081
  • 1965/--/-- civil war breaks out in the dominican republic; u.s. troops restore order. 6082
  • 1965/--/-- the black muslim leader malcolm x is assassinated in new york city. 6083
  • 1965/--/-- race riots begin in the watts section of los angeles. 6084
  • 1965/--/-- martin luther king, jr. leads a civil rights march from selma to montgomery, alabama. 6085
  • 1965/--/-- the u.s. government establishes medicare and medicaid health programs. 6086
  • 1965/--/-- an electrical blackout in the northeastern u.s. affects 30 million people. 6087
  • 1965/--/-- the houston astrodome, the first covered stadium, is completed in texas. 6088
  • 1965/--/-- astronauts virgil grissom and john young orbit the earth in the first gemini spacecraft. 6089
  • 1965/--/-- soviet cosmonaut aleksei leonov makes the first space walk. 6090
  • 1965/--/-- astronaut edward h. white becomes the first american to walk in space. 6091
  • 1965/--/-- the mariner 4 spacecraft passes within 6,118 miles of the planet mars. 6092
  • 1965/--/-- gemini 6 and 7 spacecraft make the first rendezvous in space. 6093
  • 1965/--/-- british fashion designer mary quant introduces the miniskirt. 6094
  • 1965/--/-- american pop artist james rosenquist paints f-111. 6095
  • 1965/--/-- actress and singer barbara streisand stars in the broadway musical funny girl. 6096
  • 1965/--/-- neil simon's play the odd couple opens on broadway starring walter matthau. 6097
  • 1965/--/-- american writer norman mailer publishes an american dream. 6098
  • 1965/--/-- irish writer edna o'brien publishes august is a wicked month. 6099
  • 1966/--/-- president de gaulle withdraws french forces from nato. 6100
  • 1966/--/-- the soviets mediate to end the india-pakistan war. 6101
  • 1966/--/-- nigerian prime minister abubakar tafawa balewa is killed in a military coup. 6102
  • 1966/--/-- gen. yakubu gowon heads a military government after a countercoup in nigeria. 6103
  • 1966/--/-- president kwame nkrumah is ousted in a military coup in ghana. 6104
  • 1966/--/-- mao tse-tung begins china's cultural revolution. 6105
  • 1966/--/-- south african prime minister hendrik verwoerd is assassinated. 6106
  • 1966/--/-- indian prime minister lal bahadur shastri dies; he is succeeded by indira gandhi. 6107
  • 1966/--/-- john jack lynch becomes prime minister of ireland. 6108
  • 1966/--/-- the first major rally against the vietnam war takes place in washington, d.c. 6109
  • 1966/--/-- john v. lindsay becomes mayor of new york city. 6110
  • 1966/--/-- the soviet luna 9 space probe makes the first landing on the moon. 6111
  • 1966/--/-- the american surveyor 1 spacecraft achieves the first soft-landing on the moon. 6112
  • 1966/--/-- the british hawker harrier becomes the first vtol (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft. 6113
  • 1966/--/-- art treasures are ruined during severe floods in florence, italy. 6114
  • 1966/--/-- art treasures are ruined during severe floods in florence, italy. 6114
  • 1966/--/-- realist sculptor george segal completes the direct-cast plaster group the diner. 6115
  • 1966/--/-- tom stoppard's play rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead is produced. 6116
  • 1966/--/-- american writer truman capote publishes in cold blood. 6117
  • 1966/--/-- american writer bernard malamud publishes the fixer. 6118
  • 1967/--/-- the six-day war between israel and the arab states ends with israeli victory. 6119
  • 1967/--/-- a civil war breaks out in nigeria after the secession of the state of biafra. 6120
  • 1967/--/-- a military junta seizes control in greece; king constantine ii is exiled. 6121
  • 1967/--/-- britain grants aden independence as the people's democratic republic of yemen. 6122
  • 1967/--/-- the residents of gibraltar vote to remain a british crown colony. 6123
  • 1967/--/-- nguyen van thieu becomes president of south vietnam. 6124
  • 1967/--/-- gen. anastasio somoza debayle is elected president of nicaragua. 6125
  • 1967/--/-- latin american guerrilla leader che guevara is killed in bolivia. 6126
  • 1967/--/-- thurgood marshall becomes the first black member of the u.s. supreme court. 6127
  • 1967/--/-- the x-15 research aircraft establishes a speed record of mach 6.7 (4,520 mph). 6128
  • 1967/--/-- radio astronomers jocelyn bell burnell and antony hewish discover the first pulsar. 6129
  • 1967/--/-- a fire kills u.s. astronauts white, grissom and chaffee during a launch test. 6130
  • 1967/--/-- soviet cosmonaut vladimir komarov is killed during the landing of soyuz 1. 6131
  • 1967/--/-- dr. christiaan barnard performs the first successful human heart transplant. 6132
  • 1967/--/-- yachtsman francis chichester completes the first solo voyage around the world. 6133
  • 1967/--/-- tennis player billie jean king wins the u.s. open championship for the first time. 6134
  • 1967/--/-- tennis player billie jean king wins the u.s. open championship for the first time. 6134
  • 1967/--/-- quarterback joe namath sets a one-season record by passing for 4,007 yards. 6135
  • 1967/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) is formed. 6136
  • 1967/--/-- r. buckminster fuller designs a geodesic dome for the u.s. pavilion at expo '67. 6137
  • 1967/--/-- the hippie musical revue hair is produced. 6138
  • 1967/--/-- peter fonda and dennis hopper star in the motorcycle film easy rider. 6139
  • 1967/--/-- warren beaty and faye dunaway star in arthur penn's film bonnie and clyde. 6140
  • 1967/--/-- sidney poitier and rod steiger star in the film in the heat of the night. 6141
  • 1967/--/-- dustin hoffman stars in mike nichols' film the graduate. 6142
  • 1967/--/-- american writer joyce carol oates publishes a garden of earthly delights. 6143
  • 1967/--/-- colombian writer gabriel garcia marquez publishes one hundred years of solitude. 6144
  • 1968/--/-- warsaw pact forces invade czechoslovakia to counter increasing liberalization. 6145
  • 1968/--/-- more than 500,000 u.s. troops are deployed in vietnam. 6146
  • 1968/--/-- the viet cong launch the tet offensive in vietnam. 6147
  • 1968/--/-- u.s. troops massacre vietnamese civilians at my lai. 6148
  • 1968/--/-- the u.s. navy intelligence gathering ship pueblo is seized by north korea. 6149
  • 1968/--/-- the catholic minority in northern ireland demonstrate for british rights. 6150
  • 1968/--/-- spain grants independence to equatorial guinea. 6151
  • 1968/--/-- omar torrijos herrera overthrows the government of arnulfo arias in panama. 6152
  • 1968/--/-- student-worker revolts almost topple the goverment of charles de gaulle in france. 6153
  • 1968/--/-- pierre trudeau succeeds lester pearson as prime minister of canada. 6154
  • 1968/--/-- portuguese dictator antonio de oliveira salazar is succeeded by marcello caetano. 6155
  • 1968/--/-- president johnson announces he will not seek a second term of office. 6156
  • 1968/--/-- civil rights leader martin luther king, jr. is assassinated. 6157
  • 1968/--/-- presidential candidate robert f. kennedy is assassinated. 6158
  • 1968/--/-- anti-war demonstrators clash with police at the democratic convention in chicago. 6159
  • 1968/--/-- the federal gun control act regulates the interstate commerce in firearms. 6160
  • 1968/--/-- jacqueline kennedy marries the greek shipping millionaire aristotle onassis. 6161
  • 1968/--/-- the saturn rocket lifts the apollo 7 spacecraft into low earth orbit. 6162
  • 1968/--/-- the apollo 8 spacecraft makes the first manned orbit of the moon. 6163
  • 1968/--/-- oceanographic ship glomar challenger begins the deep-sea drilling project. 6164
  • 1968/--/-- american skater peggy fleming wins the singles title at the winter olympic games. 6165
  • 1968/--/-- french downhill skier jean claude killy wins three olympic gold medals. 6166
  • 1968/--/-- american track star bob beamon beats the olympic long jump record by almost 2 feet. 6167
  • 1968/--/-- dick fosbury uses the fosbury flop to win the olympic gold medal for the high jump. 6168
  • 1968/--/-- arthur ashe becomes the first black player to win a major men's tennis title. 6169
  • 1968/--/-- spanish operatic tenor placido domingo debuts at the metropolitan opera. 6170
  • 1968/--/-- french filmmaker henri costa-gavras directs z. 6171
  • 1968/--/-- filmmaker stanley kubrick directs 2001: a space odyssey. 6172
  • 1968/--/-- polish filmmaker roman polanski directs rosemary's baby. 6173
  • 1968/--/-- filmmaker mel brooks directs, produces and appears in the producers. 6174
  • 1968/--/-- carlos castaneda publishes the teachings of don juan: a yaqui way of knowledge. 6175
  • 1968/--/-- american writer tom wolfe publishes the electric kool-aid acid test. 6176
  • 1969/--/-- nixon is inaugurated as the 37th u.s. president; agnew becomes vice-president. 6177
  • 1969/--/-- catholics and protestants clash in northern ireland; british troops restore order. 6178
  • 1969/--/-- ira provisionals launch a terrorist campaign against british troops in ireland. 6179
  • 1969/--/-- yasir arafat becomes chairman of the palestine liberation organization (plo). 6180
  • 1969/--/-- col. muammar al-qaddafi seizes control in libya; king idris is deposed. 6181
  • 1969/--/-- liberal czech leader alexander dubcek is replaced by gustav husak. 6182
  • 1969/--/-- gen. gaafar al-nimeiry seizes power in sudan. 6183
  • 1969/--/-- willy brandt succeeds kurt kiesinger as chancellor of west germany. 6184
  • 1969/--/-- general de gaulle resigns; georges pompidou becomes president of france. 6185
  • 1969/--/-- golda meir becomes prime minister of israel after the death of levi eshkol. 6186
  • 1969/--/-- the immigration of salvadorans into honduras leads to a brief border war. 6187
  • 1969/--/-- president ayub khan is deposed by gen. muhammad yahya khan in pakistan. 6188
  • 1969/--/-- president nixon begins to withdraw u.s. forces from vietnam. 6189
  • 1969/--/-- charles manson and his followers kill actress sharon tate and six of her friends. 6190
  • 1969/--/-- edward kennedy's female companion dies in a car accident off the chappaquiddick bridge. 6191
  • 1969/--/-- american astronauts neil armstrong and buzz aldrin land on the moon. 6192
  • 1969/--/-- the anglo-french supersonic transport concorde makes its first flight. 6193
  • 1969/--/-- australian rod laver becomes the only tennis player to win the grand slam twice. 6194
  • 1969/--/-- the monty python's flying circus television program premiers in britain. 6195
  • 1969/--/-- the children's television workshop series sesame street is first shown. 6196
  • 1969/--/-- a rock-music festival at woodstock, n.y, attracts a crowd of 500,000. 6197
  • 1969/--/-- paul newman and robert redford star in butch cassidy and the sundance kid. 6198
  • 1969/--/-- british filmmaker ken russell directs glenda jackson in women in love. 6199
  • 1969/--/-- dustin hoffman and jon voight star in john schlesinger's film midnight cowboy. 6200
  • 1969/--/-- nudity shocks audiences in kenneth tynan's broadway revue oh! calcutta!. 6201
  • 1969/--/-- british writer john fowles publishes the french lieutenant's woman. 6202
  • 1969/--/-- american writer kurt vonnegut, jr. publishes slaughterhouse-five. 6203
  • 1970/--/-- former defense minister hafez al-assad seizes power in syria. 6204
  • 1970/--/-- the civil war ends between nigeria and the breakaway state of biafra. 6205
  • 1970/--/-- riots in poland force wladyslaw gomulka to resign in favor of edward gierek. 6206
  • 1970/--/-- civil war begins in jordan between government forces and palestinian guerrillas. 6207
  • 1970/--/-- edward heath becomes conservative prime minister of britain. 6208
  • 1970/--/-- britain grants independence to fiji. 6209
  • 1970/--/-- bruno kreisky succeeds josef klaus as chancellor of austria. 6210
  • 1970/--/-- egyptian president gamal abdel nasser dies; he is succeeded by anwar al-sadat. 6211
  • 1970/--/-- marxist leader salvadore allende is elected president of chile. 6212
  • 1970/--/-- sihanouk is deposed in cambodia; khmer rouge seize the western provinces. 6213
  • 1970/--/-- president nixon orders an incursion into cambodia to combat the khmer rouge. 6214
  • 1970/--/-- ohio national guardsmen kill four kent state students during an anti-war protest. 6215
  • 1970/--/-- the environmental protection agency (epa) is established in the u.s. 6216
  • 1970/--/-- the amtrak intercity rail passenger service is created by act of congress. 6217
  • 1970/--/-- the boeing 747 jumbo jet airliner enters service. 6218
  • 1970/--/-- the building of the aswan high dam is completed in egypt. 6219
  • 1970/--/-- the soviet space probe venera 7 transmits the first data from the surface of venus. 6220
  • 1970/--/-- the apollo 13 crew return to earth after an explosion aboard their command module. 6221
  • 1970/--/-- norman borlaug wins the nobel peace prize for breeding miracle wheat strains. 6222
  • 1970/--/-- australian tennis player margaret smith court wins the grand slam. 6223
  • 1970/--/-- the beatles pop group is disbanded. 6224
  • 1970/--/-- songwriting duo simon and garfunkel record bridge over troubled water. 6225
  • 1970/--/-- rock music guitarist jimi hendrix dies from a drug overdose. 6226
  • 1970/--/-- donald sutherland stars in robert altman's anti-war film m*a*s*h. 6227
  • 1970/--/-- french filmmaker eric rohmer directs claire's knee. 6228
  • 1970/--/-- george c. scott stars in the academy award winning film patton. 6229
  • 1970/--/-- cartoonist garry trudeau begins satirizing public figures and politics in doonesbury. 6230
  • 1970/--/-- writer and feminist germaine greer publishes the female eunuch. 6231
  • 1970/--/-- american writer maya angelou publishes i know why the caged bird sings. 6232
  • 1971/--/-- east pakistan declares its independence from west pakistan, beginning a civil war. 6233
  • 1971/--/-- the support of india wins independence for east pakistan (renamed as bangladesh). 6234
  • 1971/--/-- col. hugo banzer suarez seizes power in bolivia in a military coup. 6235
  • 1971/--/-- the congo is renamed as the republic of zaire. 6236
  • 1971/--/-- jean claude duvalier succeeds his father as president of haiti. 6237
  • 1971/--/-- south vietnamese troops and u.s. aircraft combat communist forces in laos. 6238
  • 1971/--/-- prime minister brian faulkner begins the internment of ira suspects in northern ireland. 6239
  • 1971/--/-- the republic of china (taiwan) loses its un seat; communist china is admitted. 6240
  • 1971/--/-- prime minister milton obote is ousted by idi amin dada in uganda. 6241
  • 1971/--/-- austrian kurt waldheim succeeds u thant as un secretary general. 6242
  • 1971/--/-- erich honecker becomes the head of state for east germany. 6243
  • 1971/--/-- lt. william calley is found guilty of killing vietnamese civilians at my lai. 6244
  • 1971/--/-- daniel ellsberg releases copies of the pentagon papers to the new york times. 6245
  • 1971/--/-- the lunar rover explores the moon's surface during the apollo 15 mission. 6246
  • 1971/--/-- soyuz 11 docks with salyut 1; three cosmonauts die during the return to earth. 6247
  • 1971/--/-- joe frazier defeats muhammad ali for the heavyweight boxing title. 6248
  • 1971/--/-- ice hockey player phil esposito scores a record 76 goals in 78 games. 6249
  • 1971/--/-- alistair cooke begins hosting the pbs television series masterpiece theatre. 6250
  • 1971/--/-- andrew lloyd webber's rock-opera jesus christ superstar opens on broadway. 6251
  • 1971/--/-- british actor dirk bogard stars in luchino visconti's film death in venice. 6252
  • 1971/--/-- american film actor and director clint eastwood stars in dirty harry. 6253
  • 1971/--/-- chilean poet pablo neruda wins the nobel prize for literature. 6254
  • 1972/--/-- the viet cong and north vietnamese renew their offensive in south vietnam. 6255
  • 1972/--/-- american b-52 aircraft bomb hanoi and haiphong in north vietnam. 6256
  • 1972/--/-- the labor party is elected in australia with gough whitlam as prime minister. 6257
  • 1972/--/-- the british government assumes direct rule of northern ireland. 6258
  • 1972/--/-- mujibur rahman becomes prime minister of bangladesh. 6259
  • 1972/--/-- president ferdinand marcos imposes martial law in the philippines. 6260
  • 1972/--/-- ceylon changes its name to sri lanka (meaning beautiful island). 6261
  • 1972/--/-- palestinian terrorists kill 11 israeli athletes at the munich olympics. 6262
  • 1972/--/-- president nixon makes his historic trip to peking to meet mao tse-tung. 6263
  • 1972/--/-- the watergate affair begins with the arrest of five burglars at democratic party headquarters. 6264
  • 1972/--/-- alabama governor george wallace is shot in an assassination attempt. 6265
  • 1972/--/-- richard leakey discovers a hominid skull 2.6 million years old in northern kenya. 6266
  • 1972/--/-- american bobby fischer defeats russian world chess champion boris spassky. 6267
  • 1972/--/-- an earthquake kills 10,000 in the nicaraguan capital of managua. 6268
  • 1972/--/-- ddt insecticide is banned in the u.s. 6269
  • 1972/--/-- apollo 17 makes the last manned moon landing. 6270
  • 1972/--/-- president nixon authorizes the space shuttle program. 6271
  • 1972/--/-- american swimmer mark spitz wins a record seven olympic gold medals. 6272
  • 1972/--/-- soviet gymnast olga korbut wins three olympic gold medals. 6273
  • 1972/--/-- filmmaker francis ford coppola directs marlon brando in the godfather. 6274
  • 1972/--/-- liza minnelli stars in bob fosse's film cabaret. 6275
  • 1972/--/-- marlon brando stars in bernardo bertolucci's film last tango in paris. 6276
  • 1972/--/-- japanese novelist kawabata yasunari commits suicide. 6277
  • 1972/--/-- american feminist gloria steinem founds ms. magazine. 6278
  • 1972/--/-- german writer heinrich boll receives the nobel prize for literature. 6279
  • 1973/--/-- the paris peace accords end the vietnam war. 6280
  • 1973/--/-- the u.s. begins a total military withdrawal from south vietnam. 6281
  • 1973/--/-- egypt and syria attack israel on yom kippur (a jewish religious holiday). 6282
  • 1973/--/-- the arab-israeli war ends after 18 days with a un negotiated cease-fire. 6283
  • 1973/--/-- a right-wing military coup in chile overthrows allende's marxist government. 6284
  • 1973/--/-- juan d. peron returns to power as president of argentina. 6285
  • 1973/--/-- britain grants independence to the bahama islands. 6286
  • 1973/--/-- charles xvi gustav succeeds gustav vi adolf as king of sweden. 6287
  • 1973/--/-- great britain, denmark and ireland become full-fledged members of the eec. 6288
  • 1973/--/-- opec begins an oil embargo against europe, the u.s. and japan. 6289
  • 1973/--/-- vice-president spiro agnew resigns after he is charged with accepting bribes. 6290
  • 1973/--/-- senator sam ervin, jr. heads a committee to investigate the watergate break-in. 6291
  • 1973/--/-- watergate prosecutor archibald cox is dismissed for demanding the nixon tapes. 6292
  • 1973/--/-- henry kissinger and le duc tho share the nobel peace prize. 6293
  • 1973/--/-- the american indian movement occupy the site of wounded knee in a political protest. 6294
  • 1973/--/-- congress passes the endangered species act. 6295
  • 1973/--/-- animal behavioralists lorenz, tinbergen and von frisch share the nobel prize. 6296
  • 1973/--/-- the pioneer 10 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet jupiter. 6297
  • 1973/--/-- the skylab manned orbiting laboratory is launched. 6298
  • 1973/--/-- the world trade center in new york city becomes the tallest building in the world. 6299
  • 1973/--/-- pop recording artist billy joel releases his first album piano man. 6300
  • 1973/--/-- film actor al pacino stars as an undercover policeman in serpico. 6301
  • 1973/--/-- swedish actor max von sydow stars in the supernatural film the exorcist. 6302
  • 1973/--/-- the washington post receives the pulitzer prize for reporting the watergate scandal. 6303
  • 1973/--/-- aleksandr solzhenitsyn publishes the first volume of the gulag archipelago. 6304
  • 1973/--/-- american novelist thomas pynchon publishes gravity's rainbow. 6305
  • 1973/--/-- novelist, poet, and feminist erica jong publishes fear of flying. 6306
  • 1973/--/-- american playwright thornton wilder publishes the novel theophilus north. 6307
  • 1974/--/-- a military coup in portugal leads to democratic reforms. 6308
  • 1974/--/-- portugal recognizes the independence of guinea-bissau. 6309
  • 1974/--/-- general augusto pinochet ugarte becomes president of chile. 6310
  • 1974/--/-- archbishop makarios is deposed, prompting a turkish invasion of cyprus. 6311
  • 1974/--/-- the crisis on cyprus causes the collapse of the military regime in greece. 6312
  • 1974/--/-- konstantinos g. karamanlis becomes prime minister of greece. 6313
  • 1974/--/-- willy brandt is forced to resign after an east german spy is discovered on his staff. 6314
  • 1974/--/-- helmut schmidt becomes chancellor of west germany. 6315
  • 1974/--/-- president giscard d'estaing appoints jacques chirac prime minister of france. 6316
  • 1974/--/-- emperor haile selassie is deposed in a military coup in ethiopia. 6317
  • 1974/--/-- yitzhak rabin succeeds golda meir as prime minister of israel. 6318
  • 1974/--/-- isabel peron becomes president of argentina after the death of her husband. 6319
  • 1974/--/-- the house judiciary committee votes to impeach president nixon. 6320
  • 1974/--/-- president nixon resigns; gerald r. ford is inaugurated as the 38th u.s. president. 6321
  • 1974/--/-- former astronaut john glenn is elected to the u.s. senate. 6322
  • 1974/--/-- president ford grants richard nixon a pardon for any crimes committed in office. 6323
  • 1974/--/-- patricia hearst is abducted by members of the symbionese liberation army (sla). 6324
  • 1974/--/-- the mariner 10 spacecraft passes within 438 miles of the planet mercury. 6325
  • 1974/--/-- the sears tower in chicago surpasses the world trade center as the tallest building. 6326
  • 1974/--/-- an army of life-size pottery figures is discovered in a ch'in dynasty tomb in china. 6327
  • 1974/--/-- south african golfer gary player achieves the grand slam. 6328
  • 1974/--/-- baseball player hank aaron breaks babe ruth's record of 714 home-runs. 6329
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player chris evert wins a record 56 consecutive matches. 6330
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player jimmy connors wins the u.s. open tournament for the first time. 6331
  • 1974/--/-- soviet ballet dancer mikhail baryshnikov defects to the west. 6332
  • 1974/--/-- american writer stephen king publishes the horror novel carrie. 6333
  • 1974/--/-- james michener publishes centennial, a historical novel of the american west. 6334
  • 1975/--/-- north vietnamese forces overrun saigon, which is renamed as ho chi minh city. 6335
  • 1975/--/-- south vietnam capitulates; a mass exodus of boat people begins. 6336
  • 1975/--/-- the khmer rouge win control of cambodia and rename the country kampuchea. 6337
  • 1975/--/-- prime minister pol pot begins a reign of terror in kampuchea. 6338
  • 1975/--/-- u.s. marines recapture the u.s. freighter mayaguez from kampuchean forces. 6339
  • 1975/--/-- communist pathet lao declare laos the people's democratic republic. 6340
  • 1975/--/-- cyprus is partitioned into greek and turkish zones. 6341
  • 1975/--/-- president mujibur rahman is killed in a military coup in bangladesh. 6342
  • 1975/--/-- mozambique wins independence from portugal; samora machel becomes the president. 6343
  • 1975/--/-- president n'garta tombalbaye of chad is killed in a coup d'etat. 6344
  • 1975/--/-- gen. yakubu gowon is deposed in a military coup in nigeria. 6345
  • 1975/--/-- saudi king faisal is assassinated; he is succeeded by his brother khalid. 6346
  • 1975/--/-- civil war breaks out after the portuguese withdraw from angola. 6347
  • 1975/--/-- eritrean rebels begin their fight for independence in ethiopia. 6348
  • 1975/--/-- civil war breaks out in lebanon between muslim and christian forces. 6349
  • 1975/--/-- the republic of comoros declares its independence from france. 6350
  • 1975/--/-- dutch guiana gains its independence as the republic of suriname. 6351
  • 1975/--/-- papua new guinea becomes independent from australian administration. 6352
  • 1975/--/-- the helsinki accords pledge the signatory nations to respect human rights. 6353
  • 1975/--/-- the suez canal reopens after being closed to shipping for eight years. 6354
  • 1975/--/-- juan carlos i becomes king of spain after the death of general francisco franco. 6355
  • 1975/--/-- taiwanese leader chiang kai-shek dies; he is succeeded by chiang ching-kuo. 6356
  • 1975/--/-- u.s. astronauts and soviet cosmonauts linkup during the apollo-soyuz mission. 6357
  • 1975/--/-- soviet dissident andrei sakharov wins the nobel peace prize. 6358
  • 1975/--/-- brazilian soccer star pele ends his retirement to play for the new york cosmos. 6359
  • 1975/--/-- football player o.j. simpson scores a record 23 touchdowns in one season. 6360
  • 1975/--/-- czech tennis star martina navratilova defects to the u.s. 6361
  • 1975/--/-- bobby fischer refuses to defend his chess title; anatoly karpov is made champion. 6362
  • 1975/--/-- robert macneil and jim lehrer begin the pbs macneil/lehrer news analysis program. 6363
  • 1975/--/-- singer-songwriter bruce springsteen releases the rock album born to run. 6364
  • 1975/--/-- steven spielberg's film jaws sets new box-office records. 6365
  • 1975/--/-- michael bennett directs and choreographs the broadway musical a chorus line. 6366
  • 1975/--/-- american novelist saul bellow publishes humboldt's gift. 6367
  • 1975/--/-- american writer e.l. doctorow publishes ragtime. 6368
  • 1976/--/-- black student protestors are massacred at soweto in south africa. 6369
  • 1976/--/-- the pro-soviet mpla government seizes power in angola aided by cuban troops. 6370
  • 1976/--/-- the u.s. celebrates its bicentennial. 6371
  • 1976/--/-- separatist leader rene levesque becomes premier of quebec. 6372
  • 1976/--/-- mario soares is elected prime minister of portugal for the first time. 6373
  • 1976/--/-- james callaghan succeeds harold wilson as prime minister of britain. 6374
  • 1976/--/-- isabel peron is deposed; jorge rafael videla becomes president of argentina. 6375
  • 1976/--/-- chinese leaders chou en-lai and mao tse-tung die; hua kuo-feng assumes power. 6376
  • 1976/--/-- the south african homeland of transkei becomes independent. 6377
  • 1976/--/-- jose lopez portillo y pacheco is elected president of mexico. 6378
  • 1976/--/-- israeli commandos rescue hijacked airplane passengers at entebbe, uganda. 6379
  • 1976/--/-- a severe earthquake in china kills over 600,000. 6380
  • 1976/--/-- u.s. viking spacecraft land on mars. 6381
  • 1976/--/-- the first outbreak of legionnaires' disease occurs in philadelphia. 6382
  • 1976/--/-- swedish tennis star bjorn borg wins the first of five wimbledon championships. 6383
  • 1976/--/-- romanian gymnast nadia comaneci wins three gold medals at the montreal olympics. 6384
  • 1976/--/-- finnish runner lasse viren wins the olympic 5,000- and 10,000-m races for the second time. 6385
  • 1976/--/-- artist christo completes running fence, a curtain spanning 24 miles of countryside. 6386
  • 1976/--/-- jim henson's muppet show debuts on television. 6387
  • 1976/--/-- the sex pistols punk rock group is formed in england. 6388
  • 1976/--/-- actor jack nicholson wins the academy award for one flew over the cuckoo's nest. 6389
  • 1976/--/-- robert de niro stars in martin scorcese's film taxi driver. 6390
  • 1976/--/-- sylvester stallone's film rocky wins the academy award as best picture. 6391
  • 1976/--/-- black american writer alex haley publishes roots: the saga of an american family. 6392
  • 1976/--/-- suarez gonzalez becomes prime minister of spain after the first election in 41 years. 6393
  • 1977/--/-- carter is inaugurated as the 39th u.s. president; mondale becomes vice-presicent. 6394
  • 1977/--/-- black politician andrew young is appointed as u.s. ambassador to the un. 6395
  • 1977/--/-- edward (ed) koch becomes mayor of new york city for the first time. 6396
  • 1977/--/-- menachem begin succeeds yitzhak rabin as prime minister of israel. 6397
  • 1977/--/-- general zia ul-haq deposes prime minister zulfikar ali bhutto in pakistan. 6398
  • 1977/--/-- morarji randchhadji desai succeeds indira gandhi as prime minister of india. 6399
  • 1977/--/-- the french territory of the afars and the issas becomes independent as djibouti. 6400
  • 1977/--/-- jean bedel bokassa is crowned emperor bokassa i of the central african empire. 6401
  • 1977/--/-- the fianna fail party returns to power under john lynch in the republic of ireland. 6402
  • 1977/--/-- south africa grants independence to the african homeland of bophuthatswana. 6403
  • 1977/--/-- the first apple ii personal computer is marketed in the u.s. 6404
  • 1977/--/-- american golfer tom watson wins the masters and british open tournaments. 6405
  • 1977/--/-- seveteen-year old american jockey steve cauthen rides a record 487 winners. 6406
  • 1977/--/-- american hurdler edwin moses begins a winning streak of 90 consecutive races. 6407
  • 1977/--/-- rock 'n roll performer elvis presley dies. 6408
  • 1977/--/-- george lucas directs the first star wars space fantasy film. 6409
  • 1977/--/-- comedian and filmmaker woody allen directs diane keaton in annie hall. 6410
  • 1977/--/-- john travolta stars in the disco film saturday night fever. 6411
  • 1977/--/-- american poet and novelist wendell berry, publishes the unsettling of america. 6412
  • 1978/--/-- president carter oversees the camp david peace accords between egypt and israel. 6413
  • 1978/--/-- the united states and panama renew the panama canal treaties. 6414
  • 1978/--/-- britain grants independence to tuvalu, dominica, and the solomon islands. 6415
  • 1978/--/-- afghanistan president mohammad daud khan is killed in a marxist coup. 6416
  • 1978/--/-- pieter willem botha becomes prime minister of south africa. 6417
  • 1978/--/-- antonio guzman becomes president of the dominican republic. 6418
  • 1978/--/-- the murder of opposition leader pedro joaquin chamorro sparks uprisings in nicaragua. 6419
  • 1978/--/-- italian politician aldo moro is kidnapped and murdered by red brigade terrorists. 6420
  • 1978/--/-- pope john paul ii becomes the first non-italian pope in more than 500 years. 6421
  • 1978/--/-- the first human test-tube baby is born in england. 6422
  • 1978/--/-- the balloon double eagle ii completes the first atlantic crossing. 6423
  • 1978/--/-- more than 900 members of a religious cult commit suicide at jonestown, guyana. 6424
  • 1978/--/-- the pompidou center art museum (the beaubourg) is opened in paris. 6425
  • 1978/--/-- american golfer nancy lopez wins a record five straight tournaments. 6426
  • 1978/--/-- american auto racer mario andretti wins the formula one grand prix championship. 6427
  • 1978/--/-- boxer larry holmes defeats ken norton for the heavyweight championship. 6428
  • 1978/--/-- michael cimino directs the controversial vietnam war film the deer hunter. 6429
  • 1978/--/-- american writer john irving publishes the world according to garp. 6430
  • 1978/--/-- yiddish-language writer isaac bashevis singer wins the nobel prize for literature. 6431
  • 1979/--/-- islamic fundamentalist ayatollah ruhollah khomeini returns to iran. 6432
  • 1979/--/-- the shah of iran flees the country; iran is proclaimed an islamic republic. 6433
  • 1979/--/-- the sandinistas seize control in nicaragua. 6434
  • 1979/--/-- jose eduardo dos santos succeeds agostinho neto as president of angola. 6435
  • 1979/--/-- jean bedel bokassa is deposed in the central african republic. 6436
  • 1979/--/-- gen. saddam hussein succeeds gen. al-bakr as president of iraq. 6437
  • 1979/--/-- algerian president houari boumedienne dies; he is succeeded by chadli benjedid. 6438
  • 1979/--/-- ex-prime minister zulfikar ali bhutto is executed in pakistan. 6439
  • 1979/--/-- charles haughey succeeds john lynch as president of the republic of ireland. 6440
  • 1979/--/-- margaret thatcher becomes britain's first woman prime minister. 6441
  • 1979/--/-- tanzanians and ugandan exiles invade uganda; dictator idi amin dada flees. 6442
  • 1979/--/-- shehu shagari becomes president of nigeria. 6443
  • 1979/--/-- abel muzorewa becomes the first black prime minister of rhodesia (zimbabwe). 6444
  • 1979/--/-- vietnamese forces invade kampuchea and overthrow the pol pot government. 6445
  • 1979/--/-- south korean president park chung hee is assassinated. 6446
  • 1979/--/-- morocco annexes western sahara; the polisario front fight for independence. 6447
  • 1979/--/-- soviet troops occupy afghanistan in support of babrak karmal's marxist regime. 6448
  • 1979/--/-- the mujaheddin begin a guerrilla war against the soviet forces in afghanistan. 6449
  • 1979/--/-- ira terrorists assassinate lord mountbatten in ireland. 6450
  • 1979/--/-- sixty-six u.s. embassy employees are taken hostage by iranian students in tehran. 6451
  • 1979/--/-- an accident at the three mile island nuclear power plant causes a near-disaster. 6452
  • 1979/--/-- mother teresa of calcutta is awarded the nobel peace prize. 6453
  • 1979/--/-- pioneer 11 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet saturn. 6454
  • 1979/--/-- voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft rendezvous with the planet jupiter. 6455
  • 1979/--/-- the gossamer albatross flies across the english channel under human-power. 6456
  • 1979/--/-- the first case of aids (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) is reported. 6457
  • 1979/--/-- dutch soccer star johan cruyff plays for the l.a. aztecs. 6458
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player tracy austin wins the u.s. open championship at age 16. 6459
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player john mcenroe wins his first u.s. open championship. 6460
  • 1979/--/-- quarterback roger staubach leads nfl passing, completing 267 out of 461 passes. 6461
  • 1979/--/-- british runner sebastian coe sets world records at 800 m, 1,500 m, and the mile. 6462
  • 1979/--/-- andrew lloyd webber's musical evita opens on broadway. 6463
  • 1979/--/-- francis ford coppola directs the vietnam war film apocalypse now. 6464
  • 1979/--/-- american novelist william styron publishes sophie's choice. 6465
  • 1980/--/-- border disputes erupt into the gulf war between iran and iraq. 6466
  • 1980/--/-- rhodesia is renamed zimbabwe; robert mugabe becomes prime minister. 6467
  • 1980/--/-- milton obote is reelected as president of uganda. 6468
  • 1980/--/-- the u.s. makes an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the iranian hostages. 6469
  • 1980/--/-- ex-nicaraguan president anastasio somoza debayle is assassinated. 6470
  • 1980/--/-- gen. kenan evren leads a military coup in turkey. 6471
  • 1980/--/-- liberian president william r. tolbert is killed in a military coup led by samuel doe. 6472
  • 1980/--/-- chun doo hwan becomes president of south korea. 6473
  • 1980/--/-- jose napoleon duarte becomes president of el salvador; the guerilla war continues. 6474
  • 1980/--/-- the fbi's abscam investigation convicts seven members of the u.s. congress. 6475
  • 1980/--/-- love canal, a chemically contaminated area in n.y., is declared a disaster area. 6476
  • 1980/--/-- the castro regime deports more than 120,000 cubans to florida. 6477
  • 1980/--/-- lech walesa heads solidarity, the first union movement in a communist country. 6478
  • 1980/--/-- the new hebrides become independent from britain and france as vanuatu. 6479
  • 1980/--/-- the u.s. boycotts the moscow olympics to protest the invasion of afghanistan. 6480
  • 1980/--/-- the voyager 1 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet saturn. 6481
  • 1980/--/-- ex-beatle john lennon is fatally shot outside his manhattan apartment. 6482
  • 1980/--/-- an earthquake in algeria kills 20,000. 6483
  • 1980/--/-- mount st. helens erupts in washington state killing eight people. 6484
  • 1980/--/-- boxer sugar ray leonard regains the world welterweight title from roberto duran. 6485
  • 1980/--/-- the american television soap opera dallas is first broadcast. 6486
  • 1980/--/-- ted turner begins the cable news network, offering round-the-clock news. 6487
  • 1980/--/-- peter shaffer's play amadeus is produced. 6488
  • 1980/--/-- meryl streep and dustin hoffman star in the film kramer v. kramer. 6489
  • 1980/--/-- robert redford directs the academy award winning film ordinary people. 6490
  • 1980/--/-- british writer d.m. thomas publishes the white hotel. 6491
  • 1981/--/-- reagan is inaugurated as the 40th u.s. president; bush becomes vice-president. 6492
  • 1981/--/-- the u.s. hostages in iran are released. 6493
  • 1981/--/-- britain grants independence to belize. 6494
  • 1981/--/-- hu yao-bang becomes head of the chinese communist party. 6495
  • 1981/--/-- ten ira prisoners starve themselves to death as a political protest. 6496
  • 1981/--/-- andreas panpandreou becomes prime minister of greece. 6497
  • 1981/--/-- garret fitzgerald becomes prime minister of ireland. 6498
  • 1981/--/-- gen. jaruzelski declares martial law in poland; solidarity leaders are arrested. 6499
  • 1981/--/-- francois mitterand succeeds valery giscard d'estaing as president of france. 6500
  • 1981/--/-- john hinckley, jr. shoots and seriously wounds president reagan. 6501
  • 1981/--/-- pope john paul ii is shot and wounded by a turkish gunman. 6502
  • 1981/--/-- anwar al-sadat is killed; hosni mubarak becomes president of egypt. 6503
  • 1981/--/-- jerry rawlings leads a military coup in ghana. 6504
  • 1981/--/-- argentinian president roberto viola is ousted from power by general galtieri. 6505
  • 1981/--/-- sandra day o'connor is appointed the first woman u.s. supreme court justice. 6506
  • 1981/--/-- jeane kirkpatrick becomes u.s. ambassador to the united nations. 6507
  • 1981/--/-- the prince of wales marries lady diana spencer in britain. 6508
  • 1981/--/-- the first space shuttle is launched, crewed by john young and robert crippen. 6509
  • 1981/--/-- the first 24-hour music video channel mtv (music television) is launched in the u.s. 6510
  • 1981/--/-- henry fonda, katharine hepburn and jane fonda star in the film on golden pond. 6511
  • 1981/--/-- burt lancaster stars in louis malle's film atlantic city. 6512
  • 1981/--/-- filmmaker steven spielberg directs raiders of the lost ark. 6513
  • 1981/--/-- dan rather replaces walter cronkite as anchorman for the cbs evening news. 6514
  • 1981/--/-- indian-born author salman rushdie publishes midnight's children. 6515
  • 1981/--/-- black american novelist toni morrison publishes tar baby. 6516
  • 1982/--/-- argentina invades the falkland islands; britain and argentina are at war. 6517
  • 1982/--/-- the israeli army invades the lebanon and drives the plo guerrillas out of beirut. 6518
  • 1982/--/-- amin gemayel becomes the president of lebanon after his brother bashir is killed. 6519
  • 1982/--/-- the un maintains a peace between christian and muslim militia in lebanon. 6520
  • 1982/--/-- gen. hussain muhammad ershad seizes control of bangladesh in a bloodless coup. 6521
  • 1982/--/-- felipe gonzalez marquez becomes prime minister of spain. 6522
  • 1982/--/-- british troops recapture the falkland islands from argentina. 6523
  • 1982/--/-- soviet leader leonid brezhnev dies; he is succeeded by yuri andropov. 6524
  • 1982/--/-- alvaro alfredo magana becomes president of el salvador. 6525
  • 1982/--/-- princess grace of monaco dies in a car accident. 6526
  • 1982/--/-- the equal rights amendment (era) fails to win ratification in the u.s. 6527
  • 1982/--/-- javier perez de cuellar succeeds kurt waldheim as secretary-general of the un. 6528
  • 1982/--/-- the voyager 2 spacecraft transmits pictures to the u.s. of the planet saturn. 6529
  • 1982/--/-- two satellites are deployed during the first operational space shuttle mission. 6530
  • 1982/--/-- usa today, the first daily newspaper aimed at readers throughout the u.s., is launched. 6531
  • 1982/--/-- pop-soul composer quincy jones wins 5 grammy awards. 6532
  • 1982/--/-- pop singer michael jackson records the all-time best-selling album thriller. 6533
  • 1982/--/-- sylvester stallone stars in the first rambo film first blood. 6534
  • 1982/--/-- filmmaker steven spielberg directs e.t. the extra-terrestrial. 6535
  • 1982/--/-- dustin hoffman stars in sydney pollack's film tootsie. 6536
  • 1982/--/-- richard attenborough directs the academy award winning film gandhi. 6537
  • 1982/--/-- american writer paul theroux publishes the mosquito coast. 6538
  • 1982/--/-- black american writer alice walker publishes the color purple. 6539
  • 1983/--/-- the labor party returns to power in australia; robert hawke becomes prime minister. 6540
  • 1983/--/-- opposition leader benigno aquino is assassinated in the philippines. 6541
  • 1983/--/-- mario soares becomes the socialist prime minister of portugal. 6542
  • 1983/--/-- benedetto bettino craxi becomes the socialist prime minister of italy. 6543
  • 1983/--/-- car bombs destroy the u.s. embassy and u.s. marine headquarters in beirut. 6544
  • 1983/--/-- the soviets shoot down a south korean airliner that violated its airspace. 6545
  • 1983/--/-- libyan forces invade chad; french troops aid the chad government. 6546
  • 1983/--/-- u.s. forces invade grenada to protect u.s. lives after a military coup on the island. 6547
  • 1983/--/-- yitzhak shamir succeeds menachem begin as prime minister of israel. 6548
  • 1983/--/-- nigerian president shehu shagari is deposed in a military coup led by gen. buhari. 6549
  • 1983/--/-- manuel antonio noriega becomes commander of panama's defense forces. 6550
  • 1983/--/-- civil war breaks out in sri lanka between the sinhalese and tamil separatists. 6551
  • 1983/--/-- raul alfonsin is elected as president of argentina, ending military rule. 6552
  • 1983/--/-- ex-nazi klaus barbie (the butcher of lyon) is extradited from bolivia to france. 6553
  • 1983/--/-- sally k. ride becomes the first u.s. woman astronaut. 6554
  • 1983/--/-- guion stewart bluford, jr. becomes the first black american astronaut. 6555
  • 1983/--/-- president reagan proposes a space-based strategic defense initiative (sdi). 6556
  • 1983/--/-- an infrared astronomical satellite is launched to probe deep into the milky way. 6557
  • 1983/--/-- the compact disc is introduced for recorded music. 6558
  • 1983/--/-- an epa report projects the irreversible onset of the greenhouse effect. 6559
  • 1983/--/-- american zoologist dian fossey publishes her book gorillas in the mist. 6560
  • 1983/--/-- australia ii becomes the first non-american yacht to win the america's cup. 6561
  • 1983/--/-- american runner joan benoit sets a world record in the boston marathon. 6562
  • 1983/--/-- shirley maclaine and jack nicholson star in the film terms of endearment. 6563
  • 1983/--/-- american writer william kennedy publishes ironweed. 6564
  • 1984/--/-- sandinista leader daniel ortega saavedra is elected president of nicaragua. 6565
  • 1984/--/-- congress forbids official u.s. aid for the anti-sandinista contras in nicaragua. 6566
  • 1984/--/-- indian troops attack the golden temple at amritsar to remove militant sikhs. 6567
  • 1984/--/-- indian prime minister indira gandhi is assassinated by sikh extremists. 6568
  • 1984/--/-- rajiv gandhi becomes prime minister of india. 6569
  • 1984/--/-- britain grants independence to brunei. 6570
  • 1984/--/-- shimon peres succeeds yitzhak shamir as prime minister of israel. 6571
  • 1984/--/-- soviet leader yuri andropov dies; he is succeeded by konstantin chernenko. 6572
  • 1984/--/-- geraldine ferraro becomes the first woman vice-presidential candidate in the u.s. 6573
  • 1984/--/-- brian mulroney succeeds john turner as prime minister of canada. 6574
  • 1984/--/-- britain and china sign a treaty for the return of hong kong to china in 1997. 6575
  • 1984/--/-- british prime minister margaret thatcher escapes injury in an ira bomb attack. 6576
  • 1984/--/-- rev. desmond tutu, opponent of apartheid, is awarded the nobel peace prize. 6577
  • 1984/--/-- a toxic gas leak kills 2,000 and affects an estimated 150,000 in bhopal, india. 6578
  • 1984/--/-- space shuttle astronauts test the manned maneuvering unit and move freely in space. 6579
  • 1984/--/-- american track athlete carl lewis wins four gold medals at the los angeles olympics. 6580
  • 1984/--/-- rock singer bob geldof organizes band aid to raise funds for african famine victims. 6581
  • 1984/--/-- american pop singer madonna releases her album like a virgin. 6582
  • 1984/--/-- comedian eddie murphy stars in the film beverly hills cop. 6583
  • 1984/--/-- czech writer milan kundera publishes the unbearable lightness of being. 6584
  • 1985/--/-- president reagan is inaugurated for his second term of office. 6585
  • 1985/--/-- soviet premier konstantin chernenko dies; he is succeeded by mikhail gorbachev. 6586
  • 1985/--/-- premier gorbachev initiates glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring). 6587
  • 1985/--/-- albanian premier enver hoxha dies; he is succeeded by ramiz alia. 6588
  • 1985/--/-- jose de sarney becomes the first civilian president of brazil in 21 years. 6589
  • 1985/--/-- palestinian terrorists hijack the italian liner achille lauro. 6590
  • 1985/--/-- shiite muslim terrorists hijack a twa boeing 727 jet to beirut. 6591
  • 1985/--/-- french agents sink the greenpeace ship rainbow warrior in new zealand. 6592
  • 1985/--/-- president reagan and mikhail gorbachev hold their first summit meeting. 6593
  • 1985/--/-- president milton obote is ousted in a military coup in uganda. 6594
  • 1985/--/-- maj.-gen. mohammed buhari is ousted in a bloodless coup in nigeria. 6595
  • 1985/--/-- julius nyerere is succeeded as president of tanzania by ali hassan mwinyi. 6596
  • 1985/--/-- sudanese prime minister gaafar al-nimeiry is ousted in a military coup. 6597
  • 1985/--/-- mexico city is heavily damaged by an earthquake. 6598
  • 1985/--/-- middleweight champion marvin hagler defends his title against thomas "hit man" hearns. 6599
  • 1985/--/-- world chess champion anatoly karpov is defeated by 21-year-old gary kasparov. 6600
  • 1985/--/-- running back walter payton sets an all-time nfl record for rushes of 14,860 yards. 6601
  • 1985/--/-- baseball player pete rose beats ty cobb's 57-year-old record of 4,191 base hits. 6602
  • 1985/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) suspends operations. 6603
  • 1985/--/-- boxer michael spinks defeats larry holmes for the heavyweight championship. 6604
  • 1985/--/-- american rock singer tina turner wins three grammy awards. 6605
  • 1985/--/-- american film actor rock hudson dies from aids. 6606
  • 1985/--/-- robert redford and meryl streep star in the film out of africa. 6607
  • 1985/--/-- clint eastwood directs and stars in the western film pale rider. 6608
  • 1985/--/-- american humorist and radio personality garison keillor publishes lake wobegon days. 6609
  • 1986/--/-- president francois mitterrand appoints jacques chirac prime minister of france. 6610
  • 1986/--/-- swedish prime minister olof palme is assassinated. 6611
  • 1986/--/-- corazon aquino is elected president of the philippines; ferdinand marcos is exiled. 6612
  • 1986/--/-- sayid mohammad najibullah replaces marxist president babrak karmal in afghanistan. 6613
  • 1986/--/-- civil war breaks out in yemen (aden). 6614
  • 1986/--/-- president jean claude duvalier of haiti goes into exile. 6615
  • 1986/--/-- u.s. aircraft attack military and terrorist related targets in libya. 6616
  • 1986/--/-- select committees are established to investigate the iran-contra affair. 6617
  • 1986/--/-- yitzak shamir succeeds shimon peres as prime minister of israel. 6618
  • 1986/--/-- benazir bhutto, daughter of hanged premier ali bhutto, is jailed in pakistan. 6619
  • 1986/--/-- the space shuttle challenger explodes after launch, killing the crew of seven. 6620
  • 1986/--/-- a major nuclear-reactor disaster takes place at chernobyl in the soviet union. 6621
  • 1986/--/-- voyager 2 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet uranus. 6622
  • 1986/--/-- the european space agency's giotto spacecraft passes within 335 miles of halley's comet. 6623
  • 1986/--/-- the soviet union launches the first mir space station. 6624
  • 1986/--/-- a hole in the ozone layer is detected over antarctica. 6625
  • 1986/--/-- the ultralight voyager aircraft flies around the world nonstop in 9 days. 6626
  • 1986/--/-- the food and drug administration approve the commercial use of the drug interferon. 6627
  • 1986/--/-- boxer mike tyson wins his first world heavyweight title. 6628
  • 1986/--/-- golfer jack nicklaus at age 46 becomes the oldest man ever to win the u.s. open. 6629
  • 1986/--/-- ice hockey player wayne gretzky raises the season point record to 215. 6630
  • 1986/--/-- czech tennis player ivan lendl wins the french open and u.s. open tournaments. 6631
  • 1986/--/-- cyclist greg lemond becomes the first american to win the tour de france. 6632
  • 1986/--/-- comedian and filmmaker woody allen directs hannah and her sisters. 6633
  • 1986/--/-- filmmaker oliver stone directs the vietnam war film platoon. 6634
  • 1986/--/-- singer-actress bette midler stars in down and out in beverly hills. 6635
  • 1986/--/-- nigerian poet and playwright wole soyinka wins the nobel prize for literature. 6636
  • 1987/--/-- east german leader erich honecker makes his first visit to west germany. 6637
  • 1987/--/-- bettino craxi resigns; giovanni goria becomes prime minister of italy. 6638
  • 1987/--/-- takeshita noburu succeeds nakasone yasuhiro as the japanese premier. 6639
  • 1987/--/-- libya suffers a military defeat in chad. 6640
  • 1987/--/-- the u.s. frigate stark is hit by an iraqi missile in the persian gulf. 6641
  • 1987/--/-- west bank palestinians launch an intifadah (uprising) against the israeli occupation. 6642
  • 1987/--/-- more than 400 die in clashes between iranian pilgrims and saudi police at mecca. 6643
  • 1987/--/-- colonel oliver north testifies at the iran-contra affair hearings. 6644
  • 1987/--/-- gary hart ends his presidential campaign after allegations of sexual impropriety. 6645
  • 1987/--/-- a wall street stock market crisis spreads to tokyo and london. 6646
  • 1987/--/-- basketball player kareem abdul-jabbar passes wilt chamberlain's points record. 6647
  • 1987/--/-- filmmaker brian de palma directs the untouchables. 6648
  • 1987/--/-- american author tom wolfe publishes the satirical novel the bonfire of the vanities. 6649
  • 1987/--/-- writer gore vidal publishes empire, a novel of 19th-century u.s. politics. 6650
  • 1988/--/-- vietnam announces it will withdraw all its forces from kampuchea. 6651
  • 1988/--/-- roh tae woo succeeds chun doo hwan as president of south korea. 6652
  • 1988/--/-- the geneva accords set the timetable for soviet withdrawal from afghanistan. 6653
  • 1988/--/-- military leaders seize power in burma (myanmar). 6654
  • 1988/--/-- lee teng-hui succeeds chiang ching-kuo as president of taiwan. 6655
  • 1988/--/-- south african leader nelson mandela is removed from prison for hospital treatment. 6656
  • 1988/--/-- the u.s. indict panamanian dictator gen. manuel antonio noriega for drug offenses. 6657
  • 1988/--/-- the u.s. cruiser vincennes accidentally shoots downs an iranian airliner. 6658
  • 1988/--/-- a cease-fire is declared in the war between iran and iraq. 6659
  • 1988/--/-- the iraqis are accused of using chemical weapons against the kurds. 6660
  • 1988/--/-- austrian president kurt waldheim is exonerated of involvement in war crimes. 6661
  • 1988/--/-- nationalist uprisings breakout in the soviet republic of armenia. 6662
  • 1988/--/-- pakistani leader gen. muhammed zia ul-haq is killed in a plane crash. 6663
  • 1988/--/-- benazir bhutto is elected prime minister of pakistan. 6664
  • 1988/--/-- carlos salinas de gortari is elected president of mexico. 6665
  • 1988/--/-- hungarian leader janos kadar is removed from power; karoly grosz assumes his post. 6666
  • 1988/--/-- military leaders seize control in haiti after elections are held. 6667
  • 1988/--/-- australia celebrates its bicentennial. 6668
  • 1988/--/-- jesse jackson fails in a second attempt to win the democratic presidential nomination. 6669
  • 1988/--/-- armenia is hit by a severe earthquake, killing tens of thousands. 6670
  • 1988/--/-- television evangelist jim bakker is convicted of fraud and conspiracy. 6671
  • 1988/--/-- details of the u.s. stealth bomber are released for the first time. 6672
  • 1988/--/-- discovery becomes the first space shuttle to be launched after the challenger disaster. 6673
  • 1988/--/-- dennis connor skippers a u.s. catamaran to beat new zealand in the america's cup. 6674
  • 1988/--/-- german tennis player steffi graf becomes the 3rd woman to win the grand slam. 6675
  • 1988/--/-- german tennis player boris becker leads west germany to victory in the davis cup. 6676
  • 1988/--/-- sprinter ben johnson is stripped of his olympic gold medal after a drug test. 6677
  • 1988/--/-- steven spielberg produces the innovative animated film who framed roger rabbit. 6678
  • 1988/--/-- dustin hoffman stars in the academy award winning film rain man. 6679
  • 1988/--/-- colombian writer gabriel garcia marquez publishes love in the time of cholera. 6680
  • 1988/--/-- egyptian writer naguib mahfouz wins the nobel prize for literature. 6681
  • 1988/--/-- indian-born writer salman rushdie publishes the satanic verses. 6682
  • 1989/--/-- bush is inaugurated as the 41st u.s. president; quayle becomes vice-president. 6683
  • 1989/--/-- solidarity candidates win a majority in the first free elections in poland since 1946. 6684
  • 1989/--/-- soviet forces complete their withdrawal from afghanistan; the civil war continues. 6685
  • 1989/--/-- the burmese government changes the country's name to myanmar. 6686
  • 1989/--/-- libyan leader muammar al-qaddafi signs a peace treaty with chad. 6687
  • 1989/--/-- bulgarian premier todor zhivkov resigns; he is succeeded by petar mladenov. 6688
  • 1989/--/-- allegations of financial impropriety force japanese premier noboru to resign. 6689
  • 1989/--/-- carlos saul menem succeeds raul alfonsin as president of argentina. 6690
  • 1989/--/-- greek prime minister andreas papandreou is succeeded by tzinnis tzannetakis. 6691
  • 1989/--/-- f. w. de klerk succeeds p.w. botha as president of south africa. 6692
  • 1989/--/-- ayatollah khomeini dies in iran; ali akbar hashemi rafsanjani becomes president. 6693
  • 1989/--/-- gen. alfredo stroessner is ousted; andres rodriguez becomes president of paraguay. 6694
  • 1989/--/-- hungary elects to become a multiparty democracy. 6695
  • 1989/--/-- hu yao-pang's death in china sparks public rallies demanding social changes. 6696
  • 1989/--/-- hundreds of demonstrators are killed by troops in peking's t'ien-an-men square. 6697
  • 1989/--/-- akihito succeeds his father hirohito as emperor of japan. 6698
  • 1989/--/-- v.p. singh succeeds rajiv gandhi as prime minister of india. 6699
  • 1989/--/-- romanian president nicolae ceausescu is deposed and killed. 6700
  • 1989/--/-- u.s. forces invade panama; general noriega surrenders and is held on drug charges. 6701
  • 1989/--/-- the communist government of milos jakes resigns in czechoslovakia. 6702
  • 1989/--/-- demonstrations in east germany lead to the demolition of the berlin wall. 6703
  • 1989/--/-- playwright vaclav havel becomes the president of czechoslovakia. 6704
  • 1989/--/-- voyager 2 spacecraft tramsmits pictures to the u.s. of the planet neptune. 6705
  • 1989/--/-- san francisco's marina district is damaged by a severe earthquake. 6706
  • 1989/--/-- jack nicholson and michael keaton star in the film batman. 6707
  • 1989/--/-- british author v.s. pritchett publishes a careless widow and other stories. 6708
  • 1989/--/-- american anne tyler wins the pulitzer prize for her novel breathing lessons. 6709
  • 1989/--/-- the satanic verses is condemned by muslims; salman rushdie goes into hiding. 6710
  • 1990/--/-- east and west germany are reunited; helmut kohl becomes chancellor of a united germany. 6711
  • 1990/--/-- iraq invades kuwait, beginning the persian gulf war. 6712
  • 1990/--/-- the un authorizes an economic blockade of iraq. 6713
  • 1990/--/-- u.s.-led coalition forces begin operation desert shield to protect saudi arabia from iraq. 6714
  • 1990/--/-- lech walesa wins the first direct presidential elections in poland's history 6715
  • 1990/--/-- south african president f.w. de klerk releases nelson mandela; the ban on the anc ends. 6716
  • 1990/--/-- namibia becomes independent from south africa with sam nujoma as president. 6717
  • 1990/--/-- syrian-backed forces defeat general aoun's christian militia in lebanon. 6718
  • 1990/--/-- president samuel doe is killed during a military rebellion in liberia. 6719
  • 1990/--/-- slovenia and croatia vote non-communist governments into power in yugoslavia. 6720
  • 1990/--/-- violeta barrios de chamorro succeeds daniel ortega as president of nicaragua. 6721
  • 1990/--/-- yemen (aden) and yemen (sana) unite as the yemen republic. 6722
  • 1990/--/-- student riots in tirane lead to the formation of albania's first opposition party since 1946. 6723
  • 1990/--/-- president patricio aylwin succeeds gen. pinochet , ending 16 years of military rule in chile. 6724
  • 1990/--/-- indian prime minister v.p. singh resigns; he is succeeded by chandra shekhar. 6725
  • 1990/--/-- pakistani president ghulam ishaq khan dismisses prime minister benazir bhutto. 6726
  • 1990/--/-- chad president hissene habre is deposed by rebel forces led by idris deby. 6727
  • 1990/--/-- fernando affonso collor de mello succeeds jose sarney as president of brazil. 6728
  • 1990/--/-- british prime minister margaret thatcher resigns; she is succeeded by john major. 6729
  • 1990/--/-- lithuania, estonia, and latvia declare their independence from the soviet union. 6730
  • 1990/--/-- soviet foreign minister eduard shevardnadze resigns from office. 6731
  • 1990/--/-- boris yeltsin becomes president of the russian republic. 6732
  • 1990/--/-- david dinkins succeeds ed koch as mayor of new york city. 6733
  • 1990/--/-- a mirror in the hubble space telescope is found to be flawed shortly after deployment. 6734
  • 1990/--/-- i.m. pei's 70-story bank of china headquarters is built in hong kong. 6735
  • 1990/--/-- basketball player michael jordan leads the nba in scoring for the fourth consecutive year. 6736
  • 1990/--/-- basketball player earvin "magic" johnson wins the mvp award for the third time. 6737
  • 1990/--/-- warren beatty directs, produces and plays the lead role in the film dick tracy. 6738
  • 1990/--/-- actress jessica tandy wins the academy award for her role in driving miss daisy. 6739
  • 1990/--/-- american novelist thomas pynchon publishes vineland. 6740
  • 1990/--/-- john updike publishes rabbit at rest, the fourth and last of his rabbit novels. 6741
  • 1783/--/-- peace treaty ends revolutionary war 6742
  • 1783/--/-- william pitt ii becomes english prime minister at 24 6743
  • 1783/--/-- britain cedes all lands west to mississippi river 6744
  • 1784/--/-- ben franklin invents bifocal eyeglasses 6745
  • 1786/--/-- first ice cream made commercially in nyc 6746
  • 1787/--/-- constitutional convention 6747
  • 1788/--/-- "the federalist" published 6748
  • 1788/--/-- constitution ratified 6749
  • 1789/--/-- bill of rights adopted 6750
  • 1789/--/-- french revolution begins 6751
  • 1789/--/-- wm. blake publishes "songs of innocence" 6752
  • 1790/--/-- seat of government moves from nyc to philadelphia 6753
  • 1791/--/-- tom paine "the rights of man" 6754
  • 1792/--/-- first u.s. trade union of shoemakers 6755
  • 1793/--/-- eli whitney invents cotton gin; revives dying slave economy of south 6756
  • 1793/--/-- french king louis xvi and queen marie antoinette executed 6757
  • 1793/--/-- fugitive slave act 6758
  • 1793/--/-- j.-l. david paints "the dead marat" 6759
  • 1798/--/-- alien and sedition act 6760
  • 1798/--/-- haydn composes "the creation" 6761
  • 1799/--/-- napoleon becomes consul 6762
  • 1800/--/-- library of congress founded 6763
  • 1800/--/-- seat of government moves from philadelphia to washington, dc 6764
  • 1800/--/-- volta invents electric battery 6765
  • 1803/--/-- dalton devises table of elements 6766
  • 1804/--/-- lewis and clark expedition encounters native americans 6767
  • 1804/--/-- lewis and clarke expedition 6768
  • 1804/--/-- napoleon becomes emperor 6769
  • 1806/--/-- noah webster publishes "compendious" dictionary of the english language" 6770
  • 1807/--/-- sir humphry davy discovers the elements potassium and sodium 6771
  • 1808/--/-- beethoven composes "fifth symphony" 6772
  • 1808/--/-- congress prohibits importing of african slaves 6773
  • 1808/--/-- napoleon occupys spain 6774
  • 1810/--/-- revolutions in latin america lead to independent nations 6775
  • 1810/--/-- separatists movements in latin america 6776
  • 1811/--/-- jane austen "sense and sensibility" 6777
  • 1811/--/-- first steamboat to sail down mississippi reaches new orleans 6778
  • 1811/--/-- native americans defeated in battle of tippecanoe in indiana territory 6779
  • 1812/--/-- napoleon defeated in russia 6780
  • 1814/--/-- andrew jackson crushes creek resistance in south 6781
  • 1814/--/-- treaty of ghent 6782
  • 1815/--/-- french monarchy re-established 6783
  • 1817/--/-- construction begins on erie canal in new york 6784
  • 1817/--/-- first seminole war 6785
  • 1818/--/-- john keats "endymion" 6786
  • 1818/--/-- treaty with britain sets 49th parallel 6787
  • 1819/--/-- treaty with spain sets boundaries 6788
  • 1820/--/-- fed offers land at $1.25 an acre 6789
  • 1820/--/-- missouri compromise 6790
  • 1820/--/-- percy bysshe shelly "prometheus unbound" 6791
  • 1821/--/-- mexican independence 6792
  • 1821/--/-- michael faraday discovers electromagnetic rotation 6793
  • 1821/--/-- missouri compromise 6794
  • 1823/--/-- monroe doctrine 6795
  • 1825/--/-- thomas cole establishes hudson river school of landscape painting 6796
  • 1827/--/-- audubon publishes " birds of america" 6797
  • 1828/--/-- greeks win war of independence from ottoman empire 6798
  • 1829/--/-- delacroix paints "death of sardanapalus" 6799
  • 1829/--/-- jackson introduces spoils system 6800
  • 1830/--/-- indian removal act moves eastern indians west of mississippi 6801
  • 1831/--/-- victor hugo "hunchback of notre dame" 6802
  • 1832/--/-- samuel f.b. morse designs improved electromagnetic telegraph 6803
  • 1833/--/-- santa anna elected president of mexico 6804
  • 1834/--/-- indian territory founded 6805
  • 1834/--/-- slavery abolished in british empire 6806
  • 1835/--/-- second seminole war in florida 6807
  • 1836/--/-- texas revolution 6808
  • 1837/--/-- charles dickens "oliver twist" 6809
  • 1838/--/-- cherokee "trail of tears" 6810
  • 1838/--/-- iowa territory organized 6811
  • 1839/--/-- daguerre invents first form of photography 6812
  • 1840/--/-- edgar allen poe: "tales of the grotesque and arabesque" 6813
  • 1840/--/-- upper and lower canada united 6814
  • 1842/--/-- 10-hour day for children under 12 in massachusetts 6815
  • 1844/--/-- alexander dumas "the three muskateers" 6816
  • 1846/--/-- mormon trek from navoo to salt lake city 6817
  • 1846/--/-- oregon boundary with canada established at 49th parallel 6818
  • 1847/--/-- mormons and the indians 6819
  • 1847/--/-- sir james simpson uses chloroform for childbirth 6820
  • 1848/--/-- gold discovered in california 6821
  • 1848/--/-- february revolution by french workers makes louis napoleon iii president of 2nd reublic 6822
  • 1848/--/-- karl marx and friedrick engels publish "communist manifesto" 6823
  • 1848/--/-- mexican cession 6824
  • 1850/--/-- nathanial hawthorne "the scarlet letter" 6825
  • 1850/--/-- plains indians cede land in exchange for reservations 6826
  • 1850/--/-- utah and new mexico territories 6827
  • 1851/--/-- singer patents sewing machine 6828
  • 1851/--/-- melville "moby dick" 6829
  • 1853/--/-- crimean war between turkey, france & britain against russia 6830
  • 1854/--/-- nebraska and kansas territories 6831
  • 1854/--/-- republican party formed for abolition of slavery 6832
  • 1854/--/-- smith & wesson invent revolver 6833
  • 1854/--/-- upper half of indian territory becomes part of kansas territory 6834
  • 1857/--/-- kansas ratifies anti-slavery constitution 6835
  • 1859/--/-- charles darwin "origin of species" 6836
  • 1861/--/-- western territories reorganized by republican congresses 6837
  • 1861/--/-- confederacy 6838
  • 1861/--/-- unification of italy 6839
  • 1862/--/-- foucault measures speed of light 6840
  • 1864/--/-- cheyenne and arapaho families massacred at sand creek, colorado 6841
  • 1865/--/-- leo tolstoy "war and peace" 6842
  • 1865/--/-- lincoln assassinated 6843
  • 1867/--/-- alfred nobel patents dynamite 6844
  • 1869/--/-- 200 pitched battles between indians and u.s. calvary 6845
  • 1869/--/-- suez canal opens 6846
  • 1869/--/-- union pacific meets central pacific 6847
  • 1871/--/-- trade unions legalized in britain 6848
  • 1874/--/-- first impressionist exhibit in paris 6849
  • 1875/--/-- charles stewart parnell begins movement for irish independence 6850
  • 1876/--/-- alexander graham bell patents the telephone 6851
  • 1876/--/-- national league founded (baseball) 6852
  • 1876/--/-- sioux and cheyenne defeat custer at little big horn, montanna 6853
  • 1877/--/-- nez perce leave idaho for canada 6854
  • 1878/--/-- northern cheyenne escape indian territory 6855
  • 1879/--/-- thomas edison invents incandescent light 6856
  • 1883/--/-- civil service established 6857
  • 1883/--/-- maxim invents machine gun 6858
  • 1884/--/-- 15 european nations partition africa for "spheres of influence" 6859
  • 1885/--/-- louis pasteur administers successful rabies vaccination 6860
  • 1886/--/-- haymarket square labor riot in chicago kills eleven people 6861
  • 1888/--/-- eastman's kodak camera begins amateur photography 6862
  • 1890/--/-- afl founded by s gompers 6863
  • 1890/--/-- sherman antitrust act 6864
  • 1892/--/-- strike at carnegie steel results in ten deaths 6865
  • 1893/--/-- france adds laos to "protectorate" of indochina 6866
  • 1894/--/-- dreyfus case splits france 6867
  • 1895/--/-- wilhelm rontgen discovers x-rays 6868
  • 1896/--/-- supreme court rules "separate but equal" legal 6869
  • 1898/--/-- cuba occupied by u.s. and released 6870
  • 1899/--/-- sigmund freud "interpretation of dreams" 6871
  • 1901/--/-- pres. mckinley shot by anarchist 6872
  • 1902/--/-- roosevelt begins conservation of forests 6873
  • 1903/--/-- wright bros. first airplane 6874
  • 1904/--/-- roosevelt asserts u.s. right to intervene in latin america 6875
  • 1904/--/-- russia and japan at war 6876
  • 1905/--/-- albert einstein proposes special theory of relativity 6877
  • 1905/--/-- mini-revolution in russia 6878
  • 1908/--/-- ge patents electric toaster 6879
  • 1909/--/-- naacp in nyc 6880
  • 1910/--/-- british empire covers 1/5th of world land area 6881
  • 1910/--/-- fundamentalism begins with "five points" 6882
  • 1911/--/-- robert a millikan measures electron's charge 6883
  • 1916/--/-- albert einstein proposes general theory of relativity 6884
  • 1916/--/-- t. tzara dada 6885
  • 1917/--/-- blacks migrate north and west 6886
  • 1917/--/-- russian revolutions: communist u.s.s.r. formed 6887
  • 1917/--/-- selective service act creates draft 6888
  • 1918/--/-- shapley determines sun is part of milky way galaxy 6889
  • 1919/--/-- league of nations 6890
  • 1919/--/-- versailles peace treaty 6891
  • 1920/--/-- 18th amendment prohibits alcohol 6892
  • 1920/--/-- 19th amendment gives women right to vote 6893
  • 1923/--/-- italy becomes first fascist state 6894
  • 1924/--/-- schrodinger proposes wave mechanics 6895
  • 1927/--/-- civil war in china 6896
  • 1927/--/-- lindbergh crosses atlantic non-stop 6897
  • 1928/--/-- heisenberg's uncertainty principle 6898
  • 1929/--/-- stock market crashes 6899
  • 1930/--/-- worldwide depression begins 6900
  • 1931/--/-- lawrence invents cyclotron 6901
  • 1933/--/-- roosevelt begins "new deal" 6902
  • 1934/--/-- adolf hitler becomes "fueher" of germany 6903
  • 1934/--/-- fermi creates plutonium 6904
  • 1935/--/-- social security act provides retirement insurance 6905
  • 1936/--/-- spanish civil war 6906
  • 1937/--/-- dow chemical develops plastics 6907
  • 1940/--/-- radar wins battle of britian 6908
  • 1941/--/-- benchley park computers sabotage german enigma 6909
  • 1944/--/-- normandy landings 6910
  • 1945/--/-- roberto rosselini's neorealist "open city" 6911
  • 1945/--/-- u.s. a-bombs japan 6912
  • 1945/--/-- united nations formed 6913
  • 1947/--/-- british & french empires fracture into new 3rd world nations 6914
  • 1947/--/-- british india becomes pakistan & india 6915
  • 1947/--/-- marshall plan 6916
  • 1947/--/-- trust territory of the pacific islands, captured from japan, administered by u.s. 6917
  • 1947/--/-- u.s. contains spread of communism 6918
  • 1948/--/-- bell labs invent transistor 6919
  • 1948/--/-- communism quashed in us 6920
  • 1948/--/-- israel created 6921
  • 1948/--/-- nato formed; cold war begins 6922
  • 1949/--/-- abstract-expressionism breaks out in nyc 6923
  • 1949/--/-- kurchatov develops first soviet a-bomb 6924
  • 1951/--/-- teller tests h-bomb 6925
  • 1953/--/-- watson & crick dna=double helix 6926
  • 1954/--/-- television thrives; radio switches to music 6927
  • 1954/--/-- u.s. "nautilus" first nuclear submarine 6928
  • 1955/--/-- afl and cio merge 6929
  • 1955/--/-- blacks boycott buses in montgomery 6930
  • 1955/--/-- supreme court orders school desegregation 6931
  • 1957/--/-- jack kerouac "on the road" 6932
  • 1957/--/-- soviets launch "sputnik", first artificial satellite 6933
  • 1959/--/-- jean-luc godard's new wave "breathless" 6934
  • 1960/--/-- civil rights movement 6935
  • 1960/--/-- maiman makes first laser 6936
  • 1961/--/-- kennedy launches "apollo" project; man lands on the moon 6937
  • 1961/--/-- peace corps 6938
  • 1962/--/-- cuban missile crisis 6939
  • 1962/--/-- pop art 6940
  • 1963/--/-- kennedy assassinated 6941
  • 1964/--/-- gulf of tonkin incident 6942
  • 1965/--/-- bob dylan "like a rolling stone" 6943
  • 1965/--/-- demonstrations against vietnam war 6944
  • 1966/--/-- hippie movement 6945
  • 1967/--/-- israeli 6-day war 6946
  • 1967/--/-- the beatles "sgt. pepper" 6947
  • 1968/--/-- kubrick "2001" 6948
  • 1968/--/-- may days mini-revolution 6949
  • 1970/--/-- epa established to enforce clean air act 6950
  • 1970/--/-- sixties energy wins smaller battles: feminism, ecology... 6951
  • 1970/--/-- u.s. invades cambodia 6952
  • 1971/--/-- soviet "salyut 1" space station 6953
  • 1972/--/-- ddt is banned 6954
  • 1973/--/-- billy friedkin "the exorcist" 6955
  • 1973/--/-- endangered species act 6956
  • 1973/--/-- nixon resigns over watergate 6957
  • 1973/--/-- solzhenitsyn "gulag archipelago" 6958
  • 1973/--/-- war powers act 6959
  • 1974/--/-- reiner werner fassbinder "ali-- fear eats the soul" 6960
  • 1975/--/-- south vietnam surrenders to north vietnam 6961
  • 1976/--/-- viking 1 & 2 land on mars 6962
  • 1977/--/-- george lucas "star wars" 6963
  • 1978/--/-- jerry falwell founds the moral majority 6964
  • 1978/--/-- personal computer 6965
  • 1978/--/-- punk rock 6966
  • 1979/--/-- revolution in iran; americans held hostage 6967
  • 1979/--/-- soviets lose war in afganistan 6968
  • 1980/--/-- "war on drugs" jails 1/5 of young black men 6969
  • 1980/--/-- cd, vcr, & cable become common 6970
  • 1980/--/-- hollywood remakes b-movies and comix 6971
  • 1980/--/-- solidarity in poland 6972
  • 1983/--/-- reagan proposes "star wars" and increases military funding 6973
  • 1984/--/-- rap music 6974
  • 1985/--/-- gorbachev unravels soviet system 6975
  • 1987/--/-- ozone "hole" found over antartica 6976
  • 1989/--/-- u.s.s.r dissolves into republics; cold war over 6977
  • 1989/--/-- world cable markets deregulated; hollywood gains world film market 6978
  • 1990/--/-- book retail chains abound 6979
  • 1990/--/-- south africa accepts racial equality 6980
  • 1991/--/-- gulf war is first u.s. reduction of a regional power 6981
  • 1991/--/-- japan is world's largest automaker 6982
  • 1992/--/-- nafta formed 6983
  • 1992/--/-- yugoslavia breaks up; serbia contained 6984
  • 1993/--/-- internet expands with world wide web 6985
  • 1993/--/-- steven spielberg "schindler's list" 6986
  • 1996/--/-- welfare reform 6987
  • 1997/--/-- nasa spacecraft lands on mars 6988
  • 1997/--/-- robust economy creates longest prosperity in u.s. history 6989
  • 1998/--/-- international space station begins construction 6990
  • 1999/--/-- budget goes into surplus 6991
  • 2000/--/-- animals cloned 6992
  • 2000/--/-- china emerges as economic giant 6993
  • 2000/--/-- oceans warming and rising 6994
  • 2000/--/-- us television increasingly morbid 6995
  • 2001/--/-- 9/11 terror attack alerts america 6996
  • 2001/--/-- taliban removed 6997
  • 2003/--/-- iraq war 6998
  • 2003/--/-- mathew barney finishes "the cremaster cycle" 6999
  • 2005/--/-- us labor squeezed by global forces 7000
  • 1775/--/-- american patriot patrick henry states "give me liberty, or give me death." 7001
  • 1782/--/-- the design for the great seal of the united states is adopted by the continental congress. 7002
  • 1783/--/-- britain recognizes the independence of the united states at the treaty of paris. 7003
  • 1785/--/-- new york city becomes the temporary capital of the united states. 7004
  • 1786/--/-- daniel shays leads a rebellion against the state government in massachusetts. 7005
  • 1791/--/-- vermont becomes the 14th state of the union. 7006
  • 1792/--/-- kentucky becomes the 15th state of the union. 7007
  • 1796/--/-- tennessee becomes the 16th state of the union. 7008
  • 1798/--/-- the territory of mississippi becomes part of the united states. 7009
  • 1803/--/-- ohio is inaugurated as the l7th state of the union. 7010
  • 1812/--/-- louisiana is inaugurated as the 18th state of the union. 7011
  • 1816/--/-- indiana is inaugurated as the 19th state of the union. 7012
  • 1817/--/-- mississippi is inaugurated as the 20th state of the union. 7013
  • 1818/--/-- illinois is inaugurated as the 21st state of the union. 7014
  • 1819/--/-- alabama is inaugurated as the 22nd state of the union. 7015
  • 1820/--/-- maine is inaugurated as the 23rd state of the union. 7016
  • 1821/--/-- missouri is inaugurated as the 24th state of the union. 7017
  • 1836/--/-- arkansas is inaugurated as the 25th state of the union. 7018
  • 1837/--/-- michigan is inaugurated as the 26th state of the union. 7019
  • 1845/--/-- florida is inaugurated as the 27th state of the union. 7020
  • 1845/--/-- the republic of texas becomes the 28th state of the union. 7021
  • 1846/--/-- iowa is inaugurated as the 29th state of the union. 7022
  • 1848/--/-- wisconsin is inaugurated as the 30th state of the union. 7023
  • 1850/--/-- california is inaugurated as the 31st state of the union. 7024
  • 1858/--/-- minnesota is inaugurated as the 32nd state of the union. 7025
  • 1859/--/-- oregon is inaugurated as the 33rd state of the union. 7026
  • 1861/--/-- kansas is inaugurated as the 34th state of the union. 7027
  • 1861/--/-- the confederate states of america declare their independence from the u.s. 7028
  • 1863/--/-- west virginia is inaugurated as the 35th state of the union. 7029
  • 1864/--/-- nevada is inaugurated as the 36th state of the union. 7030
  • 1867/--/-- nebraska is inaugurated as the 37th state of the union. 7031
  • 1876/--/-- colorado is inaugurated as the 38th state of the union. 7032
  • 1889/--/-- north dakota is inaugurated as the 39th state of the union. 7033
  • 1889/--/-- south dakota is inaugurated as the 40th state of the union. 7034
  • 1889/--/-- montana is inaugurated as the 41st state. 7035
  • 1889/--/-- washington is inaugurated as the 42nd state. 7036
  • 1890/--/-- idaho is inaugurated as the 43rd state. 7037
  • 1890/--/-- wyoming is inaugurated as the 44th state. 7038
  • 1896/--/-- utah is inaugurated as the 45th state of the union. 7039
  • 1907/--/-- oklahoma is inaugurated as the 46th state of the union. 7040
  • 1912/--/-- new mexico is inaugurated as the 47th state. 7041
  • 1912/--/-- arizona is inaugurated as the 48th state. 7042
  • 1959/--/-- alaska is inaugurated as the 49th state of the union. 7043
  • 1959/--/-- hawaii is inaugurated as the 50th state of the union. 7044
  • 0250/--/-- the classical period of the maya begins in mesoamerica. 7045
  • 0450/--/-- the basket maker iii period of the anasazi culture begins in north america. 7046
  • 0500/--/-- the colonial period of the hohokam culture begins in north america about this time. 7047
  • 0700/--/-- the mississippian culture is founded in north america; the cahokia mounds are begun. 7048
  • 0700/--/-- first pueblo period begins in north america; above-ground adobe dwellings are built. 7049
  • 0900/--/-- the second pueblo period begins in north america. 7050
  • 1000/--/-- leif eriksson, son of eric the red, explores the coast of north america. 7051
  • 1010/--/-- viking explorer thorfinn karlsefni attempts to found a settlement in north america. 7052
  • 1015/--/-- vikings abandon the vinland settlement on the coast of north america. 7053
  • 1100/--/-- the third pueblo period begins in southwest north america. 7054
  • 1362/--/-- according to the kensington rune stone, the vikings reach minnesota in america. 7055
  • 1400/--/-- the hohokam culture dies out in the american southwest. 7056
  • 1498/--/-- columbus lands on the coast of south america during his third voyage. 7057
  • 1503/--/-- the spanish crown approves encomienda (enforced slavery) in the american colonies. 7058
  • 1507/--/-- cartographer martin waldseemuller uses the word america on a map for the first time. 7059
  • 1509/--/-- the first sugar cane mill is established in the americas. 7060
  • 1514/--/-- bartolome de las casas tries to improve the treatment of south american indians. 7061
  • 1519/--/-- panama city is founded by the spanish in central america. 7062
  • 1540/--/-- coronado explores the american southwest in search of the fabled cities of cibola. 7063
  • 1554/--/-- tomatoes from south america are cultivated in europe. 7064
  • 1573/--/-- the potato is brought back from the americas and cultivated in spain. 7065
  • 1582/--/-- geographer richard hakluyt publishes an account of the discovery of america. 7066
  • 1584/--/-- walter raleigh and richard grenville organize english colonizing ventures to north america. 7067
  • 1585/--/-- john davis discovers davis strait between greenland and north america. 7068
  • 1605/--/-- the first french settlement in north america is founded at port royal in nova scotia. 7069
  • 1614/--/-- pocahontas, a north american indian princess, marries english settler john rolfe. 7070
  • 1617/--/-- tobacco is established as the major industry in north america. 7071
  • 1639/--/-- the first north american printing press is established in cambridge, mass.. 7072
  • 1643/--/-- roger williams publishes a key into the language of america. 7073
  • 1648/--/-- margaret jones becomes the first person executed as a witch in north america. 7074
  • 1661/--/-- the first bible printed in north america is john elliot's translation into algonquian. 7075
  • 1665/--/-- the first horse race track in north america is constructed on long island. 7076
  • 1673/--/-- the first mail service in north america is established between new york and boston. 7077
  • 1674/--/-- early american artist the freake limner paints portraits of the freake family. 7078
  • 1685/--/-- the huguenots begin a silk industry in london and settle in the american colonies. 7079
  • 1685/--/-- rice cultivation begins in north america. 7080
  • 1690/--/-- benjamin harris publishes the first american newspaper in boston. 7081
  • 1702/--/-- queen anne's war begins in america; the british attack saint augustine in florida. 7082
  • 1702/--/-- the royal colony of new jersey is founded in america. 7083
  • 1704/--/-- john campbell founds the boston news-letter, the first successful american newspaper. 7084
  • 1718/--/-- spain establishes the viceroyalty of new granada in south america. 7085
  • 1728/--/-- james gibbs' book of architecture influences colonial american designs. 7086
  • 1735/--/-- antonio de ulloa discovers the element platinum in south america. 7087
  • 1738/--/-- george whitefield precipitates the great awakening religious revival in america. 7088
  • 1744/--/-- king george's war begins in north america between britain and france. 7089
  • 1750/--/-- american frontiersman christopher gist explores the ohio river region. 7090
  • 1758/--/-- americans and british regulars under general forbes capture fort duquesne. 7091
  • 1760/--/-- the british under amherst capture montreal, ending french resistance in north america. 7092
  • 1762/--/-- american indian religious leader, the delaware prophet, is active in the ohio valley. 7093
  • 1765/--/-- george grenville's stamp act imposes a tax on all publications in the american colonies. 7094
  • 1766/--/-- the stamp act is repealed after strong opposition from american colonists. 7095
  • 1767/--/-- the townshend acts impose a tax on imports to north america. 7096
  • 1769/--/-- american pioneer daniel boone explores a route through the cumberland gap. 7097
  • 1772/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints the death of wolfe. 7098
  • 1773/--/-- american colonists throw british tea into boston harbor during the boston tea party. 7099
  • 1774/--/-- edmund burke's speech on american taxation defends the colony's rights. 7100
  • 1775/--/-- american patriot patrick henry states "give me liberty, or give me death." 7101
  • 1775/--/-- british troops and colonial militia clash at lexington, starting the american revolution. 7102
  • 1775/--/-- americans under montgomery occupy montreal, but fail to capture quebec. 7103
  • 1776/--/-- american general charles lee is captured by the british. 7104
  • 1777/--/-- general burgoyne captures ticonderoga and defeats the americans in pennsylvania. 7105
  • 1777/--/-- burgoyne capitulates to horatio gates' american forces at saratoga. 7106
  • 1777/--/-- the continental congress adopts the stars and stripes as the american flag. 7107
  • 1778/--/-- france enters the american war of independence in support of the colonies. 7108
  • 1779/--/-- an american squadron led by john paul jones attacks british shipping. 7109
  • 1779/--/-- american forces under sullivan campaign against the iroquois on the new york border. 7110
  • 1780/--/-- english spy john andre is caught and executed by the americans. 7111
  • 1780/--/-- americans under horatio gates are defeated by cornwallis at camden, s.c. 7112
  • 1781/--/-- american forces under daniel morgan defeat the british at the battle of cowpens. 7113
  • 1781/--/-- the british under cornwallis surrender to the americans at yorktown. 7114
  • 1782/--/-- peace talks open in paris between britain and america. 7115
  • 1783/--/-- british forces abandon new york, their last stronghold in north america. 7116
  • 1784/--/-- grigory shelekhov founds the first russian colony in america at kodiak island, alaska. 7117
  • 1784/--/-- american inventor oliver evans develops the first automated flour mill. 7118
  • 1787/--/-- american inventor john fitch launches a steam-powered ferry boat on the delaware. 7119
  • 1791/--/-- miami indian chief little turtle defeats an american force under general arthur st. clair. 7120
  • 1795/--/-- american artist charles wilson peale paints the staircase group. 7121
  • 1798/--/-- america's first professional author charles brockden brown publishes wieland. 7122
  • 1799/--/-- the russian-american company is founded to administer the alaskan fur trade. 7123
  • 1799/--/-- city hotel, the first american structure designed as a hotel, opens in new york. 7124
  • 1799/--/-- humboldt and bonpland begin their scientific expedition in south american. 7125
  • 1802/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints death on a pale horse. 7126
  • 1804/--/-- american politician aaron burr kills alexander hamilton in a duel. 7127
  • 1804/--/-- meriwether lewis and william clark begin exploring the american north-west. 7128
  • 1805/--/-- american explorers lewis and clark reach the pacific ocean. 7129
  • 1808/--/-- john jacob astor founds the american fur company. 7130
  • 1810/--/-- american settlers rebel against the spanish in west florida. 7131
  • 1815/--/-- the americans defeat the british at new orleans before news of peace arrives. 7132
  • 1819/--/-- american artist washington allston paints moonlit landscape. 7133
  • 1820/--/-- the first free american slaves to be resettled in africa land in liberia. 7134
  • 1820/--/-- the first american missionaries are admitted to hawaii. 7135
  • 1821/--/-- american captain john davis is the first to land on the continent of antarctica. 7136
  • 1822/--/-- american surgeon william beaumont begins his study of the gastric process. 7137
  • 1823/--/-- the monroe doctrine warns europe not to interfere in the americas. 7138
  • 1825/--/-- the central american federation declares its independence from mexico. 7139
  • 1825/--/-- american painter thomas cole founds the hudson river school about this time. 7140
  • 1826/--/-- american engineer john stevens builds the first u.s. steam locomotive. 7141
  • 1827/--/-- american frontiersman davy crockett is elected to congress. 7142
  • 1827/--/-- ornithologist john james audubon begins the publication of his birds of america. 7143
  • 1828/--/-- noah webster publishes his american dictionary of the english language. 7144
  • 1829/--/-- the first u.s. encyclopedia, the encyclopedia americana, is begun. 7145
  • 1830/--/-- george catlin begins his paintings of north american indians about this time. 7146
  • 1831/--/-- british naturalist charles darwin sails to south america aboard h.m.s. beagle. 7147
  • 1833/--/-- the american anti-slavery society is inaugurated in philadelphia. 7148
  • 1834/--/-- american inventor jacob perkins patents the first practical ice-making machine. 7149
  • 1835/--/-- american settlers begin the texas revolution against mexican rule. 7150
  • 1835/--/-- french politician alexis de tocqueville publishes democracy in america. 7151
  • 1836/--/-- american inventor samuel colt begins manufacturing the first revolver. 7152
  • 1836/--/-- american educator william holmes mcguffey begins editing his readers. 7153
  • 1836/--/-- american literary figure ralph waldo emerson founds the transcendental club. 7154
  • 1839/--/-- jose rafael carrera captures guatemala; the central american federation is dissolved. 7155
  • 1839/--/-- american inventor charles goodyear develops the vulcanization of rubber. 7156
  • 1840/--/-- swiss-american naturalist louis agassiz postulates his theory of ice ages. 7157
  • 1842/--/-- american explorer john c. fremont begins surveying the oregon trail. 7158
  • 1842/--/-- american showman p.t. barnum discovers the 40-inch midget tom thumb. 7159
  • 1843/--/-- black american sojourner truth begins her reform mission. 7160
  • 1845/--/-- american author margaret fuller publishes women in the nineteenth century. 7161
  • 1846/--/-- american dentist william morton extracts a tooth using ether as an anesthetic. 7162
  • 1847/--/-- american missionary marcus whitman is killed by cayuse indians in oregon. 7163
  • 1847/--/-- maria mitchell, the first woman astronomer in america, discovers a new comet. 7164
  • 1847/--/-- american oceanographer matthew maury publishes his first wind and current charts. 7165
  • 1847/--/-- the american medical association is founded. 7166
  • 1848/--/-- american engineer james bogardus begins using cast-iron for building construction. 7167
  • 1850/--/-- photographer mathew brady publishes the gallery of illustrious americans. 7168
  • 1850/--/-- american popular songwriter stephen foster publishes camptown races. 7169
  • 1850/--/-- american author nathaniel hawthorne writes the scarlet letter. 7170
  • 1851/--/-- the u.s. yacht america defeats 17 british yachts in the first america's cup contest. 7171
  • 1851/--/-- american author herman melville publishes moby-dick. 7172
  • 1854/--/-- american writer and naturalist henry david thoreau publishes walden. 7173
  • 1858/--/-- german-american artist albert bierstadt begins his landscapes of the american west. 7174
  • 1861/--/-- the confederate states of america declare their independence from the u.s. 7175
  • 1861/--/-- american locksmith linus yale jr. patents the cylinder lock. 7176
  • 1867/--/-- the dominion of canada is established by the british north america act. 7177
  • 1870/--/-- american industrialist john d. rockefeller founds the standard oil company. 7178
  • 1871/--/-- american explorer henry morton stanley finds dr. livingston in central africa. 7179
  • 1872/--/-- american artist james mcneill whistler paints the portrait of the artist's mother. 7180
  • 1875/--/-- american author mark twain publishes tom sawyer. 7181
  • 1880/--/-- american impressionist artist mary cassatt exhibits a woman in black at the opera. 7182
  • 1884/--/-- american author mark twain publishes the adventures of huckleberry finn. 7183
  • 1886/--/-- samuel gompers organizes the american federation of labor. 7184
  • 1888/--/-- american inventor george eastman introduces the kodak box camera. 7185
  • 1888/--/-- a patent is issued to american inventor john h. loud for the first ball-point pen. 7186
  • 1890/--/-- american psychologist william james publishes the principles of psychology. 7187
  • 1890/--/-- american naval officer alfred mahan publishes the influence of sea power upon history. 7188
  • 1891/--/-- the american express company introduces the first traveler's checks. 7189
  • 1893/--/-- american artist louis comfort tiffany begins producing art nouveau glassware. 7190
  • 1895/--/-- the american bowling congress (abc) is founded. 7191
  • 1897/--/-- american comic strip the katzenjammer kids is begun by rudolph dirks. 7192
  • 1898/--/-- the spanish-american war begins with a declaration of war by congress. 7193
  • 1899/--/-- american composer scott joplin publishes his maple leaf rag. 7194
  • 1899/--/-- american artist winslow homer paints the gulf stream. 7195
  • 1900/--/-- american novelist theodore dreiser publishes his first novel sister carrie. 7196
  • 1901/--/-- victor l. berger and eugene v. debs help found the american socialist party. 7197
  • 1901/--/-- king c. gillette founds the american safety razor company. 7198
  • 1901/--/-- american surgeon walter reed proves that yellow fever is transmitted by mosquitoes. 7199
  • 1901/--/-- an american league of baseball is formed in competition to the national league. 7200
  • 1902/--/-- american artist robert henri paints the new york street scene west 57th street. 7201
  • 1903/--/-- american novelist henry james publishes the ambassadors. 7202
  • 1903/--/-- american author jack london publishes the call of the wild. 7203
  • 1905/--/-- w.e.b. du bois forms the niagara movement to demand full civil rights for black americans. 7204
  • 1905/--/-- american labor leader eugene v. debs founds the industrial workers of the world. 7205
  • 1905/--/-- american humorist and actor will rogers makes his new york city debut. 7206
  • 1909/--/-- american explorer robert e. peary reaches the north pole. 7207
  • 1909/--/-- american writer gertrude stein publishes three lives. 7208
  • 1909/--/-- american architect frank lloyd wright builds the robie house in chicago. 7209
  • 1909/--/-- american artist george bellows paints the prize fight scene stag at sharkey's. 7210
  • 1909/--/-- american poet william carlos williams publishes poems, his first book. 7211
  • 1911/--/-- elmer a. sperry designs the first american gyrocompass. 7212
  • 1911/--/-- american aviator glen curtiss flies the first successful seaplane. 7213
  • 1911/--/-- american songwriter irving berlin publishes alexander's ragtime band. 7214
  • 1911/--/-- american novelist edith wharton publishes ethan frome. 7215
  • 1911/--/-- german-american anthropologist franz boas publishes the mind of primitive man. 7216
  • 1912/--/-- american indian jim thorpe wins the olympic decathlon and pentathlon. 7217
  • 1912/--/-- american writer willa cather publishes her first novel alexander's bridge. 7218
  • 1912/--/-- american author edgar rice burroughs publishes tarzan of the apes. 7219
  • 1913/--/-- american poet robert frost publishes a boy's will. 7220
  • 1915/--/-- a german submarine torpedoes the british liner lusitania; 124 americans are killed. 7221
  • 1916/--/-- american poet carl sandburg publishes his first book chicago poems. 7222
  • 1917/--/-- anglo-american poet t.s. eliot publishes the love song of j. alfred prufrock. 7223
  • 1918/--/-- american forcesunder pershing help to stem the german offensive. 7224
  • 1918/--/-- advances by french, british and american armies force a general german retreat. 7225
  • 1918/--/-- american astronomer harlow shapley discovers the dimensions of the milky way. 7226
  • 1918/--/-- american author booth tarkington writes the magnificent ambersons. 7227
  • 1919/--/-- russian-american anarchist emma goldman is deported to the soviet union. 7228
  • 1919/--/-- the radio corporation of america (rca) is formed. 7229
  • 1920/--/-- american tennis star bill tilden wins the wimbledon tournament for the first time. 7230
  • 1920/--/-- american novelist sinclair lewis publishes main street. 7231
  • 1921/--/-- american anarchists nicola sacco and bartolomeo vanzetti are found guilty of murder. 7232
  • 1922/--/-- anglo-american poet t.s. eliot writes the waste land. 7233
  • 1923/--/-- american poet e. e. cummings writes the novel the enormous room. 7234
  • 1925/--/-- black american dancer josephine baker stars in la revue negre in paris. 7235
  • 1925/--/-- american writer john dos passos publishes manhattan transfer. 7236
  • 1925/--/-- american writer f. scott fitzgerald publishes the great gatsby. 7237
  • 1926/--/-- american physicist robert goddard launches the first liquid-propellant rocket. 7238
  • 1926/--/-- american golfer bobby jones wins the u.s. open and the british open tournaments. 7239
  • 1926/--/-- american artist georgia o'keeffe paints her flower portrait black iris. 7240
  • 1927/--/-- american dancer isadora duncan is killed in a tragic car accident. 7241
  • 1927/--/-- american writer thornton wilder publishes the bridge of san luis rey. 7242
  • 1928/--/-- american anthropologist margaret mead publishes coming of age in samoa. 7243
  • 1928/--/-- american composer virgil thomson writes the opera four saints in three acts. 7244
  • 1928/--/-- american comedy team amos 'n' andy produce their first radio show. 7245
  • 1929/--/-- the workers party of america is renamed the communist party of the united states. 7246
  • 1929/--/-- american explorer richard e. byrd flies over the south pole. 7247
  • 1929/--/-- american novelist william faulkner publishes the sound and the fury. 7248
  • 1930/--/-- american astronomer clyde w. tombaugh discovers the planet pluto. 7249
  • 1930/--/-- artist grant wood paints american gothic. 7250
  • 1930/--/-- american artist edward hopper paints early sunday morning. 7251
  • 1930/--/-- american poet hart crane publishes the bridge. 7252
  • 1930/--/-- english-born american writer w. h. auden publishes his poems. 7253
  • 1931/--/-- american journalist and writer damon runyon publishes guys and dolls. 7254
  • 1931/--/-- american cartoonist chester gould creates the adventure comic strip dick tracy. 7255
  • 1931/--/-- american writer pearl buck publishes the good earth. 7256
  • 1932/--/-- american physicist carl d. anderson discovers the positron. 7257
  • 1932/--/-- american sculptor alexander calder creates his first mobile. 7258
  • 1932/--/-- american southern author erskine caldwell publishes tobacco road. 7259
  • 1934/--/-- george balanchine and lincoln kirstein found the school of american ballet. 7260
  • 1934/--/-- american cartoonist al capp begins the comic strip li'l abner. 7261
  • 1935/--/-- george gershwin composes the modern american opera porgy and bess. 7262
  • 1935/--/-- american writer thomas wolfe publishes of time and the river. 7263
  • 1937/--/-- american author john steinbeck publishes of mice and men. 7264
  • 1938/--/-- the house committee on un-american activities investigates u.s. subversives. 7265
  • 1938/--/-- american composer aaron copland writes the ballet score for billy the kid. 7266
  • 1938/--/-- american singer ella fitzgerald records a-tisket, a-tasket. 7267
  • 1939/--/-- igor sikorsky develops america's first successful helicopter. 7268
  • 1939/--/-- american novelist john steinbeck publishes the grapes of wrath. 7269
  • 1939/--/-- american author nathanael west publishes the day of the locust. 7270
  • 1940/--/-- american novelist carson mccullers publishes the heart is a lonely hunter. 7271
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese bomb pearl harbor; america enters world war ii. 7272
  • 1942/--/-- american and filipino forces retreat to the bataan peninsula in the philippines. 7273
  • 1942/--/-- american b-25 bombers make the doolittle raid on tokyo. 7274
  • 1942/--/-- american forces in the philippines surrender; the bataan death march begins. 7275
  • 1942/--/-- the u.s. government transfers 110,000 japanese americans to internment camps. 7276
  • 1942/--/-- american crooner bing crosby records the hit song white christmas. 7277
  • 1942/--/-- american humorist james thurber publishes the secret life of walter mitty. 7278
  • 1943/--/-- the british and american armies link up in africa; 250,000 axis prisoners are taken. 7279
  • 1943/--/-- american aircraft join the raf in round the clock bombing of germany. 7280
  • 1943/--/-- american writer ayn rand publishes the fountainhead. 7281
  • 1943/--/-- american author carson mccullers publishes the ballad of the sad cafe. 7282
  • 1944/--/-- american forces under general mark clark occupy rome. 7283
  • 1944/--/-- american aircraft from the marianas begin the strategic bombing of japan. 7284
  • 1946/--/-- american author robert penn warren publishes all the king's men. 7285
  • 1947/--/-- american pilot kenneth arnold makes the first alleged sighting of flying saucers. 7286
  • 1948/--/-- american opera singer beverly sills debuts in bizet's carmen. 7287
  • 1948/--/-- american writer norman mailer publishes the war novel the naked and the dead. 7288
  • 1950/--/-- senator joseph mccarthy begins his inquiry into un-american activities. 7289
  • 1951/--/-- american writer james jones publishes the war novel from here to eternity. 7290
  • 1951/--/-- american poet marianne moore publishes her collected poems. 7291
  • 1951/--/-- american novelist kurt vonnegut publishes player piano. 7292
  • 1951/--/-- american writer j.d. salinger publishes the catcher in the rye. 7293
  • 1952/--/-- american sculptor isamu noguchi designs two bridges for the peace park at hiroshima. 7294
  • 1952/--/-- american writer e.b. white publishes the children's book charlotte's web. 7295
  • 1953/--/-- american physicist charles h. townes invents the maser. 7296
  • 1953/--/-- american tennis player maureen connolly (little mo) wins the grand slam. 7297
  • 1953/--/-- american writer saul bellow publishes the adventures of augie march. 7298
  • 1954/--/-- american novelist evan hunter publishes the blackboard jungle. 7299
  • 1955/--/-- american artist larry rivers paints double portrait of birdie. 7300
  • 1955/--/-- american artist jasper johns begins his paintings of american flags and targets. 7301
  • 1955/--/-- american rock 'n' roll musician bill haley records rock around the clock. 7302
  • 1955/--/-- british writer graham greene publishes the quiet american. 7303
  • 1956/--/-- american television news show the huntley-brinkley report begins. 7304
  • 1956/--/-- american beat poet allen ginsberg publishes howl and other poems. 7305
  • 1956/--/-- american writer grace metalious publishes peyton place. 7306
  • 1958/--/-- american economist j.k. galbraith publishes the affluent society. 7307
  • 1958/--/-- american golfer arnold palmer wins the masters tournament for the first time. 7308
  • 1958/--/-- american playwright edward albee writes the zoo story. 7309
  • 1958/--/-- american writer truman capote publishes the novella breakfast at tiffany's. 7310
  • 1959/--/-- american writer leon uris publishes exodus, a novel on the founding of israel. 7311
  • 1959/--/-- american writer william burroughs publishes the naked lunch. 7312
  • 1960/--/-- american physicist theodore h. maiman demonstrates the first successful laser. 7313
  • 1960/--/-- american track star wilma rudolph wins 3 gold medals at the rome olympic games. 7314
  • 1960/--/-- american author john updike publishes the novel rabbit run. 7315
  • 1961/--/-- american-aided cuban exiles attempt the unsuccessful bay of pigs invasion. 7316
  • 1961/--/-- american writer joseph heller publishes the anti-war novel catch-22. 7317
  • 1962/--/-- astronaut john glenn becomes the first american to orbit the earth. 7318
  • 1962/--/-- american historian barbara tuchman publishes the guns of august. 7319
  • 1962/--/-- american artist jim dine paints the pop art subject black saw. 7320
  • 1962/--/-- american film actress marilyn monroe dies from a drug overdose. 7321
  • 1962/--/-- american writer ken kesey publishes one flew over the cuckoo's nest. 7322
  • 1962/--/-- american writer katherine anne porter publishes the novel ship of fools. 7323
  • 1963/--/-- the american x-15 research aircraft establishes an altitude record of 67 miles. 7324
  • 1963/--/-- american pop vocal group the beach boys release the record surfin' u.s.a. 7325
  • 1963/--/-- american writer mary mccarthy publishes the group. 7326
  • 1964/--/-- the american ranger 7 spacecraft transmits photos of the surface of the moon. 7327
  • 1965/--/-- astronaut edward h. white becomes the first american to walk in space. 7328
  • 1965/--/-- american pop artist james rosenquist paints f-111. 7329
  • 1965/--/-- american writer norman mailer publishes an american dream. 7330
  • 1966/--/-- the american surveyor 1 spacecraft achieves the first soft-landing on the moon. 7331
  • 1966/--/-- american writer truman capote publishes in cold blood. 7332
  • 1966/--/-- american writer bernard malamud publishes the fixer. 7333
  • 1967/--/-- latin american guerrilla leader che guevara is killed in bolivia. 7334
  • 1967/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) is formed. 7335
  • 1967/--/-- american writer joyce carol oates publishes a garden of earthly delights. 7336
  • 1968/--/-- american skater peggy fleming wins the singles title at the winter olympic games. 7337
  • 1968/--/-- american track star bob beamon beats the olympic long jump record by almost 2 feet. 7338
  • 1968/--/-- american writer tom wolfe publishes the electric kool-aid acid test. 7339
  • 1969/--/-- american astronauts neil armstrong and buzz aldrin land on the moon. 7340
  • 1969/--/-- american writer kurt vonnegut, jr. publishes slaughterhouse-five. 7341
  • 1970/--/-- american writer maya angelou publishes i know why the caged bird sings. 7342
  • 1971/--/-- american film actor and director clint eastwood stars in dirty harry. 7343
  • 1972/--/-- american b-52 aircraft bomb hanoi and haiphong in north vietnam. 7344
  • 1972/--/-- american bobby fischer defeats russian world chess champion boris spassky. 7345
  • 1972/--/-- american swimmer mark spitz wins a record seven olympic gold medals. 7346
  • 1972/--/-- american feminist gloria steinem founds ms. magazine. 7347
  • 1973/--/-- the american indian movement occupy the site of wounded knee in a political protest. 7348
  • 1973/--/-- american novelist thomas pynchon publishes gravity's rainbow. 7349
  • 1973/--/-- american playwright thornton wilder publishes the novel theophilus north. 7350
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player chris evert wins a record 56 consecutive matches. 7351
  • 1974/--/-- american tennis player jimmy connors wins the u.s. open tournament for the first time. 7352
  • 1974/--/-- american writer stephen king publishes the horror novel carrie. 7353
  • 1974/--/-- james michener publishes centennial, a historical novel of the american west. 7354
  • 1975/--/-- american novelist saul bellow publishes humboldt's gift. 7355
  • 1975/--/-- american writer e.l. doctorow publishes ragtime. 7356
  • 1976/--/-- black american writer alex haley publishes roots: the saga of an american family. 7357
  • 1977/--/-- american golfer tom watson wins the masters and british open tournaments. 7358
  • 1977/--/-- seveteen-year old american jockey steve cauthen rides a record 487 winners. 7359
  • 1977/--/-- american hurdler edwin moses begins a winning streak of 90 consecutive races. 7360
  • 1977/--/-- american poet and novelist wendell berry, publishes the unsettling of america. 7361
  • 1978/--/-- american golfer nancy lopez wins a record five straight tournaments. 7362
  • 1978/--/-- american auto racer mario andretti wins the formula one grand prix championship. 7363
  • 1978/--/-- american writer john irving publishes the world according to garp. 7364
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player tracy austin wins the u.s. open championship at age 16. 7365
  • 1979/--/-- american tennis player john mcenroe wins his first u.s. open championship. 7366
  • 1979/--/-- american novelist william styron publishes sophie's choice. 7367
  • 1980/--/-- the american television soap opera dallas is first broadcast. 7368
  • 1981/--/-- black american novelist toni morrison publishes tar baby. 7369
  • 1982/--/-- american writer paul theroux publishes the mosquito coast. 7370
  • 1982/--/-- black american writer alice walker publishes the color purple. 7371
  • 1983/--/-- guion stewart bluford, jr. becomes the first black american astronaut. 7372
  • 1983/--/-- american zoologist dian fossey publishes her book gorillas in the mist. 7373
  • 1983/--/-- australia ii becomes the first non-american yacht to win the america's cup. 7374
  • 1983/--/-- american runner joan benoit sets a world record in the boston marathon. 7375
  • 1983/--/-- american writer william kennedy publishes ironweed. 7376
  • 1984/--/-- american track athlete carl lewis wins four gold medals at the los angeles olympics. 7377
  • 1984/--/-- american pop singer madonna releases her album like a virgin. 7378
  • 1985/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) suspends operations. 7379
  • 1985/--/-- american rock singer tina turner wins three grammy awards. 7380
  • 1985/--/-- american film actor rock hudson dies from aids. 7381
  • 1985/--/-- american humorist and radio personality garison keillor publishes lake wobegon days. 7382
  • 1986/--/-- cyclist greg lemond becomes the first american to win the tour de france. 7383
  • 1987/--/-- american author tom wolfe publishes the satirical novel the bonfire of the vanities. 7384
  • 1988/--/-- dennis connor skippers a u.s. catamaran to beat new zealand in the america's cup. 7385
  • 1989/--/-- american anne tyler wins the pulitzer prize for her novel breathing lessons. 7386
  • 1990/--/-- american novelist thomas pynchon publishes vineland. 7387
  • 1883/--/-- russian scientist tsiolkovsky proves that a rocket could work in the vacuum of space. 7388
  • 1923/--/-- physicist hermann oberth publishes the rocket into planetary space. 7389
  • 1931/--/-- radio astronomy begins when karl jansky detects radio waves from space. 7390
  • 1958/--/-- the national aeronautics and space administration (nasa) is founded. 7391
  • 1959/--/-- the soviet union sends a series of luna space probes to the moon. 7392
  • 1961/--/-- astronaut alan shepard makes the first u.s. suborbital space flight. 7393
  • 1962/--/-- the mariner 2 spacecraft passes within 21,598 miles of venus. 7394
  • 1963/--/-- soviet cosmonaut valentina tereshkova becomes the first woman in space. 7395
  • 1964/--/-- the american ranger 7 spacecraft transmits photos of the surface of the moon. 7396
  • 1964/--/-- the soviet voskhod 1 spacecraft is launched with a three-man crew. 7397
  • 1965/--/-- astronauts virgil grissom and john young orbit the earth in the first gemini spacecraft. 7398
  • 1965/--/-- soviet cosmonaut aleksei leonov makes the first space walk. 7399
  • 1965/--/-- astronaut edward h. white becomes the first american to walk in space. 7400
  • 1965/--/-- the mariner 4 spacecraft passes within 6,118 miles of the planet mars. 7401
  • 1965/--/-- gemini 6 and 7 spacecraft make the first rendezvous in space. 7402
  • 1966/--/-- the soviet luna 9 space probe makes the first landing on the moon. 7403
  • 1966/--/-- the american surveyor 1 spacecraft achieves the first soft-landing on the moon. 7404
  • 1968/--/-- the saturn rocket lifts the apollo 7 spacecraft into low earth orbit. 7405
  • 1968/--/-- the apollo 8 spacecraft makes the first manned orbit of the moon. 7406
  • 1968/--/-- filmmaker stanley kubrick directs 2001: a space odyssey. 7407
  • 1970/--/-- the soviet space probe venera 7 transmits the first data from the surface of venus. 7408
  • 1972/--/-- president nixon authorizes the space shuttle program. 7409
  • 1973/--/-- the pioneer 10 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet jupiter. 7410
  • 1974/--/-- the mariner 10 spacecraft passes within 438 miles of the planet mercury. 7411
  • 1976/--/-- u.s. viking spacecraft land on mars. 7412
  • 1977/--/-- george lucas directs the first star wars space fantasy film. 7413
  • 1979/--/-- pioneer 11 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet saturn. 7414
  • 1979/--/-- voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft rendezvous with the planet jupiter. 7415
  • 1980/--/-- the voyager 1 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet saturn. 7416
  • 1981/--/-- the first space shuttle is launched, crewed by john young and robert crippen. 7417
  • 1982/--/-- the voyager 2 spacecraft transmits pictures to the u.s. of the planet saturn. 7418
  • 1982/--/-- two satellites are deployed during the first operational space shuttle mission. 7419
  • 1983/--/-- the soviets shoot down a south korean airliner that violated its airspace. 7420
  • 1983/--/-- president reagan proposes a space-based strategic defense initiative (sdi). 7421
  • 1984/--/-- space shuttle astronauts test the manned maneuvering unit and move freely in space. 7422
  • 1986/--/-- the space shuttle challenger explodes after launch, killing the crew of seven. 7423
  • 1986/--/-- voyager 2 spacecraft makes a rendezvous with the planet uranus. 7424
  • 1986/--/-- the european space agency's giotto spacecraft passes within 335 miles of halley's comet. 7425
  • 1986/--/-- the soviet union launches the first mir space station. 7426
  • 1988/--/-- discovery becomes the first space shuttle to be launched after the challenger disaster. 7427
  • 1989/--/-- voyager 2 spacecraft tramsmits pictures to the u.s. of the planet neptune. 7428
  • 1990/--/-- a mirror in the hubble space telescope is found to be flawed shortly after deployment. 7429
  • 0105/--/-- paper is invented in china. 7430
  • 0600/--/-- the game of chess is invented in india about this time. 7431
  • 1025/--/-- guido d'arezzo invents the use of the staff in musical notation. 7432
  • 1498/--/-- the toothbrush is invented by a chinese dentist. 7433
  • 1590/--/-- viete, inventor of symbolic algebra, writes his introduction to the analytic art. 7434
  • 1608/--/-- the first telescope is invented by dutch optician hans lippershey. 7435
  • 1645/--/-- french philosopher and scientist blaise pascal invents the first adding machine. 7436
  • 1698/--/-- thomas savery invents a water pump -- the first practical application of steam power. 7437
  • 1700/--/-- johann denner invents the clarinet about this time. 7438
  • 1709/--/-- italian musician bartolommeo cristofori invents the piano. 7439
  • 1731/--/-- john hadley invents the quadrant for navigating at sea. 7440
  • 1733/--/-- john kay invents the flying shuttle to increase the speed of weaving machines. 7441
  • 1742/--/-- swedish astronomer anders celsius invents the celsius scale for temperature. 7442
  • 1742/--/-- the cast iron franklin stove is invented by benjamin franklin. 7443
  • 1752/--/-- benjamin franklin invents the lightning conductor. 7444
  • 1769/--/-- richard arkwright invents a spinning frame to mechanize cotton weaving. 7445
  • 1784/--/-- american inventor oliver evans develops the first automated flour mill. 7446
  • 1787/--/-- american inventor john fitch launches a steam-powered ferry boat on the delaware. 7447
  • 1793/--/-- eli whitney invents the cotton gin. 7448
  • 1794/--/-- french engineer claude chappe invents the semaphore signaling system. 7449
  • 1800/--/-- italian physicist alessandro volta invents the first electric battery. 7450
  • 1817/--/-- french physician rene laennec invents the stethoscope. 7451
  • 1818/--/-- english chemist sir humphry davy invents the miner's safety lamp. 7452
  • 1827/--/-- english inventor john walker introduces the first friction matches. 7453
  • 1831/--/-- cyrus mccormick invents a mechanical reaper. 7454
  • 1834/--/-- american inventor jacob perkins patents the first practical ice-making machine. 7455
  • 1836/--/-- american inventor samuel colt begins manufacturing the first revolver. 7456
  • 1837/--/-- louis daguerre invents the daguerreotype method for taking permanent photographs. 7457
  • 1839/--/-- american inventor charles goodyear develops the vulcanization of rubber. 7458
  • 1851/--/-- isaac merrit singer invents the first practical sewing machine. 7459
  • 1859/--/-- french inventor ferdinand carre develops a refrigeration system. 7460
  • 1862/--/-- richard j. gatling invents the first practical machine gun. 7461
  • 1866/--/-- british engineer robert whitehead invents the first self-propelled torpedo. 7462
  • 1873/--/-- englishman maj. walter clopton wingfield invents lawn tennis. 7463
  • 1876/--/-- alexander graham bell patents his invention of the telephone. 7464
  • 1877/--/-- thomas edison invents the phonograph. 7465
  • 1884/--/-- lewis e. waterman invents the first fountain pen with an ink reservoir. 7466
  • 1888/--/-- american inventor george eastman introduces the kodak box camera. 7467
  • 1888/--/-- a patent is issued to american inventor john h. loud for the first ball-point pen. 7468
  • 1900/--/-- dutch physiologist willem einthoven invents the electrocardiograph. 7469
  • 1905/--/-- ambrose fleming invents the thermionic valve, used to improve radio reception. 7470
  • 1907/--/-- lee de forest invents the triode, a key component for amplifying radio signals. 7471
  • 1911/--/-- hans geiger invents an electrical device to count individual alpha particles. 7472
  • 1923/--/-- spanish engineer juan de la cierva invents the autogiro. 7473
  • 1931/--/-- organic chemist w. h. carothers invents nylon, the first successful synthetic fiber. 7474
  • 1933/--/-- edwin armstrong invents frequency modulation (fm) to eliminate radio static. 7475
  • 1938/--/-- chester carlson invents xerography, the first electrostatic dry-copying process. 7476
  • 1938/--/-- hungarian lajos biro invents the first practical ball-point pen. 7477
  • 1943/--/-- marine explorer jacques-yves cousteau invents the aqualung (scuba). 7478
  • 1947/--/-- dennis gabor invents holography, a means of producing a three-dimensional image. 7479
  • 1948/--/-- the transistor is invented at bell laboratories in the u.s. 7480
  • 1953/--/-- american physicist charles h. townes invents the maser. 7481
  • 1953/--/-- physicist donald glaser invents the bubble chamber to detect subnuclear particles. 7482
  • 1958/--/-- wilson greatbatch invents an artificial pacemaker to control heartbeats. 7483
  • 0645/--/-- t'ang dynasty artist yen li-pen is active about this time. 7484
  • 0661/--/-- classical arab music evolves under the umayyad caliphs (leaders). 7485
  • 0786/--/-- the golden age of arab music begins under caliph harun al-rashid. 7486
  • 0950/--/-- al-farabi, arab philosopher and author of the grand book of music, dies. 7487
  • 1025/--/-- guido d'arezzo invents the use of the staff in musical notation. 7488
  • 1290/--/-- florentine artist cimabue paints the crucifix. 7489
  • 1305/--/-- florentine painter giotto begins his frescoes in the arena chapel in padua. 7490
  • 1328/--/-- sienese artist simone martini portrays the warlord guidoriccio da fogliano. 7491
  • 1395/--/-- claus sluter begins the well of moses sculpture at chartreuse in france. 7492
  • 1403/--/-- italian sculptor lorenzo ghiberti begins the bronze doors for the florence baptistery. 7493
  • 1425/--/-- florentine sculptor donatello begins his bronze statue of david around this time. 7494
  • 1431/--/-- luca della robbia sculpts the cantoria (singing gallery) for florence cathedral. 7495
  • 1434/--/-- flemish artist jan van eyck paints the wedding portrait of giovanni arnolfini. 7496
  • 1435/--/-- italian artist leon battista alberti writes on the laws of perspective. 7497
  • 1443/--/-- flemish painter rogier van der weyden paints the descent from the cross. 7498
  • 1452/--/-- florentine painter fra filippo lippi begins his frescoes for the prato cathedral. 7499
  • 1455/--/-- florentine artist paolo uccello begins painting the battle of san romano. 7500
  • 1460/--/-- italian artist mantegna begins painting the agony in the garden. 7501
  • 1480/--/-- flemish artist hans memling is active about this time. 7502
  • 1483/--/-- artist giovanni bellini is appointed as painter to the venetian republic. 7503
  • 1483/--/-- italian artist leonardo da vinci sketches an early helicopter design. 7504
  • 1485/--/-- sandro botticelli paints the birth of venus in florence. 7505
  • 1494/--/-- german artist albrecht durer travels from nuremberg to italy. 7506
  • 1495/--/-- leonardo da vinci begins painting the last supper in milan. 7507
  • 1498/--/-- michelangelo begins sculpting the pieta for st. peter's church in rome. 7508
  • 1499/--/-- venetian artist giorgione paints portrait of a young man. 7509
  • 1500/--/-- dutch artist hieronymus bosch paints the garden of earthly delights. 7510
  • 1503/--/-- leonardo da vinci begins painting the mona lisa. 7511
  • 1504/--/-- italian artist raphael paints the marriage of the virgin. 7512
  • 1508/--/-- michelangelo begins painting the ceiling of the sistine chapel in rome. 7513
  • 1511/--/-- german artist matthias grunewald begins painting the isenheim altarpiece. 7514
  • 1512/--/-- albrecht durer is appointed court painter to holy roman emperor maximilian i. 7515
  • 1514/--/-- italian artist raphael becomes the chief architect of st. peter's in rome. 7516
  • 1515/--/-- italian artist michelangelo sculpts his monumental statue of moses. 7517
  • 1517/--/-- andrea del sarto paints the madonna of the harpies. 7518
  • 1522/--/-- jean clouet becomes the court painter to francis i of france. 7519
  • 1523/--/-- venetian artist titian paints bacchus and ariadne. 7520
  • 1526/--/-- correggio paints the assumption of the virgin in parma cathedral. 7521
  • 1533/--/-- german artist hans holbein the younger paints the ambassadors. 7522
  • 1538/--/-- italian artist benvenuto cellini begins his autobiography. 7523
  • 1548/--/-- venetian artist tintoretto paints the miracle of the slave. 7524
  • 1550/--/-- vasari writes the lives of most eminent painters, sculptors, and architects. 7525
  • 1553/--/-- venetian artist paolo veronese paints the ceiling panels of the doge's palace. 7526
  • 1562/--/-- giuseppe arcimboldo becomes court painter to maximilian ii. 7527
  • 1568/--/-- flemish painter bruegel the elder paints the blind leading the blind. 7528
  • 1570/--/-- nicholas hilliard paints a miniature portrait of elizabeth i. 7529
  • 1594/--/-- jacopo peri's dafne, the first opera, is performed in italy about this time. 7530
  • 1597/--/-- spanish artist el greco paints the agony in the garden. 7531
  • 1601/--/-- italian artist caravaggio paints the conversion of st. paul. 7532
  • 1604/--/-- flemish artist carel van mander publishes a handbook for painters het schilderboeck. 7533
  • 1607/--/-- claudio monteverdi's first opera orfeo is performed. 7534
  • 1619/--/-- spanish artist diego velazquez paints the water seller of seville. 7535
  • 1623/--/-- diego velazquez is made court painter to philip iv of spain. 7536
  • 1624/--/-- dutch artist frans hals paints the laughing cavalier. 7537
  • 1625/--/-- flemish baroque artist peter paul rubens paints the judgement of paris. 7538
  • 1630/--/-- dutch landscape artist salomon van ruisdael paints river landscape. 7539
  • 1630/--/-- spanish artist francisco de zubaran paints the holy house of nazareth. 7540
  • 1632/--/-- antony van dyck settles in london and becomes court painter to king charles i. 7541
  • 1632/--/-- dutch artist rembrandt harmenszoon van rijn paints the anatomy lesson. 7542
  • 1633/--/-- french artist nicolas poussin paints the adoration of the golden calf. 7543
  • 1637/--/-- the first opera house teatro san cassiano opens in venice. 7544
  • 1639/--/-- spanish artist jusepe de ribera paints the martyrdom of saint bartholomew. 7545
  • 1642/--/-- dutch artist rembrandt paints the night watch. 7546
  • 1644/--/-- french landscape artist claude lorrain paints the embarkation of saint ursula. 7547
  • 1644/--/-- italian artist giovanni bernini sculpts the ecstasy of st. teresa. 7548
  • 1646/--/-- flemish painter teniers the younger paints the village fete. 7549
  • 1646/--/-- spanish artist bartolome esteban murillo paints holy family with a bird. 7550
  • 1649/--/-- french artist georges de la tour paints saint irene mourning saint sebastian. 7551
  • 1650/--/-- dutch landscape artist aelbert cuyp paints the view of dordrecht. 7552
  • 1650/--/-- oratorios become a popular form of musical performance in italy. 7553
  • 1656/--/-- diego velazquez paints the maids of honor at the court of spain. 7554
  • 1656/--/-- italian artist and architect giovanni bernini designs the piazza of st. peter's, rome. 7555
  • 1658/--/-- dutch genre artist jan vermeer paints the milkmaid. 7556
  • 1660/--/-- dutch genre artist gabriel metsu paints the sick child. 7557
  • 1661/--/-- dutch-born artist peter lely is made court painter to charles ii. 7558
  • 1663/--/-- dutch genre artist jan steen paints the woman undressing. 7559
  • 1665/--/-- dutch genre artist gerard ter borch paints the flea hunt. 7560
  • 1672/--/-- jean baptiste lully produces the first french operas. 7561
  • 1674/--/-- early american artist the freake limner paints portraits of the freake family. 7562
  • 1689/--/-- british composer henry purcell writes the opera dido and aeneas. 7563
  • 1701/--/-- french artist hyacinthe rigaud paints a portrait of louis xiv. 7564
  • 1709/--/-- italian musician bartolommeo cristofori invents the piano. 7565
  • 1717/--/-- french artist antoine watteau paints the pilgrimage to cythera. 7566
  • 1721/--/-- italian composer alessandro scarlatti writes his opera griselda. 7567
  • 1728/--/-- english poet and playwright john gay writes the beggar's opera. 7568
  • 1730/--/-- canaletto paints the basin of san marco, one of his many views of venice. 7569
  • 1732/--/-- covent garden opera house opens in london. 7570
  • 1736/--/-- french artist maurice quentin de la tour paints his portrait of voltaire. 7571
  • 1748/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints robert andrews and mary, his wife. 7572
  • 1752/--/-- french artist francois boucher paints mademoiselle o'murphy. 7573
  • 1752/--/-- italian artist tiepolo paints the marriage of frederick barbarossa. 7574
  • 1762/--/-- british animal painter george stubbs completes the horse attacked by a lion. 7575
  • 1765/--/-- french artist francois boucher is appointed court painter to louis xv. 7576
  • 1766/--/-- french artist jean honore fragonard paints the swing. 7577
  • 1767/--/-- german composer christoph willibald gluck writes his opera alceste. 7578
  • 1770/--/-- english artist thomas gainsborough paints the blue boy. 7579
  • 1772/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints the death of wolfe. 7580
  • 1772/--/-- english artist joshua reynolds paints a portrait of samuel johnson. 7581
  • 1776/--/-- charles burney publishes the first volume of a general history of music. 7582
  • 1778/--/-- john singleton copley paints watson and the shark. 7583
  • 1778/--/-- la scala opera house opens in milan, italy. 7584
  • 1780/--/-- venetian artist francesco guardi paints the gondola on the lagoon. 7585
  • 1784/--/-- french neoclassical artist jacques louis david paints the oath of horatii. 7586
  • 1786/--/-- francisco de goya becomes court painter to charles iii of spain. 7587
  • 1787/--/-- austrian composer wolfgang amadeus mozart writes the opera don giovanni. 7588
  • 1789/--/-- english poet and artist william blake publishes songs of innocence. 7589
  • 1789/--/-- french sculptor jean antoine houdon makes busts of jefferson and washington. 7590
  • 1791/--/-- mozart's opera the magic flute is performed for the first time. 7591
  • 1795/--/-- american artist charles wilson peale paints the staircase group. 7592
  • 1796/--/-- gilbert stuart paints a portrait of washington (used later on the dollar bill). 7593
  • 1802/--/-- american artist benjamin west paints death on a pale horse. 7594
  • 1807/--/-- beethoven completes his fifth symphony and begins the sixth (pastoral). 7595
  • 1808/--/-- francisco de goya paints the third of may, depicting the cruelty of war. 7596
  • 1808/--/-- german artist caspar david friedrich exhibits the cross in the mountains. 7597
  • 1808/--/-- japanese artist buncho paints true view of mount hiko. 7598
  • 1809/--/-- german artists overbeck and pforr found the nazarenes. 7599
  • 1814/--/-- french artist ingres paints the grand odalisque. 7600
  • 1816/--/-- gioacchino rossini's opera the barber of seville is performed in rome. 7601
  • 1818/--/-- composer franz schubert becomes the music teacher to count esterhazy's family. 7602
  • 1819/--/-- american artist washington allston paints moonlit landscape. 7603
  • 1821/--/-- english landscape artist john constable paints the hay wain. 7604
  • 1823/--/-- japanese artist hokusai begins a series of thirty-six views of mount fuji. 7605
  • 1823/--/-- ludwig van beethoven completes his 9th symphony. 7606
  • 1825/--/-- american painter thomas cole founds the hudson river school about this time. 7607
  • 1827/--/-- french landscape artist camille corot paints the bridge at narni. 7608
  • 1830/--/-- george catlin begins his paintings of north american indians about this time. 7609
  • 1832/--/-- japanese artist hiroshige begins work on fifty-three stages of the tokaido. 7610
  • 1838/--/-- british artist joseph mallord william turner paints the fighting temeraire. 7611
  • 1842/--/-- italian composer gaetano donizetti writes his opera don pasquale. 7612
  • 1843/--/-- english art critic john ruskin begins publishing modern painters. 7613
  • 1845/--/-- french artists gavarni and grandville begin designing the first elaborate posters. 7614
  • 1846/--/-- writer and artist edward lear publishes a book of nonsense. 7615
  • 1848/--/-- french barbizon artist theodore rousseau paints the forest at fontainebleau. 7616
  • 1850/--/-- french realist artist gustave courbet paints the stone breakers. 7617
  • 1851/--/-- giuseppe verdi's opera rigoletto is produced in venice. 7618
  • 1853/--/-- richard wagner begins his cycle of four operas the ring of the nibelung. 7619
  • 1854/--/-- pre-raphaelite artist holman hunt paints the scapegoat. 7620
  • 1858/--/-- german-american artist albert bierstadt begins his landscapes of the american west. 7621
  • 1861/--/-- french artist eugene delacroix paints the lion hunt. 7622
  • 1862/--/-- french impressionist artist edouard manet paints le dejeuner sur l'herbe. 7623
  • 1863/--/-- french impressionist artist camille pissarro exhibits at the salon des refuses. 7624
  • 1869/--/-- french artist eugene louis boudin paints on the beach at deauville. 7625
  • 1869/--/-- russian composer modest mussorgsky begins work on his opera boris gudunov. 7626
  • 1872/--/-- american artist james mcneill whistler paints the portrait of the artist's mother. 7627
  • 1872/--/-- monet paints impression: sunrise; the term impressionism is derived from the title. 7628
  • 1872/--/-- the first woman impressionist artist berthe morisot paints the cradle. 7629
  • 1874/--/-- french impressionist artist pierre auguste renoir paints la loge (the box). 7630
  • 1874/--/-- the first exhibition of impressionist paintings is held in paris. 7631
  • 1875/--/-- georges bizet's opera carmen is performed in paris. 7632
  • 1876/--/-- impressionist artist alfred sisley paints flood at the port of marly. 7633
  • 1876/--/-- the bayreuth musical festival opens with a performance of wagner's ring cycle. 7634
  • 1878/--/-- the d'oyly carte opera company performs gilbert and sullivan's h.m.s. pinafore. 7635
  • 1879/--/-- impressionist artist edgar degas paints ballerina posing for a photograph. 7636
  • 1880/--/-- american impressionist artist mary cassatt exhibits a woman in black at the opera. 7637
  • 1880/--/-- german composer jacques offenbach writes the opera tales of hoffmann. 7638
  • 1882/--/-- impressionist artist edouard manet completes the bar at the folies-bergere. 7639
  • 1885/--/-- boston symphony orchestra organizes its promenade concerts (the boston pops). 7640
  • 1886/--/-- french sculptor auguste rodin completes the kiss. 7641
  • 1888/--/-- dutch artist vincent van gogh paints still life with sunflowers. 7642
  • 1890/--/-- dutch artist vincent van gogh commits suicide. 7643
  • 1891/--/-- french postimpressionist artist paul gauguin travels to tahiti. 7644
  • 1892/--/-- french artist henri de toulouse-lautrec paints at the moulin rouge. 7645
  • 1892/--/-- impressionist artist paul cezanne completes the card players. 7646
  • 1893/--/-- american artist louis comfort tiffany begins producing art nouveau glassware. 7647
  • 1894/--/-- czech decorative artist alfons mucha designs a poster of sarah bernhardt. 7648
  • 1894/--/-- english artist aubrey beardsley illustrates oscar wilde's salome. 7649
  • 1896/--/-- italian composer giacomo puccini writes the opera la boheme. 7650
  • 1897/--/-- austrian artist gustav klimt helps to found the vienna secession group. 7651
  • 1897/--/-- french primitive artist henri rousseau paints the sleeping gypsy. 7652
  • 1899/--/-- american artist winslow homer paints the gulf stream. 7653
  • 1901/--/-- spanish painter pablo picasso's blue period begins. 7654
  • 1902/--/-- american artist robert henri paints the new york street scene west 57th street. 7655
  • 1902/--/-- italian opera singer enrico caruso makes his first phonographic recording. 7656
  • 1904/--/-- italian composer giacomo puccini's opera madame butterfly is produced. 7657
  • 1905/--/-- ernst ludwig kirchner organizes the expressionist painters group die brucke. 7658
  • 1908/--/-- austrian artist gustav klimt paints the kiss. 7659
  • 1908/--/-- the ashcan school of painters exhibit in new york city. 7660
  • 1909/--/-- american artist george bellows paints the prize fight scene stag at sharkey's. 7661
  • 1910/--/-- french primitive artist henri rousseau paints the dream. 7662
  • 1910/--/-- french sculptor auguste rodin casts the bronze figure the thinker. 7663
  • 1910/--/-- italian artists led by umberto boccioni found the futurism movement. 7664
  • 1910/--/-- russian-born artist wassily kandinsky executes his first abstract painting. 7665
  • 1911/--/-- richard strauss' opera der rosenkavalier is performed for the first time. 7666
  • 1911/--/-- russian artist marc chagall paints i and my village. 7667
  • 1912/--/-- french dada artist marcel duchamp paints nude descending a staircase. 7668
  • 1916/--/-- james joyce publishes a portrait of the artist as a young man. 7669
  • 1917/--/-- dutch artists theo van doesburg and piet mondrian found the magazine de stijl. 7670
  • 1917/--/-- the first pulitzer prizes are awarded for journalism, letters and music. 7671
  • 1920/--/-- dutch artist piet mondrian paints the composition with red, yellow and blue. 7672
  • 1920/--/-- mahatma gandhi begins a noncooperation campaign against british rule in india. 7673
  • 1920/--/-- russian artist aleksandr rodchenko designs the first mobile. 7674
  • 1921/--/-- french cubist artist fernand leger paints three women. 7675
  • 1921/--/-- german surrealist artist max ernst paints l'elephant celebes. 7676
  • 1921/--/-- mexican artist diego rivera begins painting murals depicting contemporary mexican life. 7677
  • 1925/--/-- swiss-born artist paul klee paints fish magic. 7678
  • 1926/--/-- american artist georgia o'keeffe paints her flower portrait black iris. 7679
  • 1926/--/-- russian composer dmitry shostakovich premiers his first symphony. 7680
  • 1928/--/-- american composer virgil thomson writes the opera four saints in three acts. 7681
  • 1928/--/-- bertolt brecht and kurt weill collaborate on the play the threepenny opera. 7682
  • 1929/--/-- french artist and writer jean cocteau publishes les enfants terribles. 7683
  • 1930/--/-- american artist edward hopper paints early sunday morning. 7684
  • 1930/--/-- artist grant wood paints american gothic. 7685
  • 1931/--/-- ben shahn begins a series of paintings inspired by the sacco-vanzetti case. 7686
  • 1932/--/-- american sculptor alexander calder creates his first mobile. 7687
  • 1932/--/-- radio city music hall opens in new york city's rockefeller center. 7688
  • 1934/--/-- cole porter writes the score for the broadway musical anything goes. 7689
  • 1934/--/-- surrealist artist rene magritte paints the human condition. 7690
  • 1935/--/-- george gershwin composes the modern american opera porgy and bess. 7691
  • 1938/--/-- swing musician glenn miller organizes his band. 7692
  • 1939/--/-- child film actress judy garland stars in the musical the wizard of oz. 7693
  • 1940/--/-- prehistoric cave paintings are discovered at lascaux in france. 7694
  • 1941/--/-- gutzon borglum completes the sculptured heads of four presidents at mount rushmore. 7695
  • 1943/--/-- richard rodgers and oscar hammerstein's musical oklahoma! is produced. 7696
  • 1945/--/-- singer frank sinatra stars in the film musical anchors aweigh. 7697
  • 1946/--/-- eniac, the first successful electronic digital computer, becomes operational. 7698
  • 1947/--/-- artist jackson pollock produces full fathom five using drip paint techniques. 7699
  • 1947/--/-- artist mark rothko begins experimenting with color-field painting. 7700
  • 1947/--/-- english composer benjamin britten writes the opera peter grimes. 7701
  • 1948/--/-- american opera singer beverly sills debuts in bizet's carmen. 7702
  • 1949/--/-- abstract artist robert motherwell begins his series elegy to the spanish republic. 7703
  • 1949/--/-- british abstract sculptor henry moore completes the bronze family group. 7704
  • 1949/--/-- rogers and hammerstein's broadway musical south pacific is produced. 7705
  • 1951/--/-- artist stuart davis uses words to function as abstract shapes in his painting visa. 7706
  • 1951/--/-- igor stravinsky's opera the rake's progress is premiered. 7707
  • 1951/--/-- rodgers and hammerstein's broadway musical the king and i is produced. 7708
  • 1952/--/-- american sculptor isamu noguchi designs two bridges for the peace park at hiroshima. 7709
  • 1952/--/-- opera singer maria callas debuts at london's covent garden. 7710
  • 1954/--/-- british artist francis bacon begins his portrait of pope innocent x series. 7711
  • 1955/--/-- american artist jasper johns begins his paintings of american flags and targets. 7712
  • 1955/--/-- american artist larry rivers paints double portrait of birdie. 7713
  • 1955/--/-- american rock 'n' roll musician bill haley records rock around the clock. 7714
  • 1955/--/-- marian anderson becomes the first black to perform at the metropolitan opera house. 7715
  • 1956/--/-- british artist richard hamilton produces the first pop art work. 7716
  • 1956/--/-- lerner and loewe's musical my fair lady opens in new york. 7717
  • 1957/--/-- jerome robbins is director-choreographer of the musical west side story. 7718
  • 1959/--/-- artist robert rauschenberg creates the three-dimensional collage monogram. 7719
  • 1959/--/-- rogers and hammerstein's broadway musical the sound of music is produced. 7720
  • 1961/--/-- italian opera singer luciano pavarotti debuts in puccini's la boheme. 7721
  • 1962/--/-- american artist jim dine paints the pop art subject black saw. 7722
  • 1962/--/-- pop artist andy warhol begins making silk screen prints of mass-media images. 7723
  • 1963/--/-- pop artist claes oldenburg creates the kapok-filled sculpture soft typewriter. 7724
  • 1963/--/-- pop artist roy lichtenstein completes the comic strip painting whaam. 7725
  • 1965/--/-- actress and singer barbara streisand stars in the broadway musical funny girl. 7726
  • 1965/--/-- american pop artist james rosenquist paints f-111. 7727
  • 1966/--/-- realist sculptor george segal completes the direct-cast plaster group the diner. 7728
  • 1967/--/-- the hippie musical revue hair is produced. 7729
  • 1968/--/-- spanish operatic tenor placido domingo debuts at the metropolitan opera. 7730
  • 1969/--/-- a rock-music festival at woodstock, n.y, attracts a crowd of 500,000. 7731
  • 1970/--/-- rock music guitarist jimi hendrix dies from a drug overdose. 7732
  • 1971/--/-- andrew lloyd webber's rock-opera jesus christ superstar opens on broadway. 7733
  • 1973/--/-- pop recording artist billy joel releases his first album piano man. 7734
  • 1975/--/-- michael bennett directs and choreographs the broadway musical a chorus line. 7735
  • 1976/--/-- artist christo completes running fence, a curtain spanning 24 miles of countryside. 7736
  • 1979/--/-- andrew lloyd webber's musical evita opens on broadway. 7737
  • 1980/--/-- the american television soap opera dallas is first broadcast. 7738
  • 1981/--/-- the first 24-hour music video channel mtv (music television) is launched in the u.s. 7739
  • 1982/--/-- two satellites are deployed during the first operational space shuttle mission. 7740
  • 1983/--/-- the compact disc is introduced for recorded music. 7741
  • 1985/--/-- the north american soccer league (nasl) suspends operations. 7742
  • 1990/--/-- u.s.-led coalition forces begin operation desert shield to protect saudi arabia from iraq. 7743
  • .......... chinese emperor wang mang founds the hsin dynasty, ending the former han dynasty. 7744
  • .......... chinese emperor wang mang dies. 7745
  • .......... the later han dynasty is established in china. 7746
  • .......... buddhism is introduced into china. 7747
  • 0100/--/-- the earliest chinese dictionary the shuo wen is compiled about this time. 7748
  • 0105/--/-- paper is invented in china. 7749
  • 0130/--/-- the taoist religion is accepted in china. 7750
  • 0190/--/-- the abacus is used for numerical calculation in china. 7751
  • 0200/--/-- buddhism is established as a vital force in china. 7752
  • 0220/--/-- the han dynasty ends in china. 7753
  • 0265/--/-- the reign of the first chin dynasty begins in china. 7754
  • 0270/--/-- the first compass is used in china about this time. 7755
  • 0313/--/-- the koguryo kingdom expels the chinese from korea. 7756
  • 0316/--/-- the huns (hsuiung-nu) invade northern china. 7757
  • 0500/--/-- modern forms of harness for draft animals appear in china about this time. 7758
  • 0535/--/-- a 12-story pagoda is built in china. 7759
  • 0552/--/-- persian monks smuggle chinese silkworms into constantinople (istanbul). 7760
  • 0581/--/-- wen ti founds the sui dynasty and reunites china. 7761
  • 0618/--/-- the t'ang dynasty in china establishes an imperial bureaucracy. 7762
  • 0620/--/-- lyric poetry of the t'ang dynasty promotes the use of the chinese language. 7763
  • 0646/--/-- the taika reform remodels japanese imperial authority on chinese lines. 7764
  • 0658/--/-- chinese power in central asia reaches its maximum extent. 7765
  • 0730/--/-- printing begins in china. 7766
  • 0748/--/-- the first printed newspaper appears in china. 7767
  • 0751/--/-- an arab paper mill is established in samarkand using chinese paper-makers. 7768
  • 0780/--/-- lu yu's the classic of tea, the first handbook on tea, is published in china. 7769
  • 0812/--/-- the chinese government issues paper bank drafts as money. 7770
  • 0868/--/-- the earliest known woodcut illustration is made in china. 7771
  • 0906/--/-- the last t'ang emperor is deposed; civil war begins in china. 7772
  • 0939/--/-- the annamese drive the chinese out of vietnam. 7773
  • 0947/--/-- the liao dynasty is established in china with its capital at peking. 7774
  • 0960/--/-- the sung dynasty begins in china. 7775
  • 0979/--/-- the sung dynasty reunites china. 7776
  • 1050/--/-- chinese books are printed with movable wooden type. 7777
  • 1054/--/-- a supernova or guest star (the crab nebula) is reported by the chinese. 7778
  • 1117/--/-- the first reference of a compass used for navigation at sea is made in china. 7779
  • 1150/--/-- the chinese develop the first rockets. 7780
  • 1210/--/-- the mongols begin to invade china. 7781
  • 1260/--/-- venetian merchants nicolo and maffeo polo begin their journey to china. 7782
  • 1271/--/-- venetian merchant marco polo begins his journey to the court of kublai khan in china. 7783
  • 1279/--/-- kublai khan establishes the yuan dynasty in china. 7784
  • 1280/--/-- syrian scholar al-hassan-al-rammah describes "chinese arrows" (rockets). 7785
  • 1368/--/-- the ming dynasty begins in china. 7786
  • 1407/--/-- the chinese reoccupy vietnam. 7787
  • 1428/--/-- le loi defeats the chinese and founds the le dynasty in vietnam. 7788
  • 1498/--/-- the toothbrush is invented by a chinese dentist. 7789
  • 1556/--/-- an earthquake in china is the worst in history with a death toll of 830,000. 7790
  • 1557/--/-- the portuguese establish a settlement at macao in china. 7791
  • 1615/--/-- manchu tribes in china expand to eight banners (military regions) under nurhachi. 7792
  • 1661/--/-- chinese pirate koxinga drives the dutch from formosa (taiwan). 7793
  • 1661/--/-- emperor k'ang-hsi succeeds to the throne in china. 7794
  • 1683/--/-- chinese emperor k'ang-hsi conquers formosa (taiwan). 7795
  • 1689/--/-- chinese emperor k'ang-hsi establishes diplomatic relations with russia. 7796
  • 1696/--/-- the chinese under k'ang-hsi defeat the dzungar mongol chieftain galdan. 7797
  • 1720/--/-- tibet becomes a protectorate of china. 7798
  • 1736/--/-- ch'ien-lung becomes emperor of china. 7799
  • 1791/--/-- chinese author ts'ao hsueh-ch'in publishes the dream of the red chamber. 7800
  • 1839/--/-- the opium wars begin between britain and china. 7801
  • 1842/--/-- china cedes hong kong to britain. 7802
  • 1842/--/-- china is defeated in the first opium war; chinese ports are opened to british trade. 7803
  • 1842/--/-- china is defeated in the first opium war; chinese ports are opened to british trade. 7804
  • 1850/--/-- the taiping rebellion breaks out in china against the ch'ing dynasty. 7805
  • 1853/--/-- chinese rebels capture nanking and make it the capital of the taiping kingdom. 7806
  • 1856/--/-- a new opium war begins between china, britain and france. 7807
  • 1858/--/-- britain and france impose the tientsin treaty on china. 7808
  • 1860/--/-- china resists the tientsin treaty; anglo-french forces occupy peking. 7809
  • 1864/--/-- a chinese army under gordon recaptures nanking and ends the taiping rebellion. 7810
  • 1876/--/-- japan forces korea to open up to foreign trade, countering the influence of china. 7811
  • 1882/--/-- the u.s. begins to restrict immigration with the chinese exclusion acts. 7812
  • 1887/--/-- france creates the union of indochina (most of modern day vietnam and kampuchea). 7813
  • 1893/--/-- france adds laos to the union of indochina. 7814
  • 1895/--/-- japan defeats china; the shimonoseki treaty establishes korean independence. 7815
  • 1898/--/-- britain obtains a 99-year lease for hong kong from the chinese. 7816
  • 1898/--/-- the boxer uprising begins in china; empress tz'u-hsi imprisons the emperor. 7817
  • 1899/--/-- u.s. secretary of state john m. hay advocates an open door policy for china. 7818
  • 1900/--/-- chinese nationalists besiege foreigners in peking during the boxer uprising. 7819
  • 1901/--/-- russia occupies manchuria in north-east china. 7820
  • 1905/--/-- chinese revolutionary sun yat-sen founds the t'ung-meng hui (alliance society). 7821
  • 1911/--/-- the ch'ing dynasty is deposed in china; a republic is formed under sun yat-sen. 7822
  • 1911/--/-- tibet declares its independence from china. 7823
  • 1914/--/-- japan joins the allies and captures the german base of tsingtao in china. 7824
  • 1926/--/-- chiang kai-shek organizes the northern expedition to unite china. 7825
  • 1934/--/-- mao tse-tung leads the chinese communists on the long march. 7826
  • 1937/--/-- nationalist and communist forces unite to combat the japanese in china. 7827
  • 1937/--/-- the japanese invasion of china begins the second sino-japanese war. 7828
  • 1938/--/-- the u.s. and britain send aid to the chinese in their war against japan. 7829
  • 1940/--/-- japan joins the axis alliance and occupies northern french indochina (vietnam). 7830
  • 1941/--/-- ho chi minh organizes the viet minh to combat the japanese in indochina. 7831
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese occupy indochina and move into cambodia (kampuchea) and thailand. 7832
  • 1941/--/-- the lend-lease act allows the transfer of u.s. war materials to britain and china. 7833
  • 1945/--/-- nationalists and communist forces resume their civil war in china. 7834
  • 1946/--/-- the viet minh begin a guerrilla war against the french in indochina (vietnam). 7835
  • 1949/--/-- communists under mao defeat the nationalists and form the people's republic of china. 7836
  • 1949/--/-- nationalist chinese forces under chiang kai-shek flee to the island of taiwan. 7837
  • 1950/--/-- chinese forces invade tibet, which is officially annexed in 1951. 7838
  • 1950/--/-- un forces cross into north korea but are repulsed by the chinese army. 7839
  • 1951/--/-- the un general assembly brands communist china an aggressor in the korean war. 7840
  • 1953/--/-- laos, formerly a part of french indochina, is granted independence. 7841
  • 1959/--/-- the dalai lama flees to india after china crushes an uprising in tibet. 7842
  • 1966/--/-- mao tse-tung begins china's cultural revolution. 7843
  • 1971/--/-- the republic of china (taiwan) loses its un seat; communist china is admitted. 7844
  • 1974/--/-- an army of life-size pottery figures is discovered in a ch'in dynasty tomb in china. 7845
  • 1976/--/-- a severe earthquake in china kills over 600,000. 7846
  • 1976/--/-- chinese leaders chou en-lai and mao tse-tung die; hua kuo-feng assumes power. 7847
  • 1981/--/-- hu yao-bang becomes head of the chinese communist party. 7848
  • 1984/--/-- britain and china sign a treaty for the return of hong kong to china in 1997. 7849
  • 1989/--/-- hu yao-pang's death in china sparks public rallies demanding social changes. 7850
  • 1990/--/-- i.m. pei's 70-story bank of china headquarters is built in hong kong. 7851
  • 0200/--/-- carthage in north africa becomes a world metropolis under roman rule 7852
  • 0429/--/-- vandals under gaiseric establish a kingdom in north africa. 7853
  • 0523/--/-- hilderic becomes the vandal king of north africa. 7854
  • 0534/--/-- byzantine general belisarius reconquers north africa. 7855
  • 0700/--/-- the arabs capture tunis, exterminating christianity in north africa. 7856
  • 0700/--/-- the rise of the empire of ghana begins in africa. 7857
  • 0800/--/-- the kanem-bornu empire is founded about this time in west africa. 7858
  • 0850/--/-- the acropolis of zimbabwe is built in africa. 7859
  • 0920/--/-- the golden age of the empire of ghana begins in africa. 7860
  • 0980/--/-- arabs settle along the east coast of africa. 7861
  • 1000/--/-- zanzibar is settled about this time in africa. 7862
  • 1050/--/-- timbuktu is founded in north africa by the tuaregs. 7863
  • 1056/--/-- the almoravids conquer north africa 7864
  • 1077/--/-- the almoravids are dominant in ghana, africa. 7865
  • 1135/--/-- the almohads are dominant in northwestern africa and muslim spain. 7866
  • 1160/--/-- the almohads drive the almoravid muslims from spain and north africa. 7867
  • 1200/--/-- the empire of mali begins to flourish in west africa. 7868
  • 1312/--/-- mansa musa becomes emperor of mali in west africa. 7869
  • 1415/--/-- the portuguese capture ceuta, laying the foundations for portugal's african empire. 7870
  • 1434/--/-- the portuguese explore the african coast south of cape bojador. 7871
  • 1450/--/-- the portuguese begin the west african slave trade about this time. 7872
  • 1464/--/-- sunni ali founds the songhai empire in west africa. 7873
  • 1482/--/-- the portuguese settle on the african gold coast (ghana). 7874
  • 1510/--/-- spain conquers tripoli in north africa. 7875
  • 1516/--/-- the ottoman turks capture algiers in north africa. 7876
  • 1554/--/-- the turks conquer the barbary states along the north african coast. 7877
  • 1562/--/-- sir john hawkins begins the slave trade between africa and the west indies. 7878
  • 1570/--/-- the kanem-bornu empire flourishes in west africa. 7879
  • 1574/--/-- the turks regain tunis in north africa from spain. 7880
  • 1652/--/-- cape town is founded by the dutch in south africa. 7881
  • 1658/--/-- french colonists found the city of saint-louis on the senegal river in africa. 7882
  • 1660/--/-- dutch farmers (boers) settle in south africa. 7883
  • 1713/--/-- the asiento treaty establishes british rights to the african slave trade. 7884
  • 1779/--/-- war breaks out between dutch settlers and the xhosas in south africa. 7885
  • 1795/--/-- the british capture cape province (south africa) from the dutch. 7886
  • 1816/--/-- shaka begins establishing the zulu empire in south africa. 7887
  • 1820/--/-- the first free american slaves to be resettled in africa land in liberia. 7888
  • 1836/--/-- boer (afrikaner) settlers begin the great trek into the south african interior. 7889
  • 1847/--/-- the african slave colony of liberia is declared independent. 7890
  • 1854/--/-- the british grant independence to the orange free state in south africa. 7891
  • 1855/--/-- scottish explorer david livingstone discovers the victoria falls in africa. 7892
  • 1858/--/-- british explorer john hanning speke discovers lake victoria in africa. 7893
  • 1867/--/-- diamond fields are discovered in south africa. 7894
  • 1868/--/-- ndebele king mzilikazi dies in africa; he is succeeded (1870) by his son lobengula. 7895
  • 1869/--/-- james gordon bennett jr. commissions stanley to search for livingston in africa. 7896
  • 1871/--/-- american explorer henry morton stanley finds dr. livingston in central africa. 7897
  • 1877/--/-- britain annexes transvaal in south africa. 7898
  • 1880/--/-- boer (afrikaner) uprisings begin against the british in transvaal, south africa. 7899
  • 1883/--/-- paul kruger becomes president of the boer republic of the transvaal in south africa. 7900
  • 1884/--/-- germany occupies south west africa (namibia). 7901
  • 1884/--/-- german east africa is formed from rwanda, mozambique,tanzania and burundi. 7902
  • 1886/--/-- gold is discovered in transvaal, south africa. 7903
  • 1890/--/-- cecil rhodes becomes prime minister of the cape colony in south africa. 7904
  • 1890/--/-- the british south africa company occupies zimbabwe; conflicts begin with the ndebele. 7905
  • 1899/--/-- the south african war begins between the boers (afrikaners) and the british. 7906
  • 1900/--/-- the british defeat the boer (afrikaner) armies in south africa and occupy pretoria. 7907
  • 1902/--/-- the treaty of vereeniging ends the south african war. 7908
  • 1905/--/-- the cullinan diamond is found in south africa; it weighs 3,106 carats. 7909
  • 1908/--/-- king leopold ii of the belgians establishes the independent state of congo in africa. 7910
  • 1910/--/-- the union of south africa is formed; louis botha becomes the first prime minister. 7911
  • 1910/--/-- france groups four african territories together as french equatorial africa. 7912
  • 1913/--/-- medical missionary albert schweitzer builds a hospital at lambarene in africa. 7913
  • 1919/--/-- jan smuts succeeds louis botha as prime minister of south africa. 7914
  • 1920/--/-- german east africa is transferred to british control as tanganyika (now tanzania). 7915
  • 1920/--/-- british east africa becomes a crown colony as kenya. 7916
  • 1937/--/-- danish author isak dinesen publishes her autobiography out of africa. 7917
  • 1938/--/-- a coelacanth, a fish thought extinct for 65 million years, is caught off the cost of africa. 7918
  • 1941/--/-- the german africa corps under erwin rommel begins an offensive in north africa. 7919
  • 1942/--/-- rommel's africa corps capture tobruk and drive the british back to egypt. 7920
  • 1943/--/-- the british and american armies link up in africa; 250,000 axis prisoners are taken. 7921
  • 1948/--/-- the apartheid policy of racial segregation is made official in south africa. 7922
  • 1958/--/-- prime minister hendrik verwoerd extends south africa's apartheid laws. 7923
  • 1959/--/-- anthropologists richard and mary leakey discover an australopithecus skull in africa. 7924
  • 1960/--/-- france grants independence to the congo, chad, central african republic, and gabon. 7925
  • 1960/--/-- 69 africans are killed in the sharpeville massacre in south africa. 7926
  • 1960/--/-- the south african government bans the african national congress (anc). 7927
  • 1960/--/-- south african civil rights leader albert luthuli wins the nobel peace prize. 7928
  • 1963/--/-- the organization of african unity (oau) is established in addis ababa, ethiopia. 7929
  • 1964/--/-- anc leader nelson mandela is sentenced to life imprisonment in south africa. 7930
  • 1966/--/-- south african prime minister hendrik verwoerd is assassinated. 7931
  • 1974/--/-- south african golfer gary player achieves the grand slam. 7932
  • 1976/--/-- black student protestors are massacred at soweto in south africa. 7933
  • 1976/--/-- the south african homeland of transkei becomes independent. 7934
  • 1977/--/-- jean bedel bokassa is crowned emperor bokassa i of the central african empire. 7935
  • 1977/--/-- south africa grants independence to the african homeland of bophuthatswana. 7936
  • 1978/--/-- pieter willem botha becomes prime minister of south africa. 7937
  • 1979/--/-- jean bedel bokassa is deposed in the central african republic. 7938
  • 1984/--/-- rock singer bob geldof organizes band aid to raise funds for african famine victims. 7939
  • 1985/--/-- robert redford and meryl streep star in the film out of africa. 7940
  • 1988/--/-- south african leader nelson mandela is removed from prison for hospital treatment. 7941
  • 1989/--/-- f. w. de klerk succeeds p.w. botha as president of south africa. 7942
  • 1990/--/-- south african president f.w. de klerk releases nelson mandela; the ban on the anc ends. 7943
  • 1990/--/-- namibia becomes independent from south africa with sam nujoma as president. 7944
  • 0201/--/-- empress jingo reigns as regent in japan. 7945
  • 0285/--/-- confucianism is introduced into japan. 7946
  • 0360/--/-- the japanese invade korea. 7947
  • 0478/--/-- the first shinto shrines are built in japan. 7948
  • 0538/--/-- buddhism is introduced into japan from korea. 7949
  • 0562/--/-- the silla kingdom expels the japanese from korea. 7950
  • 0607/--/-- the first buddhist temple is built at nara in japan. 7951
  • 0646/--/-- the taika reform remodels japanese imperial authority on chinese lines. 7952
  • 0706/--/-- the city of nara is founded as the first capital of japan. 7953
  • 0712/--/-- the earliest japanese history the kojiki (record of ancient matters) is written. 7954
  • 0743/--/-- buddhism becomes a state cult in japan. 7955
  • 0770/--/-- block printing develops in japan; 1 million copies of a prayer paper are produced. 7956
  • 0794/--/-- the japanese capital moves from nara to kyoto. 7957
  • 0895/--/-- the fujiwaras become rulers of japan. 7958
  • 0966/--/-- fujiwara domination of japan is at its height. 7959
  • 0991/--/-- japanese poet sei shonagon begins her diary the pillow book. 7960
  • 1020/--/-- female japanese author murasaki shikibu completes the tale of genji. 7961
  • 1159/--/-- civil war between the taira and minamoto samurai ravages japan. 7962
  • 1180/--/-- japanese warrior minamoto no yoritomo begins the 5-year gempei war. 7963
  • 1185/--/-- minamoto no yoritomo establishes the kamakura shogunate in japan. 7964
  • 1190/--/-- zen buddhism is introduced into japan. 7965
  • 1192/--/-- minamoto no yoritomo rules as the shogun of japan. 7966
  • 1274/--/-- the mongols invade japan. 7967
  • 1333/--/-- the minamoto shogunate comes to an end; civil war breaks out in japan. 7968
  • 1338/--/-- the ashikaga shogunate begins in japan. 7969
  • 1350/--/-- no drama develops in japan about this time. 7970
  • 1467/--/-- the 10-year onin war begins in japan. 7971
  • 1543/--/-- portuguese explorers land in japan. 7972
  • 1548/--/-- francis xavier founds the jesuit mission in japan. 7973
  • 1568/--/-- nobunaga seizes kyoto and begins the reunification of japan. 7974
  • 1573/--/-- an era of castle building begins in japan during the momoyama period. 7975
  • 1583/--/-- japanese leader hideyoshi builds osaka castle. 7976
  • 1587/--/-- japanese leader hideyoshi bans christian missionaries. 7977
  • 1590/--/-- hideyoshi completes the unification of japan. 7978
  • 1603/--/-- ieyasu founds the tokugawa shogunate in japan. 7979
  • 1603/--/-- the first kabuki performance is given in japan. 7980
  • 1616/--/-- emperor ieyasu of japan dies; he is succeeded by his son hidetada. 7981
  • 1639/--/-- tokugawa begins a period of isolation in japan; only nagasaki is open to foreigners. 7982
  • 1650/--/-- the ukiyo-e school of art begins to flourish in japan about this time. 7983
  • 1667/--/-- japanese poet basho begins to compose his haiku poetry. 7984
  • 1685/--/-- japanese bunraku (puppet theater) is performed in osaka about this time. 7985
  • 1699/--/-- japanese master ceramicist ogata kenzan opens his kiln at narutaki. 7986
  • 1700/--/-- kabuki theater develops in japan about this time. 7987
  • 1707/--/-- mount fuji erupts in japan; an earthquake kills 200,000 in tokyo. 7988
  • 1715/--/-- japan's leading playwright chikamatsu monzaemon writes the battles of coxinga. 7989
  • 1808/--/-- japanese artist buncho paints true view of mount hiko. 7990
  • 1823/--/-- japanese artist hokusai begins a series of thirty-six views of mount fuji. 7991
  • 1832/--/-- japanese artist hiroshige begins work on fifty-three stages of the tokaido. 7992
  • 1854/--/-- a commercial treaty is signed between the u.s. and japan, ending japanese isolation. 7993
  • 1868/--/-- the meiji dynasty is restored in japan; the tokugawa shogunate is abolished. 7994
  • 1876/--/-- japan forces korea to open up to foreign trade, countering the influence of china. 7995
  • 1877/--/-- the japanese army suppresses a samurai revolt led by saigo takamori. 7996
  • 1881/--/-- japanese statesman itagaki taisuke founds the jiyuto (liberal party). 7997
  • 1882/--/-- japanese statesman okuma shigenobu founds the kaishinto, or progressive, party. 7998
  • 1889/--/-- japan's first prime minister ito hirobumi introduces the meiji constitution. 7999
  • 1894/--/-- rebellion in korea begins the first sino-japanese war. 8000
  • 1895/--/-- japan defeats china; the shimonoseki treaty establishes korean independence. 8001
  • 1896/--/-- a tsunami (tidal wave) kills 27,000 people in japan. 8002
  • 1904/--/-- territorial disputes in manchuria begin the russo-japanese war. 8003
  • 1905/--/-- the russian fleet is destroyed by the japanese at the battle of tsushima. 8004
  • 1910/--/-- japanese forces annex korea. 8005
  • 1914/--/-- japan joins the allies and captures the german base of tsingtao in china. 8006
  • 1921/--/-- japanese premier hara takashi is assassinated. 8007
  • 1926/--/-- hirohito becomes emperor of japan. 8008
  • 1931/--/-- japanese forces occupy manchuria. 8009
  • 1936/--/-- japan concludes the anti-comintern pact with germany. 8010
  • 1937/--/-- the japanese invasion of china begins the second sino-japanese war. 8011
  • 1937/--/-- nationalist and communist forces unite to combat the japanese in china. 8012
  • 1938/--/-- the u.s. and britain send aid to the chinese in their war against japan. 8013
  • 1940/--/-- japan joins the axis alliance and occupies northern french indochina (vietnam). 8014
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese occupy indochina and move into cambodia (kampuchea) and thailand. 8015
  • 1941/--/-- the u.s. freezes japanese assets in retaliation for japan's territorial aggression. 8016
  • 1941/--/-- the japanese bomb pearl harbor; america enters world war ii. 8017
  • 1941/--/-- japanese forces capture hong kong and invade malaya and the philippines. 8018
  • 1941/--/-- ho chi minh organizes the viet minh to combat the japanese in indochina. 8019
  • 1942/--/-- the japanese conquer malaya, singapore, indonesia and burma. 8020
  • 1942/--/-- the u.s. government transfers 110,000 japanese americans to internment camps. 8021
  • 1942/--/-- a u.s. fleet defeats the japanese at the battle of midway. 8022
  • 1944/--/-- british forces begin the reconquest of burma from the japanese. 8023
  • 1944/--/-- u.s. forces under admiral nimitz defeat a japanese fleet in the battle of the philippine sea. 8024
  • 1944/--/-- american aircraft from the marianas begin the strategic bombing of japan. 8025
  • 1945/--/-- u.s. marines invade the japanese islands of iwo jima and okinawa. 8026
  • 1945/--/-- suicide attacks by japanese kamikaze pilots are unable to stem the u.s. advances. 8027
  • 1945/--/-- the u.s. drops atomic bombs on the japanese cities of hiroshima and nagasaki. 8028
  • 1945/--/-- the soviet union declares war on japan. 8029
  • 1945/--/-- japan signs an armistice with the allies, ending world war ii. 8030
  • 1945/--/-- general macarthur heads the u.s. occupation forces in japan. 8031
  • 1946/--/-- macarthur promotes japanese democracy with the emperor as constitutional monarch. 8032
  • 1950/--/-- japanese film director akira kurosawa achieves recognition with rashomon. 8033
  • 1972/--/-- japanese novelist kawabata yasunari commits suicide. 8034
  • 1973/--/-- opec begins an oil embargo against europe, the u.s. and japan. 8035
  • 1987/--/-- takeshita noburu succeeds nakasone yasuhiro as the japanese premier. 8036
  • 1989/--/-- allegations of financial impropriety force japanese premier noboru to resign. 8037
  • 1989/--/-- akihito succeeds his father hirohito as emperor of japan. 8038
  • 0802/--/-- egbert acknowledged king of england. egbert was king of wessex, kent, surrey, s 8039
  • 0839/--/-- aethelwulf crowned king of england. aethelwulf resigned wessex to his son aethe 8040
  • 0858/--/-- aethelbald crowned king of england. aethelbald succeded as king of wessex in 85 8041
  • 0860/--/-- aethelbert crowned king of england. sub-king in kent, essex, and surrey 858-860 8042
  • 0866/--/-- aethelred i crowned king of england. 8043
  • 0871/--/-- alfred 'the great' crowned king of england. 8044
  • 0900/--/-- edward i 'the elder' crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames. 8045
  • 0855/--/-- interregnum. no king of all england. 8046
  • 0925/--/-- athelstan crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames by wulfhelm, archbisho 8047
  • 0939/--/-- edmund i 'the magnificent' crowned king of england. 8048
  • 0946/--/-- edred crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames by oda, archbishop of cant 8049
  • 0955/--/-- edwy 'the fair' crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames by oda, archbish 8050
  • 0959/--/-- edgar 'the peaceful' crowned king of england at bath by dunstan, archbishop of c 8051
  • 0975/--/-- edward ii 'the martyr' crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames. 8052
  • 0979/--/-- aethelred ii 'the unready' crowned king of england at kingston-upon-thames. 8053
  • 1013/--/-- sweyn 'forkbeard' acknowledged king of england by right of conquest. he was also 8054
  • 1014/--/-- aethelred ii restored as king of england. 8055
  • 1016/04/-- edmund ii 'ironside' crowned king of england. 8056
  • 1043/04/-- edward iii 'the confessor' crowned king of england at winchester cathedral by ea 8057
  • 1042/06/-- edward iii succeeded as king of england. 8058
  • 1016/11/-- canute 'the great' crowned king of england. canute was also king of denmark fro 8059
  • 1035/--/-- harold i 'harefoot' and hardicanute crowned joint-kings of england. 8060
  • 1037/--/-- harold i 'harefoot' acknowledged as sole king of england. 8061
  • 1040/--/-- hardicanute sole king of england. he was also king of denmark from 1035-1042. 8062
  • 1066/01/-- harold ii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by ealdred, archbishop of 8063
  • 1066/12/25 william i 'the conqueror' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by ealdre 8064
  • 1066/10/14 battle of hastings. william ii, duke of normandy defeated and killed harold ii, 8065
  • 1087/09/06 william ii 'rufus' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by lanfranc, arc 8066
  • 1100/08/-- henry i 'beauclerc' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by maurice, 8067
  • 1135/12/26 stephen of blois crowned king of england at westminster abbey by william de corb 8068
  • 1154/12/19 henry ii 'curtmantle' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by theobald, 8069
  • 1189/09/-- richard i 'the lionhearted' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by bald 8070
  • 1199/05/07 john 'lackland' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by hubert walter, a 8071
  • 1216/10/28 henry iii crowned king of england at gloucester cathedral by peter des roches, b 8072
  • 1220/05/07 henry iii recrowned king of england at westminster abbey by stephen langton, arc 8073
  • 1274/08/09 edward i 'longshanks' crowned king of england at westminster abbey by robert kil 8074
  • 1308/02/04 edward ii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by henry merewell (alias 8075
  • 1307/07/-- edward ii de-facto king of england. 8076
  • 1327/02/-- edward iii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by walter reynolds, arch 8077
  • 1377/07/06 richard ii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by simon sudbury, archbi 8078
  • 1399/10/13 henry iv crowned king of england at westminster abbey by thomas arundel, archbis 8079
  • 1413/04/-- henry v crowned king of england at westminster abbey by thomas arundel, archbish 8080
  • 1445/05/-- henry vi crowned king of england at westminster abbey by john stafford, archbish 8081
  • 1461/06/09 edward iv crowned king of england at westminster abbey by cardinal bourchier, ar 8082
  • 1470/10/03 henry vi deposes edward iv and regains crown. 8083
  • 1471/04/01 edward iv deposes henry vi and regains crown. 8084
  • 1461/03/-- edward iv deposes henry vi. 8085
  • 1483/04/-- edward v succeeds edward iv but is never crowned. 8086
  • 1483/07/-- richard iii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by cardinal bourchier, 8087
  • 1485/10/30 henry vii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by cardinal bourchier, ar 8088
  • 1485/08/02 henry vii becomes de-facto king of england. 8089
  • 1509/06/04 henry viii crowned king of england at westminster abbey by william warham, archb 8090
  • 1547/02/-- edward vi crowned king of england at westminster abbey by thomas cramner, archbi 8091
  • 1553/07/-- jane dudley proclaimed queen of england. 8092
  • 1553/07/09 mary i dethroned jane and assumed title of queen of england. 8093
  • 1553/10/01 mary i crowned queen of england at westminster abbey by stephen gardiner, bishop 8094
  • 1558/01/05 elizabeth i crowned queen of england at westminster abbey by owen oglethorpe, bi 8095
  • 1603/07/05 james i crowned king of england at westminster abbey by john whitgift, archbisho 8096
  • 1626/02/-- charles i crowned king of england and scotland at westminster abbey by georg abb 8097
  • 1649/01/-- cromwellian interregnum begins. 8098
  • 1660/05/09 charles stuart restored to throne of england as charles ii. 8099
  • 1661/04/03 charles ii crowned king of england and scotland at westminster abbey by william 8100
  • 1685/04/03 james ii crowned king of england and scotland at westminster abbey by william sa 8101
  • 1689/01/08 james ii declared to have abdicated by parliament. 8102
  • 1689/02/03 william iii and mary ii proclaimed king and queen of england, scotland, and irel 8103
  • 1689/04/01 william iii and mary ii crowned king and queen of england, scotland, and ireland 8104
  • 1694/12/28 william iii rules as sole king. 8105
  • 1702/04/03 anne crowned queen of england, scotland, and ireland at westminster abbey by tho 8106
  • 1707/03/-- act of union combines england and scotland as kingdom of great britain. 8107
  • 1714/10/20 george i crowned king of great britain at westminster abbey by thomas tenison, a 8108
  • 1727/10/11 george ii crowned king of great britain at westminster abbey by william wake, ar 8109
  • 1761/09/02 george iii crowned king of great britain and ireland at westminster abbey by tho 8110
  • 1821/07/09 george iv crowned king of great britain and ireland at westminster abbey by char 8111
  • 1837/06/-- victoria succeeds as queen of great britain and ireland. 8112
  • 1838/06/08 victoria crowned queen of great britain and ireland at westminster abbey by will 8113
  • 1901/01/02 edward vii succeeds as king of great britain and ireland. 8114
  • 1902/08/-- edward vii crowned king of great britain and ireland and emperor of india at wes 8115
  • 1910/05/-- george v succeeds as king of great britain and ireland. 8116
  • 1911/06/02 george v crowned king of great britain and ireland at westminster abbey by randa 8117
  • 1936/01/-- edward viii succeeds as king of great britain and ireland. 8118
  • 1936/12/10 george vi succeeds as king of great britain and ireland upon the abdication of e 8119
  • 1937/05/02 george vi crowned king of great britain and ireland at westminster abbey by cosm 8120
  • 1952/02/-- elizabeth ii succeeds as queen of great britain and ireland. 8121
  • 1953/06/-- elizabeth ii crowned queen of great britain and northern ireland at westminster 8122
  • 1992/10/-- world series nl atlanta (2) al toronto (4) 8123
  • 1993/10/-- world series nl philadelphia (2) al toronto (4) 8124
  • 1994/10/-- world series nl no world series al no world series 8125
  • 1995/10/-- world series nl atlanta (4) al cleveland (2) 8126
  • 1996/10/-- world series nl atlanta (2) al new york (4) 8127
  • 1997/10/-- world series nl florida (4) al cleveland (3) 8128
  • 1998/10/-- world series nl san diego (0) al new york (4) 8129
  • 1999/10/-- world series nl atlanta (0) al new york (4) 8130
  • 2000/10/-- world series nl new york (1) al new york (4) 8131
  • 2001/10/-- world series nl arizona (4) al new york (3) 8132
  • 2002/10/-- world series nl san francisco (3) al anaheim (4) 8133
  • 2003/10/-- world series nl florida (4) al new york (2) 8134
  • 2004/10/-- world series nl st. louis (0) al boston (4) 8135
  • 2005/10/-- world series nl houston (0) al chicago (4) 8136
  • 2006/10/-- world series nl st. louis (4) al detroit (1) 8137
  • 2007/10/-- world series nl colorado (0) al boston (4) 8138
  • 1980/01/20 president carter announces that u.s. athletes will not attend summer olympics in moscow unless soviet union withdraws from afghanistan. 9348
  • 1980/02/02 fbi's undercover bribery investigation, code named abscam, implicates a u.s. senator, seven members of the house, and 31 other public officials. 9349
  • 1980/04/25 920-u.s. mission to rescue hostages in iran is aborted after a helicopter and cargo plane collide at the staging site in a remote part of iran and 8 serviceme 9350
  • 1980/04/25 921-are killed. 9351
  • 1981/01/02 u.s. hostages held in iran are released after 444 days in captivity. 9352
  • 1981/03/30 president reagan is shot in the chest by john hinckley, jr. 9353
  • 1981/09/25 sandra day o'connor is sworn in as the first woman supreme court justice. 9354
  • 1982/06/30 deadline for ratification of the equal rights amendment to the constitution passes without the necessary votes. 9355
  • 1983/10/25 u.s. invades caribbean island of grenada after a coup by marxist faction in the government. 9356
  • 1985/01/21 reagan's second inauguration. 9357
  • 1986/01/28 space shuttle challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. it is the worst accident in the history of the u.s. space program. 9358
  • 1986/04/14 u.s. bombs military bases in libya in effort to deter terrorist strikes on american targets. 9359
  • 1986/11/-- iran-contra scandal breaks when white house is forced to reveal secret arms-for-hostages deals. 9360
  • 1987/--/-- congress holds public hearings in iran-contra investigation. 9361
  • 1987/06/12 200-in a speech in berlin, president reagan challenges soviet leader mikhail gorbachev to "tear down this wall" and open eastern europe to political and 9362
  • 1987/06/12 201-economic reform. 9363
  • 1987/12/08 reagan and gorbachev sign inf treaty, the first arms-control agreement to reduce the superpowers' nuclear weapons. 9364
  • 1989/01/20 george h. w. bush is inaugurated as the 41st president. 9365
  • 1989/03/24 400-oil tanker exxon valdez runs aground in prince william sound, spilling more than 10 million gallons of oil (march 24). it is the largest oil spill in u.s. 9366
  • 1989/03/24 401-history. 9367
  • 1989/08/09 president bush signs legislation to provide for federal bailout of nearly 800 insolvent savings and loan institutions. 9368
  • 1989/12/20 u.s. forces invade panama in an attempt to capture gen. manuel noriega, who previously had been indicted in the u.s. on drug trafficking charges. 9369
  • 1990/08/02 iraqi troops invade kuwait, leading to the persian gulf war. 9370
  • 1991/01/16 persian gulf war: u.s. leads international coalition in military operation (code named "desert storm") to drive iraqis out of kuwait (jan. 16-feb. 28). 9371
  • 1991/04/06 iraq accepts terms of un ceasefire, marking an end of the war. 9372
  • 1991/07/31 u.s. and soviet union sign start i treaty, agreeing to further reduce strategic nuclear arms. 9373
  • 1991/10/11 430-senate judiciary committee conducts televised hearings to investigate allegations of past sexual harassment brought against supreme court nominee clar 9374
  • 1991/10/11 431-thomas by anita hill, a law professor at the university of oklahoma. 9375
  • 1992/02/01 680-following the breakup of the soviet union in dec. 1991, president bush and russian president boris yeltsin meet at camp david and formally declare an end 9376
  • 1992/02/01 681-to the cold war. 9377
  • 1992/04/29 430-the acquittal of four white police officers charged in the 1991 beating of black motorist rodney king in los angeles sets off several days of rioting, 9378
  • 1992/04/29 431-leading to more than 50 deaths, thousands of injuries and arrests, and $1 billion in property damage. 9379
  • 1992/12/-- president bush authorizes sending u.s. troops to somalia as part of un relief effort. 9380
  • 1992/12/24 president bush grants pardons to six officials convicted or indicted in the iran-contra scandal, leading some to suspect a cover-up. 9381
  • 1993/01/20 bill clinton is inaugurated as the 42nd president. 9382
  • 1993/02/26 bomb explodes in basement garage of world trade center, killing 6, injuring 1,000, and causing more than $500 million in damage. 9383
  • 1993/04/19 after 51-day standoff with federal agents, branch davidian compound in waco, tex., burns to the ground, killing 80 cult members. 9384
  • 1993/06/26 president clinton orders missile attack against iraq in retaliation for alleged plot to assassinate former president bush. 9385
  • 1993/10/03 eighteen u.s. soldiers are killed in ambush by somali militiamen in mogadishu. 9386
  • 1993/12/08 president clinton signs north american free trade agreement into law. 9387
  • 1994/05/06 paula jones, a former arkansas state employee, files a federal lawsuit against president clinton for sexual harassment. 9388
  • 1995/04/19 bombing of federal office building in oklahoma city kills 168 people. 9389
  • 1995/07/11 u.s. establishes full diplomatic relations with vietnam. 9390
  • 1995/12/-- president clinton sends first 8,000 of 20,000 u.s. troops to bosnia for 12-month peacekeeping mission. 9391
  • 1995/12/16 budget standoff between president clinton and congress results in partial shutdown of u.s. government. 9392
  • 1997/01/20 clinton's second inauguration (jan. 20). 9393
  • 1998/01/17 president clinton denies having had a sexual relationship with a white house intern named monica lewinsky. 9394
  • 1998/02/02 president clinton releases 1999 federal budget plan; it is the first balanced budget since 1969. 9395
  • 1998/08/17 in televised address, president clinton admits having had a sexual relationship with monica lewinsky. 9396
  • 1998/08/20 u.s. launches missile attacks on targets in sudan and afghanistan following terrorist attacks on u.s. embassies in kenya and tanzania. 9397
  • 1998/12/16 u.s. and britain launch air strikes against weapons sites in iraq. 9398
  • 1998/12/19 house of representatives votes to impeach president clinton on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. 9399
  • 1999/02/12 senate acquits clinton of impeachment charges. 9400
  • 1999/03/24 nato wages air campaign against yugoslavia over killing and deportation of ethnic albanians in kosovo. 9401
  • 1999/04/20 school shooting at columbine high school in littleton, colo., leaves 14 students (including the 2 shooters) and 1 teacher dead and 23 others wounded. 9402
  • 1999/11/15 u.s. and china sign historic trade agreement. 9403
  • 2000/04/01 according to the census, the nation's population numbers more than 280 million. 9404
  • 2000/11/07 no clear winner is declared in the close presidential election contest between vice president al gore and texas governor george w. bush. 9405
  • 2000/12/12 560-more than a month after the presidential election, the u.s. supreme court rules against a manual recount of ballots in certain florida counties, which it 9406
  • 2000/12/12 561-contends would violate the constitution's equal protection and due process guarantees. the decision provokes enormous controversy, with critics maintaining 9407
  • 2000/12/12 562-that the court has in effect determined the outcome of the election. 9408
  • 2000/12/13 bush formally accepts the presidency, having won a slim majority in the electoral college but not a majority of the popular vote. 9409
  • 2001/01/20 george w. bush is inaugurated as the 43rd president. 9410
  • 2001/09/11 390-two hijacked jetliners ram twin towers of world trade center in worst terrorist attack against u.s.; a third hijacked plane flies into the pentagon, a 9411
  • 2001/09/11 391-fourth crashes in rural pennsylvania. more than 3,000 people die in the attacks. 9412
  • 2001/10/07 660-u.s. and britain launch air attacks against targets in afghanistan after taliban government fails to hand over saudi terrorist osama bin laden, the 9413
  • 2001/10/07 661-suspected mastermind behind the sept. 11 attacks. 9414
  • 2001/12/09 280-following air campaign and ground assault by afghani opposition troops, the taliban regime topples; however, the hunt for bin laden and other members of 9415
  • 2001/12/09 281-al-qaeda terrorist organization continues. 9416
  • 2002/01/29 950-in his first state of the union address, president bush labels iran, iraq, and north korea an "axis of evil" and declares that u.s. will wage war against 9417
  • 2002/01/29 951-states that develop weapons of mass destruction. 9418
  • 2002/11/25 president bush signs legislation creating a new cabinet department of homeland security. 9419
  • 2003/02/01 space shuttle columbia explodes upon reentry into earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. 9420
  • 2003/03/19 war waged by the u.s. and britain against iraq begins. 9421
  • 2003/05/28 president bush signs $350 billion tax-cut bill. 9422
  • 2004/06/28 the u.s. returns sovereignty to an interim government in iraq, but maintains roughly 135,000 troops in the country to fight a growing insurgency. 9423
  • 2004/08/-- four hurricanes devastate florida and other parts of the southern united states. 9424
  • 2005/--/-- the u.s. engagement in iraq continues amid that country's escalating violence and fragile political stability. 9425
  • 2005/08/29 530-hurricane katrina wreaks catastrophic damage on mississippi and louisiana; 80% of new orleans is flooded. all levels of government are criticized for the 9426
  • 2005/08/29 531-delayed and inadequate response to the disaster. 9427
  • 2006/10/17 the u.s. census bureau estimates that the population of the united states has reached 300 million. 9428
  • 2007/01/04 california democrat nancy pelosi becomes the first woman speaker of the house of representatives. 9429
  • 2007/03/13 attorney general alberto gonzales admits that the justice department made mistakes and exercised poor judgment in firing nine federal prosecutors in late 9430
  • 2007/04/16 110-male student kills two in a virginia tech dorm. two hours later, he kills 30 more in a classroom building before committing suicide. the shooting rampage 9431
  • 2007/04/16 111-is the most deadly in u.s. history. fifteen others are wounded. 9432
  • 2007/07/24 720-the minimum wage in the u.s. increases to $5.85, up from $5.15. it's the first increase in 10 years. the wage will increase 70 cents each year through 9433
  • 2007/07/24 721-2009, when it reaches $7.25 an hour. 9434
  • 2007/08/01 an eight-lane interstate bridge in minneapolis, minnesota, that is packed with cars breaks into sections and falls into the river, killing 13 people. 9435
  • 2007/08/27 the white house announces that alberto gonzales, the beleaguered attorney general, has submitted his resignation to president bush. 9436
  • 2007/09/10 750-in highly anticipated testimony, gen. david petraeus tells members of the house foreign affairs and armed services committees that the u.s. military needs 9437
  • 2007/09/10 751-more time to meet its goals in iraq. petraeus rejects suggestions that the u.s. shift from a counterinsurgency operation to training iraqi forces and 9438
  • 2007/09/10 752-fighting terrorists. instead, he says the u.s. must continue all three missions. 9439
  • 2008/06/03 690-after months of campaigning and primary races, barack obama and john mccain are finally chosen as the presidential nominees for the democratic and 9440
  • 2008/06/03 691-republican parties, respectively. 9441
  • 2008/09/-- 250-after months of unraveling, the economy finally comes crashing down in 2008, with the dow jones industrial average tumbling 4.4% in one day, lehman 9442
  • 2008/09/-- 251-brothers filing for bankruptcy, and bush putting mortgage giants fannie mae and freddie mac under government conservatorship. 9443
  • 2008/11/04 420-democrats perform well across the board in the november elections. barack obama becomes the first african-american to be elected president, with 52.8% of 9444
  • 2008/11/04 421-the vote. in congress, democrats retain majorities in both the house and the senate, with 57 senators and 178 representatives. 9445
  • 2009/01/20 barack obama is inaugurated as the 44rd president of the united states. 9446