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The 18th century lasted from January 1, 1701 ( MDCCI) to December 31, 1800 ( MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of Enlightenment thinking culminated in the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
,
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, and Haitian Revolutions. During the century,
slave trading The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of ens ...
and
human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extr ...
expanded across the shores of the
Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...
, while declining in
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
, and
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures, including the structures and beliefs that supported slavery. The
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
began during mid-century, leading to radical changes in human society and the
environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...
. Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of
Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of ...
and the start of the French Revolution, with an emphasis on directly interconnected events. To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century may run from the
Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Sevent ...
in
1815 Events January * January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England. * January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Pru ...
or even later. The period is also known as the "century of lights" or the "century of reason". In continental Europe, philosophers dreamed of a brighter age. For some, this dream turned into a reality with the French Revolution of 1789, though this was later compromised by the excesses of the
Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First French Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public Capital punishment, executions took pl ...
. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the
French Republic France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
in the
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...
. The 18th century also marked the end of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring states of the
Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...
,
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, and
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, which partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves, changing the landscape of
Central Europe Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
and politics for the next hundred years. The
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion, taking part in no European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a consequence, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements of the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
. The Ottoman Empire military may have fallen behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In Southwest and
Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes the fo ...
,
Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian ...
led successful military campaigns and major invasions, which indirectly led to the founding of the Durrani Empire. The
European colonization of the Americas During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short t ...
and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the
Age of Sail The Age of Sail is a period that lasted at the latest from the mid-16th (or mid- 15th) to the mid-19th centuries, in which the dominance of sailing ships in global trade and warfare culminated, particularly marked by the introduction of nava ...
. European colonization intensified in present-day
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...
, where the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
established increasing levels of control over the
Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th cent ...
. Mainland Southeast Asia would be embroiled in the Konbaung–Ayutthaya Wars and the Tây Sơn rebellion, while in East Asia, the century marked the High Qing era and the continual seclusion policies of the
Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
. Various conflicts throughout the century, including the
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
and the
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
saw
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...
triumphing over its European rivals to become the preeminent colonial power in Europe. However, Britain lost its colonies in North America after the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, which went on to form the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
, initiating the
decolonization of the Americas The decolonization of the Americas occurred over several centuries as most of the countries in the Americas gained their independence from European rule. The American Revolution was the first in the Americas, and the British defeat in the Amer ...
. The European colonization of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
began during the late half of the century. In the
Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a physiographical region in Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geopolitically, it includes the countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, In ...
, the death of
Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
marked the end of medieval India and the beginning of an increasing level of European influence and control in the region, which coincided with a period of rapid Maratha expansion. By the middle of the century, the
British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
began to conquer the eastern parts of India, a process which accelerated after their victory over the Nawab of Bengal and their French allies at the
Battle of Plassey The Battle of Plassey was a decisive victory of the British East India Company over the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757, under the leadership of Robert Clive. The victory was made possible by the defection of Mir Jafar ...
. By the end of the century,
Company rule in India Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, whe ...
had come to cover more regions within
South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;; ...
, the British would also expand to the south, participating in the
Anglo-Mysore Wars The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Pres ...
against the
Kingdom of Mysore The Kingdom of Mysore was a realm in South India, southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. From 1799 until 1950, it was a princely state, until 1947 in a subsidiary allia ...
, governed by
Tipu Sultan Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...
and his father
Hyder Ali Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the att ...
.


Events


1701–1750

* 17001721:
Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...
between the Russian and Swedish Empires. * 1701:
Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
declared under King Frederick I. * 17011714: The
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
is fought, involving most of continental
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
. * 17021715: Camisard rebellion in France. * 1703:
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
is founded by
Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
; it is the Russian
capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used fo ...
until
1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...
. * 1703
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
: The Rákóczi uprising against the
Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy (german: Habsburgermonarchie, ), also known as the Danubian monarchy (german: Donaumonarchie, ), or Habsburg Empire (german: Habsburgerreich, ), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities ...
. * 1704: End of Japan's Genroku period. * 1704:
First Javanese War of Succession The First Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat III of Mataram and the Dutch East India Company who supported the claim of the Sultan's uncle, Pangeran Puger to the throne. Amangkurat II died in 1703 and was br ...
.Ricklefs (1991), page 82 * 17061713: The
War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
: French troops defeated at the battles of Ramillies and
Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...
. * 1707: Death of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb Muhi al-Din Muhammad (; – 3 March 1707), commonly known as ( fa, , lit=Ornament of the Throne) and by his regnal title Alamgir ( fa, , translit=ʿĀlamgīr, lit=Conqueror of the World), was the sixth emperor of the Mughal Empire, ruling ...
leads to the fragmentation of the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
. * 1707: The Act of Union is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing the
Kingdom of Great Britain The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of Union 1707, wh ...
. *
1708 In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing ...
: The Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies and English Company Trading to the East Indies merge to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies. *
1708 In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–June * January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing ...
1709: Famine kills one-third of
East Prussia East Prussia ; german: Ostpreißen, label= Low Prussian; pl, Prusy Wschodnie; lt, Rytų Prūsija was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and again from 1878 (with the Kingdom itself being part of the German Empire from 187 ...
's population. * 1709: Foundation of the Hotak Afghan Empire. * 1709: The Great Frost of 1709 marks the coldest winter in 500 years, contributing to the defeat of
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...
at
Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administrativel ...
. *
1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin by ...
: The world's first copyright legislation, Britain's Statute of Anne, takes effect. *
1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin by ...
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
:
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University ...
fights Russia in the Russo-Turkish War and regains Azov. *
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
:
Bukhara Khanate The Khanate of Bukhara (or Khanate of Bukhoro) ( fa, , Khānāt-e Bokhārā; ) was an Uzbek state in Central Asia from 1500 to 1785, founded by the Abu'l-Khayrid dynasty, a branch of the Shaybanids. From 1533 to 1540, Bukhara briefly became its ...
dissolves as local begs seize power. *
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
1715:
Tuscarora War The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711 until February 11, 1715 between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamassee, and other allies on the other. This was con ...
between British, Dutch, and German settlers and the Tuscarora people of
North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...
. * 1713: The
Kangxi Emperor The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...
acknowledges the full recovery of the Chinese economy since its apex during the
Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han pe ...
. * 1714: In Amsterdam,
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
invents the
mercury-in-glass thermometer The mercury-in-glass or mercury thermometer was invented by physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in Amsterdam (1714). It consists of a bulb containing mercury attached to a glass tube of narrow diameter; the volume of mercury in the tube is muc ...
, which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the electronic era. * 1715: The
first Jacobite rising The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...
breaks out; the British halt the Jacobite advance at the Battle of Sheriffmuir; Battle of Preston. * 1716: Establishment of the Sikh Confederacy along the present-day India-
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
border. * 17161718: Austro-Venetian-Turkish War. * 1718: The city of
New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
is founded by the French in North America. * 17181720: War of the Quadruple Alliance between Spain, France, Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands. * 17181730: Tulip period of the Ottoman Empire. *
1719 Events January–March * January 8 – Carolean Death March begins: A catastrophic retreat by a largely-Finnish Swedish- Carolean army under the command of Carl Gustaf Armfeldt across the Tydal mountains in a blizzard kills around 3, ...
: Second Javanese War of Succession.Ricklefs (1991), page 84 * 1720: The South Sea Bubble. * 17201721: The Great Plague of Marseille. * 1720: Qing forces oust Dzungar invaders from
Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...
. * 1721: The
Treaty of Nystad The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...
is signed, ending the
Great Northern War The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swe ...
. * 1721: Sack of Shamakhi, massacre of its Shia population by
Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...
Lezgins. * 1722: Siege of Isfahan results in the handover of Iran to the Hotaki Afghans. * 17221723:
Russo-Persian War The Russo-Persian Wars or Russo-Iranian Wars were a series of conflicts between 1651 and 1828, concerning Persia (Iran) and the Russian Empire. Russia and Persia fought these wars over disputed governance of territories and countries in the Ca ...
. * 17221725: Controversy over William Wood's halfpence leads to the ''
Drapier's Letters ''Drapier's Letters'' is the collective name for a series of seven pamphlets written between 1724 and 1725 by the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Jonathan Swift, to arouse public opinion in Ireland against the imposition of a pri ...
'' and begins the Irish economic independence from England movement. * 1723:
Slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
is abolished in Russia;
Peter the Great Peter I ( – ), most commonly known as Peter the Great,) or Pyotr Alekséyevich ( rus, Пётр Алексе́евич, p=ˈpʲɵtr ɐlʲɪˈksʲejɪvʲɪtɕ, , group=pron was a Russian monarch who ruled the Tsardom of Russia from t ...
converts household
slaves Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
into house
serfs Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...
. * 17231730: The "Great Disaster", an invasion of Kazakh territories by the
Dzungars The Dzungar people (also written as Zunghar; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') were the many Mongol Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically they were one of major tr ...
. * 17231732: The Qing and the Dzungars fight a series of wars across
Qinghai Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
, Dzungaria, and
Outer Mongolia Outer Mongolia was the name of a territory in the Manchu people, Manchu-led Qing dynasty of China from 1691 to 1911. It corresponds to the modern-day independent state of Mongolia and the Russian republic of Tuva. The historical region gain ...
, with inconclusive results. * 1724:
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
proposes the Fahrenheit temperature scale. * 1725: Austro-Spanish alliance revived. Russia joins in 1726. * 1727
1729 Events January–March * January 8 – Frederick, the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain is made Prince of Wales at the age of 21, a few months after he comes to Britain for the first time after growing up in Hano ...
: Anglo-Spanish War ends inconclusively. * 1730:
Mahmud I Mahmud I ( ota, محمود اول, tr, I. Mahmud, 2 August 1696 13 December 1754), known as Mahmud the Hunchback, was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1730 to 1754. He took over the throne after the Patrona Halil rebellion and he kept go ...
takes over Ottoman Empire after the Patrona Halil revolt, ending the Tulip period. * 17301760: The First Great Awakening takes place in Great Britain and North America. * 1732
1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...
: Crimean Tatar raids into Russia. * 17331738: War of the Polish Succession. * 17351739: Austro-Russo-Turkish War. * 17351799: The
Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 ...
of China oversees a huge expansion in territory. * 1738
1756 Events January–March * January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain. * February ...
:
Famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompan ...
across the Sahel; half the population of
Timbuktu Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou; Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
dies. * 17371738: Hotaki Afghan Empire ends after the Siege of Kandahar by
Nader Shah Nader Shah Afshar ( fa, نادر شاه افشار; also known as ''Nader Qoli Beyg'' or ''Tahmāsp Qoli Khan'' ) (August 1688 – 19 June 1747) was the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran and one of the most powerful rulers in Iranian ...
. * 1739: Great Britain and Spain fight the
War of Jenkins' Ear The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...
in the Caribbean. * 1739: Nader Shah defeats a pan-Indian army of 300,000 at the Battle of Karnal. Taxation is stopped in Iran for three years. * 1739
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
:
Nader Shah's Sindh expedition The Sindh expedition was one of Nader Shah's last campaigns during his war in northern India. After his victory over Muhammad Shah, the Mughal emperor, Nader had compelled him to cede all the lands to the west of the Indus River. His return to th ...
. *
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
:
Great Awakening Great Awakening refers to a number of periods of religious revival in American Christian history. Historians and theologians identify three, or sometimes four, waves of increased religious enthusiasm between the early 18th century and the lat ...
, George Whitefield *
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
1741: Famine in Ireland kills 20 percent of the population. * 17411743: Iran invades
Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
, Khwarazm,
Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North Ca ...
, and
Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
. * 1741
1751 In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule). Events January&n ...
: Maratha invasions of Bengal. *
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
1748:
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George ...
. * 1742: ** Marvel's Mill, the first water-powered cotton mill, begins operation in England. ** Anders Celsius proposes an inverted form of the centigrade temperature, which is later renamed
Celsius The degree Celsius is the unit of temperature on the Celsius scale (originally known as the centigrade scale outside Sweden), one of two temperature scales used in the International System of Units (SI), the other being the Kelvin scale. The d ...
in his honor. * 1742: Premiere of Handel's Messiah (Handel), ''Messiah'' * 1743–1746: Another Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746), Ottoman-Persian War involves 375,000 men but ultimately ends in a stalemate. * 1744: The First Saudi State is founded by Mohammed Ibn Saud. * 1744: Battle of Toulon (1744), Battle of Toulon is fought off the coast of France. * 1744– 1748: The Carnatic Wars, First Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India. * 1745: Jacobite rising of 1745, Second Jacobite rising is begun by Charles Edward Stuart in Scotland. * 1747: The Durrani Empire is founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani. * 1748: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession and First Carnatic War. * 1748–1754: The Carnatic Wars, Second Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, the Marathas, and Mysore in India. * 1750: Peak of the Little Ice Age.


1751–1800

* 1754: The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah as Nawab of the Carnatic. * 1754: Columbia University, King's College is founded by a royal charter of George II of Great Britain. * 1754–1763: The
French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...
, the North American chapter of the
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies. * 1755: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, great Lisbon earthquake destroys most of Portugal's capital and kills up to 100,000. * 1755: The Dzungar genocide depopulates much of northern Xinjiang, allowing for Han, Uyghur, Khalkha Mongol, and Manchu colonization. * 1755–1763: The Expulsion of the Acadians, Great Upheaval forces transfer of the French Acadian population from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. *
1756 Events January–March * January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain. * February ...
–1763: The
Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754 ...
is fought among European powers in various theaters around the world. *
1756 Events January–March * January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain. * February ...
–1763: The Third Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, and Mysore in India. * 1757: Battle of Plassey, British conquest of Bengal. * 1760: George III becomes King of Britain. * 1761: Maratha Empire defeated at Battle of Panipat (1761), Battle of Panipat. * 1762–1796: Reign of Catherine II of Russia, Catherine the Great of Russia. * 1763: The Treaty of Paris (1763), Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War and Third Carnatic War. * 1764: The Mughals are defeated at the Battle of Buxar. * 1765: The Stamp Act 1765, Stamp Act is introduced into the Thirteen Colonies, American colonies by the British Parliament. * 1767, 1765–1767: The Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), Burmese invade Thailand and utterly destroy Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Attuthaya. * 1765–1769: Konbaung dynasty, Burma under Hsinbyushin repels Sino-Burmese War, four invasions from Qing China, securing hegemony over the Shan States, Shan states. * 1766: Christian VII of Denmark, Christian VII becomes king of Denmark. He was Danish Realm, king of Denmark to 1808. * 1766– 1799:
Anglo-Mysore Wars The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Pres ...
. * 1767: Taksin expels Burmese invaders and reunites Thailand under an authoritarian regime. * 1768–1772: War of the Bar Confederation. * 1768–1774: Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), Russo-Turkish War. * 1769: Spanish missionary, missionaries establish the first of 21 Spanish Missions of California, missions in California. * 1769–1770: James Cook explores and maps New Zealand and Australia. * 1769–1773: The Bengal famine of 1770 kills one-third of the Bengal population. * 1769: The French East India Company dissolves, only to be revived in 1785. * 1769: French expeditions capture clove plants in Ambon Island, Ambon, ending the VOC monopoly of the plant.Ricklefs (1991), page 102 (to 1772) * 1770–1771: Famines in Czech lands, Famine in Czech lands kills hundreds of thousands. * 1771: The Plague Riot in Moscow. * 1771: The Kalmyk Khanate dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand Kalmyks migrate back to Xinjiang under Qing rule, Qing Dzungaria. * 1772: Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch. * 1772–1779: Maratha Empire fights Britain and Raghunathrao's forces during the First Anglo-Maratha War. * 1772–1795: The Partitions of Poland end the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi-confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Crown of the Kingdom of ...
and erase Poland from the map for 123 years. * 1773–1775: Pugachev's Rebellion, the largest peasant revolt in Russian history. * 1773: East India Company starts operations in Bengal to smuggle First Opium War, opium into China. * 1775: Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the Zaporozhian Sich, Zaporizhian Cossacks of Ukraine. * 1775–1782: First Anglo-Maratha War. * 1775–1783:
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. * 1776: Several Kongsi republic, Kongsi Republics are founded by Chinese settlers in the island of Borneo. They are some of the first democracies in Asia. * 1776–1777: Spanish–Portuguese War (1776–1777), A Spanish-Portuguese War occurs over land in the South American frontiers. * 1776: Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt. * 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. * 1776: Adam Smith publishes ''The Wealth of Nations''. * 1778: James Cook becomes the first European to land on the Hawaiian Islands. * 1778: Franco-American alliance signed. * 1778: Spain acquires its Spanish Guinea, first permanent holding in Africa from the Portuguese, which is administrated by the newly-established Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, La Plata Viceroyalty. * 1778: Đại Việt, Vietnam is reunified for the first time in 200 years by the Tây Sơn dynasty, Tay Son brothers. The Tây Sơn dynasty has been established, terminated the Lê dynasty * 1779–1879: Xhosa Wars between British and Boer settlers and the Xhosa people, Xhosas in the South African Republic. * 1779–1783: Spain and the American Revolutionary War, Britain loses several islands and colonial outposts all over the world to the combined Franco-Spanish navy. * 1779: Iran enters yet another period of conflict and civil war after the prosperous reign of Karim Khan Zand. * 1780: Outbreak of the Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, indigenous rebellion against Spanish colonization led by Túpac Amaru II in Peru. * 1781: The city of Los Angeles is founded by Spaniards, Spanish settlers. * 1781–1785: Serfdom is abolished in the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian monarchy (first step; second step in 1848). * 1782: The Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand is dissolved after a palace coup. * 1783: The Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris formally ends the
American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
. * 1783: Russian annexation of Crimean Khanate, Crimea. * 1785–1791: Imam Sheikh Mansur, a Chechen people, Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian tribes from throughout the Caucasus in a Jihad, holy war against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia. * 1785–1795: The Northwest Indian War is fought between the United States and Indigenous peoples in the United States, Native Americans. * 1785–1787: Maratha–Mysore Wars, The Maratha-Mysore War concludes with an exchange of territories in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan. * 1786–1787: Mozart premieres The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni * 1787: The Tuareg people, Tuareg occupies Timbuktu until the 19th century. * 1787–1792: Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), Russo-Turkish War. * 1788: First Fleet arrives in Australia * 1788–1790: Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790). * 1788–1789: A Qing attempt to reinstall an exiled Lê Chiêu Thống, Vietnamese king in northern Vietnam Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa, ends in disaster. * 1789: George Washington is elected the first President of the United States; he serves until 1797. * 1789 : Quang Trung defeated the Qing dynasty, Qing army * 1789– 1799: French Revolution. * 1789: The Liège Revolution. * 1789: The Brabant Revolution. * 1789: The Inconfidência Mineira, an unsuccessful separatist movement in central Brazil led by Tiradentes * 1791: Suppression of the Liège Revolution by Holy Roman Empire, Austrian forces and re-establishment of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. * 1791–1795: George Vancouver explores the world during the Vancouver Expedition. * 1791–1804: The Haitian Revolution. * 1791: Mozart premieres The Magic Flute * 1792–1802: The
French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...
lead into the Napoleonic Wars, which last from 1803–
1815 Events January * January 2 – Lord Byron marries Anna Isabella Milbanke in Seaham, county of Durham, England. * January 3 – Austria, Britain, and Bourbon-restored France form a secret defensive alliance treaty against Pru ...
. * 1792: The New York Stock Exchange, New York Stock & Exchange Board is founded. * 1792: Polish–Russian War of 1792. * 1793: Upper Canada Act Against Slavery, bans slavery. * 1793: The largest 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic, yellow fever epidemic in American history kills as many as 5,000 people in Philadelphia, roughly 10% of the population. * 1793–1796: Revolt in the Vendée against the French Republic at the time of the French Revolution, Revolution. * 1794–1816: The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, which were a series of incidents between settlers and New South Wales Corps and the Aboriginal Australian clans of the Hawkesbury River, Hawkesbury river in Sydney, Australia. * 1795: The Marseillaise is officially adopted as the French national anthem. * 1795: The Battle of Nuʻuanu in the final days of Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha I's wars to Unification of Hawaii, unify the Hawaiian Islands. * 1795–1796: Battle of Krtsanisi, Iran invades and devastates Georgia, prompting Persian expedition of 1796, Russia to intervene and march on Tehran. * 1796: Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination; smallpox killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year during the 18th century, including five reigning monarchs. * 1796: War of the First Coalition: The Battle of Montenotte marks Napoleon Bonaparte's first victory as an army commander. * 1796: The British eject the Dutch from Ceylon and Dutch Cape Colony, South Africa. * 1796–1804: The White Lotus Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty in China. * 1798: The Irish Rebellion of 1798, Irish Rebellion fails to overthrow British rule in Ireland. * 1798– 1800: The Quasi-War is fought between the United States and France. * 1799:
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
is dissolved. * 1799: Austro-Russian Alliance (1781), Austro-Russian forces under Alexander Suvorov Italian and Swiss expedition, liberates much of Italy and Switzerland from French occupation. * 1799: Coup of 18 Brumaire - Napoleon's coup d'etat brings the end of the French Revolution. * 1799: Death of the Qianlong Emperor after High Qing era, 60 years of rule over China. His favorite official, Heshen, is ordered to commit suicide. * 1800: On 1 January, the bankrupt
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC) is formally dissolved and the nationalised Dutch East Indies are established.Ricklefs (1991), page 106


Inventions, discoveries, introductions

* 1709: The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori *
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
: Tuning fork was invented by John Shore * 1712: Steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen * 1714: Mercury thermometer by
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
* 1717: Diving bell was successfully tested by Edmond Halley, sustainable to a depth of 55 ft * c. 1730: Octant (instrument), Octant navigational tool was developed by John Hadley in England, and Thomas Godfrey (inventor), Thomas Godfrey in America * 1733: Flying shuttle invented by John Kay (flying shuttle), John Kay * 1736: Europeans encountered rubber – the discovery was made by Charles Marie de La Condamine while on expedition in South America. It was named in 1770 by Joseph Priestley * c.
1740 Events January–March * January 8 – All 237 crewmen on the Dutch East India Company ship ''Rooswijk'' are drowned, when the vessel strikes the shoals of Goodwin Sands, off of the coast of England, as it is beginning its second ...
: Modern steel was developed by Benjamin Huntsman * 1741: Vitus Bering discovers Alaska * 1745: Leyden jar invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist was the first electrical capacitor *
1751 In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule). Events January&n ...
: Jacques de Vaucanson perfects the first precision lathe * 1752: Lightning rod invented by Benjamin Franklin * 1753: The first clock to be built in the New World (North America) was invented by Benjamin Banneker. * 1755: The tallest ''wooden'' Bodhisattva statue in the world is erected at Puning Temple (Hebei), Puning Temple, Chengde, China. * 1764: Spinning jenny created by James Hargreaves brought on the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
* 1765: James Watt enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new steel technologies * 1761: The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth marine chronometer, chronometer of John Harrison * 1763: Thomas Bayes publishes first version of Bayes' theorem, paving the way for Bayesian probability * 1768–1779: James Cook mapped the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many Pacific Islands * 1774: Joseph Priestley discovers "dephlogisticated air", oxygen * 1775: Joseph Priestley first synthesis of "phlogisticated nitrous air", nitrous oxide, "laughing gas" * 1776: First improved steam engines installed by James Watt * 1776: Steamboat invented by Claude de Jouffroy * 1777: Circular saw invented by Samuel Miller * 1779: Photosynthesis was first discovered by Jan Ingenhousz * 1781: William Herschel announces discovery of Uranus * 1784: Bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin * 1784: Argand lamp invented by Aimé Argand * 1785: Power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright * 1785: Production line, Automatic flour mill invented by Oliver Evans * 1786: Threshing machine invented by Andrew Meikle * 1787: Jacques Charles discovers Charles's law * 1789: Antoine Lavoisier discovers the law of conservation of mass, the basis for chemistry, and begins modern chemistry * 1798: Edward Jenner publishes a treatise about smallpox vaccination * 1798: The Lithography, Lithographic printing process invented by Alois SenefelderMeggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 * 1799: Rosetta Stone discovered by Napoleon's troops


Literary and philosophical achievements

* 1703: ''The Love Suicides at Sonezaki'' by Chikamatsu first performed * 1704–1717: ''One Thousand and One Nights'' translated into French by Antoine Galland. The work becomes immensely popular throughout Europe. * 1704: ''A Tale of a Tub'' by Jonathan Swift first published * 1712: ''The Rape of the Lock'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version) *
1719 Events January–March * January 8 – Carolean Death March begins: A catastrophic retreat by a largely-Finnish Swedish- Carolean army under the command of Carl Gustaf Armfeldt across the Tydal mountains in a blizzard kills around 3, ...
: ''Robinson Crusoe'' by Daniel Defoe * 1725: ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico * 1726: ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift * 1728: ''The Dunciad'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version) * 1744: ''A Little Pretty Pocket-Book'' becomes one of the first Children's literature#History, books marketed for children * 1748: ''Chushingura'' (''The Treasury of Loyal Retainers''), popular Japanese bunraku, puppet play, composed * 1748: ''Clarissa'' by Samuel Richardson * 1749: ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' by Henry Fielding *
1751 In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule). Events January&n ...
: ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' by Thomas Gray published *
1751 In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule). Events January&n ...
–1785: The French Encyclopédie * 1755: ''A Dictionary of the English Language'' by Samuel Johnson * 1759: ''Candide'' by Voltaire * 1759: ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' by Adam Smith * 1759–1767: ''Tristram Shandy'' by Laurence Sterne * 1762: ''Emile: or, On Education'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * 1762: ''Social Contract (Rousseau), The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau * 1774: ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' by Goethe first published * 1776: ''Ugetsu Monogatari'' (''Tales of Moonlight and Rain'') by Ueda Akinari * 1776: ''The Wealth of Nations'', foundation of the modern theory of economy, was published by Adam Smith * 1776–1789: ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'' was published by Edward Gibbon * 1779: ''Amazing Grace'' published by John Newton * 1779–1782: ''Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'' by Samuel Johnson * 1781: ''Critique of Pure Reason'' by Immanuel Kant (publication of first edition) * 1781: ''The Robbers'' by Friedrich Schiller first published * 1782: ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos * 1786: ''Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect'' by Robert Burns * 1787–1788: ''The Federalist Papers'' by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay * 1788: ''Critique of Practical Reason'' by Immanuel Kant * 1789: ''Songs of Innocence'' by William Blake * 1789: ''The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano'' by Olaudah Equiano * 1790: ''Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow'' by Alexander Radishchev * 1790: ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' by Edmund Burke * 1791: ''Rights of Man'' by Thomas Paine * 1792: ''A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'' by Mary Wollstonecraft * 1794: ''Songs of Experience'' by William Blake * 1798: ''Lyrical Ballads'' by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge * 1798: ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'' published by Thomas Malthus * (mid-18th century): ''The Dream of the Red Chamber'' (authorship attributed to Cao Xueqin), one of the most famous Chinese novels


Musical works

*
1711 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January – Cary's Rebellion: The Lords Proprietor appoint Edwar ...
: ''Rinaldo (opera), Rinaldo'', Handel's first opera for the London stage, premiered * 1721: ''Brandenburg Concertos'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach * 1723: ''The Four Seasons (Vivaldi), The Four Seasons'', violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, composed * 1724: ''St John Passion'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach * 1727: ''St Matthew Passion'' composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach * 1733: ''Hippolyte et Aricie'', first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * 1741: ''Goldberg Variations'' for harpsichord published by Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach * 1742: ''Messiah (Handel), Messiah'', oratorio by Handel premiered in Dublin * 1749: ''Mass in B minor'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach assembled in current form *
1751 In Britain and its colonies (except Scotland), 1751 only had 282 days due to the British Calendar Act of 1751, which ended the year on 31 December (rather than nearly three months later according to its previous rule). Events January&n ...
: ''The Art of Fugue'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach * 1762: ''Orfeo ed Euridice'', first "reform opera" by Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Gluck, performed in Vienna * 1786: ''The Marriage of Figaro'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart * 1787: ''Don Giovanni'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart * 1788: ''Symphony No. 41 (Mozart), Jupiter Symphony (Symphony No.41)'' composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart * 1791: ''The Magic Flute'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart * 1791–1795: London symphonies by Joseph Haydn, Haydn * 1798: The Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven), Pathétique, piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, Beethoven * 1798: ''The Creation (Haydn), The Creation'', oratorio by Joseph Haydn, Haydn first performed


References


Further reading

* Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. ''A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History'' (1994) 890pp * Klekar, Cynthia. “Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature.” Innovative Course Design Winner. ''American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies'': Wake Forest University, 2004.
Home , American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS)
. Refereed. * Langer, William. ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of event
online free
* Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. ''Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present'' (1970
online
* Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 '' (1973)
online
note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap. ** Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914'' (1977
online
* Wallace Collection, The Wallace Collection, London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:18th Century 18th century, 2nd millennium Centuries Early Modern period