The East India Company under Robert Clive defeats Siraj ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, beginning British dominance in India.
A global conflict among the European powers fought in Europe, North America and India; Britain gains colonial supremacy and Prussia confirms its great-power status.
Britain and France, with their Indigenous allies, fight for control of North America; France is defeated and loses most of its territory on the continent.
Ahmad Shah Durrani's Afghan army defeats the Maratha Empire in one of the bloodiest battles of the 18th century.
Prithvi Narayan Shah, king of Gorkha, takes the Kathmandu Valley, laying the foundation of the unified Kingdom of Nepal.
James Watt's patent for a separate condenser makes steam engines far more efficient, driving the Industrial Revolution.
British soldiers fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five people and heightening tensions between the colonies and Britain.