U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ships' enter Edo Bay, pressing Japan to end its isolation policy.
Hong Xiuquan's movement founds the 'Taiping Heavenly Kingdom'; the ensuing civil war causes tens of millions of deaths.
Britain and France fight Qing China, occupy Beijing and burn the Old Summer Palace in 1860, forcing further unequal treaties.
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill draws some 300,000 people to California from around the world, transforming the American West.
The treaty ends the Mexican–American War, with Mexico ceding California and much of today's Southwest to the United States.
The first women's rights convention in the United States adopts the Declaration of Sentiments, including a demand for women's suffrage.
War between the United States and Mexico following the US annexation of Texas; Mexico is defeated and loses about half of its territory.