World History Timeline

Timeline

160 events

19th century

  1. 1831★★★★★

    Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction

    Michael Faraday discovers that a changing magnetic field induces an electric current, the principle behind generators and transformers.

    Science· United Kingdom
  3. 1833 – 1835★★★★★

    Lê Văn Khôi revolt

    Lê Văn Khôi seizes the citadel of Gia Định in revolt against Emperor Minh Mạng; the uprising is crushed in 1835.

    War· Vietnam
  4. March 6, 1836★★★★★

    Battle of the Alamo

    Mexican troops under General Santa Anna storm the Alamo in San Antonio, killing its Texan defenders; the battle becomes a symbol of the Texas Revolution.

    War· United States, Mexico
  5. June 20, 1837★★★★★

    Accession of Queen Victoria

    Victoria succeeds to the British throne; her reign of more than 63 years coincides with the height of the British Empire.

    DynastyPolitics· United Kingdom
  6. December 16, 1838★★★★★

    Battle of Blood River

    During the Great Trek, a party of Voortrekkers defeated the Zulu army of King Dingane at the Ncome River in Natal.

    War· South Africa
  7. 1839★★★★★

    The daguerreotype is announced

    Louis Daguerre's photographic process is made public in France, the first commercially successful form of photography.

    TechnologyArt· France
  8. 1839 – 1842★★★★★

    First Opium War

    Britain wars with Qing China after it cracks down on the opium trade; the defeat opens what China calls the 'century of humiliation'.

    WarEconomy· China, United Kingdom
  9. November 3, 1839 – 1876★★★★★

    Tanzimat reforms begin

    The Edict of Gülhane opens the Tanzimat, a series of reforms modernising Ottoman administration, law and the army.

    Politics· Turkey
  10. February 6, 1840★★★★★

    Treaty of Waitangi

    Representatives of the British Crown and many Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand's founding document; differences between its English and Māori texts remain debated.

    TreatyPolitics· New Zealand, United Kingdom
  11. August 29, 1842★★★★★

    Treaty of Nanking

    The Qing cede Hong Kong Island to Britain and open five treaty ports, the first of China's unequal treaties.

    Treaty· China, United Kingdom, Hong Kong
  13. 1845 – 1852★★★★★

    Great Famine in Ireland

    Potato blight triggers a famine that kills about a million people and drives more than a million to emigrate from Ireland.

    Disaster· Ireland, United Kingdom
  14. 1845 – 1872★★★★★

    The New Zealand Wars

    A series of armed conflicts between the colonial government and Māori iwi, chiefly over land and sovereignty, which led to large confiscations of Māori land.

    War· New Zealand, United Kingdom
  15. 1846 – 1848★★★★★

    Mexican–American War

    War between the United States and Mexico following the US annexation of Texas; Mexico is defeated and loses about half of its territory.

    War· United States, Mexico
  16. October 16, 1846★★★★★

    First public demonstration of ether anaesthesia

    At Massachusetts General Hospital, William Morton anaesthetises a surgical patient with ether in public, opening the era of surgical anaesthesia.

    Science· United States
  17. July 26, 1847★★★★★

    Liberia declares independence

    Liberia, settled by free and formerly enslaved Black Americans, declared independence, becoming Africa's oldest republic.

    Politics· Liberia
  18. 1848 – 1849★★★★★

    Revolutions of 1848

    A wave of revolutions sweeps Europe, from France to the German states, Austria, Italy and Hungary, demanding democratic reform and national self-determination.

    Revolution· France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Czechia
  19. January 24, 1848 – 1855★★★★★

    California Gold Rush

    The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill draws some 300,000 people to California from around the world, transforming the American West.

    Economy· United States
  20. February 1848★★★★★

    The Communist Manifesto is published

    Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish in London a pamphlet setting out the theory of class struggle, one of the most influential political texts ever written.

    PoliticsCulture· United Kingdom, Germany
  21. February 2, 1848★★★★★

    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

    The treaty ends the Mexican–American War, with Mexico ceding California and much of today's Southwest to the United States.

    Treaty· United States, Mexico
  22. July 19, 1848 – July 20, 1848★★★★★

    Seneca Falls Convention

    The first women's rights convention in the United States adopts the Declaration of Sentiments, including a demand for women's suffrage.

    Politics· United States
  23. 1850 – 1864★★★★★

    Taiping Rebellion

    Hong Xiuquan's movement founds the 'Taiping Heavenly Kingdom'; the ensuing civil war causes tens of millions of deaths.

    WarReligionRevolution· China
  24. 1851★★★★★

    Victorian gold rush begins

    Gold discoveries in the colony of Victoria drew hundreds of thousands of immigrants, transforming Australia's population and economy.

    Economy· Australia
  25. 1853 – 1856★★★★★

    Crimean War

    An alliance of the Ottoman Empire, Britain, France and Sardinia defeats Russia, with fighting centred on the siege of Sevastopol in Crimea.

    War· Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Ukraine
  26. July 8, 1853★★★★★

    Perry Expedition arrives in Japan

    U.S. Commodore Matthew Perry's 'Black Ships' enter Edo Bay, pressing Japan to end its isolation policy.

    PoliticsExploration· Japan, United States
  28. 1856 – 1860★★★★★

    Second Opium War

    Britain and France fight Qing China, occupy Beijing and burn the Old Summer Palace in 1860, forcing further unequal treaties.

    War· China, United Kingdom, France
  29. May 10, 1857 – 1858★★★★★

    Indian Rebellion of 1857

    Sepoys mutiny at Meerut, sparking a widespread uprising against East India Company rule across northern and central India.

    WarRevolution· India, United Kingdom
  30. 1858 – 1947★★★★★

    Beginning of the British Raj

    After the 1857 rebellion, the Government of India Act transfers rule from the East India Company to the British Crown; the Mughal Empire formally ends.

    Politics· India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, United Kingdom
  31. September 1, 1858★★★★★

    Franco-Spanish attack on Đà Nẵng

    A Franco-Spanish force attacks Đà Nẵng, beginning the French conquest of Vietnam.

    War· Vietnam, France, Spain
  33. March 3, 1861★★★★★

    Emancipation of the serfs in Russia

    Tsar Alexander II issues the emancipation manifesto, freeing more than 20 million serfs across the Russian Empire.

    PoliticsEconomy· Russia
  35. April 12, 1861 – 1865★★★★★

    American Civil War

    War between the Union and the seceding Confederate states, centred on slavery, ending in Union victory and the abolition of slavery.

    War· United States
  36. April 12, 1861 – April 13, 1861★★★★★

    Battle of Fort Sumter

    Confederate forces bombard Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, opening the American Civil War.

    War· United States
  37. May 5, 1862★★★★★

    Battle of Puebla

    Mexican forces defeat a French expeditionary army at Puebla, a victory later commemorated as Cinco de Mayo.

    War· Mexico, France
  38. June 5, 1862★★★★★

    Treaty of Saigon

    The Nguyễn court cedes three eastern provinces of Cochinchina to France.

    Treaty· Vietnam, France
  39. January 1, 1863★★★★★

    Emancipation Proclamation

    President Lincoln proclaims freedom for enslaved people in the Confederate states in rebellion.

    Politics· United States
  40. July 1, 1863 – July 3, 1863★★★★★

    Battle of Gettysburg

    Union forces defeat Robert E. Lee's army in Pennsylvania in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, a turning point of the conflict.

    War· United States
  41. November 19, 1863★★★★★

    Gettysburg Address

    Abraham Lincoln delivers a brief speech dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg, affirming the ideals of liberty and equality.

    Politics· United States
  42. 1864 – 1870★★★★★

    Paraguayan War

    Paraguay fights the Triple Alliance of Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay in a war that devastates Paraguay and kills a large share of its population.

    War· Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay
  43. 1865★★★★★

    Maxwell's electromagnetic theory

    James Clerk Maxwell publishes "A Dynamical Theory of the Electromagnetic Field", unifying electricity, magnetism and light.

    Science· United Kingdom
  45. April 14, 1865★★★★★

    Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

    John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre days after the Civil War effectively ends; Lincoln dies the next morning.

    PoliticsDeath· United States
  48. 1867★★★★★

    France annexes western Cochinchina

    France seizes Vĩnh Long, An Giang and Hà Tiên, completing the colony of French Cochinchina.

    WarPolitics· Vietnam, France
  49. March 30, 1867★★★★★

    Alaska Purchase

    The United States signs a treaty to buy Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million.

    Treaty· United States, Russia
  50. July 1, 1867★★★★★

    Canadian Confederation

    The colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick unite as the Dominion of Canada, the beginning of the modern Canadian state.

    Politics· Canada, United Kingdom
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