July 4, 1776★★★★★
United States Declaration of Independence
The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the 13 colonies free from Britain.
PoliticsRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
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Events this year
Ongoing
c. 15th century – c. 1860s★★★★★
The transatlantic slave trade
From the 16th to the 19th century, an estimated 12.5 million enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas, with profound consequences for both continents.
Economy· Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Angola, Brazil, United States, Portugal, United Kingdom
1639 – 1853★★★★★
Japan's sakoku isolation policy
The shogunate expels the Portuguese and severely restricts foreign contact, allowing only Dutch and Chinese trade at Nagasaki.
PoliticsEconomy· Japan
1772 – 1795★★★★★
Partitions of Poland
Russia, Prussia and Austria carve up the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in three partitions, erasing it from the map of Europe by 1795.
PoliticsTreaty· Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Germany, Austria