April 10, 1815★★★★★
Eruption of Mount Tambora
The most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history occurs on Sumbawa, causing the global "Year Without a Summer" of 1816.
Disaster· Indonesia
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Events this year
June 18, 1815★★★★★
Battle of Waterloo
British and Prussian forces defeat Napoleon Bonaparte, ending the Hundred Days and the Napoleonic Wars.
War· Belgium, France, United Kingdom, Germany
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
1799 – 1849★★★★★
Ranjit Singh takes Lahore, founding the Sikh Empire
Ranjit Singh captures Lahore and unites the Sikh confederacies into an empire in the Punjab.
PoliticsDynasty· Pakistan, India
June 18, 1812 – 1815★★★★★
War of 1812
The United States declares war on Britain; fighting in North America and at sea ends with the Treaty of Ghent and no change in borders.
War· United States, United Kingdom, Canada
1814 – June 9, 1815★★★★★
Congress of Vienna
The European powers meet in Vienna to reorder the continent after the Napoleonic Wars, redrawing the map of Europe and establishing a balance of power.
TreatyPolitics· Austria, United Kingdom, Russia, Germany, France