July 26, 1847★★★★★
Liberia declares independence
Liberia, settled by free and formerly enslaved Black Americans, declared independence, becoming Africa's oldest republic.
Politics· Liberia
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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
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
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
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
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
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