January 29, 1886★★★★★
Karl Benz patents the motor car
Karl Benz receives a patent for the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, widely regarded as the first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine.
Technology· Germany
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Events this year
Ongoing
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
1885 – 1908★★★★★
Leopold II's Congo Free State
King Leopold II of Belgium ruled the Congo as a personal possession; its forced-labour rubber regime caused mass deaths until Belgium annexed the territory in 1908.
PoliticsEconomy· DR Congo, Belgium
July 1885 – 1896★★★★★
Cần Vương movement
After a failed attack on the French at Huế, Emperor Hàm Nghi flees the capital and issues an edict calling for resistance to French rule.
WarRevolution· Vietnam, France