First drums used, in Upper Nile & Bohemia
|
|
3800
|
Oldest known map appears
in Mesopotamia
|
|
|
3600
|
Southwestern Asians begin
using bronze, which unlike
smelted copper, can hold
an edge
|
|
|
3500
|
Sumerian civilization has many technological innovations:
-
animal-drawn wheel vehicles
-
bronze is used for objects as well as tools
-
cuneiform alphabet of idegram pictures is created
-
animals are used for other agricultural purposes
|
The dawn of Sumerian civilization in the Fertile Crescent
|
|
3400
|
|
First dynasty in Egypt,
the Thinite, after the
union of north and south
kingdoms in Egypt
|
|
3200
|
Egyptians invent the first black ink
|
|
|
3000
|
-
Sumerians, boiling alkalis together, create soap
-
Glass originates in Western Asia
-
Earliest button dated (discovered in Indus Valley)
-
Egyptians and Mesopotamians begin using reed boats
|
-
"Gilgamesh" is written in cuneiform
-
The Sahara desert is changing from a green, fertile area to an arid desert from over- use and abuse
|
|
2980
|
|
Imhotep, counselor to
Zoser (a leader of the
third Egyptian dynasty)
erects a pyramid at
Sakkara
|
|
2900
|
Great Pyramid of Cheops
built at Giza, Egypt
|
|
|
2850
|
Great Sphinx at Giza
carved
|
|
|
2800
|
Sickle invented by the Sumerians for harvesting grain
|
Chinese emperor Fu Hsi originates "yin-yang" theory
|
|
2500
|
The iron age begins in
the Middle East, where
artisans use new metal
at high temperatures
Sumerians develop
cuneiform script alphabet
|
|
|
2500 -
2000
|
The dome is first used
in architecture, in
Crete's Mesara Plain
|
|
|
2350
|
|
Akkadian empire dominates Mesopotamia
|
|
2205
|
|
Xia dynasty comes to
power in China
|
|
2000
|
The Minoans of Crete
develop the first flush
toilet
|
|
|
1950
|
|
Hammurabi's code of laws
created after he becomes
king of Mesopotamia, laws
such as "eye for an eye"
|
|
1900 -
1600
|
|
Stonehenge is erected in
the UK somewhere around
this period by Britons
still in the Stone Age
|
|
|
|
|
|
1800
|
Earliest corset invented
(as dated by a Cretian
statue)
|
|
|
1700
|
Babylonians create the first windmills, which pump water for irrigation
|
Judaism founded by Abraham
|
|
1600
|
|
Minoan civilization
begins on isle of Crete
|
|
1500
|
-
* Chinese begin weaving
with silk
-
* Sandals first worn in
Egypt
|
|
|
1470
|
|
A volcanic eruption on
Thera deposits ashes on
Crete that destroy Minoan
civilization
|
|
1450
|
Egyptians are the first
to use the sundial
|
|
|
1417
|
|
Amenhotep III is last
great ruler of Egyptian
New Kingdom
|
|
1400
|
Egyptians begin using
brush tools
|
|
|
1380
|
First canal built merging
the Nile and the Red Sea
|
|
|
1374
|
|
Monotheism recognized in
Egypt
|
|
1349
|
|
King Tut is buried at
Thebes
|
|
1300
|
The Sumerian alphabet
script is further refined
|
|
|
1193
|
|
Troy falls to the Greeks
in the Trojan War
|
|
1005
|
|
David of Hebron becomes
King of Judea, after
defeating the Philistines
|
|
1000
|
The umbrella and kite are
both invented in China
|
|
|
961
|
|
* King Solomon succeeds
David as King of Judea
* Great Temple of
Jerusalem built
|
|
926
|
|
Palestine invaded by
Pharoah Sheshonk
|
|
900
|
|
Italian towns established
by Etruscans
|
|
850
|
|
Iliad and Odyssey said to
have been written
|
|
814
|
|
Carthage founded in North
Africa
|
|
776
|
|
Olympics first recorded
|
|
721
|
|
Ten tribes of Israel lost
after Sargon II invades
|
|
700
|
-
* Earliest known musical
notation appears in India
-
* Gunpowder first used in
Chinese rockets
-
* Etruscans are the first
to use false teeth
|
|
|
658
|
|
City of Byzantium founded
|
|
609
|
|
Over 120,000 will die
trying to build a new
canal from the Nile to
the Red Sea for Pharoah
Necho
|
|
597
|
|
Height of Babylonian
society; the hanging
gardens are one of
7 wonders in the world
|
|
592
|
Anarcharis of Scythia
invents the first ship
anchor
|
|
|
586
|
|
Jerusalem's Great Temple
is destroyed
|
|
565
|
|
Taoism is founded by Lao
Zi, China
|
|
528
|
|
Buddhism is founded by
Siddhartha, former prince
|
|
509
|
|
Rome becomes a republic
|
|
500
|
|
First highways built by
Persians
|
|
495
|
|
Confucius, former prime
minister of China, begins
spreading his tenets
|
|
pre-440
|
Archery is used in ancient Crete
|
Celts dominate UK
The Acropolis built to
even greater glory,
Greece
|
|
432
|
|
Peloponnesian wars begin
in Greece
|
|
400
|
Ice cream is invented by Persians
|
Settlement begins in
modern-day London
|
|
399
|
|
Socrates drinks hemlock
as punishment for his
subversive views
|
|
347
|
|
Plato's Republic written
|
|
334
|
|
Alexander the Great
invades Asia in the first
of many victories
|
|
300 -
280
|
Pharos of Alexandria, in
ancient Greece, is one of
the first permanent light-
houses built
|
|
|
246
|
|
Qin dynasty takes hold in
China, uniting many
states. The Great Wall is
built around this time.
|
|
210
|
|
The emperor Shihuang dies
and is buried in his tomb
with 8,000 life-size
terra cotta soldiers
|
|
204 -
201
|
|
Carthage is besieged and
surrenders to Romans
|
|
184
|
|
First precursor of modern
day books
|
|
165
|
Ctesibius of Alexandria builds a "hydraulus," a hydraulic organ.
|
Maccabees retake the
Great Temple from the
Syrians; this event will
later be celebrated as
Hannukah
|
|
150
|
The astrolabe is invented
by Hipparchus, and used
by Ptomely in ancient
Greece
|
|
|
149 -
146
|
|
Carthage is invaded and
laid siege to. In 146 it
falls after a long
blockade; the temple of
Aesculapius is torched;
50,000 sold into slavery.
Corinth is sacked in 146.
|
|
100
|
-
* Astronomical calculator
(Antikythera device),
Greece
-
* Paper first used in China
|
|
|
73
|
|
Spartacus leads slaves in
revolt
|
|
71
|
|
Spartacus is defeated by
Crassus
|
|
63
|
Invention of shorthand by
Marcus Tullius Tiro, Roman
Empire
|
|
|
60
|
|
New triumvirate of
Crassus, Gaius Pompey,
& Julius Caser rules Rome
|
|
45
|
|
Julian calendar intro'd
|
|
44
|
|
Caesar declared dictator
for life. March 15 he is
assasinated.
|
|
41
|
|
Marc Antony and Cleopatra
meet.
|
|
30
|
|
Antony suicides,
Cleopatra dies later
|
|
27
|
|
Roman Empire founded by
Octavian (now Augustus)
Caesar
|
|
7
|
|
Christ is born
|
|
Common Era
|
33
|
|
Death of Jesus of Nazareth
|
|
51
|
Precursor to bagpipes
invented in Greece, the
"aulos"
|
|
|
64
|
|
Persecution of Christians in Rome
|
|
79
|
|
-
* Mt. Vesuvius erupts, burying
Hercaulenum and Pompeii
-
* The Colosseum is dedicated in Rome
|
100
|
First pontoon bridge
developed (when Caesar
crosses the Rhine river)
|
|
|
118
|
|
Forum built in Rome
|
|
130
|
|
Temple of Olympian Zeus is built
|
|
190
|
|
Abacus (precursor of the calculator),
China
|
|
309
|
|
Plague decimates the Roman Empire
|
|
313
|
|
Constantine and Licinius accept Christ
|
|
330
|
|
Constantinople is dedicated
|
|
360
|
|
Huns invade Europe
|
|
395
|
|
Roman Empire is joined East and West
|
|
429
|
|
North Africa is invaded by the Vandals
|
|
433
|
|
Atilla becomes leader of the Huns
(until 453)
|
|
455
|
|
Rome is sacked by the Vandals
Chichen Itza founded by Mayans
|
|
500
|
-
* Egyptians develop the
first leather book
bindings
-
* Assyrians & Babylonians
begin using the arch in
their architecture
-
* Chess is invented in
India
|
|
|
513
|
|
Mt. Vesuvius covers Pompeii with
volcanic ash-again
|
|
541
|
|
Bubonic plague spreads from Egypt
throughout the Roman-Byzantine
world
|
|
610
|
|
Mohammed begins secretly to preach
at Mecca
|
|
613
|
|
Mohammed begins to teach openly; his
followers are persecuted.
|
|
629
|
|
Mohammed returns to Mecca with the
Koran. Sharia legal system becomes
recognized.
|
|
669
|
|
Theodore of Tarsus, the Archbishop of
Cantebury, introduces a new strict
parochical system as a model for
the secular state.
|
|
700
|
Block printing is developed in Japan
|
Beowulf is written around this time.
Tea drinking takes hold in China
|
|
711
|
|
Moors invade the Iberian Peninsula
|
|
771
|
|
Charlemagne becomes king of all
Franks
|
|
795
|
|
Danes invade Ireland
|
|
818
|
|
Charlemagne dies
|
|
850
|
Coffee's stimulant
properties is discovered
in Abyssinia and soon is
developed into a drink
|
|
|
900 -
1000
|
The "oliphant," an ivory
horn that is precursor to
the trumpet, is developed
in Byzantium, Greece
|
Greenland is discovered by the Vikings
|
|
982
|
|
Erik the Red establishes the first
colony in Greenland
|
|
983
|
Chiao Wei-Yo develops the
first canal lock, which
uses 2 flashlocks to
create an equalizing
chamber to hold boats in
dock. This technology is
not developed in the West
until 1396.
|
|
|
988 -
999
|
|
Vikings and Danes attack Britain
|
|
1000
|
|
Scandinavia converts to Christianity
|
|
1054
|
|
Final separation between the East and
West Roman Churches
|
|
1066
|
|
William of Normandy defeats Harold II
at the Battle of Hastings, becoming the
first king of England
|
|
1095
|
|
The Crusades begin
|
|
1100
|
The "shawm," the precursor
to the oboe, is invented in
Sicily
|
|
|
1162
|
|
Thomas a Becket is named Archibishop
of Cantebury and murdered by Henry II
|
|
1211 -
1223
|
|
Genghis Khan invades China & then
Persia & Russia
|
|
1215
|
|
Signing of the Magna Carta by King
John of England
|
|
1231
|
Gunpowder's composition is
first published by Roger
Bacon in his Secrets of
Art and Nature
|
|
|
1271
|
|
Marco Polo journeys to China
|
|
1335
|
First public clock built
in Milan. (There are
controversies as to when
the first clock was built.)
|
Beginning of the Renaissance in Italy
|
|
1337 -
1453
|
|
The Hundred Years' War between France
and England
|
|
1347 -
1351
|
|
Black Death, bubonic plague, returns to
Europe, killing millions
|
|
1368
|
|
Ming Dynasty begins in China
|
|
1387
|
Chaucer publishes the Cantebury Tales
|
|
|
1400
|
Movable type is developed
in Korea
|
|
|
1415
|
|
Climatic battle of Henry V at Agincourt.
|
|
1418
|
|
Prince Henry the Navigator begins
exploring Africa
|
|
1428
|
|
Joan of Arc begins her crusade against
the British
|
|
1431
|
|
Joan of Arc is burned at the stake
|
|
1446
|
Earliest dated engraving
(an engraving onto metal
for paper imprint) is
Christ Crowned With Thorns
|
|
|
1455
|
|
-
The War of the Roses begins in England
-
First Gutenberg Bible
|
|
1475
|
First muzzle-loaded rifles
developed in Italy and
Germany
|
|
|
1485
|
da Vinci designs the first
parachute, Italy
|
|
|
1492 -
1504
|
|
Columbus discovers Carribean islands
and later sails to Dominica, Jamaica,
Puerto Rico, Orinoco, Honduras, and
Panama
|
|
1495
|
The first bomb is invented,
or in 1522.
|
|
|
1497
|
|
Vasco da Gama sails around Africa,
discovering a sea
route to India
|
|
1500
|
Wooden tramways, the
precursor to railroads,
are built in Transylvania
|
|
|
1503
|
|
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
|
|
1509
|
|
-
* Henry VIII becomes King of England
-
* Michaelangelo paints the ceiling of the
Sistine Chapel
|
|
1513
|
First known etching made
by Urs Graf
|
|
|
1514
|
First instance of stone
bullets
|
|
|
1517
|
|
Martin Luther posts his 95 theses in
Wittenberg
|
|
1535
|
|
Reformation begins when Henry VIII
makes himself head of the Anglican
Church so he can get a divorce
|
|
1536
|
|
Henry VIII executes his second wife,
Anne Boleyn
|
|
1543
|
|
Nicolaus Copernicus' "On The
Revolution of Heavenly Bodies,"
explaining theory of earth revolving
around the sun
|
|
1547
|
|
Ivan IV becomes Czar of Russia
|
|
1550
|
Ambrose Pare, a Frenchman,
begins building false
limbs
|
|
|
1553
|
|
Roman Catholicism is reestablished
as the English state religion by Queen
Mary
|
|
1558
|
|
Queen Elizabeth becomes monarch
of England, reestablishes Anglicanism
|
|
1561
|
|
Massacre of French Protestants
(Huguenots) at Vassy.
|
|
1568
|
Concrete, which had been
used in ancient times, is
resuscitated by Philibert
de l'Orme, who publicizes
its composition
|
|
|
1570
|
|
Japanese allow ships to enter
their harbour
|
|
1587
|
|
Mary Queen of Scots executed by
Queen Elizabeth
|
|
1588
|
|
Defeat of Spanish Armada by British
fleet
|
|
1590
|
Compound microscope is
invented by Zacharias
Janssen, the Netherlands
|
|
|
1593
|
Galileo Galilei develops
the first thermometer,
Italy
|
|
|
1600
|
|
English traders establish the East
India Co.
|
|
1605
|
Hans Lippershey of the
Netherlands develops the
telescope
|
|
|
1607
|
|
Jamestown, Virginia established as
first American colony
|
|
1609
|
Galileo Galilei creates
the astronomical telescope,
Italy
|
|
|
1614
|
John Napier discovers
logarithms
|
|
|
1618 -
1648
|
|
Thirty Years War pits Protestants
against Catholics
|
|
1620
|
|
Pilgrims land at Plymouth Rock,
Massachusetts
|
|
1621
|
First blast furnace, a
coal-fired iron smelting
furnace, is built by Dud
Dudley, UK
|
|
|
1633
|
Inquisition forces Galileo
to recant his belief in
Copernician theory
|
|
|
1641
|
The first bayonet is
created in Bayonne,
France
|
|
|
1642
|
Digital calculator, Blaise Pascal, France
|
English Civil War begins when
Cromwell and the Roundheads
take over; King Charles I is beheaded in
1649; Cromwell is thrown out and
beheaded in 1658
|
|
1643
|
Evangelista Torricelli
invents the barometer
in Italy
|
|
|
1644
|
|
Ming Dynasty ends in China and
Manchus come to power
|
|
1650
|
First air pump is
developed by Otto
von Guericke
|
|
|
1653
|
Britisher Peter Borel
develops the first
formula of invisible ink
|
|
|
1656
|
Pendulum clock, Christian
Huygens, Netherlands
|
|
|
1660
|
|
Parliament restores the British
monarchy
|
|
1661
|
|
Louis XIV becomes absolute monarch
of France; begins work on palace at
Versailles.
|
|
1665
|
|
Great Plague of London kills thousands
|
|
1666
|
|
Great Fire of London
|
|
1676
|
Robert Hooke builds the
first universal joint
|
|
|
1677
|
A gentleman named Lully
improves on the
transverse flute
|
|
|
1687 -
1689
|
|
"Glorious Revolution" after James II
takes the British throne; William of
Orange invited to take over and does.
James flees for France; William III
and Mary take throne.
|
|
1689
|
|
Peter the Great becomes Czar of
Russia, attempting to westernize
Russia
|
|
1690
|
Precursor of the bicycle, the "celerifere", invented by de Sivrac, France
|
Battle of the Boyne finds King
James defeated by William II in
(modern-day) Northern Ireland
|
|
1700
|
-
* Steam boilers begin to be
developed
-
* J.C. Denner develops the
first clarinet in Germany
|
|
|
1709
|
-
* First idea published of
hot air balloon, Jesuit
priest Francesco de Lama
-
* Precursor to the piano,
the Hammerklavier,
invented by Bartolommeo
Cristofori, Italy
|
|
|
1718
|
Machine gun invented by
James Puckle, UK
|
|
|
1755
|
|
Samuel Johnson's first "Dictionary"
published, UK.
|
|
1756
|
|
-
* French and Indian War lasts in States
until 1761;
Britain vanquishes the French, who
must give up their territories in
North America
-
* British POWs die in infamous
Black Hole of Calcutta incident
|
|
1762
|
|
Catherine the Great ascends the Russian
throne
|
|
1760
|
Benjamin Franklin invents
the bifocal lens.
|
|
|
1765
|
Steam engine invented by
James Watt
|
|
|
1769
|
M. Garsault develops the
first paper patterns of
clothing
|
|
|
1770
|
|
Boston Massacre turns public opinion in
13 Colonies against the British
|
|
1771
|
First system of factory
farming, developed by
farmer named Moody in
Nottinghamshire, UK
|
|
|
1773
|
|
Boston Tea Party is staged protest
against unfair taxes on tea and other
imports
|
|
1776
|
|
-
* Declaration of Independence signed,
Philadelphia
-
* Captain Cook "discovers" islands of
Hawaii
|
|
1781
|
|
General Cornwallis surrenders the
British troops at Yorktown, Virginia
|
|
1785
|
First design for airship
by JBM Meusnier
|
|
|
1788
|
|
Parlement in France gives Louis XVI their
grievances
|
|
1789
|
|
-
* George Washington becomes President
-
* Storming of the Bastille in France
|
|
1790
|
First dental drill is
built by John Greenwood
|
The mutiny of the HMS Bounty
|
|
1791
|
A Benedictine monk named
Luzuel makes the first
organ without bellows
|
Bill of Rights ratified in the U.S.
|
|
1793
|
-
* Hot air balloon, Joseph
and Jacques Montgolfier,
France (see also 1709)
-
* Louis S. Lenormand uses
the first working
parachute, France (see
also 1485)
|
|
|
1794
|
Radial ball-bearings are
first made by Phillip
Vaughn in Wales
|
|
|
1795
|
N.J. Conte introduces graphite pencils
|
Reign of Terror in France; Louis XVI
and Marie Antoinette executed
|
|
1796
|
Edward Jenner, an
Englishman, develops
first system of
innoculation/vaccination
|
Napoleon Bonaparte defeats Austria in the first of a string of military victories in Europe
|
|
1798
|
First lithograph is made
by Aloys Senefelder
|
|
|
1799 -
1800
|
|
Napoleon Bonaparte becomes First Consul
of France
|
|
1800
|
First suspension bridge,
James Finley, USA
|
|
|
1801
|
-
* First electric arc lamp,
Sir Humprehey Davy, UK
-
* Anton Weidinger develops
the first keyed trumpet
|
|
|
1803
|
|
US negotiates Louisiana Purchase from
French
|
|
1804
|
Richard Trevithick works
on the first steam-powered
locomotive, UK
|
|
|
1805
|
|
Lord Nelson defeats French and Spanish
forces at the Battle of Trafalgar
|
|
1816
|
Frenchman Joseph Nicephore
Niepce begins his work on
the first paper negative
and the first photograph,
until 1827
|
|
|
1819
|
Rene Laennec develops the
first stethoscope
|
|
|
1822
|
-
* Buschmann of Berlin
develops the first
mouth-organ
-
* Either Buschmann or
Damian of Vienna invent
the first accordion in
1822 (or 1829 for the
latter)
|
|
|
1824
|
Fundamental theory of the
internal combustion engine,
established by Sadi Carnot,
France
|
|
|
1829
|
-
* Braille invented, Louis
Braille, France
-
* Scotch tape is invented
by Richard Drew, 1929
|
|
|
1830
|
Lawn mower invented by
Edwin Budding and John
Farrabee, UK
|
|
|
1835
|
-
* Work starts on the first
"analytical engine,"
precursor to the
computer, by Charles
Babbage, UK
-
* Samuel Colt invents the
revolver pistol, US
|
|
|
1837
|
The telegraph is invented by
Samuel F. B. Morse, US
|
|
|
1839
|
-
* Louis Daguerre creates
the first direct
positive image on silver
plate in France, a
process that will take
his name - "daguerrotype"
-
* The vulcanization process
that creates rubber is
discovered by Charles
Goodyear, US
|
|
|
1840
|
First postage stamp created, UK
|
|
|
1845
|
-
* First pneumatic tire is
designed by Robert
Thomson
-
* Adolphe Sax develops the
saxhorn
|
|
|
1846
|
-
* Adolpe Sax develops the
saxophone
-
* Ascanio Soberero
discovers how to make
nitroglycerin, Italy
-
* Sewing machine is
created by Elias Howe,
US
|
|
|
1847
|
-
* First transverse flute
with modern key system
designed by Theodore
Boehm
-
* Michael Nairn develops
linoleum in Fife,
Scotland
|
|
|
1850
|
-
* Alexander Twining, from
the US, and James
Harrison, from Australia,
both work on precursors
to the modern
refrigerator
-
* Crayons are first made
with aniline dyes
|
|
|
1852
|
-
* Passenger elevators now
viable, after Elisha G.
Otis invents a safety
device for carrying
passengers
-
* Gyroscope invented by
Leon Foucault, France
|
|
|
1856
|
Aniline dye, William H.
Perkin
|
|
|
1857
|
First slot machine
developed, Denham UK
|
|
|
1859
|
Edwin L. Drake is the first to make oil wells, US
|
John Brown captures Harper's
Ferry, VA. Later hanged.
|
|
1860
|
-
* Modern cigarette is
developed by William and
Henry Charlesworth and
TH Dumbar, UK
-
* Pasteurization technique
is explored throughout
this decade by Louis
Pasteur, who initially
begins work to save
France's wine and beer
supply from spoilage
|
|
|
1861 -
1865
|
|
American Civil War between North
and South regions
|
|
1865
|
|
U.S. President Lincoln
assassinated
|
|
1867
|
-
* Dynamite created by
Alfred Nobel, Sweden
-
* Christopher Sholes and
Carlos Glider develop
the first typewriter, US
|
Austria-Hungry monarchy is established
|
|
1868
|
First traffic signal is
built by JP Knight, UK
|
|
|
1869
|
-
* Ives W. McGaffey
develops the vacuum
cleaner
-
* Hippolyte Mege-Mouriez
develops margarine
|
First transcontinental train route in U.S.
|
|
1870 -
1871
|
|
Franco-Prussian War
|
|
1871
|
|
-
Kaiser Wilhelm I declares a
German Empire
-
Great Chicago Fire
|
|
1873
|
Pianoforte with pedals
developed by John
Broadwood, UK
|
|
|
1875
|
Building on principles
first imagined by da Vinci
and others, as early as
the 1100s, John P.
Holland, an American,
begins work on submarines
until 1881
|
|
|
1876
|
Alexander Graham Bell
invents the telephone, US
|
|
|
1877
|
Thomas A. Edison develops
the gramophone and
phonograph
|
|
|
1880
|
The French begin using the
first pesticide ("Bordeaux
mixture" - copper sulphate
and lime,) in this decade
|
|
|
1881
|
|
President Garfield is assasinated
|
|
1882
|
-
* Electric fan invented by
Schuyler Wheeler, USA
-
* Electric flat iron
invented by Henry W.
Seely, USA
|
|
|
1883
|
First man-made fiber
invented by Sir Joseph
Swann, UK
|
|
|
1884
|
-
* Edward Butler creates
the motorcycle, UK
-
* Lewis E. Waterman
creates the fountain
pen, US
-
* La France, the first
practical airship, is
built by Charles Renard
and Arthur Krebs
|
|
|
1885
|
-
* Automobile with internal
combustion engine, 250
rpm, is developed by Karl
Benz, Germany
-
* Electric transformer
developed by William
Stanley, US
|
|
|
1887
|
|
Golden Jubilee to celebrate Queen
Victoria's reign
|
|
1888
|
George Eastman is father of the modern camera
|
Jack the Ripper murders
prostitutes in London, England
|
|
1891
|
W. L. Judson develops the
zipper, US
|
|
|
1893
|
Thomas Edison is the first
to take advantage of
current techniques of
showing "moving pictures"
to create the modern
"movie"
|
|
|
1894 -
1895
|
|
Sino-Japanese war; China loses
|
|
1895
|
-
* X-rays developed by
Wilhelm Roentgen,
Germany
-
* First lie-detector test
developed by Cesare
Lombroso, using pulse
and blood pressure to
measure the suspect's
honesty
|
|
|
1896
|
Electric stove invented by Hadaway, USA
|
Plessy vs. Ferguson declares doctrine of "separate but equal"
|
|
1899
|
Valdermar Poulsen of Denmark develops the first tape recorder
|
-
* Boer War begins in South Africa.
-
* Britain will lose to the Boer
settlers.
|
|
1900
|
-
* Benjamin Holt develops
the first tractor, US
-
* Artificial flints for
cigarette lighters are
introduced
- * Paper clip is patented
|
Boxers' uprising in China against Westerners
|
|
1901
|
King Gillette markets
the first safety razor, US
|
Queen Victoria dies
|
|
1903
|
Airplane invented by
Orville and Wilbur Wright,
USA
|
|
|
1904
|
Radar is developed by Christian Hulsmeyer
|
-
* Russo-Japanese war
-
* New York City subway is opened
|
|
1905
|
Hydrofoil is developed by Enrico Forlanini, expanding on the past ideas of French priest Ramus and French Count de Lambert
|
-
* First workers' soviet is
established in St. Petersburg,
Russia, after a general strike
takes place across the country.
-
* Sailors mutiny on the Potemkin;
civilians are slaughtered in
Odessa
|
|
1906
|
|
San Francisco earthquake kills
hundreds
|
|
1908
|
Henry Ford develops the
"conveyor belt" system in
his factories
|
Hundreds of thousands die in s. Italy & Sicily after an earthquake
|
|
1912
|
First patented tank, by
Australian inventor de
la Mole
|
|
|
1914
|
First patent (and modern widespread use) of bra by Mary Phelps Jacob, US
|
World War I begins after the assasination
of Archduke Ferdinand; "august madness"
(war fever) ensues all over Europe;
Britain, Austria-Hungary, the Balkan
States, France, Germany and Russia are
some of the participants
|
|
1915
|
|
-
* British, ANZAC and French forces begin a
disastrous military operation at the
Gallipoli peninsula, Dardanelles
-
* Birth of a Nation is released in the
United States, creating controversy
-
* Albert Einstein theorizes on relativity
|
|
1916
|
First successful use of
sonar, Paul Langevin and M
Chilowski, US
|
Battle of the Somme and Battle of the Somme inflict ghastly losses
|
|
1917
|
|
-
* United States joins in World War I;
doughboys land in Europe
-
* Russian Revolution finds the Bolsheviks
in power, after the Czar and his family
are first removed from office and later
murdered
-
* Bolshevik government declares a truce
with Germany and removes itself from
the fighting in Europe
|
|
1918
|
|
Armistice in Europe
|
|
1920
|
|
The first red scare and witchhunt begins in
the United States
|
|
1921
|
|
Treaty of Versailles levies huge
reparations against Germany and its allies
|
|
1922
|
|
-
* Benito Mussolini plans "march" on Rome,
takes control of the Italian government
in a so-called coup; Italy is the first
country to go fascist
-
* Irish Free State is proclaimed
|
|
1923
|
The Marconi company
develops the Otophone, one
of the first viable
hearing aids
|
Adolf Hitler's Munich beer hall putsch fails; in jail he writes Mein Kampf
|
|
1924
|
-
* Clarence Birdeye invents
method of "frozen food",
US
-
* Robert Goddard builds
the first liquid-fueled
rocket, US
|
|
|
1925
|
|
"Monkey Trial" of John T. Scopes
in Tennessee after he teaches
evolution in his classroom
|
|
1926
|
Warner Brothers Pictures
is the first to develop
and use sound synch-
ronization in their
movies
|
|
|
1928
|
-
* First "differential
analyzing computer,"
mechanically operated,
invented by Vannevar
Bush, US
-
* First video recordings
made by John Logie Baird
|
|
|
1929 -
1939
|
|
Great Depression, in the United
States and world-wide
|
|
1929
|
|
St. Valentine's Day Massacre in
Chicago, Illinois
|
|
1930s
|
-
* This decade will see the
first development of
jukeboxes in the United
States
-
* Georg and Ladislao Biro
introduce the ballpoint
pen in the US during
this decade
|
|
|
1931
|
|
-
* Al Capone goes to prison for
tax evasion
-
* Japanese invade Manchuria
|
|
1932
|
-
* Vladimir Zworykin begins
to develop the electron
microscope, until 1939.
-
* Carl C. Magee invents
the first parking meter
Lindbergh baby kidnapped
|
|
1933
|
|
-
* Hitler becomes Chancellor
of Germany
-
* The Reichstag (German
Parliament) burns
-
* Jews in Germany find
themselves subject to
increasing harassment and
boycotts
|
|
1935
|
|
-
* Nuremberg Laws are passed
in Germany, increasing
persecution against German
Jews
-
* Ethiopia is invaded by Italy
|
|
1936
|
-
* Heinrich Focke invents
the helicopter in
Germany
-
* Important work on the
jet propulsion engine by
Sir Frank Whittle, UK
and Hans von Ohain,
Germany
|
-
* Rhineland is occupied by Germany
-
* China and Japan are again at war
|
1937
|
Chester F. Carlson first patents his ideas for xerography
|
-
* Axis pact between Germany, Italy and Japan
-
* The first concentration camp opens in
Buchewald
-
* Amelia Earhart disappears in the Pacific
|
|
1938
|
Polytetrafluorethylene, commonly known as Teflon, developed by Dr. Roy Plunkett at DuPont
|
* Krystallnacht (Crystal Night) - referring to
smashed glass - in Germany. Many Jews
are detained, injured or murdered in
the ensuing riots.
-
* Czechslovakia is lost to the Nazis in a
gesture of "appeasement" by the British
and French
|
|
1939
|
First really viable form of "cloud-seeding" developed by Bergeron
|
-
* Russia invades Finland
-
* Germany invades Poland
-
* Britain and France declare war on
Germany, signalling beginning of
World War II.
-
* New York World's Fair
|
1940
|
The first copy machine is
developed from Carlson's
patent
|
Evacuation of British troops at Dunkerque
|
|
1941
|
Aerosol spray cans are
developed in the United
States by Lyle David
Goodloe and W.N. Sullivan
|
Pearl Harbor attacked. U.S. enters World War II
|
|
1942
|
-
* Seeds of the first
nuclear reactor
developed in experiments
by Enrico Fermi et al in
the US
-
* Napalm developed at
Harvard University, US
|
Bataan Death march of American POWs
|
|
1943
|
|
Warsaw Ghetto uprising by persecuted Jews
|
|
1944
|
The Mark I, the first information-processing digital computer, invented by Howard Aiken, US
|
-
D-Day - the day of beach landings by allied troops on France's Normandy coast
-
The first Nazi death camp is liberated by the Soviet army
|
|
1945
|
-
Atomic bomb developed in Los Alamos US by J. Robert Oppenheimer et al
-
Vannevar Bush proposes hypertext
|
-
* Berlin falls
-
* Atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki
-
* World War II ends
-
* Nuremberg trials
|
|
1947
|
-
* Holograph is invented by
Dennis Gabor, UK
-
* Microwave oven created
by Percy Spencer, US
-
* Polaroid camera is
invented by Edwin Land,
US
|
|
|
1948
|
|
-
* Mohammed Gandhi is assasinated
-
* Alger Hiss is put on trial for
alleged treason
|
|
1949
|
|
Mao Zedong declares the
Communist People's Republic
of China
|
|
1950 -
1953
|
|
Korean War
|
|
1951
|
-
* Oral contraceptive pill,
Gregory Pincus, Min
Church Chang, John Rock,
Carl Djerassi, US
-
* Hydrogen bomb developed
in the United States
|
|
|
1952
|
|
Elizabeth II ascends the
British throne
|
|
1953
|
First musical synthesizer is developed by RCA
|
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed
in the United States for selling secrets to
the Soviet Union
|
|
1954
|
|
-
* French forces fall to the Vietnamese
at Dien Bien Phu, signalling the end of
French involvement and the beginning of
American involvement (as "military
advisors" begin to go to Vietnam)
-
* Brown vs. Board of Education makes
segregation in U.S. schools illegal
|
|
1955
|
Fiber optics invented by
Narinder Kapamy, UK
|
|
|
1957
|
Clarence Lillehie and Earl
Bahk create the first
internal pacemaker
|
|
|
1958
|
|
Fundamental theoretical
work on the laser by US
scientists Charles H.
Townes and Arthur L.
Schwalow, and Soviet
scientists N. Basov and
A. Prokhorov
|
|
1960
|
First laser, Theo Maiman,
US
|
|
|
1963
|
|
Ngo Dinh Diem, leader of South
Vietnam, is assasinated
|
|
1964
|
|
Gulf of Tonkin Resolution signals
the beginning of America's unofficial
war with North Vietnam and Viet
Cong rebels in South Vietnam
|
|
1965
|
Ted Nelson develops Xanadu
hypertext system
|
|
|
1968
|
|
The Tet Offensive is a military
failure and public relations coup
for Viet Cong rebels in South
Vietnam; U.S. Marines battle snipers
and rebels for weeks in Hue;
Beginning of Paris Peace Talks
between two sides in Vietnam war
|
|
1969
|
|
Ho Chi Minh, "Uncle Ho", leader of
North Vietnam, dies in Hanoi
|
|
1970
|
-
* Computer-scanned binary
signal code first used
(aka "bar codes"),
Plessey
Telecommunications, UK
-
* Liquid crystal display
(or LCD) invented by
Hoffmann-LaRoche,
Switzerland
|
|
|
1972
|
-
* Compact disc, RCA, US
-
* Video disk developed by
Philips Company,
Netherlands
|
|
|
1975
|
Development of Beta VCR
system by Sony, Japan;
and the VHS system by
Matsushita, Japan.
|
|
|
1977
|
Apple II, the first home
computer, by Steve Jobs
and Steve Wozniak
|
|
|
1979
|
ViziCalc, first spreadsheet
program, Apple II.
|
|
| | | |