![Surrender of Lord Cornwallis](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Surrender_of_Lord_Cornwallis.jpg)
The 18th century lasted from January 1,
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
(
MDCCI) to December 31,
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16 ...
(
MDCCC). During the 18th century, elements of
Enlightenment thinking culminated in the
American,
French, and
Haitian Revolutions. During the century,
slave trading
The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of en ...
and
human trafficking expanded across the shores of the
Atlantic
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, while declining in
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
,
China, and
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. Revolutions began to challenge the legitimacy of monarchical and aristocratic power structures, including the structures and beliefs that
supported slavery. The
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
began during mid-century, leading to radical changes in
human society
A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
and the
environment.
Western historians have occasionally defined the 18th century otherwise for the purposes of their work. For example, the "short" 18th century may be defined as 1715–1789, denoting the period of time between the death of
Louis XIV of France
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of ...
and the start of the French Revolution, with an emphasis on directly interconnected events. To historians who expand the century to include larger historical movements, the "long" 18th century
may run from the
Glorious Revolution of 1688 to the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
in
1815 or even later.
The period is also known as the "century of lights" or the "century of reason". In continental Europe, philosophers dreamed of a brighter age. For some, this dream turned into a reality with the French Revolution of 1789, though this was later compromised by the excesses of the
Reign of Terror. At first, many monarchies of Europe embraced Enlightenment ideals, but in the wake of the French Revolution they feared loss of power and formed broad coalitions to oppose the
French Republic in the
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
.
The 18th century also marked the end of the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...
as an independent state. Its semi-democratic government system was not robust enough to rival the neighboring states of the
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...
,
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, which
partitioned the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth between themselves, changing the landscape of
Central Europe
Central Europe is an area of Europe between Western Europe and Eastern Europe, based on a common historical, social and cultural identity. The Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) between Catholicism and Protestantism significantly shaped the a ...
and politics for the next hundred years.
The
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
experienced an unprecedented period of peace and economic expansion, taking part in no European wars from 1740 to 1768. As a consequence, the empire was not exposed to Europe's military improvements of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
. The Ottoman Empire military may have fallen behind and suffered several defeats against Russia in the second half of the century. In
Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
,
Nader Shah led successful military campaigns and major invasions, which indirectly led to the founding of the
Durrani Empire.
The
European colonization of the Americas
During the Age of Discovery, a large scale European colonization of the Americas took place between about 1492 and 1800. Although the Norse had explored and colonized areas of the North Atlantic, colonizing Greenland and creating a short t ...
and other parts of the world intensified and associated mass migrations of people grew in size as part of the
Age of Sail. European colonization intensified in present-day
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, where the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
established increasing levels of control over the
Mataram Sultanate. Mainland Southeast Asia would be embroiled in the
Konbaung–Ayutthaya Wars and the
Tây Sơn rebellion, while in East Asia, the century marked the
High Qing era and the continual
seclusion policies of the
Tokugawa shogunate
The Tokugawa shogunate (, Japanese 徳川幕府 ''Tokugawa bakufu''), also known as the , was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"''Tokugawa-jidai''"in ''Japan Encyclopedia ...
.
Various conflicts throughout the century, including the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
and the
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
saw
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...
triumphing over its European rivals to become the preeminent colonial power in Europe. However, Britain lost its
colonies in North America after the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, which went on to form the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, initiating the
decolonization of the Americas. The European colonization of
Australia and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
began during the late half of the century.
In the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, the death of
Mughal emperor
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...
Aurangzeb marked the end of
medieval India
Medieval India refers to a long period of Post-classical history of the Indian subcontinent between the "ancient period" and "modern period". It is usually regarded as running approximately from the breakup of the Gupta Empire in the 6th cen ...
and the beginning of an increasing level of European
influence and control in the region, which coincided with a period of rapid
Maratha expansion. By the middle of the century, the
British East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
began to conquer the eastern parts of India, a process which accelerated after their victory over the
Nawab of Bengal and their
French allies at the
Battle of Plassey. By the end of the century,
Company rule in India
Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, when ...
had come to cover more regions within
South Asia
South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...
, the British would also expand to the south, participating in the
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Pres ...
against the
Kingdom of Mysore, governed by
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan (born Sultan Fateh Ali Sahab Tipu, 1 December 1751 – 4 May 1799), also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore based in South India. He was a pioneer of rocket artillery.Dalrymple, p. 243 He i ...
and his father
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali ( حیدر علی, ''Haidarālī''; 1720 – 7 December 1782) was the Sultan and ''de facto'' ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born as Hyder Ali, he distinguished himself as a soldier, eventually drawing the at ...
.
Events
1701–1750
![Marlborough-duke-first](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Marlborough-duke-first.jpg)
*
1700
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 19), where then Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 11 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 17 ...
–
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
:
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
between the
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
and
Swedish Empire
The Swedish Empire was a European great power that exercised territorial control over much of the Baltic region during the 17th and early 18th centuries ( sv, Stormaktstiden, "the Era of Great Power"). The beginning of the empire is usually ta ...
s.
*
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
:
Kingdom of Prussia
The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918. Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. ...
declared under King
Frederick I Frederick I may refer to:
* Frederick of Utrecht or Frederick I (815/16–834/38), Bishop of Utrecht.
* Frederick I, Duke of Upper Lorraine (942–978)
* Frederick I, Duke of Swabia (1050–1105)
* Frederick I, Count of Zoll ...
.
*
1701
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Parts of the Netherlands adopt the Gregorian cal ...
–
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: The
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
is fought, involving most of continental
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
.
*
1702
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 2 – A total solar eclipse is visible from the south ...
–
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
:
Camisard rebellion in France.
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
:
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
is founded by
Peter the Great; it is the Russian
capital until
1918.
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
–
1711: The
Rákóczi uprising against the
Habsburg monarchy.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible i ...
: End of Japan's
Genroku
was a after Jōkyō and before Hōei. The Genroku period spanned the years from the ninth month of 1688 to the third month of 1704. The reigning emperor was .Titsingh, Isaac. (1834). ''Annales des empereurs du japon'', p. 415.
The period w ...
period.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible i ...
:
First Javanese War of Succession
The First Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat III of Mataram and the Dutch East India Company who supported the claim of the Sultan's uncle, Pangeran Puger to the throne.
Amangkurat II died in 1703 and was brie ...
.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 82]
*
1706
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Monday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 26 – War of Spanish Succession: The uprising by Bavaria ...
–
1713
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...
: The
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
: French troops defeated at the battles of
Ramillies and
Turin
Turin ( , Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital from 1861 to 1865. The ...
.
*
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
: Death of Mughal Emperor
Aurangzeb leads to the fragmentation of the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
.
*
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
: The
Act of Union is passed, merging the Scottish and English Parliaments, thus establishing the
Kingdom of Great Britain
The Kingdom of Great Britain (officially Great Britain) was a Sovereign state, sovereign country in Western Europe from 1 May 1707 to the end of 31 December 1800. The state was created by the 1706 Treaty of Union and ratified by the Acts of ...
.
*
1708
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing t ...
: The
Company of Merchants of London Trading into the East Indies and English Company Trading to the East Indies merge to form the United Company of Merchants of England Trading to the East Indies.
*
1708
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Wednesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 1 – Charles XII of Sweden invades Russia, by crossing t ...
–
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: Famine kills one-third of
East Prussia's population.
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: Foundation of the
Hotak Afghan Empire.
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: The
Great Frost of 1709
The Great Frost, as it was known in England, or ' ("The Great Winter"), as it was known in France, was an extraordinarily cold winter in Europe in 1708–1709,. and was the coldest European winter during the past 500 years.
Notability
William ...
marks the coldest winter in 500 years, contributing to the defeat of
Sweden at
Poltava.
*
1710
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin by ...
: The world's first
copyright legislation
A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, education ...
,
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
's
Statute of Anne, takes effect.
*
1710
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin by ...
–
1711:
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
fights Russia in the
Russo-Turkish War
The Russo-Turkish wars (or Ottoman–Russian wars) were a series of twelve wars fought between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire between the 16th and 20th centuries. It was one of the longest series of military conflicts in European histo ...
and regains
Azov
Azov (russian: Азов), previously known as Azak,
is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town. Population:
History
Early settlements in the vicinity
The mout ...
.
*
1711:
Bukhara Khanate dissolves as local begs seize power.
*
1711–
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
:
Tuscarora War
The Tuscarora War was fought in North Carolina from September 10, 1711 until February 11, 1715 between the Tuscarora people and their allies on one side and European American settlers, the Yamassee, and other allies on the other. This was con ...
between British, Dutch, and German settlers and the
Tuscarora people
The Tuscarora (in Tuscarora ''Skarù:ręˀ'', "hemp gatherers" or "Shirt-Wearing People") are a Native American tribe and First Nations band government of the Iroquoian family, with members today in New York, USA, and Ontario, Canada. They c ...
of
North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...
.
*
1713
Events
January–March
* January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ref ...
: The
Kangxi Emperor
The Kangxi Emperor (4 May 1654– 20 December 1722), also known by his temple name Emperor Shengzu of Qing, born Xuanye, was the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, and the second Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1661 to ...
acknowledges the full recovery of the Chinese economy since its apex during the
Ming
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peop ...
.
*
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: In Amsterdam,
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
invents the
mercury-in-glass thermometer
The mercury-in-glass or mercury thermometer was invented by physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit in Amsterdam (1714). It consists of a bulb containing mercury attached to a glass tube of narrow diameter; the volume of mercury in the tube is much ...
, which remains the most reliable and accurate thermometer until the electronic era.
*
1715
Events
For dates within Great Britain and the British Empire, as well as in the Russian Empire, the "old style" Julian calendar was used in 1715, and can be converted to the "new style" Gregorian calendar (adopted in the British Empire i ...
: The
first Jacobite rising breaks out; the British halt the Jacobite advance at the
Battle of Sheriffmuir;
Battle of Preston.
*
1716
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The application of the Nueva Planta decrees to Catalonia make it subject to the laws of the Crown of Castile, and abolishes the Principality of Catalonia as a political entity, conclud ...
: Establishment of the
Sikh Confederacy
The Misls (derived from an Arabic word مِثْل meaning 'equal') were the twelve sovereign states of the Sikh Confederacy, which rose during the 18th century in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent and is cit ...
along the present-day India-
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
border.
*
1716
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The application of the Nueva Planta decrees to Catalonia make it subject to the laws of the Crown of Castile, and abolishes the Principality of Catalonia as a political entity, conclud ...
–
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discu ...
:
Austro-Venetian-Turkish War.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discu ...
: The city of
is founded by the French in North America.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discu ...
–
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty o ...
:
War of the Quadruple Alliance
The War of the Quadruple Alliance (1718–1720) was caused by Spanish attempts to recover territories in Italy ceded in the 1713 Peace of Utrecht. Largely focused on Sicily, it included minor engagements in North America and Northern Europe as we ...
between Spain, France, Britain, Austria, and the Netherlands.
*
1718
Events
January – March
* January 7 – In India, Sufi rebel leader Shah Inayat Shaheed from Sindh who had led attacks against the Mughal Empire, is beheaded days after being tricked into meeting with the Mughals to discu ...
–
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (An ...
:
Tulip period
The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era (Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, tr, Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peacef ...
of the Ottoman Empire.
*
1719:
Second Javanese War of Succession
The Second Javanese War of Succession was a struggle between Sultan Amangkurat IV of Mataram supported by the Dutch East India Company (Dutch: ''Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie'', VOC) against the rebellion of rival Princes who contested his ...
.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 84]
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty o ...
: The
South Sea Bubble.
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty o ...
–
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: The
Great Plague of Marseille.
*
1720
Events
January–March
* February 10 – Edmond Halley is appointed as Astronomer Royal for England.
* January 21 – Sweden and Prussia sign the Treaty of Stockholm (Great Northern War).
* February 17 – The Treaty o ...
: Qing forces oust
Dzungar invaders from
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
.
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: The
Treaty of Nystad
The Treaty of Nystad (russian: Ништадтский мир; fi, Uudenkaupungin rauha; sv, Freden i Nystad; et, Uusikaupunki rahu) was the last peace treaty of the Great Northern War of 1700–1721. It was concluded between the Tsardom of ...
is signed, ending the
Great Northern War
The Great Northern War (1700–1721) was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in Northern, Central and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swed ...
.
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
:
Sack of Shamakhi
The Sack of Shamakhi took place on 18 August 1721, when rebellious Sunni Lezgins, within the declining Safavid Empire, attacked the capital of Shirvan province, Shamakhi (in present-day Azerbaijan Republic). The initially successful counter-cam ...
, massacre of its Shia population by
Sunni Lezgins
Lezgins or Leks ( lez, Лезгияр, Лекьер. lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan. The Lezgin are predominantly Sunni Muslims and s ...
.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), a ...
:
Siege of Isfahan
The siege of Isfahan was a six-month-long siege of Isfahan, the capital of the Safavid dynasty of Iran, by the Hotaki-led Afghan army. It lasted from March to October 1722 and resulted in the city's fall and the beginning of the end of the Safavid ...
results in the handover of Iran to the
Hotaki Afghans.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), a ...
–
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
:
Russo-Persian War.
*
1722
Events
January–March
* January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London.
* February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), a ...
–
1725
Events
January–March
* January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
: Controversy over
William Wood William Wood may refer to:
Politicians
* William Wood (MP for Berkshire), Member of Parliament (MP) for Berkshire, 1395
* William Wood (15th century MP), MP for Winchester, 1413
* William Wood, 1st Baron Hatherley (1801–1881), British state ...
's halfpence leads to the ''
Drapier's Letters
''Drapier's Letters'' is the collective name for a series of seven pamphlets written between 1724 and 1725 by the Dean of St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin, Jonathan Swift, to arouse public opinion in Ireland against the imposition of a priv ...
'' and begins the Irish economic independence from England movement.
![7 Muhammad Shah and Nadir Shah](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/7_Muhammad_Shah_and_Nadir_Shah._1740%2C_Musee_Guimet%2C_Paris.jpg)
*
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
:
Slavery
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
is abolished in Russia;
Peter the Great converts household
slaves into house
serfs.
*
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
–
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (An ...
: The "Great Disaster", an invasion of
Kazakh territories by the
Dzungars
The Dzungar people (also written as Zunghar; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') were the many Mongol Oirat tribes who formed and maintained the Dzungar Khanate in the 17th and 18th centuries. Historically they were one of major tr ...
.
*
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
–
1732
Events
January–March
* January 21 – Russia and Persia sign the Treaty of Riascha at Resht. Based on the terms of the agreement, Russia will no longer establish claims over Persian territories.
* February 9 – The Swedis ...
: The Qing and the Dzungars fight a series of wars across
Qinghai
Qinghai (; alternately romanized as Tsinghai, Ch'inghai), also known as Kokonor, is a landlocked province in the northwest of the People's Republic of China. It is the fourth largest province of China by area and has the third smallest po ...
,
Dzungaria
Dzungaria (; from the Mongolian words , meaning 'left hand') is a geographical subregion in Northwest China that corresponds to the northern half of Xinjiang. It is thus also known as Beijiang, which means "Northern Xinjiang". Bounded by the ...
, and
Outer Mongolia, with inconclusive results.
*
1724
Events
January–March
* January 15 – King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne in favour of his 16-year-old son Louis I.
* January 18 – The Dutch East India Company cargo ship ''Fortuyn'', on its maiden voyage, dep ...
:
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
proposes the
Fahrenheit
The Fahrenheit scale () is a temperature scale based on one proposed in 1724 by the physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit (1686–1736). It uses the degree Fahrenheit (symbol: °F) as the unit. Several accounts of how he originally defined hi ...
temperature scale.
*
1725
Events
January–March
* January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
:
Austro-Spanish alliance revived. Russia joins in 1726.
*
1727
Events
January–March
* January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...
–
1729
Events
January–March
* January 8 – Frederick, the eldest son of King George II of Great Britain is made Prince of Wales at the age of 21, a few months after he comes to Britain for the first time after growing up in Hano ...
:
Anglo-Spanish War ends inconclusively.
*
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (An ...
:
Mahmud I takes over Ottoman Empire after the
Patrona Halil
Patrona Halil ( sq, Halil Patrona, tr, Patrona Halil; c. 1690 in Hrupishta – November 25, 1730 in Constantinople) was the instigator of a mob uprising in 1730 which replaced Sultan Ahmed III with Mahmud I and ended the Tulip period.Altına ...
revolt, ending the
Tulip period
The Tulip Period, or Tulip Era (Ottoman Turkish: لاله دورى, tr, Lâle Devri), is a period in Ottoman history from the Treaty of Passarowitz on 21 July 1718 to the Patrona Halil Revolt on 28 September 1730. This was a relatively peacef ...
.
*
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (An ...
–
1760
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Battle of Barari Ghat: Afghan forces defeat the Marathas.
* January 22 – Seven Years' War – Battle of Wandiwash, India: British general Sir Eyre Coote is victorious over the Fr ...
: The
First Great Awakening
The First Great Awakening (sometimes Great Awakening) or the Evangelical Revival was a series of Christian revivals that swept Britain and its thirteen North American colonies in the 1730s and 1740s. The revival movement permanently affecte ...
takes place in Great Britain and North America.
*
1732
Events
January–March
* January 21 – Russia and Persia sign the Treaty of Riascha at Resht. Based on the terms of the agreement, Russia will no longer establish claims over Persian territories.
* February 9 – The Swedis ...
–
1734:
Crimean Tatar raids into Russia.
*
1733
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Borommarachathirat V becomes King of Siam (now Thailand) upon the death of King Sanphet IX.
* January 27 – George Frideric Handel's classic opera, ''Orlando'' is performed for th ...
–
1738
Events
January–March
* January 1 – At least 664 African slaves drown, when the Dutch West Indies Company slave ship ''Leusden'' capsizes and sinks in the Maroni River, during its arrival in Surinam. The Dutch crew escape ...
:
War of the Polish Succession
The War of the Polish Succession ( pl, Wojna o sukcesję polską; 1733–35) was a major European conflict sparked by a Polish civil war over the succession to Augustus II of Poland, which the other European powers widened in pursuit of thei ...
.
![Portrait of the Qianlong Emperor in Court Dress](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Portrait_of_the_Qianlong_Emperor_in_Court_Dress.jpg)
*
1735
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Alexander Pope's poem '' Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot'' is published in London.
* January 8 – George Frideric Handel's opera ''Ariodante'' is premièred at the Royal Opera House in Covent ...
–
1739
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
* January 3: A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region ...
:
Austro-Russo-Turkish War.
*
1735
Events
January–March
* January 2 – Alexander Pope's poem '' Epistle to Dr Arbuthnot'' is published in London.
* January 8 – George Frideric Handel's opera ''Ariodante'' is premièred at the Royal Opera House in Covent ...
–
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: The
Qianlong Emperor of China oversees a huge expansion in territory.
*
1738
Events
January–March
* January 1 – At least 664 African slaves drown, when the Dutch West Indies Company slave ship ''Leusden'' capsizes and sinks in the Maroni River, during its arrival in Surinam. The Dutch crew escape ...
–
1756
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain.
*February 7 ...
:
Famine
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompani ...
across the
Sahel; half the population of
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
dies.
*
1737
Events
January–March
* January 5 – Spain and the Holy Roman Empire sign instruments of cession at Pontremoli in the Grand Duchy of Tuscany in Italy, with the Empire receiving control of Tuscany and the Grand Duchy of Parma a ...
–
1738
Events
January–March
* January 1 – At least 664 African slaves drown, when the Dutch West Indies Company slave ship ''Leusden'' capsizes and sinks in the Maroni River, during its arrival in Surinam. The Dutch crew escape ...
: Hotaki Afghan Empire ends after the
Siege of Kandahar
The siege of Kandahar began when Nader Shah's Afsharid army invaded southern Afghanistan to topple the last Hotaki stronghold of Loy Kandahar, which was held by Hussain Hotaki. It took place in the Old Kandahar area of the modern city of Kand ...
by
Nader Shah.
*
1739
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
* January 3: A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region ...
: Great Britain and Spain fight the
War of Jenkins' Ear
The War of Jenkins' Ear, or , was a conflict lasting from 1739 to 1748 between Britain and the Spanish Empire. The majority of the fighting took place in New Granada and the Caribbean Sea, with major operations largely ended by 1742. It is con ...
in the Caribbean.
*
1739
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
* January 3: A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region ...
: Nader Shah defeats a pan-Indian army of 300,000 at the
Battle of Karnal
The Battle of Karnal (24 February 1739), was a decisive victory for Nader Shah, the founder of the Afsharid dynasty of Iran, during his invasion of India. Nader's forces defeated the army of Muhammad Shah within three hours, paving the way fo ...
. Taxation is stopped in Iran for three years.
*
1739
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Bouvet Island is discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, in the South Atlantic Ocean.
* January 3: A 7.6 earthquake shakes the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region ...
–
1740:
Nader Shah's Sindh expedition.
*
1740:
Great Awakening,
George Whitefield
*
1740–
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...
:
Famine in Ireland kills 20 percent of the population.
*
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...
–
1743
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Verendrye brothers, probably Louis-Joseph and François de La Vérendrye, become the first white people to see the Rocky Mountains from the eastern side (the Spanish conquistadors ...
: Iran invades
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked co ...
,
Khwarazm
Khwarazm (; Old Persian: ''Hwârazmiya''; fa, خوارزم, ''Xwârazm'' or ''Xârazm'') or Chorasmia () is a large oasis region on the Amu Darya river delta in western Central Asia, bordered on the north by the (former) Aral Sea, on the ea ...
,
Dagestan, and
Oman
Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...
.
*
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...
–
1751:
Maratha invasions of Bengal
The Maratha invasions of Bengal (1741-1751), also known as the Maratha expeditions in Bengal, refers to the frequent invasions by the Maratha forces in the Bengal Subah (Bengal, Bihar, parts of modern Orissa), after their successful campaign i ...
.
*
1740–
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
:
War of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession () was a European conflict that took place between 1740 and 1748. Fought primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italy, the Atlantic and Mediterranean, related conflicts included King George's ...
.
*
1742
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Robert Walpole is made Earl of Orford, and resigns as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively ending his period as Prime Minister of Great Britain. On his for ...
:
**
Marvel's Mill
Marvel's Mill (or Marvell's Mill) on the River Nene in Northampton, England, was the world's second factory for spinning cotton, the first to be operated as a water mill, and the first to be driven by an inanimate power-source. Opened by Edward ...
, the first water-powered
cotton mill
A cotton mill is a building that houses spinning or weaving machinery for the production of yarn or cloth from cotton, an important product during the Industrial Revolution in the development of the factory system.
Although some were driven b ...
, begins operation in England.
**
Anders Celsius
Anders Celsius (; 27 November 170125 April 1744) was a Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germ ...
proposes an inverted form of the centigrade temperature, which is later renamed
Celsius in his honor.
*
1742
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Robert Walpole is made Earl of Orford, and resigns as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively ending his period as Prime Minister of Great Britain. On his for ...
: Premiere of
Handel's
''Messiah''
*
1743
Events
January–March
* January 1 – The Verendrye brothers, probably Louis-Joseph and François de La Vérendrye, become the first white people to see the Rocky Mountains from the eastern side (the Spanish conquistadors ...
–
1746
Events
January–March
* January 8 – The Young Pretender Charles Edward Stuart occupies Stirling, Scotland.
* January 17 – Battle of Falkirk Muir: British Government forces are defeated by Jacobite forces.
* February ...
: Another
Ottoman-Persian War involves 375,000 men but ultimately ends in a stalemate.
![The Battle of Culloden](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/The_Battle_of_Culloden.jpg)
*
1744
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued.
* January 24 – The Dag ...
: The
First Saudi State
The Emirate of Diriyah (), also known as the First Saudi State, was established in February 1727 (1139 AH). In 1744, the emir of Najdi town called Diriyah Muhammad bin Saud and the religious leader Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance ...
is founded by
Mohammed Ibn Saud.
*
1744
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued.
* January 24 – The Dag ...
:
Battle of Toulon is fought off the coast of France.
*
1744
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued.
* January 24 – The Dag ...
–
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
: The
First Carnatic War
The First Carnatic War (1740–1748) was the Indian theatre of the War of the Austrian Succession and the first of a series of Carnatic Wars that established early British dominance on the east coast of the Indian subcontinent. In this conflict ...
is fought between the British, the French, the
Marathas
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
, and Mysore in India.
* 1745: Jacobite rising of 1745, Second Jacobite rising is begun by Charles Edward Stuart in Scotland.
* 1747: The
Durrani Empire is founded by Ahmad Shah Durrani.
*
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
: The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1748), Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle ends the War of the Austrian Succession and First Carnatic War.
*
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
–1754: The Carnatic Wars, Second Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, the
Marathas
The Marathi people ( Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a ...
, and Mysore in India.
* 1750: Peak of the Little Ice Age.
1751–1800
* 1754: The Treaty of Pondicherry ends the Second Carnatic War and recognizes Muhammed Ali Khan Wallajah as Nawab of the Carnatic.
* 1754: Columbia University, King's College is founded by a royal charter of George II of Great Britain.
* 1754–1763: The
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...
, the North American chapter of the
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
, is fought in colonial North America, mostly by the French and their allies against the English and their allies.
* 1755: The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, great Lisbon earthquake destroys most of Portugal's capital and kills up to 100,000.
* 1755: The Dzungar genocide depopulates much of northern Xinjiang, allowing for Han, Uyghur, Khalkha Mongol, and Manchu colonization.
* 1755–1763: The Expulsion of the Acadians, Great Upheaval forces transfer of the French Acadian population from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.
*
1756
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain.
*February 7 ...
–1763: The
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (175 ...
is fought among European powers in various theaters around the world.
*
1756
Events
January–March
* January 16 – The Treaty of Westminster is signed between Great Britain and Prussia, guaranteeing the neutrality of the Kingdom of Hanover, controlled by King George II of Great Britain.
*February 7 ...
–1763: The Third Carnatic War is fought between the British, the French, and Mysore in India.
* 1757: Battle of Plassey, British conquest of Bengal.
*
1760
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Battle of Barari Ghat: Afghan forces defeat the Marathas.
* January 22 – Seven Years' War – Battle of Wandiwash, India: British general Sir Eyre Coote is victorious over the Fr ...
: George III becomes King of Britain.
* 1761: Maratha Empire defeated at Battle of Panipat (1761), Battle of Panipat.
* 1762–1796: Reign of Catherine II of Russia, Catherine the Great of Russia.
* 1763: The Treaty of Paris (1763), Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War and Third Carnatic War.
* 1764: The Mughals are defeated at the Battle of Buxar.
* 1765: The Stamp Act 1765, Stamp Act is introduced into the Thirteen Colonies, American colonies by the British Parliament.
* 1767, 1765–1767: The Burmese–Siamese War (1765–1767), Burmese invade Thailand and utterly destroy Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (city), Attuthaya.
* 1765–1769: Konbaung dynasty, Burma under Hsinbyushin repels Sino-Burmese War, four invasions from Qing China, securing hegemony over the Shan States, Shan states.
* 1766: Christian VII of Denmark, Christian VII becomes king of Denmark. He was Danish Realm, king of Denmark to 1808.
* 1766–
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
:
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of four wars fought during the last three decades of the 18th century between the Sultanate of Mysore on the one hand, and the British East India Company (represented chiefly by the neighbouring Madras Pres ...
.
* 1767: Taksin expels Burmese invaders and reunites Thailand under an authoritarian regime.
* 1768–1772: War of the Bar Confederation.
* 1768–1774: Russo-Turkish War (1768–1774), Russo-Turkish War.
* 1769: Spanish missionary, missionaries establish the first of 21 Spanish Missions of California, missions in California.
* 1769–1770: James Cook explores and maps New Zealand and Australia.
* 1769–1773: The Bengal famine of 1770 kills one-third of the Bengal population.
* 1769: The French East India Company dissolves, only to be revived in 1785.
* 1769: French expeditions capture clove plants in Ambon Island, Ambon, ending the VOC monopoly of the plant.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 102] (to 1772)
* 1770–1771: Famines in Czech lands, Famine in Czech lands kills hundreds of thousands.
* 1771: The Plague Riot in Moscow.
* 1771: The Kalmyk Khanate dissolves as the territory becomes colonized by Russians. More than a hundred thousand Kalmyks migrate back to Xinjiang under Qing rule, Qing Dzungaria.
* 1772: Gustav III of Sweden stages a coup d'état, becoming almost an absolute monarch.
* 1772–1779: Maratha Empire fights Britain and Raghunathrao's forces during the First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 1772–1795: The Partitions of Poland end the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, formally known as the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and, after 1791, as the Commonwealth of Poland, was a bi- confederal state, sometimes called a federation, of Poland and Lithuania ru ...
and erase Poland from the map for 123 years.
* 1773–1775: Pugachev's Rebellion, the largest peasant revolt in Russian history.
* 1773: East India Company starts operations in Bengal to smuggle First Opium War, opium into China.
* 1775: Russia imposes a reduction in autonomy on the Zaporozhian Sich, Zaporizhian Cossacks of Ukraine.
* 1775–1782: First Anglo-Maratha War.
* 1775–1783:
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
* 1776: Several Kongsi republic, Kongsi Republics are founded by Chinese settlers in the island of Borneo. They are some of the first democracies in Asia.
* 1776–1777: Spanish–Portuguese War (1776–1777), A Spanish-Portuguese War occurs over land in the South American frontiers.
* 1776: Illuminati founded by Adam Weishaupt.
* 1776: The United States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.
* 1776: Adam Smith publishes ''The Wealth of Nations''.
* 1778: James Cook becomes the first European to land on the Hawaiian Islands.
* 1778: Franco-American alliance signed.
* 1778: Spain acquires its Spanish Guinea, first permanent holding in Africa from the Portuguese, which is administrated by the newly-established Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata, La Plata Viceroyalty.
* 1778: Đại Việt, Vietnam is reunified for the first time in 200 years by the Tây Sơn dynasty, Tay Son brothers. The Tây Sơn dynasty has been established, terminated the Lê dynasty
* 1779–1879: Xhosa Wars between British and Boer settlers and the Xhosa people, Xhosas in the South African Republic.
* 1779–1783: Spain and the American Revolutionary War, Britain loses several islands and colonial outposts all over the world to the combined Franco-Spanish navy.
* 1779: Iran enters yet another period of conflict and civil war after the prosperous reign of Karim Khan Zand.
* 1780: Outbreak of the Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II, indigenous rebellion against Spanish colonization led by Túpac Amaru II in Peru.
* 1781: The city of Los Angeles is founded by Spaniards, Spanish settlers.
![Portrait of George Washington-transparent](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Portrait_of_George_Washington-transparent.png)
* 1781–1785: Serfdom is abolished in the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian monarchy (first step; second step in 1848).
* 1782: The Thonburi Kingdom of Thailand is dissolved after a palace coup.
* 1783: The Treaty of Paris (1783), Treaty of Paris formally ends the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
.
* 1783: Russian annexation of Crimean Khanate, Crimea.
* 1785–1791: Imam Sheikh Mansur, a Chechen people, Chechen warrior and Muslim mystic, leads a coalition of Muslim Peoples of the Caucasus, Caucasian tribes from throughout the Caucasus in a Jihad, holy war against Russian settlers and military bases in the Caucasus, as well as against local traditionalists, who followed the traditional customs and common law (Adat) rather than the theocratic Sharia.
* 1785–1795: The Northwest Indian War is fought between the United States and Indigenous peoples in the United States, Native Americans.
* 1785–1787: Maratha–Mysore Wars, The Maratha-Mysore War concludes with an exchange of territories in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan.
* 1786–1787: Mozart premieres The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni
* 1787: The Tuareg people, Tuareg occupies Timbuktu until the 19th century.
* 1787–1792: Russo-Turkish War (1787–1792), Russo-Turkish War.
* 1788: First Fleet arrives in Australia
* 1788–1790: Russo-Swedish War (1788–1790).
![Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6c/Declaration_of_the_Rights_of_Man_and_of_the_Citizen_in_1789.jpg)
* 1788–1789: A Qing attempt to reinstall an exiled Lê Chiêu Thống, Vietnamese king in northern Vietnam Battle of Ngọc Hồi-Đống Đa, ends in disaster.
* 1789: George Washington is elected the first President of the United States; he serves until 1797.
* 1789 : Quang Trung defeated the Qing dynasty, Qing army
* 1789–
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: French Revolution.
* 1789: The Liège Revolution.
* 1789: The Brabant Revolution.
* 1789: The Inconfidência Mineira, an unsuccessful separatist movement in central Brazil led by Tiradentes
* 1791: Suppression of the Liège Revolution by Holy Roman Empire, Austrian forces and re-establishment of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.
* 1791–1795: George Vancouver explores the world during the Vancouver Expedition.
* 1791–1804: The Haitian Revolution.
* 1791: Mozart premieres The Magic Flute
* 1792–1802: The
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...
lead into the Napoleonic Wars, which last from 1803–
1815.
* 1792: The New York Stock Exchange, New York Stock & Exchange Board is founded.
* 1792: Polish–Russian War of 1792.
* 1793: Upper Canada Act Against Slavery, bans slavery.
* 1793: The largest 1793 Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic, yellow fever epidemic in American history kills as many as 5,000 people in Philadelphia, roughly 10% of the population.
* 1793–1796: Revolt in the Vendée against the French Republic at the time of the French Revolution, Revolution.
* 1794–1816: The Hawkesbury and Nepean Wars, which were a series of incidents between settlers and New South Wales Corps and the Aboriginal Australian clans of the Hawkesbury River, Hawkesbury river in Sydney, Australia.
* 1795: The Marseillaise is officially adopted as the French national anthem.
![1801 Antoine-Jean Gros - Bonaparte on the Bridge at Arcole](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/1801_Antoine-Jean_Gros_-_Bonaparte_on_the_Bridge_at_Arcole.jpg)
* 1795: The Battle of Nuʻuanu in the final days of Kamehameha I, King Kamehameha I's wars to Unification of Hawaii, unify the Hawaiian Islands.
* 1795–1796: Battle of Krtsanisi, Iran invades and devastates Georgia, prompting Persian expedition of 1796, Russia to intervene and march on Tehran.
* 1796: Edward Jenner administers the first smallpox vaccination; smallpox killed an estimated 400,000 Europeans each year during the 18th century, including five reigning monarchs.
* 1796: War of the First Coalition: The Battle of Montenotte marks Napoleon Bonaparte's first victory as an army commander.
* 1796: The British eject the Dutch from Ceylon and Dutch Cape Colony, South Africa.
* 1796–1804: The White Lotus Rebellion against the Manchu dynasty in China.
* 1798: The Irish Rebellion of 1798, Irish Rebellion fails to overthrow British rule in Ireland.
* 1798–
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16 ...
: The Quasi-War is fought between the United States and France.
*
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
:
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
is dissolved.
*
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: Austro-Russian Alliance (1781), Austro-Russian forces under Alexander Suvorov Italian and Swiss expedition, liberates much of Italy and Switzerland from French occupation.
*
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: Coup of 18 Brumaire - Napoleon's coup d'etat brings the end of the French Revolution.
*
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: Death of the Qianlong Emperor after High Qing era, 60 years of rule over China. His favorite official, Heshen, is ordered to commit suicide.
*
1800
As of March 1 ( O.S. February 18), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 12 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 16 ...
: On 1 January, the bankrupt
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC) is formally dissolved and the nationalised Dutch East Indies are established.
[Ricklefs (1991), page 106]
Inventions, discoveries, introductions
![Spinning jenny](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Spinning_jenny.jpg)
*
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. John' ...
: The first piano was built by Bartolomeo Cristofori
*
1711: Tuning fork was invented by John Shore
* 1712: Steam engine invented by Thomas Newcomen
*
1714
Events
January–March
* January 21 – After being tricked into deserting a battle against India's Mughal Empire by the rebel Sayyid brothers, Prince Azz-ud-din Mirza is blinded on orders of the Emperor Farrukhsiyar as punishment.
* Feb ...
: Mercury thermometer by
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit
Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit FRS (; ; 24 May 1686 – 16 September 1736) was a physicist, inventor, and scientific instrument maker. Born in Poland to a family of German extraction, he later moved to the Dutch Republic at age 15, where he spen ...
* 1717: Diving bell was successfully tested by Edmond Halley, sustainable to a depth of 55 ft
* c.
1730
Events
January–March
* January 30 (January 19 O.S.) – At dawn, Emperor Peter II of Russia dies of smallpox, aged 14 in Moscow, on the eve of his projected marriage.
* February 26 (February 15 O.S.) – Anna of Russia (An ...
: Octant (instrument), Octant navigational tool was developed by John Hadley in England, and Thomas Godfrey (inventor), Thomas Godfrey in America
*
1733
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Borommarachathirat V becomes King of Siam (now Thailand) upon the death of King Sanphet IX.
* January 27 – George Frideric Handel's classic opera, ''Orlando'' is performed for th ...
: Flying shuttle invented by John Kay (flying shuttle), John Kay
* 1736: Europeans encountered rubber – the discovery was made by Charles Marie de La Condamine while on expedition in South America. It was named in 1770 by Joseph Priestley
* c.
1740: Modern steel was developed by Benjamin Huntsman
*
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...
: Vitus Bering discovers Alaska
* 1745: Leyden jar invented by Ewald Georg von Kleist was the first electrical capacitor
*
1751: Jacques de Vaucanson perfects the first precision lathe
* 1752: Lightning rod invented by Benjamin Franklin
* 1753: The first clock to be built in the New World (North America) was invented by Benjamin Banneker.
* 1755: The tallest ''wooden'' Bodhisattva statue in the world is erected at Puning Temple (Hebei), Puning Temple, Chengde, China.
* 1764: Spinning jenny created by James Hargreaves brought on the
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...
* 1765: James Watt enhances Newcomen's steam engine, allowing new steel technologies
* 1761: The problem of longitude was finally resolved by the fourth marine chronometer, chronometer of John Harrison
* 1763: Thomas Bayes publishes first version of Bayes' theorem, paving the way for Bayesian probability
* 1768–1779: James Cook mapped the boundaries of the Pacific Ocean and discovered many Pacific Islands
* 1774: Joseph Priestley discovers "dephlogisticated air", oxygen
![Red building Putuo Zongcheng Temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/af/Red_building_Putuo_Zongcheng_Temple.JPG)
* 1775: Joseph Priestley first synthesis of "phlogisticated nitrous air", nitrous oxide, "laughing gas"
* 1776: First improved steam engines installed by James Watt
* 1776: Steamboat invented by Claude de Jouffroy
* 1777: Circular saw invented by Samuel Miller
* 1779: Photosynthesis was first discovered by Jan Ingenhousz
* 1781: William Herschel announces discovery of Uranus
* 1784: Bifocals invented by Benjamin Franklin
* 1784: Argand lamp invented by Aimé Argand
* 1785: Power loom invented by Edmund Cartwright
* 1785: Production line, Automatic flour mill invented by Oliver Evans
* 1786: Threshing machine invented by Andrew Meikle
* 1787: Jacques Charles discovers Charles's law
* 1789: Antoine Lavoisier discovers the law of conservation of mass, the basis for chemistry, and begins modern chemistry
* 1798: Edward Jenner publishes a treatise about smallpox vaccination
* 1798: The Lithography, Lithographic printing process invented by Alois Senefelder
[Meggs, Philip B. A History of Graphic Design. (1998) John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p 146 ]
*
1799
Events
January–June
* January 9 – British Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger introduces an income tax of two shillings to the pound, to raise funds for Great Britain's war effort in the French Revolutionary Wars.
* Janu ...
: Rosetta Stone discovered by Napoleon's troops
Literary and philosophical achievements
*
1703
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Thursday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 9 – The Jamaican town of Port Royal, a center of trade ...
: ''The Love Suicides at Sonezaki'' by Chikamatsu first performed
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible i ...
–1717: ''One Thousand and One Nights'' translated into French by Antoine Galland. The work becomes immensely popular throughout Europe.
*
1704
In the Swedish calendar it was a leap year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–June
* January 7 – Partial solar eclipse, Solar Saros 146, is visible i ...
: ''A Tale of a Tub'' by Jonathan Swift first published
* 1712: ''The Rape of the Lock'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version)
*
1719: ''Robinson Crusoe'' by Daniel Defoe
*
1725
Events
January–March
* January 15 – James Macrae, a former captain of a freighter for the British East India Company, is hired by the Company to administer the Madras Presidency (at the time, the "Presidency of Fort St. Geo ...
: ''The New Science'' by Giambattista Vico
* 1726: ''Gulliver's Travels'' by Jonathan Swift
* 1728: ''The Dunciad'' by Alexander Pope (publication of first version)
*
1744
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Royal Navy ship ''Bacchus'' engages the Spanish Navy privateer ''Begona'', and sinks it; 90 of the 120 Spanish sailors die, but 30 of the crew are rescued.
* January 24 – The Dag ...
: ''A Little Pretty Pocket-Book'' becomes one of the first Children's literature#History, books marketed for children
*
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
: ''Chushingura'' (''The Treasury of Loyal Retainers''), popular Japanese bunraku, puppet play, composed
*
1748
Events
January–March
* January 12 – Ahmad Shah Durrani captures Lahore.
* January 27 – A fire at the prison and barracks at Kinsale, in Ireland, kills 54 of the prisoners of war housed there. An estimated 500 pri ...
: ''Clarissa'' by Samuel Richardson
* 1749: ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'' by Henry Fielding
*
1751: ''Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard'' by Thomas Gray published
*
1751–1785: The French Encyclopédie
* 1755: ''A Dictionary of the English Language'' by Samuel Johnson
* 1759: ''Candide'' by Voltaire
* 1759: ''The Theory of Moral Sentiments'' by Adam Smith
* 1759–1767: ''Tristram Shandy'' by Laurence Sterne
* 1762: ''Emile: or, On Education'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* 1762: ''Social Contract (Rousseau), The Social Contract, Or Principles of Political Right'' by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
* 1774: ''The Sorrows of Young Werther'' by Goethe first published
* 1776: ''Ugetsu Monogatari'' (''Tales of Moonlight and Rain'') by Ueda Akinari
* 1776: ''The Wealth of Nations'', foundation of the modern theory of economy, was published by Adam Smith
* 1776–1789: ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'' was published by Edward Gibbon
* 1779: ''Amazing Grace'' published by John Newton
* 1779–1782: ''Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets'' by Samuel Johnson
* 1781: ''Critique of Pure Reason'' by Immanuel Kant (publication of first edition)
* 1781: ''The Robbers'' by Friedrich Schiller first published
* 1782: ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
* 1786: ''Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect'' by Robert Burns
* 1787–1788: ''The Federalist Papers'' by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
* 1788: ''Critique of Practical Reason'' by Immanuel Kant
* 1789: ''Songs of Innocence'' by William Blake
* 1789: ''The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano'' by Olaudah Equiano
* 1790: ''Journey from St. Petersburg to Moscow'' by Alexander Radishchev
* 1790: ''Reflections on the Revolution in France'' by Edmund Burke
* 1791: ''Rights of Man'' by Thomas Paine
* 1792: ''A Vindication of the Rights of Woman'' by Mary Wollstonecraft
* 1794: ''Songs of Experience'' by William Blake
* 1798: ''Lyrical Ballads'' by William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge
* 1798: ''An Essay on the Principle of Population'' published by Thomas Malthus
* (mid-18th century): ''The Dream of the Red Chamber'' (authorship attributed to Cao Xueqin), one of the most famous Chinese novels
Musical works
*
1711: ''Rinaldo (opera), Rinaldo'',
Handel's first opera for the London stage, premiered
*
1721
Events
January–March
* January 6 – The Committee of Inquiry on the collapse of the South Sea Company in Great Britain publishes its findings.
* February 5 – James Stanhope, chief minister of Great Britain, dies a day after ...
: ''Brandenburg Concertos'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
*
1723
Events
January–March
* January 25 – British pirate Edward Low intercepts the Portuguese ship ''Nostra Signiora de Victoria''. After the Portuguese captain throws his treasure of 11,000 gold coins into the sea rather than s ...
: ''The Four Seasons (Vivaldi), The Four Seasons'', violin concertos by Antonio Vivaldi, composed
*
1724
Events
January–March
* January 15 – King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne in favour of his 16-year-old son Louis I.
* January 18 – The Dutch East India Company cargo ship ''Fortuyn'', on its maiden voyage, dep ...
: ''St John Passion'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
*
1727
Events
January–March
* January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...
: ''St Matthew Passion'' composed by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
*
1733
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Borommarachathirat V becomes King of Siam (now Thailand) upon the death of King Sanphet IX.
* January 27 – George Frideric Handel's classic opera, ''Orlando'' is performed for th ...
: ''Hippolyte et Aricie'', first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau
*
1741
Events
January–March
* January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township.
*February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a speech ...
: ''Goldberg Variations'' for harpsichord published by Johann Sebastian Bach, Bach
*
1742
Events
January–March
* January 9 – Robert Walpole is made Earl of Orford, and resigns as First Lord of the Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer, effectively ending his period as Prime Minister of Great Britain. On his for ...
: ''Messiah (Handel), Messiah'', oratorio by
Handel premiered in Dublin
* 1749: ''Mass in B minor'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach assembled in current form
*
1751: ''The Art of Fugue'' by Johann Sebastian Bach, J.S. Bach
* 1762: ''Orfeo ed Euridice'', first "reform opera" by Christoph Willibald von Gluck, Gluck, performed in Vienna
* 1786: ''The Marriage of Figaro'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1787: ''Don Giovanni'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1788: ''Symphony No. 41 (Mozart), Jupiter Symphony (Symphony No.41)'' composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1791: ''The Magic Flute'', opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Mozart
* 1791–1795: London symphonies by Joseph Haydn, Haydn
* 1798: The Piano Sonata No. 8 (Beethoven), Pathétique, piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven, Beethoven
* 1798: ''The Creation (Haydn), The Creation'', oratorio by Joseph Haydn, Haydn first performed
References
Further reading
* Black, Jeremy and Roy Porter, eds. ''A Dictionary of Eighteenth-Century World History'' (1994) 890pp
* Klekar, Cynthia. “Fictions of the Gift: Generosity and Obligation in Eighteenth-Century English Literature.” Innovative Course Design Winner. ''American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies'': Wake Forest University, 2004.
Home , American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS). Refereed.
* Langer, William. ''An Encyclopedia of World History'' (5th ed. 1973); highly detailed outline of event
online free* Morris, Richard B. and Graham W. Irwin, eds. ''Harper Encyclopedia of the Modern World: A Concise Reference History from 1760 to the Present'' (1970
online* Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The economic development of continental Europe: 1780–1870 '' (1973)
online note there are two different books with identical authors and slightly different titles. Their coverfage does not overlap.
** Milward, Alan S, and S. B. Saul, eds. ''The development of the economies of continental Europe, 1850–1914'' (1977
online* Wallace Collection, The Wallace Collection, London, houses one of the finest collections of 18th-century decorative arts from France, England and Italy, including paintings, furniture, porcelain and gold boxes.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:18th Century
18th century,
2nd millennium
Centuries
Early Modern period