1700s timeline: what happened in the 18th century?
The 18th century brought the Enlightenment, steam power and two revolutions that changed how the world was governed.
133 events, oldest first.
Timeline of The 1700s
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1701
Yale is founded
It was named after Elihu Yale, a merchant who donated books and goods.
Early modern history
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1703
Peter the Great founds St Petersburg
It replaced Moscow as Russia's capital for around two centuries.
Early modern history
-
1703
The Great Storm batters Britain
It wrecked the first Eddystone Lighthouse and killed its builder.
Natural history & deep time
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1704
The Arabian Nights is first translated in Europe
Aladdin and Ali Baba weren't in the original Arabic manuscripts.
Art & literature history
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1704
The Battle of Blenheim
The Duke of Marlborough was rewarded with Blenheim Palace, later Churchill's birthplace.
Early modern history
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1706
Benjamin Franklin is born
He was the 15th of 17 children.
Early modern history
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1706
Twinings opens its London tea shop
It still trades from the same address on the Strand, more than 300 years later.
Food & brand history
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1707
Mount Fuji last erupts
Its ash fell on Edo, about 100 km away.
Natural history & deep time
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1707
The Act of Union creates Great Britain
It united the parliaments of England and Scotland.
Early modern history
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1709
Abraham Darby smelts iron with coke
His Coalbrookdale furnace helped kick-start the Industrial Revolution.
Science & technology history
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1709
Peter the Great defeats Sweden at Poltava
The victory made Russia a major European power.
Early modern history
-
1710
St Paul's Cathedral is completed
Christopher Wren rebuilt it after the Great Fire of London.
Early modern history
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1712
Newcomen builds his steam engine
It was used to pump water out of mines.
Science & technology history
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1716
Stradivari makes the 'Messiah' violin
It has been played so rarely that it still looks almost new.
Art & literature history
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1717
Handel's Water Music is performed on the Thames
King George I enjoyed it so much he asked for it to be played three times.
Art & literature history
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1717
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu learns of inoculation
She saw smallpox inoculation in Istanbul and championed it in Britain.
Science & technology history
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1718
Blackbeard's flagship runs aground
The wreck of the Queen Anne's Revenge was found off North Carolina in 1996.
Early modern history
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1718
New Orleans is founded
It was named after the Duke of Orléans, regent of France.
Early modern history
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1719
Robinson Crusoe is published
It was partly inspired by Alexander Selkirk, a real Scottish castaway.
Art & literature history
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1720
The South Sea Bubble bursts
Isaac Newton lost a fortune in it.
Early modern history
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1721
Bach dedicates the Brandenburg Concertos
The Margrave of Brandenburg apparently never had them performed.
Art & literature history
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1721
Robert Walpole becomes the first prime minister
He was the first to live at 10 Downing Street.
Early modern history
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1723
The first fire extinguisher is patented
Ambrose Godfrey's device used a small charge of gunpowder to scatter fire-fighting liquid.
Science & technology history
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1724
Fahrenheit proposes his temperature scale
He set 0 as the coldest temperature he could make with ice, water and salt.
Science & technology history
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1725
Botín, the world's oldest restaurant, opens
Guinness World Records recognises Madrid's Sobrino de Botín as the oldest restaurant.
Food & brand history
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1725
Vivaldi publishes The Four Seasons
Each concerto came with a sonnet, possibly by Vivaldi himself, describing the season.
Art & literature history
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1726
Gulliver's Travels is published
Jonathan Swift published it anonymously, and some readers took it as a real travel account.
Art & literature history
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1729
Ruinart, the oldest champagne house, is founded
Nicolas Ruinart's uncle was a Benedictine monk who knew the wine trade.
Food & brand history
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1730
John Harrison begins his sea clocks
His later H4 watch helped solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.
Science & technology history
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1732
Georgia, the last of the 13 colonies, is founded
It was named after King George II.
Early modern history
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1733
Hogarth paints A Rake's Progress
Hogarth helped bring in copyright protection for engravings.
Art & literature history
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1735
Linnaeus publishes Systema Naturae
It began the system of classifying living things that scientists still build on.
Science & technology history
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1735
The Qianlong Emperor takes the throne
He reigned for about 60 years, then abdicated so as not to outrule his grandfather.
Early modern history
-
1739
Nader Shah sacks Delhi
He carried off the jewelled Peacock Throne.
Early modern history
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1740
Frederick the Great becomes King of Prussia
He played the flute and composed more than 100 sonatas for it.
Early modern history
-
1740
Maria Theresa inherits the Habsburg lands
She had 16 children, including Marie Antoinette.
Early modern history
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1741
Vitus Bering sights Alaska
Bering was a Dane sailing for Russia, which later sold Alaska to the US.
History of exploration
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1742
Anders Celsius proposes his temperature scale
His original scale was upside down: water boiled at 0 and froze at 100.
Science & technology history
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1742
Handel's Messiah premieres in Dublin
Ladies were asked not to wear hooped skirts so that more people could fit in.
Art & literature history
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1743
Jack Broughton writes boxing's first rules
Broughton also popularised padded gloves, called 'mufflers', for sparring.
History of sport
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1745
Bonnie Prince Charlie lands in Scotland
His defeat at Culloden the next year was the last pitched battle on British soil.
Early modern history
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1745
The Leyden jar stores electricity
Early experimenters used it to give each other shocks for entertainment.
Science & technology history
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1746
The Battle of Culloden
The Jacobite army was defeated in under an hour.
Early modern history
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1748
The excavation of Pompeii begins
The diggers at first thought they had found the nearby town of Stabiae.
History of exploration
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1750
Johann Sebastian Bach dies
His music was largely neglected until Mendelssohn revived it about 80 years later.
Art & literature history
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1751
Britain's Gin Act curbs the gin craze
Hogarth's print Gin Lane showed the drink's toll on London.
Early modern history
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1751
Diderot's Encyclopédie begins publication
It aimed to collect all human knowledge and was repeatedly banned.
Art & literature history
-
1752
Benjamin Franklin's kite experiment
He showed lightning was electricity, and went on to invent the lightning rod.
Science & technology history
-
1752
Britain adopts the Gregorian calendar
Britain was 170 years behind Catholic Europe, so 2 September was followed by 14 September.
Early modern history
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1752
Schönbrunn, the oldest zoo still running, opens
Vienna's zoo began as an imperial menagerie.
Early modern history
-
1752
The Liberty Bell is cast
It cracked the first time it was rung after arriving in Philadelphia.
Early modern history
-
1754
The word 'serendipity' is coined
Horace Walpole based it on a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip.
Art & literature history
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1755
Samuel Johnson's Dictionary is published
It took Johnson about nine years and defined over 40,000 words.
Art & literature history
-
1755
The Lisbon earthquake
It struck on All Saints' Day and shook European thinkers' faith in a benevolent world.
Natural history & deep time
-
1756
Mozart is born
One of his baptismal names, Theophilus, he later rendered as 'Amadeus'.
Art & literature history
-
1756
The Seven Years' War begins
It was fought on several continents and is sometimes called the first world war.
Early modern history
-
1758
Halley's Comet returns as predicted
Edmond Halley had died 16 years earlier.
Science & technology history
-
1759
Arthur Guinness signs a 9,000-year lease
He agreed to pay £45 a year for the St James's Gate brewery in Dublin.
Food & brand history
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1759
Kew Gardens is founded
It now holds one of the largest collections of living plants in the world.
Natural history & deep time
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1759
The British capture Quebec
Both commanders, Wolfe and Montcalm, died from wounds suffered in the battle.
Early modern history
-
1759
The British Museum opens
It was the first national public museum in the world.
Art & literature history
-
1759
Voltaire's Candide is published
Voltaire published it anonymously, and it was quickly banned.
Art & literature history
-
1762
Catherine the Great becomes empress
She was a German princess who became Russia's longest-ruling female leader.
Early modern history
-
1762
Rousseau publishes The Social Contract
It opens: 'Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.'
Art & literature history
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1763
The Seven Years' War ends
France gave up almost all of its North American territory.
Early modern history
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1764
Hargreaves invents the spinning jenny
It let one worker spin several threads at once.
Science & technology history
-
1764
Mozart writes his first symphony
He was eight years old and living in London at the time.
Art & literature history
-
1765
Britain passes the Stamp Act
The tax on American paper goods sparked the cry 'No taxation without representation'.
Early modern history
-
1766
Henry Cavendish discovers hydrogen
He called it 'inflammable air'.
Science & technology history
-
1768
Captain Cook sets sail on his first voyage
One of its aims was to observe the transit of Venus from Tahiti.
History of exploration
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1768
Encyclopaedia Britannica first appears
It was first published in Edinburgh, in weekly instalments.
Art & literature history
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1768
Steller's sea cow is hunted to extinction
It was wiped out just 27 years after Europeans first described it.
Natural history & deep time
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1769
Bougainville completes France's first circumnavigation
His crew included Jeanne Baret, the first woman known to sail round the world.
History of exploration
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1769
Captain Cook maps New Zealand
His chart was so accurate it was used for many decades.
History of exploration
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1769
James Watt patents his improved steam engine
The unit of power, the watt, is named after him.
Science & technology history
-
1770
Captain Cook reaches Botany Bay
The bay was named for the many new plants found there by botanist Joseph Banks.
History of exploration
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1770
Europeans first describe the kangaroo
The name 'kangaroo' comes from the Guugu Yimithirr word 'gangurru'.
Natural history & deep time
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1770
James Bruce reaches the source of the Blue Nile
People back in Britain refused to believe many of his stories.
History of exploration
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1770
Ludwig van Beethoven is born
He was baptised in Bonn in December 1770; his exact birthday is unknown.
Art & literature history
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1770
The Boston Massacre
Future president John Adams defended the British soldiers in court.
Early modern history
-
1771
Arkwright opens his cotton mill at Cromford
It is often called the world's first modern factory.
Science & technology history
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1773
Captain Cook crosses the Antarctic Circle
He came within about 120 km of Antarctica without ever seeing it.
History of exploration
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1773
The Boston Tea Party
Protesters dumped 342 chests of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor.
Early modern history
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1773
The Pugachev Rebellion erupts in Russia
A Cossack named Pugachev claimed to be the murdered Tsar Peter III.
Early modern history
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1774
Goethe publishes The Sorrows of Young Werther
Fans copied the hero's blue coat and yellow waistcoat.
Art & literature history
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1774
Joseph Priestley discovers oxygen
Priestley also invented fizzy soda water.
Science & technology history
-
1775
Daniel Boone blazes the Wilderness Road
The trail through the Cumberland Gap opened Kentucky to settlers.
Early modern history
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1775
Paul Revere's midnight ride
He never actually shouted 'The British are coming!'
Early modern history
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1776
Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations
It introduced the idea of the 'invisible hand' of the market.
Art & literature history
-
1776
The Declaration of Independence is adopted
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on its 50th anniversary.
Early modern history
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1776
The St Leger, the oldest classic horse race, is first run
It was first run in the same year as the American Declaration of Independence.
History of sport
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1776
Thomas Paine publishes Common Sense
The pamphlet sold over 100,000 copies within months.
Early modern history
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1777
The Battle of Saratoga
The American victory persuaded France to enter the war.
Early modern history
-
1778
Captain Cook reaches Hawaii
He named them the Sandwich Islands, after the Earl of Sandwich.
History of exploration
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1778
La Scala opens in Milan
It was built on the site of a church, Santa Maria alla Scala.
Art & literature history
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1780
The first Derby is run at Epsom
It's named after the Earl of Derby, who reportedly won a coin toss against Sir Charles Bunbury.
History of sport
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1781
Kant publishes his Critique of Pure Reason
Kant reportedly never travelled more than about 100 km from his home city.
Art & literature history
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1781
The British surrender at Yorktown
Legend says the British band played 'The World Turned Upside Down'.
Early modern history
-
1781
The Iron Bridge opens in Shropshire
It was the world's first major bridge made of cast iron.
Science & technology history
-
1781
William Herschel discovers Uranus
Herschel wanted to name it 'George's Star' after King George III.
Science & technology history
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1783
Iceland's Laki volcano erupts
Its toxic haze spread across Europe, and famine followed in Iceland.
Natural history & deep time
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1783
Lavoisier shows water is made of two gases
He also gave hydrogen its name.
Science & technology history
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1783
Schweppes is founded in Geneva
Jacob Schweppe was a watchmaker who perfected a way to make fizzy water.
Food & brand history
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1783
The first crewed hot-air balloon flight
Before risking people, the Montgolfiers sent up a sheep, a duck and a rooster.
History of exploration
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1786
Mont Blanc is first climbed
The climb was spurred on by a reward offered by Swiss scientist Horace-Bénédict de Saussure.
History of exploration
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1786
Robert Burns publishes his first book of poems
He had planned to emigrate to Jamaica, until the book became a hit.
Art & literature history
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1787
The Marylebone Cricket Club is founded
The MCC still writes the Laws of Cricket.
History of sport
-
1787
The US Constitution is signed
Benjamin Franklin, aged 81, was its oldest signer.
Early modern history
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1788
The First Fleet arrives in Australia
Its 11 ships carried around 1,500 people, most of them convicts.
Early modern history
-
1789
George Washington is inaugurated
By then he had only one of his own teeth left.
Early modern history
-
1789
The mutiny on the Bounty
Captain Bligh sailed about 6,700 km in an open boat to safety.
History of exploration
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1789
The Storming of the Bastille
Only seven prisoners were inside at the time.
Early modern history
-
1790
The Aztec Sun Stone is unearthed
Workers repaving Mexico City's main square dug it up.
History of exploration
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1791
Mozart dies
His exact cause of death is still debated.
Art & literature history
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1791
Mozart's The Magic Flute premieres
Mozart died just over two months after its premiere.
Art & literature history
-
1791
The Haitian Revolution begins
It created the first nation founded by formerly enslaved people.
Early modern history
-
1791
The US Bill of Rights is ratified
The first ten amendments protect freedoms like speech and religion.
Early modern history
-
1792
Mary Wollstonecraft argues for women's rights
Her daughter was Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein.
Art & literature history
-
1793
Louis XVI is executed
He was a keen amateur locksmith.
Early modern history
-
1793
The Louvre opens as a public museum
It opened during the French Revolution, putting the royal art collection on public view.
Art & literature history
-
1795
France passes its first metric-system law
The metre was defined as one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator.
Science & technology history
-
1795
The first corkscrew is patented
The Reverend Samuel Henshall's patent was the first for a corkscrew.
Food & brand history
-
1796
Edward Jenner tests the first vaccine
The word 'vaccine' comes from vacca, Latin for cow, after the cowpox Jenner used.
Science & technology history
-
1796
Mungo Park reaches the River Niger
He was the first European known to see the middle Niger.
History of exploration
-
1797
The first parachute jump from a balloon
André-Jacques Garnerin jumped from about 1,000 metres above Paris.
History of exploration
-
1798
Henry Cavendish weighs the Earth
He worked out Earth's density using a delicate torsion balance in a shed.
Science & technology history
-
1798
Napoleon invades Egypt
He took around 160 scholars and scientists with him to study the country.
Early modern history
-
1798
The Irish Rebellion
It led directly to the Act of Union joining Ireland to Great Britain.
Early modern history
-
1798
Wordsworth and Coleridge publish Lyrical Ballads
It included The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.
Art & literature history
-
1799
Humboldt sets sail for South America
More species and places are named after him than after almost anyone else.
History of exploration
-
1799
Napoleon becomes First Consul
He seized power in a coup at the age of 30.
Early modern history
-
1799
The platypus is described by science
British scientists first suspected the specimen was a hoax stitched together.
Natural history & deep time
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1799
The Rosetta Stone is discovered
French soldiers found it while rebuilding a fort near the Egyptian town of Rashid (Rosetta).
History of exploration
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