Haitian Revolution, 1791
At the time of the Storming of the Bastille in Paris, the French territories on the island of Hispaniola, known as Saint-Domingue, produced forty per cent of the world’s sugar utilising slave…
British capture of Hong Kong, 1839
During the eighteenth century, the demand in Britain for Chinese luxury goods, such as porcelain, silk and tea, created an enormous trade deficit because the British lacked any profitable product…
First man swam across the English Channel, 1875
Matthew Webb was born at Dawlish, Shropshire, on 18th January 1848 to a country doctor of the same name and his wife, Sarah. By the age of eight, Webb had…
Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, 1789
On 17th June 1789 the deputies from the third-estate along with some representatives of the first two estates of the realm – the clergy and the aristocracy – withdrew from…
The shortest war in history, 1896
On the 27th August 1896 the shortest war in history was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar. Three days earlier the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwain died, resulting in a…
last Beatles tour ended, 1966
By the mid-sixties, the Beatles had become the biggest popular music group in the World. The fanatical response of their fans – particularly young females – who screamed through their…
Tom Thumb beat a horse, 1830
In 1826, two Baltimore bankers, Philip E. Thomas and George Brown, visited England to investigate rail transportation systems. In the year since the Erie Canal opened, providing a new transportation…
Slave rebellion in Richmond, Virginia, 1800
On August 30th 1800, a group of slaves from Henrico County, Virginia, marched on Richmond. The slaves had planned the insurrection for months, under the leadership of Gabriel Prosser. They…
Garry Sobers hit six sixes in an over, 1968
Born in 1936 in Bridgetown, Barbados, Garfield St. Auburn Sobers grew up to be a great sportsman representing the island at golf, football, table-tennis and even dominoes, but it was…
Mino-Owari earthquake, 1891
At just after half-past-six on the morning of 28th October 1891 an earthquake shook the provinces of Mino and Owari, on the Nōbi Plain, Japan, the effects of which were…
Sir Walter Raleigh beheaded, 1618
Born in Devon in 1552 into a Protestant, Walter Raleigh served in Ireland during the suppression of the Desmond Rebellions between 1580 and 1581. He received forty-thousand acres of land…
Coronation of George I, King of the Hellenes, 1863
In October 1862, following a power struggle that had lasted nearly two decades, King Otto of Greece lost his throne following a constitutionalist coup while he visited the Peloponnese. Ambassadors…
Peoples Republic of China admitted to United Nations, 1971
The Nationalist government of the Republic of China (ROC) was one of the founder members of the United Nations in 1945. Following their declaration the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in October…
French National Convention dissolved, 1795
In September 1792 the French National Convention met for the first time. It replaced the Legislative Assembly, which created it in order to draw up a new republican constitution. Their…