Early Modern
Rebellion of Túpac Amaru II (1780–1781): Andean Uprising in Peru
The uprising was crushed and its leaders executed, but it forced Spain to abolish the hated forced-sale system and reorganise colonial government in the Andes.
Era · c. 1500 – 1800
Early Modern
Voyages of exploration, the Reformation and the age of revolutions that reshaped Europe and the wider world.
Early Modern
Gordon Riots (1780): London's Worst Riots of the 18th Century
The army suppressed the riots, leaving several hundred dead; about two dozen rioters were hanged, while Gordon was tried for treason and acquitted.
Early Modern
Battle of Cowpens (1781): Morgan's Victory over Tarleton
Decisive American victory; Tarleton's force was destroyed, weakening Cornwallis's army before the campaign in North Carolina.
Early Modern
Siege of Yorktown (1781): Cornwallis Surrenders to Washington
Decisive Franco-American victory; Cornwallis surrendered his army of some 8,000 men, leading Britain to open peace negotiations and effectively ending major fighting in the American Revolutionary War.
Early Modern
William Herschel Discovers Uranus (1781): A New Planet Found
Uranus was recognised as the seventh planet, the first discovered with a telescope, roughly doubling the known size of the Solar System.
Early Modern
Zong Massacre (1781): Murder at Sea and the Insurance Case
About 130 or more Africans were killed; the owners' insurance claim was challenged in court, no one was prosecuted, and the case became a rallying point for abolitionists.
Early Modern
Founding of Bangkok (1782): Rama I and the Chakri Dynasty
Bangkok replaced Thonburi as the capital of Siam and the Chakri dynasty, which still reigns in Thailand, was established.
Early Modern
Treaty of Paris (1783): Britain Recognises American Independence
Great Britain recognised the independence of the United States and agreed generous boundaries reaching to the Mississippi River.
Early Modern
Montgolfier Balloon (1783): The First Manned Flight in History
Two men flew freely over Paris for about 25 minutes, the first recorded untethered human flight, launching the age of aviation.
Early Modern
Calabrian Earthquakes (1783): Disaster in Southern Italy
A sequence of five major shocks destroyed some 180 towns and villages and killed an estimated 30,000 to 50,000 people.
Early Modern
Russian Annexation of Crimea (1783): End of the Crimean Khanate
The Crimean Khanate was abolished and its lands became part of the Russian Empire, a change accepted by the Ottoman Empire in January 1784.
Early Modern
Laki Eruption (1783): Iceland's Fissure That Poisoned Europe
The Haze Famine killed roughly 20 to 25 per cent of Iceland's population, and the sulphurous haze caused illness and excess deaths across Europe.