Modern Era
Ganghwa Treaty (1876): Japan Forces Korea Open to Trade
Korea signed its first modern treaty, opening ports to Japanese trade on unequal terms and beginning its forced entry into the international system.
Region
Asia
Modern Era
Northern Chinese Famine (1876-1879): Drought and Starvation
An estimated 9–13 million people died of starvation and disease; the famine spurred new forms of Chinese and international relief.
Modern Era
Satsuma Rebellion (1877): Saigo Takamori and the Last Samurai
The government's conscript army crushed the rebellion; Saigo died at Shiroyama, ending armed samurai resistance to the Meiji state.
Modern Era
Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880): Maiwand and Kandahar
Britain won the main battles and gained control of Afghan foreign policy, but withdrew its troops and accepted Abdur Rahman Khan as amir.
Modern Era
Krakatoa Eruption of 1883: The Volcano Heard Across the World
Most of the island collapsed into a caldera; tsunamis killed an officially recorded 36,417 people and the ash and aerosols affected weather worldwide.
Modern Era
Sino-French War (1884-1885): The Struggle for Tonkin
France won control of Tonkin and Annam under the Treaty of Tianjin (1885), but the Lang Son retreat brought down Jules Ferry's government.
Modern Era
Gapsin Coup (1884): Korea's Failed Three-Day Reform Coup
The coup was suppressed by Qing troops on 6 December; its leaders were killed or fled to Japan, and Qing influence in Korea grew.
Modern Era
Third Anglo-Burmese War (1885): Fall of King Thibaw's Mandalay
British forces captured Mandalay and exiled King Thibaw; Upper Burma was annexed to British India on 1 January 1886, ending the Konbaung dynasty.
Modern Era
Founding of the Indian National Congress (1885) in Bombay
Seventy-two delegates founded the Indian National Congress, which grew from a moderate annual forum into the main organisation of India's independence movement.
Modern Era
Yellow River Flood (1887): One of History's Deadliest Floods
The river poured south into the Huai basin, killing an estimated 900,000 to 2 million people before the breach was closed in early 1889.
Modern Era
Meiji Constitution (1889): Japan's First Modern Constitution
Japan became the first constitutional monarchy in East Asia with an elected parliament, though the emperor, his ministers and the military kept wide powers outside its control.
Modern Era
Trans-Siberian Railway (1891-1916): Crossing Russia by Rail
Russia gained a continuous rail link to the Pacific, transforming Siberian settlement, trade and Russian strategy in East Asia.