18th century

Centuries: Year in Review 18th Century (17th century - 18th century - 19th century)

Decades: 1700s 1710s 1720s 1730s 1740s 1750s 1760s 1770s 1780s 1790s

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Events:

• Union of the Parliaments of Scotland and England forms the United Kingdom of Great Britain
• The Enlightenment
• Scientific discovery and early Industrial Revolution. See the History of Science and Technology.
• The [little ice age]? (1500-1850) reaches its peak around 1750.
• Around the world exploration by James Cook in 1770's.
• American Revolution leading to United States declaration of independence in 1776 and Constitution in 1789.
• First European settlement of Australia in 1788.
• French revolution in 1789.
• Wars of Empire between Great Britain, France, Spain, Austria.
  • See the War of the Spanish Succession (or Queen Anne's War), [War of the Austrian Succession]? (or King George's War), [War of Jenkins Ear]?, Seven Years War (or French and Indian War)

Significant persons:

• Johann Sebastian Bach (composer)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (composer)
• Voltaire (writer and philosopher)
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (writer and philosopher)
• Immanuel Kant (philosopher)
• Leonhard Euler (mathematician)
• Benjamin Franklin (inventor and diplomat)
• Thomas Jefferson (American politician)
• [Catherine the Great]? (Russian Tsarina)