Timeline: PECK, Ruth: Byrne and Asimov Genealogy and Family Histories

1676 -

	Date	Event(s)
1	1677	1677: William III, ruler of the Netherlands, marries Mary, daughter of James, Duke of York, heir to the English throne
2	1678	1678: Popish Plot' in England; Titus Oates falsely alleges a Catholic plot to murder Charles II
3	1679	1679: Act of Habeas Corpus passed, forbidding imprisonment without trial; Parliament's Bill of Exclusion against the Roman Catholic Duke of York blocked by Charles II; Parliament dismissed; Charles II rejects petitions calling for a new Parliament; petitioners become known as Whigs; their opponents (royalists) known as Tories
4	1681	1681: Whigs reintroduce Exclusion Bill; Charles II dissolves Parliament
5	1685	1685: James II of England and VII of Scotland (to 1688); rebellion by Charles II's illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, against James II is put down
6	1686	1686: James II disregards Test Act; Roman Catholics appointed to public office
7	1687	1687: James II issues Declaration of Liberty of Conscience, extends toleration to all religions
8	1688	1688: Edward Lloyd's coffee house opens in England 1688: England's 'Glorious Revolution'; William III of Orange is invited to save England from Roman Catholicism, lands in England, James II flees to France
9	1689	1689: Convention Parliament issues Bill of Rights; establishes a constitutional monarchy in Britain; bars Roman Catholics from the throne; William III and Mary II become joint monarchs of England and Scotland (to1694), Toleration Act grants freedom of worship to dissenters in England; Grand Alliance of the League of Augsburg, England, and the Netherlands 1689: Parliament draws up the Declaration of Right detailing the unconstitutional acts of King James II. James' daughter and her husband, his nephew, become joint sovereigns of Britain as King William III and Queen Mary II. Parliament passes the Bill of Rights. Toleration Act grants rights to Trinitarian Protestant dissenters. Catholic forces loyal to James II land in Ireland from France and lay siege to Londonderry
10	1690	1690: King William defeats the Irish and French armies of his father-in-law at the Battle of the Boyne in Ireland
11	1691	1691: The Treaty of Limerick allows Cathloics in Ireland to exercise their religion freely, but severe penal laws soon follow. The French War begins
12	1692	1692: The Glencoe Massacre occurs
13	1694	1694: Death of Queen Mary; King William now rules alone. Foundation of the Bank of England. Triennial Act sets the maximum duration of a parliament to three years
14	1695	1695: Lapse of the Licensing Act
15	1697	1697: Peace of Ryswick between the allied powers of the League of Augsburg and France ends the French War. Civil List Act votes funds for the maintenance of the Royal Household 1697: Blasphemy Act in England
16	1698	1698: Thomas Savery patented an engine which produced a vacuum by condensing steam. It was employed for raising water from a mine and supplying water to several country houses.
17	1701	1701: The Act of Settlement settles the Royal Succession on the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover. Death of the former King James II in exile in France. The French king recognizes James II's son as "King James III". King William forms a grand alliance between England, Holland and Austria to prevent the union of the Spanish and French crowns. The War of the Spanish Succession breaks out in Europe over the vacant throne
18	1702	1702: Death of King William III in a riding accident. He is succeeded by his sister-in-law, Queen Anne. England declares war on France as part of the War of the Spanish Succession
19	1704	1704: Johann Sebastian Bach began composing music 1704: British, Dutch, German and Austrian troops, under the Duke of Marlborough, defeat the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim. British, Bavarian and Austrian troops under Marlborough defeat the French at the Battle of Ramillies, and expel the French from the Netherlands. The British capture Gibraltar from Spain
20	1706	1706: The Evening Post', first evening newspaper issued in London
21	1707	1707: The Act of Union unites the kingdoms of England and Scotland and transfers the seat of Scottish Government to London
22	1708	1708: The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Oudenarede. The French incur heavy losses. Queen Anne vetoes a parliamentary bill to recognise the Scottish militia. This is the last time a bill is vetoed by the sovereign
23	1709	1709: Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit constructed an alcohol thermometer 1709: Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Malplaquet
24	1710	1710: A Tory ministry is formed, under Harley, with the impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell and the fall of the Whig government
25	1713	1713: The Treaty of Utrecht is signed by Britain and France, thus concluding the War of the Spanish Succession
26	1714	1714: Death of Queen Anne at Kensington Palace. She is succeeded by her distant cousin, the Elector George of Hanover, as King George I. A new parliament is elected with a strong Whig majority, led by Charles Townshend and Robert Walpole
27	1715	1715: Thomas Fairchild produced the first artificial hybrid plant 1715: The Jacobite Rebellion begins in Scotland with the aim of overthrowing the Hanovarian succession and placing the "Old Pretender" - James II's son - on the throne. The rebellion is easily defeated
28	1716	1716: The Septennial Act sets General Elections to be held every seven years
29	1717	1717: Townshend is dismissed from government by George I, causing Walpole to resign. The Whig party is split. Convocation is suspended
30	1719	1719: South Sea Bubble bursts, leaving many investors ruined after speculating with stock of the 'South Sea Company'
31	1721	1721: Sir Robert Walpole Prime Minister to 1742 (Whig) 1721: Sir Robert Walpole returns to government as First Lord of the Treasury. He remains in office until 1742 and effectively becomes Britain's first Prime Minister
32	1722	1722: First written reference to Stilton cheese in William Stukeley?s Itinerarium Curiosum, letter V 1722: Death of the Duke of Marlborough. The Jacobite 'Atterbury Plot' is hatched
33	1726	1726: First circulating library in Britain opens in Edinburgh. Jonathan Swift publishes his 'Gulliver's Travels'
34	1727	1727: Death of Sir Isaac Newton and of King George I (in Hanover). The latter is succeeded by his son as King George II 1727: The Gentleman's Magazine', first modern magazine, published
35	1728	1728: Pierre Fauchard, in 'The Surgeon Dentist', described preventive measures to keep teeth healthy as well as inventing the word 'dentist.'
36	1729	1729: Alexander Pope publishes his ' Dunciad'
37	1730	1730: A split occurs between Walpole and Townshend
38	1732	1732: A royal charter is granted for the founding of Georgia in America
39	1733	1733: The 'Excise Crisis' occurs and Walpole is forced to abandon his plans to reorganise the customs and excise
40	1736	1736: John Harrison finished building and tested at sea what proved to be the first accurate chronometer for timing longitude
41	1737	1737: Death of King George II's wife, Queen Caroline
42	1738	1738: John and Charles Wesley start the Methodist movement in Britain
43	1739	1739: Britain goes to war with Spain in the 'War of Jenkins' Ear'. The cause: Captain Jenkins' ear was claimed to have been cut off during a Naval Skirmish
44	1740	1740: Commencement of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe
45	1742	1742: Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington Prime Minister until 1743 (Whig) 1742: Beginning with a bull calf from the cow 'Silver' and two cows, 'Pidgeon' and 'Mottle' (inherited from his father's estate), Benjamin Tomkins is credited with founding the Hereford breed. 1742: Walpole resigns as Prime Minister
46	1743	1743: Henry Pelham Prime Minister until 1754 (Whig) 1743: George II leads British troops into battle at Dettingen in Bavaria
47	1744	1744: Ministry of Pelham
48	1745	1745: Jacobite Rebellion in Scotland led by 'Bonnie Prince Charlie'. There is a Scottish victory at Prestonpans
49	1746	1746: The Duke of Cumberland crushes the Scottish Jacobites at the Battle of Culloden
50	1747	1747: Yorkshire pudding mentioned in recipes
51	1748	1748: The Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle brings the War of Austrian Succession to a close
52	1750	1750: The grapefruit was first described by Griffith Hughes as the "forbidden fruit" of Barbados
53	1751	1751: Benjamin Franklin published 'Experiments and Observations on Electricity' after several years of experiments done with several friends. In this book Franklin suggested an experiment to prove that lightning is a large-scale electrical discharge, a task which later he took upon himself, using a kite. This led to the invention of the lightning rod. 1751: Death of Frederick, Prince of Wales. His son, Prince George, becomes heir to the throne
54	1752	1752: James Lind called attention to the value of fresh fruit in the prevention of scurvy 1752: Ren? Antoine Ferchault de R?aumur showed by experiment that gastric juice liquifies meat. 1752: Adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in Britain
55	1753	1753: Parliament passes the Jewish Naturalization Bill
56	1754	1754: The ministry of Newcastle
57	1755	1755: Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language published
58	1756	1756: Mayonnaise invented to commemorate a victory at the start of the Seven Years War, the successful seige of English-held St. Philip's Castle 1756: Britain, allied with Prussia, declares war against France and her allies, Austria and Russia. The Seven Years' War begins
59	1757	1757: The Pitt-Newcastle ministry. Robert Clive wins the Battle of Plassey and secures the Indian province of Bengal for Britain. William Pitt becomes Prime Minister
60	1759	1759: Wolfe captures Quebec and expels the French from Canada
61	1760	1760: Death of King George II. He is succeeded by his grandson as George III
62	1761	1761: Laurence Sterne publishes his 'Tristram Shandy'
63	1762	1762: John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, 'created' the Sandwich. This Englishman was said to have been fond of gambling and, during a 24 hour gambling streak, he instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook presented him with sliced meat between two pieces of toast. Perfect! This meal required no utensils and could be eaten with one hand, leaving the other free to continue the game. 1762: The Earl of Bute is appointed Prime Minister. He becomes very unpopular and employs a bodyguard 1762: Acad?mie Francaise recognises term 'millionaire'
64	1763	1763: Peace of Paris ends the Seven Years' War. Grenville ministry.
65	1764	1764: James Hargreaves invented the spinning jenny
66	1765	1765: Rockingham ministry. The American Stamp Act raises taxes in the colonies in an attempt to make their defence self-financing 1765: Earliest known children's pop-up book
67	1766	1766: Chatham ministry. Repeal of the American Stamp Act
68	1768	1768: Grafton ministry. The Middlesex Election Crisis occurs
69	1769	1769: James Watt patented a new type of steam engine with a separate condensing chamber and an air pump to bring steam into the chamber and equipped it with a simple 'governor' for safety: if the engine started to go too fast, the power would be automatically cut back. He coined the term 'horsepower' and later loaned his name to the unit of power, or work, done per unit of time 1769: Captain James Cook's first voyage to explore the Pacific begins
70	1770	1770: Lord North begins service as Prime Minister. The Falkland Island Crisis occurs. Edmund Burke publishes his 'Thoughts on the Present Discontents' 1770: James Cook documents the location of Australia 1770: Gum pencil eraser invented
71	1771	1771: The Encyclopedia Britannica is first published
72	1773	1773: American colonists protest at the East India Company's monopoly over tea exports to the colonies, at the so-called 'Boston Tea Party'. The World's first cast-iron bridge is constructed over the River Severn at Coalbrookdale
73	1774	1774: Franz Anton Mesmer began the psychotherapeutic practive of hypnotism, which he called 'animal magnetism' and conceived it to be an actual fluid. Apparently he had some success with psychosomatic illnesses. Part of his technique seems to have been used earlier by exorcists. 1774: Parliament passes the Coercive Acts in retaliation for the 'Boston Tea Party'
74	1775	1775: American War of Independence begins when colonists fight British troops at Lexington.
75	1776	1776: Adam Smith, in 'The Wealth of Nations', advanced the idea that businesses survive through successful trading in pursuit of their self-interest, and that the resulting equilibrium was not by design. 1776: On 4 JUL, the American Congress passes their Declaration of Independence from Britain. Edward Gibbons' publishes his 'Decline and Fall'
76	1778	1778: Cook explores Hawaiian Islands. He fails to locate Northwest Passage from Alaskan side and is killed in Hawaii the following year
77	1779	1779: The rise of Wyvill's Association Movement
78	1780	1780: The Gordon Riots develop from a procession to petition parliament against the Catholic Relief Act
79	1781	1781: Frederick William Herschel discovered the planet Uranus by its movement, although at the time he supposed it to be a comet 1781: The Americans obtain a great victory of British troops at the surrender of Yorktown
80	1782	1782: End of Lord North's time as Prime Minister. He is succeeded by Rockingham in his second ministry. Ireland obtains short-lived parliament
81	1783	1783: William Bentinck, Duke of Portland Prime minister (Whig) 1783: Joseph Michel Montgolfier and Jacques ?tienne Montgolfier invented the first practical hot air balloon. 1783: Shelburne's ministry, followed by that of William Pitt the Younger. Britain recognises American independence at the Peace of Versailles. Fox-North coalition established
82	1784	1784: Parliament passes the East India Act 1784: First edition of 'The Times' newspaper
83	1785	1785: Pitt's motion for Parliamentary Reform is defeated
84	1786	1786: The Eden commercial treaty with France is drawn up

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