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Centuries: Year in Review 18th Century (17th century - 18th century - 19th century)
Decades: 1700s 1710s 1720s 1730s 1740s 1750s 1760s 1770s 1780s 1790s
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)