Revolutionary Word History Timeline by Benjamin Barbour _ Student - EastGarnerMS

Neolithic Revolution 10000 BCE

bjbarbour — 2025-03-19 13:47:35 UTC

The Neolithic Revolution impacted Mesopotamia, and later the entire world.

It also marked the transition from Hunter-Gatherer to agriculture.

This revolution changed the way humans get food forever.

source: https://www.history.com/topics/pre-history/neolithic-revolution

Gunpowder invented 9th-10th century CE

bjbarbour — 2025-03-19 13:48:03 UTC

Gunpowder impacted China when it was first used for fireworks, It later impacted the whole world.

The invention of gunpowder was an accident, Taoist pharmacists created it. It was a byproduct of their research into the so-called "elixir of life".

Gunpowder changed the way warfare would be fought for the rest of human history. Cannons, rifles, and pistols come out of this invention.

source: https://www.thecollector.com/history-of-gunpowder/

Invention of the printing press 1440

bjbarbour — 2025-03-19 13:49:14 UTC

Created in China, the printing press revolutionized society there before being further developed in Europe in the 15th century

The worldwide spread of the printing press meant a greater distribution of ideas that threatened the ironclad power structures of Europe.

By 1605, the first official newspaper, Relation, was printed and distributed in Strasbourg. Newspapers appeared all across Europe, formalizing the printing press’ contribution to the growth of literacy, education and the far-reaching availability of uniform information for ordinary people.

source: https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/printing-press#section_10

Invention of steam engine 1698

bjbarbour — 2025-03-19 13:50:27 UTC

The aeolipile is the first known device to transform steam into rotary motion. The earliest steam engines were the scientific novelties of Hero of Alexandria in the 1st century CE, such as the aeolipile, but not until the 17th century were attempts made to harness steam for practical purposes.

The steam engine enabled mass production

Industrial Revolution begins 1760

bjbarbour — 2025-03-20 14:27:36 UTC

The Industrial Revolution began in earnest by the 1830s and 1840s in Britain, and soon spread to the rest of the world, including the United States

Modern historians often refer to this period as the First Industrial Revolution, to set it apart from a second period of industrialization that took place from the late 19th to early 20th centuries.

The Industrial Revolution was a period of scientific and technological development in the 18th century that transformed largely rural, agrarian societies—especially in Europe and North America—into industrialized, urban ones. Goods that had once been painstakingly crafted by hand started to be produced in mass quantities by machines in factories, thanks to the introduction of new machines and techniques in textiles, iron making and other industries.

French Revolution begins 1789

bjbarbour — 2025-03-20 14:44:42 UTC

The French Revolution was a watershed event in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. During this period, French citizens radically altered their political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as the monarchy and the feudal system.

The French Revolution helped to shape modern democracies by showing the power inherent in the will of the people.

As the 18th century drew to a close, France’s costly involvement in the American Revolution, combined with extravagant spending by King Louis XVI, had left France on the brink of bankruptcy.

Haitian Revolution begins 1791

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:18:45 UTC

The Haitian Revolution, a series of conflicts between 1791 and 1804, was the overthrow of the French regime in Haiti by the Africans and their descendants who had been enslaved by the French and the establishment of an independent country founded and governed by former slaves. It was, however, complex, involving several countries and groups.

The Haitian Revolution started because "the vast majority of the population of Haiti, then the extremely financially successful French colony of Saint-Domingue, consisted of African slaves. The rest consisted of white plantation owners, white artisans and shopkeepers, and affranchis (free people of mixed or African descent), some of them wealthier than some of the white artisans and shopkeepers. The causes of the Haitian Revolution included the affranchis’ frustrated aspirations, the brutality of slave owners, and inspiration from the French Revolution."

Internal combustion engine invented 1860

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:35:00 UTC

In the twentieth century, few inventions had as enduring an influence on the economy and environment, as well as on the daily lives of millions of people, as the internal combustion engines developed by Nikolaus Otto (1832-1891) in the 1860s and Rudolf Diesel (1858-1913) in the 1890s. While Otto’s engines required spark plugs for fuel combustion, Diesel’s engine achieved this with high compression. These inventions could power automobiles, locomotives, ships, and airplanes, and paved the way for mass mobility and the steadily rising exchange of people and goods worldwide. At the same time, this has caused massive changes to the landscape and the environment through the building of countless roads, global air pollution, and the increasing resource and energy consumption of high-energy societies.

Invention of the Machine gun 1884

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:43:33 UTC

First invented in 1884 by Hiram Maxim (1840-1916), the modern machine gun came into use in the late 19th Century in such conflicts as the Boer War and the Spanish American War. It saw use in many other places and became notorious for its use by European nations in their pursuit of colonies.

The first combat use of the Maxim occurred on October 25, 1893 in modern-day Zimbabwe when 700 police troops of the British South Africa Company's Police (BSAP) were attacked by 3,500 Matabele warriors as British adventurers invaded their kingdom. Five Maxim guns killed about 1,500 warriors.

Russian Revolution begins 1917

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:54:51 UTC

Corruption and inefficiency were widespread in the imperial government, and ethnic minorities were eager to escape Russian domination. Peasants, workers, and soldiers finally rose up after the enormous and largely pointless slaughter of World War I destroyed Russia’s economy as well as its prestige as a European power.

This revolution led to the Russian Civil War.

Green Revolution begins 1940s

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:57:12 UTC

The Green Revolution was a transformative 20th-century agricultural project that utilized plant genetics, modern irrigation systems, and chemical fertilizers and pesticides to increase food production and reduce poverty and hunger in developing countries.

The Green Revolution began in Mexico, where scientists developed a hybrid wheat variety that dramatically expanded yields. Following its introduction, hunger and malnutrition there dropped significantly.

The Green Revolution transformed rural economies using industrial food production systems already widespread in wealthy western countries, but with new plant varieties.

Digital Revolution begins 1940s-1950s

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 13:58:49 UTC

The shift from mechanical and analogue electronic technology to digital electronics as a means of storing, transferring and utilising information is credited as the starting point of what we refer to as the digital revolution.

It began in the second half of the 20th century with the adoption and proliferation of digital computers and digital storage of information, which in turn led to the development of more advanced computer systems able to digitally replicate and automate previously manually performed mathematical calculations.

Chinese Revolution begins 1949

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 14:00:49 UTC

On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which broke out immediately following World War II and had been preceded by on and off conflict between the two sides since the 1920’s. The creation of the PRC also completed the long process of governmental upheaval in China begun by the Chinese Revolution of 1911. The “fall” of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend diplomatic ties with the PRC for decades.

Cuban Revolution begins 1953-1959

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 14:03:06 UTC

The Cuban Revolution was an armed uprising led by Fidel Castro that eventually toppled the brutal dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista. The revolution began with a failed assault on Cuban military barracks on July 26, 1953, but by the end of 1958, the guerrilla revolutionaries in Castro’s 26th of July Movement had gained the upper hand in Cuba, forcing Batista to flee the island on January 1, 1959.

Neil Armstrong steps onto the surface of the moon 1969

bjbarbour — 2025-03-24 14:03:35 UTC

On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong landed their moon module on a broad dark lunar lava flow, called the Sea of Tranquility. And six hours later, Neil Armstrong became the first human being to walk on the surface of a world beyond Earth.

Apollo 11 was a spaceflight conducted from July 16 to 24, 1969, by the United States and launched by NASA. It marked the first time that humans landed on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, and Armstrong became the first person to step onto the Moon's surface six hours and 39 minutes later, on July 21 at 02:56 UTC. Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later, and they spent about two and a quarter hours together exploring the site they had named Tranquility Base upon landing. Armstrong and Aldrin collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth as pilot Michael Collins flew the Command Module Columbia in lunar orbit, and were on the Moon's surface for 21 hours, 36 minutes, before lifting off to rejoin Columbia.