Documents that Changed the World by Octopus
Ref: Octopus (2019). Documents that Changed the World. Octopus Publishing.
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Summary
An overview of the Documents, Books, Treaties, and Publications that shape past and present world history.
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Technology
Internet Protocol (IP): The process whereby data such as an email is divided into little chunks called packets, and sent to a gateway computer that understands one small part of the Internet. The gateway computer reads the destination address and forwards the packet to a nearby gateway that in turn reads the destination and so on, until one gateway forwards the packet directly to the computer specified.
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP): Puts IP Packets back into the right order.
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Physics
Four Laws of Thermodynamics:
First Law: Energy can be changed from one form to another, but it cannot be created and destroyed.
Second Law: Law of Entropy; When energy changes from one form to another, entropy (disorder) increases.
Third Law: Deals with the behavior of energy and matter as the temperature lowers towards absolute zero.
Zeroth Law: If two thermodynamic systems are each in thermal equilibrium with a third, then they are in equilibrium with each other.
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Chronology
Aug, 2016: American Football Players began kneeling during the US national anthem in protest against perceived racism, oppression, and policy injustice.-Documents that changed the world.
5 Jun, 2013: NSA Mass Surveillance Documents are first released by CIA employee Edward Snowden, revealing numerous spying programmes run by the US in cooperation with telecommunication companies and some European Governments.-Documents that changed the world.
2 Feb, 2007: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Report on Global Warming is published; all reasonable doubt is cast aside: Humans are causing climate change.-Documents that changed the world.
Dec, 2006: Wikileaks are first released by Julian Assange.-Documents that changed the world.
28 Apr, 2004: The Abu Ghraib Prison Scandal is first documented by the US TV Show 60 Minutes.-Documents that changed the world.
25 Oct, 2002: The Homeland Security Act is passed by the US Congress, solidifying emergency powers and creating the DHS charged with developing plans to protect the US from future terrorist attacks. DHS includes the activities of CBP, USSS, Citizen and Immigration Services, ICE, FEMA, and the USCG.-Documents that changed the world.
15 Aug, 1998: The Omagh bombings (VBIED) targeting a courthouse are carried out in Northern Ireland by dissident republicans kill 29 people while injuring hundreds more.-Documents that changed the world.
10 Apr, 1998: The Good Friday Agreement is signed by the British, Northern Ireland, and Rep. of Ireland Governments, ends the Northern Ireland Conflict known as “the troubles” and provides the basis for a peaceful, inclusive government in Northern Ireland.-Documents that changed the world.
1998: The “Land-For-Peace Agreement is signed by the US, Israel, and Palestine Governments which restarts stalled Middle East peace negotiations.-Documents that changed the world.
11 Dec, 1997: The Kyoto Protocol is signed in Japan as a legally binding step towards reducing six GHG’s in an attempt to mitigate the effects of global warming. The overall aim of the agreement, to be achieved between 2008 and 2012, is to reduce emissions in 36 countries to 5.2% below 1990 levels.-Documents that changed the world.
2005: The Kyoto Protocol becomes legally binding.
2001: US Pres. W. Bush pulls the US out of the Kyoto Protocol saying that implementation would be damaging to the US Economy.
26 May, 1997: The “Bringing Them Home Report” (aka the Australian Human Rights Commission) is published in Australia to take on the difficult relationship between white settlers and aboriginals.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Jul, 1997: The Sino-British Joint Declaration is signed by the UK and the PRC delineating the handover of Britain’s last outpost of empire in Hong Kong. As part of the agreement between the two countries, the Chinese promised to operate a “one country two systems” policy in which Hong Kong would enjoy relative autonomy for at least 50 years, except in matters of foreign affairs and defence, and be allowed a large amount of economic freedom.-Documents that changed the world.
24 Sep, 1996: The Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) is signed worldwide effectively ruling out all future atmospheric, exoatmospheric, and underground nuclear explosions.-Documents that changed the world.
14 Dec, 1995: The Dayton Peace Agreement is signed by Yugoslavia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Croatian Governments ending the three-year ethnic war in Bosnia.-Documents that changed the world.
Sep, 1995: US Led NATO Bombings of the Bosnian Serb Army in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Documents that changed the world.
Aug, 1995: Croatia’s Operations Flash and Operation Storm regain lost territories to the Bosnians.-Documents that changed the world.
1995: The Proof Fermat’s Last Theorem is published in the USA by Andrew Wiles as the answer to elegant little puzzle written in the margins of a book in 1637; could the equation xn + yn = zn have a solution greater than the whole number 2?-Documents that changed the world.
Apr, 1994: South Africa holds its first democratic elections; the African National Congress (ANC) takes over in South Africa.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Jan, 1994: The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is signed by the US, Canada, and Mexico. NAFTA helped revive trade negotiations between the US and the EU, which culminated in the creation of the WTO.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Nov, 1993: The EU is established by the Maastricht Treaty; signed by the European Community in the Netherlands strengthening common economic, political, environmental, and humanitarian goals and vastly strengthening Europe’s position as an actor on the global scene.-Documents that changed the world.
24 Mar, 1992: The “Open Skies” Treaty is signed worldwide establishing a regime of unarmed and unlimited aerial observation flights over the territory of its member countries.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Jan, 2002: The Open Skies Treaty goes into effect.
2 Feb, 1990: South African President de Klerk promises to repeal all fundamental laws of apartheid.-Documents that changed the world.
1988: The First Fair Trade Label appears in the Netherlands; guarantees that products from producers provide decent conditions and stable prices for farmers and workers.-Documents that changed the world.
1988: A Brief History of Time is published by Stephen Hawking.-Documents that changed the world.
Dec, 1987: The Treaty on Medium and Short-Range Missiles is signed by the US and the USSR as the first ever Soviet-American treaty to cut the size of their nuclear arsenals; paving the way for the end of the Cold War.-Documents that changed the world.
1986: The Anti-Apartheid Act is passed by the US Congress, which bans all investment in, and loans to, South Africa. Many other governments followed suit.-Documents that changed the world.
1986: The Iran-Contra Scandal is first reported.-Documents that changed the world.
1984: The Nkomati Accord is signed between the People’s Rep. of Mozambique and the Rep. of South Africa; neither country would allow their nations to be used as bases from which to attack one another.-Documents that changed the world.
1982: The Boland Amendment is passed by the USG prohibiting US funding as aid to the Nicaraguan Contras. The DOD sought alternate methods of funding and used money from arms purchases in Iran to fund the Contra’s in their fight against the Sandinistas in Nicaragua.-Documents that changed the world.
1980: The One Child Policy is implemented by the Chinese Government.-Documents that changed the world.
1980: Zimbabwe is granted autonomy and status as an independent member of the British Commonwealth. Documents that changed the world.
1979: The Lancaster House Agreement is passed by the British Government as an attempt to bring national unity and stability to Zimbabwe Rhodesia. The agreement paved the way for an independent and democratic Zimbabwe.-Documents that changed the world.
1979: Bulimia Nervosa (Bulimia) is first described by UK Dr. Gerald Russell. The term comes from the Greek words bous (ox) and limos (hunger). Of all therapies, cognitive behavioral therapy has been the most effective.-Documents that changed the world.
16 Jun, 1976: The Soweto Uprisings are brutally suppressed by South African Forces.-Documents that changed the world.
1975: South Africa invades Angola.-Documents that changed the world.
1975: Mozambique and Angola are granted independence.-Documents that changed the world.
1972: Internet Protocol (IP) and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the foundation of the internet, is first devised by American electrical engineer Elliot Kahn, who used it to connect 20 different computers, which he later described as “the watershed event that made people suddenly realize that packet switching was a real technology.” Documents that changed the world.
1972: DDT is banned in the United States.-Documents that changed the world.
1970: Dian Fossey and Peanuts the Gorilla are featured in National Geographic.-Documents that changed the world.
Nov, 1969: The My Lai Massacre story is broken by reporter Seymour Hersh.-Documents that changed the world.
16 Mar, 1968: The My Lai Massacre occurs in Vietnam. American military commanders decided to launch a series of raids on several small villages where they believed Vietcong troops were hiding. Charlie Company, a unit of the 20th Infantry’s 1st Batt., was ordered to move against a group of Hamlets designated My Lai 1, 2, 3, and 4. The Platoon that entered My Lai 4 found no soldiers or men of military age. Over a few hours, the soldiers led by 2nd Lt William Calley let loose in an orgy of killing. Civilians were beaten, stabbed, tortured, and clubbed, but most were simply shot down. Women were raped, and estimates of the death toll range from 347-504.-Documents that changed the world.
1968: Martin Luther King is assassinated.-Documents that changed the world.
28 Jul, 1967: The Sexual Offences Act is passed by the UK Parliament decriminalizing Homosexual Acts.-Documents that changed the world.
1967: UK’s Riot Act is repealed.-Documents that changed the world.
1967: The Fair-Trade food products appear when Fair Trade Orgnisatie imported coffee from Guatemalan Farmers.-Documents that changed the world.
1966: Mao’s Little Red Book is published in China. Party leaders and intellectuals were targeted for violent interrogations and harassment. Thousands died or committed suicide as a consequence; many more thousands were imprisoned or “sent down” to the countryside to receive socialist re-education through hard peasant labour.-Documents that changed the world.
1962: Silent Spring is published in the USA by Rachel Carson who is considered to be one of the pioneers of modern environmentalism. Her book exposed the dangers of Dichloro-Diphenyl-Trichloroethane (DDT). Her concerns were highlighted when she received a letter from a friend living in Cape Cod, Mass, describing the death of songbirds after the area was sprayed with the pesticide.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Dec, 1959: The Antarctic Treaty is signed by nations worldwide as the first arms agreement of the Cold War and enabled the protection of one of the world’s last unspoiled frontiers. The Antarctic treaty froze political claims to the land, and specifically prohibited nuclear testing, waste disposal or other ecologically damaging practices.-Documents that changed the world.
1957: The Wolfenden Report is published in the UK by the Dept Committee on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution; recommended the decriminalization of homosexual acts.-Documents that changed the world.
23 Apr, 1953: “A Structure for DNA” detailing the famous double helix is published in Nature by James Watson and Francis Crick.-Documents that changed the world.
Jan, 1953: Rosalind Franklins X-ray diffraction pattern of the “B” form of DNA, the most common found in cells is shown to Watson.
1950: Austrian biochemist Edwin Chargaff shows that there were equal amounts of the chemicals Adenine and Thymine, and cytosine and guanine in DNA, suggesting that they occur in pairs.
1951: Epilepsy and the Functional Anatomy of the Human Brain is published in Canada by Penfielf and Jasper. Penfield developed what became known as the “Montreal Procedure” for epilepsy treatment, in which he delved into the brains of conscious patients, probing gently while they described the effects. He was able to cure epilepsy by removing the affected pieces of tissues.-Documents that changed the world.
1950: Hawaii is admitted as the 50th state to the United States of America.
1948: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is signed at the Palais de Chaillot in Paris; the declaration was the first global statement on human rights.-Documents that changed the world.
May, 1948: Israel becomes an intendent state.
1948: Apartheid (Afrikaans for “Apartness”) as a Government Policy begins in South Africa.-Documents that changed the world.
1947: The Diary of Anne Frank is published in Holland.-Documents that changed the world.
It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.”
May, 1945: Victory in Europe Day (VE Day) as Germany surrenders in WWII under Admiral Karl Donitz whose initial orders were for capitulation on the part of forces fighting the western allies only, but US Pres. IKE threated to break off negotiations unless the Germans agreed to a complete unconditional surrender to all the Allies on all fronts.-Documents that changed the world.
2 Jan, 1945: Executive Order 9066 was rescinded and each Japanese internee was given $25and a train ticket home.-Documents that changed the world.
Dec, 1944: The US Supreme Court ruled in Ex parte Endo that US detentions of Japanese were illegal.-Documents that changed the world.
1943: “We Can Do It” Posters are first printed in the USA by the US Manufacturing Company Westinghouse Electric.-Documents that changed the world.
1942: The Beveridge report (the Report on Social Insurance and Allied Services) is published in the UK by Sir William Beveridge; it contained the revolutionary idea that post-war Britain could be organized to defeat the five “giants” of society- disease, ignorance, squalor, idleness, and want, through a system of social security. The Beveridge report was the beginning of the British Welfare State.-Documents that changed the world.
21 Mar, 1942: Executive Order 9066 is passed by the US Government; citing the need for protection against “espionage and sabotage,” the order authorized the removal of citizens living within an exclusion zone stretching 80-97km inland along the West Coast. In all, 120,000 citizens of Japanese descent- 62% of them lega, native born Americans- were ordered to report to “Civilian Assembly Centers” and were allowed to bring only what they could carry. From these centers they were sent to one of ten War Relocation Centers (WRCs) spread across the US West: Gila River, Poston, Amache, Heart mountain, Jerome, Rowher, Topaz, Minidoka, Mazanar, Tule Lake.-Documents that changed the world.
Aug, 1939: “Keep Calm and Carry On” posters are published in the UK as part of a number of war posters including: “Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with all your might,” “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your resolution will bring us victory.”-Documents that changed the world.
11 Aug, 1939: Alexander Sachs meets with FDR to discuss the German development of an Atomic Weapon.-Documents that changed the world.
1939: A group of Scientists led by Leo Szilard approach Einstein for his involvement in a series of letters first to the Belgians requesting they refuse to sell U from their Congo Mines to Germany and second, to FDR for Alex Sachs to take to the FDR.-Documents that changed the world.
Jul, 1939: Germany invade Czechoslovakia.
1939: The White Paper is issued by the UK Government in which they reneg on the Balfour Declaration and maintains that they no longer wish to create a Jewish state, rather the UK wishes to support a bi-national state.-Documents that changed the world.
10 Dec, 1936: King Edward abdicates the UK Throne and is succeeded by his brother, King George VI.-Documents that changed the world.
1936: The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money is first published in the UK by John Maynard Keyes; the book created an entirely new approach to macroeconomics through the innovation that the total demand for goods is the driving factor in any economy, especially in times of economic decline. Therefore, Keyes suggested that to rescue an economy from recession, the government must spend rather than save. This, in turn, would encourage citizens to spend more (as there would be more money in circulation). More spending would lead to more investment, which, in turn, would increase the economy, reversing the effects of a recession.-Documents that changed the world.
1935: “The Present Situation in Quantum Mechanics (Schrödinger’s Cat)” is published in Austria by Erwin Schrodinger. A cat is shut in a box with a bottle of poison and a small amount of radioactive material. If one particle of this material decays it will trigger a hammer that will smash the poison and kill the cat. The question is: how do we know whether the cat is alive or dead without opening the box?-Documents that changed the world.
1935: The Use and Abuse of Vegetational Concepts and Terms is published in the UK by Arthur Tansley as an interactive system between groups of living creatures and their environment. This interaction between the living biotic community and their nonliving abiotic surroundings is central to the concept of an ecosystem.-Documents that changed the world.
1935: The Richter Scale is published in the USA by Charles Richter as a means of measuring and monitoring earthquakes. Richter started by taking the log of the seismic wave height (amplitude), with an increase of one scale point representing a 30-fold jump in amplitude.-Documents that changed the world.
1935: The Nuremburg Laws are passed unanimously by German Parliament; those with four German grandparents were considered of German Blood, while those with three or four Jewish grandparents were classified as Jews.-Documents that changed the world.
Law for the Protection of German Blood and German Honour: prohibited marriages and sexual relations between Jews and Germans.
Reich Citizenship Law: Excluded Jews from German citizenship.
Other Laws: Jews carry ID cards, government assigned new middle names ot those who did not have recognizably “Jewish” first names, ownership of Jewish businesses was reallocated to non-Jewish Germans, Jewish Lawyers were forbidden to practice, Jewish doctors could not treat non-Jews.
3 Dec, 1933: The 21st Amendment to the US Constitution brings an end to National Prohibition.-Documents that changed the world.
1933: The Enabling Act is passed by German Parliament giving Hitler the power to pass laws without parliamentary approval.-Documents that changed the world.
Mar, 1931: The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the US National Anthem from a poem written in 1814 by Francis Scott Key. The Melody was, ironically, set to a song written by Briton John Stafford Smith for a Men’s social club called the Anacreontic Society, “To Anacreon in Heaven.”-Documents that changed the world.
1925: Mein Kampf is published by Adolph Hitler; outlining the evolution of Hitler’s corrupt ideology. The book was written while Hitler spent several months in a German jail after being imprisoned for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler argued that the Aryan race represented the ideal manifestation of the species.-Documents that changed the world.
“There are some truths which are so obvious, that they are not recognized by ordinary people.”
Oct, 1924: The First Surrealist Manifesto is published by Andre Breton in France; heavily influenced by Freudian psychoanalysis, the Surrealists sought access to the unconscious basis of the human experience.-Documents that changed the world.
1921: The Inkblot Test is first used in Switzerland by Hermann Rorschach. These types of tests are known as “projective” tests, and work by eliciting spontaneous responses to words, phrases, or ambiguous images.-Documents that changed the world.
1920: The National Socialists 25 Point Programme is published in Germany by Adolph Hitler and Anton Drexler for the National Socialist German Worker’s Party. The programme demanded lebensraum or “living space”- the idea that the German nation needed to expand and the removal of citizenship of anyone not of Germanic ethnicity, in particular Jews.-Documents that changed the world.
16 Jan, 1920: The National Prohibition Act (aka the Volstead Act) is passed by the US Congress. The law restricted any liquor that had an alcoholic content of over .5%.-Documents that changed the world.
1919: UK’s Riot Act is read for the last time.-Documents that changed the world.
11 Nov, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed in France as a peace agreement between the Allies and Germany at the end of WWI. Germany lost a considerable amount of territory and all overseas colonies including a restriction on the number of German armed forces and forbidding the possession of an Air Force. Most controversially, Germany had to take full responsibility for causing the war and make substantial reparation payments to the Allies for damages caused; later agreed at 6.6 billion pounds annually. To ensure payments were made, all territories west of the Rhine were to be occupied by Allied Forces for 15 years. In Germany the treaty became known as “Das Diktat” and was a recurring theme in 1920’s German politics.-Documents that changed the world.
4 May, 1919: The May Fourth Movement occurs in China when university students stirred a massive political movement against the Treaty of Versailles, which transferred Germany’s political rights in Shandong to Japan.-Documents that changed the world.
2 Nov, 1917: The Balfour Declaration is published in the UK and led to the creation of a Jewish homeland in Israel. The Declaration was the first significant statement by a world power in favour of a Jewish National Home and was later formalized by 52 governments at the League of Nations on 24 Jul, 1922.-Documents that changed the world.
6 Apr, 1917: The US declares war on Germany.
1917: The Zimmerman Telegram, an encrypted telegram sent from German Foreign Secretary Arthur Zimmerman’ to the country’s ambassador in Mexico is intercepted by British Intelligence and released to the USA. The telegram proposed that Mexico ally itself with Germany against the US and in the case of victory, promised to hand over the territories of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, as a sweetener.-Documents that changed the world.
16 May, 1916: The Sykes-Picot Agreement is formalized in the UK and France as an early attempt by the West to redraw the map of the Middle East and exert control over the Arab World. Britain would claim modern day Jordan, most of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. Palestine would be jointly administered, and Russia would be granted the city of Constantinople and several Armenian-dominated districts. The agreement was later annulled after being published and presented to the world in Russia in 1917. Documents that changed the world.
1915: The RMS Lusitania is sunk by German U-Boats with 1198 passengers, including 159 Americans, aboard.-Documents that changed the world.
18 Jan, 1915: The “Twenty-One Demands” are drafted under Japanese Prime Minister Shigenobu Okuma and his foreign minister Takaki Kato and secretly presented to the Chinese President Yuan ShiKai. The demands included the confirmation of Japan’s domination over the Shandong Province and Southern Manchuria, with rights to settle and control transport systems, and the appointment of Japanese political, financial, and military advisors to the Chinse government. They also bound China against conceding further costal or island control to any power except Japan.-Documents that changed the world.
1908: Reflections on Violence (Reflexions Sur La Violence) is published in France by George Sorel. The book has been a touchstone of radicalism for over a century and is one of the most controversial modern contributions to political philosophy. Sorel has been described as a “Wild Marxist” and proposed that social change requires a conceptualized myth to animate the masses. This myth, an overarching ideology that could maintain revolutionary momentum, could not be judged in terms of truth; it had an ethical legitimacy if it inspired working-class mobilization.-Documents that changed the world.
1905: Einstein’s “annus mirabilis” in which he publishes four hugely influential papers in Switzerland:
On the Electrodynamics of Moving Bodies: Special Theory of Relativity; light travels at a constant speed, regardless of one’s position relative to light, and secondly that nearing light speed causes time itself to slow down.
On the Motion of Small Particles Suspended in a stationary Liquid: The first proof that atoms actually exist. Brownian Motion, the constant motion of particles in non-specific directions.
1902: The “What is to be Done?” pamphlet is published in Russia by Vladimir Ilyich Lenin outlining his views on how an organized party should operate, with an educated elite leading the working classes.-Documents that changed the world.
1 Jul, 1901: The first documented fingerprint bureau is established in the UK by Edward Richard Henry, who helped develop the system as an inspector general in Bengal. The new system replaced the laborious Bertillion System that required measurements of height, left foot, right ear, and the width of the person’s cheeks.-Documents that changed the world.
1899: An Interpretation of Dreams (Die Traumdeutung) is first published in German by Sigmund Freud; the article first introduced the theory of the unconscious in relation to the concept of dreams as forms of “wish fulfillment.” According to Freud, during sleep the unconscious attempts to resolve a conflict or cause of anxiety from the past.-Documents that changed the world.
1898: The territory of Hong Kong is leased to Britain for a period of 99 years.-Documents that changed the world.
Jun, 1897: British-India begins identifying criminals by fingerprints.-Documents that changed the world.
10 Dec, 1896: Alfred Nobel dies of a cerebral hemorrhage and leaves his enormous fortune of 31 million Swedish kronor to “those who, during the preceding year, shall have conferred the greatest benefit on mankind.” Nobel Prizes are conferred in Chemistry, Physics, Physiology or Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economics (added in 1969).-Documents that changed the world.
1889: Cecil Rhodes names the former Matabele regions Rhodesia.-Documents that changed the world.
1873: Eating Disorders are first described as medical conditions by British Physician William Gull.-Documents that changed the world.
1866: Dynamite is invented by Alfred Nobel, who thought it would end all wars and bring peace to the world. Documents that changed the world.
1864: Several people are killed in one of Alfred Nobel’s labs (including his younger brother Emil) while studying Nitroglycerin.-Documents that changed the world.
Oct, 1863: Invention of the “Nobel lighter,” a percussion detonator, by Alfred Nobel.-Documents that changed the world.
1862: The Emancipation Proclamation is passed by US President Abraham Lincoln declaring “all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious Confederacy states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”-Documents that changed the world.
1854: The term “Thermodynamics” is first used in a paper by British mathematician and physicist Lord William Kelvin.-Documents that changed the world.
1848: The Communist Manifesto is published in Germany by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The Core idea of the Manifesto was that monarchial governments should be- would be- inevitably replaced by Communism, a way of arranging society that eradicated class distinctions and made everybody equal.-Documents that changed the world.
1838: The UK Parliament frees slaves of the East India Company.-Documents that changed the world.
1833: The Slavery Abolition Act is passed by the UK Parliament freeing almost all slaves throughout the British Empire.-Documents that changed the world.
1830: The Book of Mormon is written by Joseph Smith in New York, USA. According to Mormonism, the Latter Day Saint (LDS) movement is a group of American Christian Churches who believe that prophets from an originally Near Eastern tribe dwelt in the American continent from ~2200 BCE to 421. The Book contains the writings of these prophets including the account of a visit by Jesus from heaven to America after his ascension.-Documents that changed the world.
1822: The British Demerara colony Slave uprising.-Documents that changed the world.
1820’s: The Rosetta Stone Script is solved by historians.-Documents that changed the world.
1816: The British Barbados Colony Slave Uprising.-Documents that changed the world.
1814: The Star-Spangled Banner is penned as a poem by lawyer Francis Scott Key after witnessing British ship’s unsuccessfully attack Fort McHenry during the Battle of Baltimore.-Documents that changed the world.
1799: The Rosetta Stone is discovered in the desert sands of Egypt by French Soldiers.-Documents that changed the world.
Sep, 1789: The First Ten Amendments, the Bill of Rights, are added to the US Constitution.-Documents that changed the world.
1783: The Treaty of Paris is signed by Britain and the USA in France; the British Crown recognized American Independence and ceded most of its territory east of the Mississippi River to the USA including the Northwest Territory which included the present-day states of OH, MI, IN, IL, WI, and parts of MN.-Documents that changed the world.
1776: The US Colonies declare Independence from England and prefer trade with the Dutch and French, rather than buying from British Slave-Labour Colonies.-Documents that changed the world.
1715: The Riot Act is passed by the UK Parliament as an early attempt to distinguish between peaceful protest and violent uprising. The act allowed local authorities to determine that a gathering of 12 or more persons constituted an unlawful assembly, and to compel them to disperse or be declared guilty of a felony and potentially face the death penalty. As a law it was unusual because it had to be read out to take effect: an unfortunate magistrate or police officer had to stand as close as possible to the alleged riot and read the act in full for it to take effect.-Documents that changed the world.
1620: The Mayflower Compact is signed by the Male passengers of the Mayflower; the first agreement for self-government to be created and enforced in America.-Documents that changed the world.
16 Sep, 1620: The Mayflower, a British ship with 102 passengers aboard, sets sail from Plymouth, England to the New World. 41 of the travelers were the pilgrims; religious separatists seeking freedom from the Church of England. The pilgrims had signed a contract with the traders of the Virginia Company to settle on land in Northern VA, however the ship was blown off course and ended up near Cape Cod in Mass.-Documents that changed the world.
Oct, 1582: Inter Gravissimas is compiled by Pope Gregory XIII of the Papal States; prior to 1582, most countries used the Julian calendar. The Popes new Gregorian Calendar” introduced century leap years and the date 4 Oct, 1582 was changed overnight to 15 Oct, 1582.-Documents that changed the world.
1562: The First Known English Slaving Voyage occurs under British Capt. John Hawkins in Africa.-Documents that changed the world.
1517: 95 Theses are compiled by Martin Luther in Saxony (Modern Germany), sparking the reformation that split into the Western Christian Church that led to the birth of Protestantism. Luther famously nailed his list to the door of the church at Wittenburg. Two central beliefs lie at the heart of the theses: the idea that the bible is the single religious authority, and that humans can reach heaven only by their faith and not by their deeds.-Documents that changed the world.
Nov, 1518: The Pope condemns Luther’s writing and excommunicates him. Luther refuses to recant.
1521: Luther is declared a heretic at the Diet of Worms, an assembly held by King Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire.
15 Mar, 1493: Columbus writes King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, announcing that after sailing west from Cadiz he had reached “many islands inhabited by numerous people: in the Indian Sea.”-Documents that changed the world.
1473: Caxton’s Printed Page is printed by William Caxton in Bruges, Belgium; the first material ever printed in English.-Documents that changed the world.
1454: The 31-Line Indulgence is written by Pope Nicholas V; the very first movable type- a symbol of the transition between the eras of religious mysticism and rational enlightenment.-Documents that changed the world.
Indulgence: In Catholicism, a reduction in the amount of punishment they will have to undergo in the afterlife for their sins.
1440’s: Guttenberg invents the Printing Press.
1215: The Magna Carta, “Charter of Liberties,” is signed by King John of England; covering 63 clauses dealing with specific grievances, the document is the basis of Constitutional Law in the Western World. This was one of the world’s first documents proclaiming that everybody, even the king, was subject to the law. The famous 39th clause gave all “free men” the right to justice and a fair trial.-Documents that changed the world.
Jun, 1215: The city of London is captured by rebel barons forcing King John to surrender England to the overlordship of the Pope. The Magna Carta becomes a negotiation to avert Civil War.
~632: The Quran, the foundational text of Islam, is written by Muhammad in Arabia. Muslims believe the text was orally revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel between ~609-632. In classical Arabic, “Quran” literally means “that which is often recited.” For Muslims, the Quran is the final definitive revelation of God, superseding all others. It contains laws, commandments, and prophecies, some of which are intended to correct errors in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.-Documents that changed the world.
196 BCE: The Rosetta Stone is written in Egypt on a broken slab of black Basalt in three different scripts- hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek.-Documents that changed the world.
200 BCE- 68: The Dead Sea Scrolls are written in Palestine. They are the only surviving copies of biblical documents and reveal various details concerning many aspects of Judaism practiced during the Second Temple Period.-Documents that changed the world.
500 BCE: The Five Classics are written by Confucius in China, aimed at restoring peace through virtuous behavior during China’s warring feudal states period.-Documents that changed the world.
The Book of Poems: A collection of 305 poems including folk songs, songs for court, ceremonies, eulogies to heroes and hymns to ancestral spirits.
The Book of Documents: Speeches and documents alleged to have been written by rulers around 1000 BCE and earlier.
The Book of Rites: A description of rites, etiquette, and court ceremonies.
The I Ching (Book of Changes): A number system used for divination and storytelling.
The Spring and Autumn Annals: A historical record of the state of Liu, where Confucius was born, from 722- 481 BCE.
The Classics of Music: This sixth book was lost during the persecution of intellectuals and repression of ideas during the 210’s under Emperor Qin Shi Huang.
516 BCE- 70: Judaism’s Second Temple Period.
700 BCE: The Iliad is written by Homer; 15,700 lines in length and follows the fates of the Greek forces as they besiege and then sack the city of Troy, to retrieve the beautiful Helen, the kidnapped wife of Greek Menelaus. The Iliad is followed by the Odyssey and deals with the attempts of Odysseus, one of the Greek leaders, to get safely home after the war.-Documents that changed the world.
1200 BCE- 100: The Bible is compiled (mostly in Hebrew before being translated to Greek and Latin); considered to be the word of god and the sacred text to Christians and Jews. The teachings of the bible have been taken as the foundation of morality in most European societies for the last 2,000 years.-Documents that changed the world.
New Testament: Details the birth and deeds of Christ and is only accepted by Christians.-Documents that changed the world.
1550-1100 BCE: The Deir El-Medina Texts are written by the People of Deir el-Medina in Ancient Egypt on papyrus and ostraca (broken pot shards) detailing the daily life of Ancient Egyptians.-Documents that changed the world.
1754 BCE: The Code of Hammurabi is compiled by Hammurabi, the 6th King of Babylon, as a list of laws- a legal code of 282 if-then edicts etched into a four-ton pillar of diorite; one of the first examples of lex talionis- an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.-Documents that changed the world.
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