The 18th century
11,877 sourced entries across 100 documented years, grouped into 10 decades. A century here runs 1900–1999 rather than 1901–2000, so its decades sit inside it exactly; on the BC side the same rule puts 1–99 BC in the 1st century BC and 100 BC in the 2nd.
Decades
- The 1700s — 10 years, 1,130 entries
- The 1710s — 10 years, 1,115 entries
- The 1720s — 10 years, 1,010 entries
- The 1730s — 10 years, 979 entries
- The 1740s — 10 years, 1,081 entries
- The 1750s — 10 years, 1,092 entries
- The 1760s — 10 years, 1,192 entries
- The 1770s — 10 years, 1,305 entries
- The 1780s — 10 years, 1,430 entries
- The 1790s — 10 years, 1,543 entries
By subject
- Conflict & Security in the 18th century — 1,582 entries
- Geopolitics & Diplomacy in the 18th century — 1,415 entries
- Culture & Society in the 18th century — 1,295 entries
- Religion & Belief in the 18th century — 787 entries
- Exploration & Expansion in the 18th century — 651 entries
- Technology & Infrastructure in the 18th century — 622 entries
- Crime & Justice in the 18th century — 500 entries
- Science & Discovery in the 18th century — 398 entries
- Economy & Finance in the 18th century — 295 entries
- Health & Medicine in the 18th century — 289 entries
- Disasters & Accidents in the 18th century — 230 entries
- Climate & Environment in the 18th century — 222 entries
A few of the years
- 1700February 12 – The Great Northern War begins with a joint invasion of Swedish territory in Germany and Latvia by Denmark and Poland/Saxony. Sweden has control of the Baltic Sea and holds territory that includes Finland, Estonia, Latvia and parts of northern Germany. To challenge its power, an alliance is formed between Tsar Peter I of Russia, King Frederick IV of Denmark and Augustus II the Strong, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. Sweden's ruler is the militaristic Charles XII, known as the "Swedish Meteor".
- 171230 February 1712 – Sweden temporarily adopts February 30 as a day to adjust the Swedish calendar back to the Julian calendar.
- 1724January 15 – King Philip V of Spain abdicates the throne in favour of his 16-year-old son Louis I.
- 1736April 17 – Lionel Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset, Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, lays the foundation stone for an obelisk commemorating the Battle of the Boyne (1690) at Oldbridge, County Meath.
- 1748April 24 – A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle (now Aachen), with the intent to conclude the War of the Austrian Succession. The treaty is signed on October 18.
- 1760February 21–26 – Seven Years' War: Battle of Carrickfergus in the north of Ireland – A force of French troops, under the command of privateer François Thurot, captures and holds the town and castle of Carrickfergus before retiring; the force is defeated (and Thurot killed) in the naval Battle of Bishops Court in the Irish Sea on February 28.
- 1772January 17 – Johann Friedrich Struensee and Queen Caroline Matilda are arrested, leading to his execution and her banishment from Denmark.
- 1784January 15 – Henry Cavendish's paper to the Royal Society of London, Experiments on Air, reveals the molecular composition of water.