Bolivia declares independence from Spain
After the 1st call for independence in 1809, 16 years of war followed before the establishment of the Bolivian Republic, named for the Liberator Simón Bolívar, on August 6, 1825.
1800-09 C.E.
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck publishes Philosophie Zoologique, the first truly cohesive theory of biological evolution
Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist and an early proponent of the idea that biological evolution occurred and proceeded in accordance with natural laws.
Nicolas Appert invents canning, revolutionizing food storage
In 1809, Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner and brewer, observed that food cooked inside a jar did not spoil unless the seals leaked, and developed a method of sealing food in glass jars.
Finland gains autonomy from the Russian Empire
The Grand Duchy of Finland or, more accurately, the Grand Principality of Finland, was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed between 1809 and 1917 as an autonomous part of the Russian Empire.
British Parliament abolishes slave trade throughout the British Empire
The Royal Navy established the West Africa Squadron in 1808 to patrol the coast of West Africa, and between 1808 and 1860 freed 150,000 Africans aboard slave ships.
U.S. Congress abolishes the African slave trade
The U.S. Congress passed an act to “prohibit the importation of slaves into any port or place within the jurisdiction of the United States…from any foreign kingdom, place, or country.”
The Holy Roman Emperor Francis II founds the Austrian Empire
The Austrian Empire was a Central European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs.
Alessandro Volta invents the voltaic pile, the world’s first battery
The voltaic pile became one of the first reliable sources of electricity, and that new source of study enabled many discoveries in the field, from the understanding of the electrolysis of water to the research of electric arcs.