Joseph Bramah invents the hydraulic press
A hydraulic press is a machine press using a hydraulic cylinder to generate a compressive force.
United Kingdom
Thomas Saint invents the sewing machine
In 1790, the English inventor Thomas Saint invented the first sewing machine design, but he did not successfully advertise or market his invention. His machine was meant to be used on leather and canvas material.
John Wilkinson invents a boring machine that becomes perhaps humanity’s first machine tool
John “Iron-Mad” Wilkinson invented precision boring machine that could bore cast iron cylinders, such as those used in steam engines of James Watt.
Captain James Cook becomes first human known to cross Antarctic Circle
In 1773, James Cook and his crew crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time; however, although they discovered nearby islands, they did not catch sight of Antarctica itself.
James Watts invents the steam engine
The firm of Boulton and Watt became famous and Watt lived until August 19, 1819, long enough to see his steam engine become the greatest single factor in the upcoming new industrial era.
William Cullen invents the first artificial refrigeration machine
Cullen used a pump to create a partial vacuum over a container of diethyl ether, which then boiled, absorbing heat from the surrounding air.
United Kingdom formally comes together as a unified sovereign state
“What began as a hostile merger would end in a full partnership in the most powerful going concern in the world… it was one of the most astonishing transformations in European history.”
Edmond Halley predicts the return of the world’s most famous comet
Edmond Halley, in his 1705 Synopsis of the Astronomy of Comets, used Newton’s new laws to calculate the gravitational effects of Jupiter and Saturn on cometary orbits.
The Ladies’ Mercury, the first known periodical specifically for women, is published in London
The Ladies Mercury was a weekly publication promising to respond to “all the most nice and curious questions concerning love, marriage, behaviour, dress and humour of the female sex, whether virgins, wives, or widows.”
Robert Hooke discovers cells
Robert Hooke was a 17th century “natural philosopher” — an early scientist — noted for a variety of observations of the natural world.