Timeline: Niklaus Gerber: Gerber Family of Langnau

1695 - 1773 (~ 78 years)

	Date	Event(s)
1	1695	1695: England - Lapse of the Licensing Act
2	1697	1697: England - Peace of Ryswick between the allied powers of the League of Augsburg and France ends the French War 1697: England - Civil List Act votes funds for the maintenance of the Royal Household 1697: England - Blasphemy Act in England 10 Nov 1697: England - Birth of William Hogarth (died 1764), bitter satirical artist of great genius, chronicling social evils of the times
3	1698	1698: England - Thomas Savery patented an engine which produced a vacuum by condensing steam. It was employed for raising water from a mine and supplying water to several country houses. 1698: Russia - Tsar Peter the Great begins taxing men with beards
4	1699	23 May 1699: America - John Bartram was born. A naturalist and explorer, considered 'father of American botany'; established a world renowned botanical garden in Philadelphia in 1728.
5	1700	1700: England - Population of England and Wales estimated at 5.5 million 1700: England - Population of English colonies in America, 200,000
6	1701	1701: England - The Act of Settlement settles the Royal Succession on the Protestant descendants of Sophia of Hanover. William III forms a grand alliance between England, Holland and Austria to prevent the union of the Spanish and French crowns. The War of the Spanish Succession breaks out in Europe over the vacant throne 1701: England - Death of James II in exile, King Louis of France recognises James's son as King James III 1701: England - Jethro Tull invents the seed drill.
7	1702	1702: England - Death of King William III in a riding accident. He is succeeded by his sister-in-law. 1702: England - Queen Anne, ruler of England to 1714. House of Stuart (restored): 2nd daughter of James II. Died with no living heirs. 1702: England - Queen Anne's War: England declares war on France as part of the War of the Spanish Succession. English Colonies vs France 1702-1713. 1702: England - England tries to prevent grandson of Louis of France from taking Spanish throne; John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, instrumental in uniting England, Holland, Austria and Germany against France (period to 1713) 1702: England - Freehold yeomen represent one eigth of population of England. Substantial tenant farmers represent a little less; coffee houses become popular
8	1703	1703: Epworth, Lincolnshire, England - Birth of John Wesley. By 1784, 356 Methodist chapels built in places lacking church
9	1704	1704: England - Johann Sebastian Bach began composing music 1704: Gibraltar - British capture Gibraltar from Spain 13 Aug 1704: England - British, Dutch, German and Austrian troops, under the Duke of Marlborough, defeat the French and Bavarians at the Battle of Blenheim
10	1706	1706: London, England - The Evening Post, first evening newspaper issued 23 May 1706: Netherlands - British, Bavarian and Austrian troops under Marlborough defeat the French at the Battle of Ramillies, and expel the French from the Netherlands
11	1707	1707: Great Britain - The Act of Union unites the kingdoms of England and Scotland and transfers the seat of Scottish Government to London
12	1708	11 Jul 1708: England - The Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Oudenarde. The French incur heavy losses. Queen Anne vetoes a parliamentary bill to recognise the Scottish militia. This is the last time a bill is vetoed by the sovereign
13	1709	1709: England - Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit constructed an alcohol thermometer 1709: Great Britain - Quaker Abraham Darby discovers coal-smelting technique for producing pig-iron, replaces charcoal method 1709: England - Bartolomeo Cristofori invents the piano. 11 Sep 1709: England - Duke of Marlborough defeats the French at the Battle of Malplaquet
14	1710	1710: Great Britain - A Tory ministry is formed, under Harley, with the impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell and the fall of the Whig government 1710: Great Britain - Wooden panelling replaces tapestry as wall covering
15	1711	1711: Great Britain - Englishman John Shore invents the tuning fork.
16	1712	1712: Great Britain - Thomas Newcomen patents the atmospheric steam engine.
17	1713	1713: Europe - The Treaty of Utrecht is signed by Britain and France, thus concluding the War of the Spanish Succession
18	1714	1714: Great Britain - Death of Queen Anne at Kensington Palace. A new parliament is elected with a strong Whig majority, led by Charles Townshend and Robert Walpole 1714: Great Britain - Quaker John Belles urges founding of hospitals as training grounds for medical students; Board of Longitude created, £20,000 competition for accurate maritime charts and maps 1714: Great Britain - George I,ruler of England to 1727. House of Hanover: Son of Elector of Hanover, by Sophia, grand-daughter of James I. Proclaimed King under Act of Settlement. 1714: Great Britain - Rioting by Tory and Jacobite mobs commonplace in London (unemployed soldiers, craftsmen), passage of Riot Act, giving increased power to Justices of the Peace through to 1715 1714: Great Britain - During period to 1742 there are no big increases from population of about 5.5 million but the distribution changes: East Anglia loses; West Country, South and East Midlands, East Riding and North (except Tyneside) fairly static; West Riding and South Lancashire increase; West Midlands, Surrey and Middlesex grow rapidly with London (London 500,000, Bristol 50,000; Manchester, Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds, Halifax, Birmingham and Coventry, no longer sprawling villages, but still under 50,000); cause is immigration from cities and (in NW) from Ireland
19	1715	1715: Great Britain - Thomas Fairchild produced the first artificial hybrid plant 1715: Scotland - The Jacobite Rebellion begins in Scotland with the aim of overthrowing the Hanovarian succession and placing the 'Old Pretender' - James II's son - on the throne. The rebellion is easily defeated 1715: Great Britain - The Septennial Act sets General Elections to be held every seven years
20	1716	1716: Italy - John Lombe steals plans for silk manufacture, returning to England he and brother Thomas build vast factory on island at Derby 1716: Scotland - James Lind was born. Lind was a Scottish physician who recommended that fresh citrus fruit and lemon juice be included in the seamen's diet to eliminate scurvy. The Dutch had been doing this for almost two hundred years.
21	1717	1717: Great Britain - Townshend is dismissed from government by George I, causing Walpole to resign. The Whig party is split. Convocation is suspended 1717: Europe - England allies with French and Dutch against Spanish, Spanish brought to heel in 1718 1717: Great Britain - Edmond Halley invents the diving bell. 1717: Great Britain - John Lombe in England invents a machine for 'throwing' silk which produces a strong twisted thread
22	1719	1719: Great Britain - The South Sea Bubble bursts, leaving many investors ruined after speculating with stock of the South Sea Company 1719: British North America - The first potato planted North Amercia was planted in Londonderry Common Field, New Hampshire.
23	1720	1720: Great Britain - Dr. Richard Mead publishes Short Discourse Concerning Pestilential Contagion, advocates quarantine, proposes establishment of government Council of Health; inoculation against smallpox introduced from Constantinople by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu 1720: Great Britain - Hospitals founded in London: Guy's, St. George's, London & Middlesex in period to 1745 1720: Meiringen, Switzerland - Invention of meringue is attributed to an Italian pastry chef named Gasparini.
24	1721	1721: Great Britain - Sir Robert Walpole returns to government as First Lord of the Treasury. He remains in office until 1742 and effectively becomes Britain's first Prime Minister
25	1722	1722: Great Britain - First written reference to Stilton cheese in William Stukeley's Itinerarium Curiosum, letter V 1722: Great Britain - Death of the Duke of Marlborough. The Jacobite 'Atterbury Plot' is hatched 1722: France - C. Hopffer patents the fire extinguisher.
26	1723	1723: Great Britain - Legislation allowing parishes to create 'unions' or workhouses, to prevent escape of children they could be manacled 1723: Great Britain - Excise Act, restrictions removed on exports, duty removed on imports of raw materials; London builds bonded warhouse for tea, coffee and chocolate 1723: New England, USA - Dummer's War 1723-1726. 16 Jul 1723: Devon, Great Britain - Birth of Sir Joshua Reynolds (died 1792), arguably finest English landscape and portrait painter, career 1750-1780
27	1724	1724: Great Britain - Duke of Newcastle develops passion for electioneering politics, becomes Secretary of State, controls government patronage for nearly 40 years 1724: Great Britain - Gabriel Fahrenheit invents the first mercury thermometer.
28	1725	30 Apr 1725: Great Britain - Treaty of Vienna: Austria and Spain resolve differences
29	1726	1726: Scotland - First circulating library in Britain opens in Edinburgh. Jonathan Swift publishes his Gulliver's Travels 1726: Great Britain - English peers number 179, about 130 of whom are active
30	1727	1727: Great Britain - Death of Sir Isaac Newton and of King George I (in Hanover) 1727: Great Britain - The Gentleman's Magazine, first modern magazine, published 1727: Great Britain - Rev. Stephen Hales publishes Vegetable Staticks, important contributions to chemistry and botany 1727: Great Britain - Provincial newspapers have increased from 8 in 1700 to 25 in 1727 1727: Great Britain - George II, ruler of England to 1760. House of Hanover: Only son of George I, married Caroline of Brandenburg. 14 May 1727: Great Britain - Baptism of Thomas Gainsborough, portrait painter influenced by Sir Joshua Reynolds
31	1728	1728: France - Pierre Fauchard, in The Surgeon Dentist, described preventive measures to keep teeth healthy as well as inventing the word dentist.
32	1729	1729: Great Britain - Alexander Pope publishes his Dunciad
33	1730	1730: Great Britain - A split occurs between Walpole and Townshend 1730: Ireland - Famine strikes 1730: Great Britain - In early part of 1700s, death rate had surpassed birth rate; begins to reverse; after 1780 death-rate plummets - due to replacement of gin-drinking with beer-drinking after taxes increased and retail sales curtailed on former in 1750; medical care improves, as does agriculture, more food available 1730: Great Britain - Georg Brandt, a Swedish chemist, discovered the element cobalt. Cobalt is used in steel making, and is an essential part of vitamin B12.
34	1731	1731: Europe - Second Treaty of Vienna, Austria and Spain smooth out remaining differences
35	1732	1732: British North America - A royal charter is granted for the founding of Georgia in America 1732: Great Britain - The English banned American made hats to protect domestic haberdashers.
36	1733	1733: Great Britain - The Excise Crisis occurs and Walpole is forced to abandon his plans to reorganise the customs and excise 1733: Europe - Further cementing of relations between Austria and Spain 1733: Great Britain - John Kay invents the flying shuttle.
37	1734	1734: Great Britain - Walpole returned to power with smaller majority, power weakened
38	1736	1736: Great Britain - John Harrison finished building and tested at sea what proved to be the first accurate chronometer for timing longitude 1736: Great Britain - Duke of Newcastle now controls clerical (religious) patronage
39	1737	1737: Scotland - Porteous Riots 1737: America - Spain begins to attack British trade 20 Nov 1737: Great Britain - Death of King George II's wife, Queen Caroline
40	1738	1738: Great Britain - John and Charles Wesley start the Methodist movement in Britain 1738: Europe - Third Treaty of Vienna settles Polish question, gives Lorraine to France
41	1739	1739: Europe - Britain goes to war with Spain in the War of Jenkins' Ear. The cause: Captain Jenkins' ear was claimed to have been cut off during a Naval Skirmish 1739: Great Britain - First 'Lying-in hospital' for women 1739: Europe - War with Spain, War with France; Britain uses German and Dutch mercenaries
42	1740	1740: Europe - Commencement of the War of Austrian Succession in Europe 1740: Great Britain - For stealing a handkerchief from the person a child could be hanged by the neck until dead 1740: Great Britain - Publication of the first novel, Samuel Richardson's Pamela 1740: British North America - War against France (to 1748) 1740: India - British War against the French, Major Stringer Lawrence and Robert Clive win for Britain (period to 1748) 1740: Great Britain - Quaker Benjamin Huntsman discovers method of making high-quality cast steel
43	1741	1741: Ireland - Further famine, population about 4 million
44	1742	1742: Great Britain - Spencer Compton, Earl of Wilmington Prime Minister until 1743 (Whig) 1742: Great Britain - Beginning with a bull calf from the cow Silver and two cows, Pidgeon and Mottle (inherited from his father's estate), Benjamin Tomkins is credited with founding the Hereford breed. 1742: Great Britain - Sir Robert Walpole resigns after criticism for advocating mercenaries; John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville succeeds him 1742: Williamsburg, British North America - The Compleat Housewife, or Accomplish'd Gentlewoman's Companion is the first cookbook published in America
45	1743	1743: Great Britain - Henry Pelham Prime Minister until 1754 (Whig) 27 Jun 1743: Germany - Battle of Dettingen - King George II is victorious
46	1744	1744: Great Britain - King George's War: French Colonies vs Great Britain 1744-1748.
47	1745	1745: Great Britain - Sir Robert Walpole dies 1745: Great Britain - E.G. von Kleist invents the leyden jar, the first electrical capacitor. 1745: Western Highlands, Scotland - Bonnie Prince Charlie, son of James III, lands and triggers a Jacobite Rebellion 1745: Great Britain - Scots reach Derby; 'Bonnie Prince Charlie' is inexplicably persuaded to turn back, loses initiative 1745: Scotland - The secret formula for Drambuie liqueur is given to the Mackinnon family by Prince Charles Edward. 11 May 1745: Fonteney, Austrian Netherlands - Battle of Fontenoy (Flanders/Belgium), George's son, Duke of Cumberland, leads Britain's defeat 21 Sep 1745: Scotland - a Scottish victory at the Battle of Prestonpans
48	1746	1746: England - William Pitt (the elder) enters government 16 Apr 1746: Culloden, Scotland - Battle of Culloden, Scots defeated by Cumberland; fails to capture Charles who, after five months, escapes to France
49	1747	1747: Great Britain - Yorkshire pudding mentioned in recipes 1747: Great Britain - Art of Cookery, by Hannah Glasse is published. 1747: British North America - The oldest cattle ranch in the US was started at Montauk on Long Island, New York.
50	1748	18 Oct 1748: Great Britain - The Peace of Aix-la-Chapelle brings the War of Austrian Succession to a close
51	1749	1749: Great Britain - Deaths among women 1 in 41, children 1 in 15 during period to 1758
52	1750	1750: Great Britain - The grapefruit was first described by Griffith Hughes as the 'forbidden fruit' of Barbados 1750: Scotland - Royal Infirmaries are founded in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen 1750: Great Britain - Tea-drinking begins to rival alcohol-drinking 1750: Great Britain - Population of England and Wales estimated at 6.5 million 1750: Great Britain - During period to 1780 English countryside takes on today's familiar apearance as accelerated enclosure produces small fields surrounded by hedges, fences and walls
53	1751	1751: British North America - Benjamin Franklin published Experiments and Observations on Electricity after several years of experiments done with several friends. In this book Franklin suggested an experiment to prove that lightning is a large-scale electrical discharge, a task which later he took upon himself, using a kite. This led to the invention of the lightning rod. 1751: Great Britain - Death of Frederick, Prince of Wales. His son, Prince George, becomes heir to the throne
54	1752	1752: Great Britain - René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur showed by experiment that gastric juice liquifies meat. 1752: Great Britain - Sir John Pringle (1707-1782), Scottish Army physician, publishes Observations on Diseases of the Army, institutes rules for camp hygiene, clothing and diet, shows how dysentery and malaria spread, identifies hospital / camp / gaol (jail) / ship fever as typhus 1 Jan 1752: Great Britain - Adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in Britain
55	1753	1753: Great Britain - Parliament passes the Naturalization of Jews Act 1753: Great Britain - James Lind (1716-1794) Scottish Navy physician, publishes Treatise on Scurvy; Sir Gilbert Blane, Scottish Naval surgeon, enforces strict rules regarding cleanliness, improves health, lifespan of sailors
56	1754	1754: Great Britain - First royal troops disembark in India; Takes 4.5 days to travel London to Manchester 1754: France - Antoine Beauvilliers was born. He was a French chef who founded the first luxury restaurant, La Grande Taverne de Londres.
57	1755	1755: Great Britain - Samuel Johnson publishes the first English language dictionary. 23 Mar 1755: Great Britain - Josiah Spode was born; the inventor of Fine Bone China.
58	1756	1756: Great Britain - Mayonnaise invented to commemorate a victory at the start of the Seven Years War, the successful seige of English-held St. Philip's Castle 1756: Europe - Britain, allied with Prussia, declares war against France and her allies, Austria and Russia. The Seven Years' War begins 20 Jun 1756: Calcutta, India - Mîrzâ Mohammad Sirâjud Dawla takes the city and English prisoners suffocate in Black Hole; Robert Clive brings 2000 sepoys (Indian soldiers) from Madras to avenge, retakes Calcutta
59	1757	1757: Great Britain - William Pitt the elder becomes Prime Minister 1757: India - Robert Clive wins the Battle of Plassey and secures the Indian province of Bengal for Britain 1757: Great Britain - John Campbell invents the sextant.
60	1758	1758: Great Britain - Dolland invents the achromatic lens. 1758: Great Britain - Ribbing machine developed in England to make Jedediah Strutt stockings.
61	1759	1759: Canada - Wolfe captures Quebec and expels the French 1759: Great Britain - Battle of Quiberon (Brest fleet) and Battle of Lagos (Toulon fleet), Admirals Sir Edward Hawke and Boscawen, respectively, victorious for Britain; Dakar captured 1759: British North America - Cherokee War: English Colonists vs Cherokee Indians 1759-1761.
62	1760	1760: Great Britain - Death of George II 1760: Great Britain - George III, ruler of England to 1820. House of Hanover: Grandson of George II, married Charlotte of Mecklenburg.
63	1761	1761: Great Britain - Laurence Sterne publishes the enigmatic Tristram Shandy 1761: Great Britain - Jonas Hanway and David Porter begin campaign on behalf of child chimney sweeps, achieve protective legislation in 1788 1761: Pondicherry, India - Pondicherry captured, French power destroyed 1761: Great Britain - William Pitt the elder resigns over King and advisors not permitting further conflict with France and ally Spain 1761: Great Britain - River power reaches saturation point, Duke of Bridgewater cuts Worsley Canal, thereby halving price of coal in Manchester 1761: Great Britain - Englishman John Harrison invents the navigational clock or marine chronometer for measuring longitude. 1761: Great Britain - Various municipalities secure Private Acts by which money can be raised ('rates') to pay for public improvements, such as paving and lighting in period to 1765
64	1762	1762: Great Britain - John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, 'created' the Sandwich. This Englishman was said to have been fond of gambling and, during a 24 hour gambling streak, he instructed a cook to prepare his food in such a way that it would not interfere with his game. The cook presented him with sliced meat between two pieces of toast. Perfect! This meal required no utensils and could be eaten with one hand, leaving the other free to continue the game. 1762: Great Britain - The Earl of Bute is appointed Prime Minister. He becomes very unpopular and employs a bodyguard 1762: France - Académie Francaise recognises term millionaire 1762: Great Britain - Spain declares war on Britain; Britain gains West Indian islands from French, Cuba and Manila from Spanish
65	1763	1763: Americas - Treaty of Paris returns Cuba and Manila to Spain, keeps Florida, recovers Minorca; returns West Indian islands and trading stations in India to French, keeps Canada
66	1764	1764: Great Britain - James Hargreaves in England invents the spinning jenny which can produce 8 threads at one time.
67	1765	1765: Great Britain - Rockingham ministry. The American Stamp Act raises taxes in the colonies in an attempt to make their defence self-financing 1765: Great Britain - Earliest known children's pop-up book 1765: France - The very first pâté de foie gras (goose liver paste) is said to have been created in Strasbourg by a Norman chef named Jean-Joseph Close. (Although the technique for producing foie gras goes back as far as the ancient Egyptians) 1765: Paris, France - M. Boulanger opens the first restaurant, by that name
68	1766	1766: Great Britain - Chatham ministry. Repeal of the American Stamp Act 1766: Great Britain - Priestley discovers Law of Inverse Squares (electricity), Louis XV convulses with laughter when line of monks leap into air as electric shock is administered 1766: France - Louis, Marquis de Cussy was born. French gastronome, a friend of Grimod de la Reyniere, who stated that Cussy had invented 366 different ways to prepare chicken. Cussy wrote Les Classiques de la table.
69	1767	1767: Great Britain - John Wilkinson, ironmaster, produces railways for mines; Manchester and Liverpool joined by canal 1767: Great Britain - Joseph Priestley invents carbonated water - soda water.
70	1768	1768: Great Britain - Grafton ministry. The Middlesex Election Crisis occurs. 1768: Great Britain - General election, reformer Wilkes elected as member for Middlesex amid scenes of jubilation; Royal Academy (painting) founded
71	1769	1769: Great Britain - James Watt patented a new type of steam engine with a separate condensing chamber and an air pump to bring steam into the chamber and equipped it with a simple 'governor' for safety: if the engine started to go too fast, the power would be automatically cut back. He coined the term horsepower and later loaned his name to the unit of power, or work done per unit of time 1769: Great Britain - Captain James Cook's first voyage to explore the Pacific begins 1769: Great Britain - Richard Arkwright develops the water-powered spinning frame
72	1770	1770: Great Britain - Lord North begins service as Prime Minister. The Falkland Island Crisis occurs. Edmund Burke publishes his Thoughts on the Present Discontents 1770: Australia - James Cook documents the location of Australia 1770: Great Britain - Gum pencil eraser invented 1770: Great Britain - Early skeleton suits begin to appear - the first specialized children's clothing. The earliest were still worn with knee breeches, but by the 1780s they were warn with long trousers.
73	1771	1771: Great Britain - The Encyclopedia Britannica is first published 1771: Great Britain - Richard Arkwright builds the first spinning mill
74	1772	1772: Great Britain - Lord Mansfield makes slavery illegal 1772: Great Britain - James Burgh publishes Political Disquisitions, advocates universal male suffrage
75	1773	1773: British North America - Colonists protest at the East India Company's monopoly over tea exports to the colonies, at the so-called Boston Tea Party 1773: Coalbrookedale, England - The world's first Cast Iron bridge is constructed over the River Severn 1773: Great Britain - Benjamin Delessert was born. French industrialist who developed the first successful process to extract sugar from sugar beets.

Gerber Family of Switzerland

Niklaus Gerber

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