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Age of Revolutions: fun facts and quiz
The essentials in 7 ideas, with fun facts, an illustrated story and a quiz to see how much you know.
The essentials
The American Revolution
Thirteen British colonies in North America declared independence in 1776 and won it after a long war, forming the United States.
Key fact
The Declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July 1776.
The French Revolution
In 1789, the people of France rose against their king. The storming of the Bastille prison on 14 July became the revolution’s symbol, and France later became a republic.
Key fact
Its motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.
The Industrial Revolution
From the late 1700s, Britain moved from hand work to machines and factories, powered by coal and steam. Industry then spread around the world.
Key fact
Cotton mills were among the first big factories.
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte, a general of the French Revolution, crowned himself emperor in 1804 and conquered much of Europe before his defeat at Waterloo in 1815.
Key fact
His legal code still shapes laws in many countries.
Latin American Independence
Between about 1808 and 1826, most of Spain’s and Portugal’s American colonies became independent. Simón Bolívar led the fight across much of South America.
Key fact
Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar.
Abolition of Slavery
Campaigners fought to end the slave trade and slavery. Britain banned the trade in 1807 and slavery in most of its empire in 1833; the USA abolished slavery in 1865.
Key fact
Haiti, in 1804, was the first nation founded after a successful slave revolt.
The Railway Age
In 1830, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway became the first intercity line run entirely by steam locomotives. Railways soon cut journeys from days to hours.
Key fact
Railways led to standard time, so timetables made sense.
Fun facts
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on 4 July 1826, the 50th anniversary of the Declaration.
When the Bastille was stormed, it held only seven prisoners.
In early cotton mills, shifts of 12 hours or more, six days a week, were normal, even for children.
Napoleon was exiled twice: first to Elba, then to remote Saint Helena.
Bolívar dreamed of one united nation, Gran Colombia, but by 1831 it had split into Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador.
Mauritania was the last country to officially abolish slavery, in 1981.
On the Liverpool and Manchester Railway’s opening day in 1830, an MP was killed by Stephenson’s Rocket.
Story: Little Boney
Little Boney
Napoleon is often remembered as tiny. In fact he was about 1.69 m tall, average or better for a Frenchman of his time.
Part of the mix-up came from French inches, which were longer than English ones, so his height sounded short in Britain.
British cartoonists like James Gillray did the rest, drawing him as “Little Boney”, a furious little man in a giant hat.
True or false?
Tap your answer to see if you got it, and why.
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Question 1 of 10
The colonies won independence after a long war.
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True. It’s called the American Revolutionary War.
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Question 2 of 10
The Bastille was stormed on 14 July 1789.
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True. It’s now France’s national day.
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Question 3 of 10
The Industrial Revolution brought machines and factories.
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True. Work moved from homes and workshops to mills.
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Question 4 of 10
Napoleon crowned himself emperor.
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True. In 1804.
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Question 5 of 10
Bolivia is named after Simón Bolívar.
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True. He helped free six of today’s countries.
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Question 6 of 10
Haiti became independent after a slave revolt.
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True. In 1804, led by formerly enslaved people.
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Question 7 of 10
Railways helped create standard time zones.
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True. Before that, each town kept its own local time.
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Question 8 of 10
The thirteen colonies were ruled by France before independence.
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False. They were British colonies.
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Question 9 of 10
The French Revolution made the king more powerful.
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False. It ended the monarchy; the king was executed in 1793.
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Question 10 of 10
The Industrial Revolution was powered mainly by solar energy.
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False. It ran on coal and steam.
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KnowSoda learns what you know and brings back what you’re about to forget. Age of Revolutions has 6 more ideas at the Advanced and Expert levels.
Sources
- U.S. National Archives — The Declaration of Independence
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — French Revolution, Napoleon, Simón Bolívar, Industrial Revolution
- UK Parliament — The abolition of the slave trade and slavery
- Science and Industry Museum — Liverpool and Manchester Railway
- Encyclopaedia Britannica — metric system, Luddite, Revolutions of 1848, Olympe de Gouges, Factory Acts, Jethro Tull
- UK Parliament — The 1833 Factory Act
