Who were the Montgolfier brothers?

Who were the Montgolfier brothers?

The Montgolfier brothers wee Joseph and Etienne two brothers in France who made aviation history with their hot air balloons in 1783. They were convinced that the same kind of heated air which sent pieces of paper wafting up in a chimney from their home fire could also lift men into the air. They succeeded in their experiments in 1783. Their balloon was made of linen lined with paper, and filled with hot air from a straw and wool fire.

Louis XIV and Marie Antoinette witnessed the first flight by living creatures at Versailles when the brothers sent a sheep, a duck, and a rooster into the air in a basket suspended from their balloon. A month later the first person to fly, Pilatre de Rozier went up in a Montgolfier balloon.

How was mercury oxide discovered?

How was mercury oxide discovered?

Mercury oxide was discovered by the French chemist Antoine Laurent Lavosier during his experiments with the element oxygen. Oxygen was discovered in 1774 by Priestly. It was also discovered at about the same time by the Swedish scientist Scheele who called it ‘empyreal’ or ‘fire air’. But Lavosier gave the element its modern name – oxygen.

In addition to repeating the experiment conducted by Priestly, Lavosier carryout out several of his own. In one such experiment, he showed that mercury heated in small amount of oxygen was transformed into a red powder which he called mercury oxide.

What was the Boston Tea Party?

What was the Boston Tea Party?

The Boston Tea Party was the famous incident that sowed the seeds of American War of Independence. The series of events that led to this incident are as follows. Trade in the American colonies was regulated by Great Britain and as such some restrictions were imposed on trade. This led to smuggling by the settlers.

The British tried to reinforce the Navigation Act to control trade, but met with failure. In 1765, the British government passed the Stamp Act according to which all legal documents in America had to have an official stamp. The protest against this by the colonies was so strong that the Act had to be repealed.

In 1767, tax was imposed on tea and other imports to America. Subsequently, most of the taxes were abolished, but the one on tea remained. In 1773, some of the colonists openly demonstrated their objection to this. Dressed up as Red Indians, they boarded British ships in Boston harbour and threw the cases of tea that they carried, into the sea. This incident is known in history as the ‘Boston Tea Party’.

How did America acquire her independence?

How did America acquire her independence?

Trade in American colonies was regulated by Great Britain. These imposed controls annoyed the settlers. There were acts of rebellion, such as The Boston Tea Party, and gradually, this flared into a war in 1775 when shots were fired at Lexington.

Though the British won many battles initially, George Washington appointed by the American Congress inspired the untrained American soldiers to fight for their freedom. The Americans were also aided in their fight by Britain’s enemies in Europe. The Congress issued the Declaration of independence on July 4, 1776. The Declaration renounced loyalty to the British throne and resolved that United Colonies are, and of right, ought to be free and independent States. Finally, General Cornwallis cut off at Yorktown with French ships preventing aid reaching him. He surrendered and fighting ended. America was granted its independence in 1783.