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The Illegitimacy Explosion
The Illegitimacy Explosion. In more industrialized regions, the number of illegitimate births skyrocketed. For example, one out of two births were illegitimate. This was due in part to widespread patterns of romanticism and premarital sexual activities. It is significant because it marked the decline of traditional courting techniques and the rise of free love. -
Edwin Chadwick published detailed reports outlining the unsanitary conditions of the poor.
Edwin Chadwick published detailed reports outlining the unsanitary conditions of the poor. As a result, many nations such as Germany and the United States took more responsibility for the health of their citizens. In addition, the report became the basis of Great Britain's first public health laws which created a national health board and gave cities authority to build ore sanitary systems. -
Louis Pasteur discovers pasteurization
Louis Pasteur discovers pasteurization. He found that fermentation of liquids depended on the growth of microscopic life and that the best way to prevent this was to boil the beverage. This is significant because the discovery would be used to significantly decrease death rates due to disease. -
Gustave Flaubert publishes Madame Bovary.
Gustave Flaubert publishes Madame Bovary. The book tells about a wife who has an affair and is betrayed by her lover. The work demonstrates that the middle class was smug, petty and hypocritical. -
Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species by the Means of Natural Selection
Charles Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species by the Means of Natural Selection. Darwin argued that organisms that were more fit for their environment survived and passed on their traits. The book is significant because it is often considered the basis of modern biology. It is also significant because the book resulted in heated controversies that pitted science against religion in Europe and North America. These controversies spiked in the US during the 1920’s. -
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Count Leo Tolstoy writes War and Peace.
Count Leo Tolstoy writes War and Peace. The book is set during the French invasion of Russia. The book demonstrates a fatalistic view of history. However, it also argues that love, trust and family ties are life's enduring qualities. -
Pasteur declares that the air is full of bacteria.
Pasteur declares that the air is full of bacteria. English surgeon Joseph Lister makes the connection between aerial and wound infection. As a result, he starts to sterilize his patients’ wounds. Later surgeons would further apply Lister's antiseptic principle to everything within the hospital. As a result, hospital mortality plummeted. -
Emile Zole defends his novels against charges of obscenity because he wrote what was realistic.
Emile Zole defends his novels against charges of obscenity because he wrote what was realistic. This is significant because it demonstrates that realism was overtaking romanticism as a form of literature. -
Dmitri Mendeleev codifies the rules of chemistry in the periodic law and created the periodic table.
This is significant because it helped to lay the foundation for modern chemistry. -
City officials launch an assault on the problems of city living.
City officials launch an assault on the problems of city living. They replace the worst slums with open boulevards. They also developed parks and improved the sewer system. This is significant because it dramatically reduced mortality rates. -
A law is passed in England that gives married women full property rights.
This event is significant because it demonstrates that women were starting to make steps towards equality with men. -
Europeans start to adopt the electric street car.
Europeans start to adopt the electric street car. The device is cheaper, faster, more dependable and more comfortable than horse drawn carriages. The new mean of transportation gave tens of millions of people access to new housing. -
The total population of Great Britain reaches 15.6 million.
The total population of Great Britain reaches 15.6 million. Overcrowding became a major problem in cities and multiple families were often jammed into tiny apartments. -
No woman is entered into a German university as a student before this point in time.