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The French Revolution sent King Louis XVI to the guillotine, only to be replace by another dictator in Napoleon Bonaparte.
The guillotine had only been at work here for nine months. It was itself a product of the ideals of the revolution - humane, efficient and fast. It was promoted, not invented, by Dr Joseph Guillotin.
The rebellion over colonial taxes would, after many years of war, give rise to American Independence and the creation of The United States.
In 1773, what would become the United States of America consisted of 13 British colonies. People here thought of themselves as British, and they were ruled by courts using British laws, suffused by British Enlightenment ideas of liberty.
Andrew Marr narrates a fascinating story of revolution and power, science and enlightenment in his History of the World.
Their influence around the world would be huge. Not always for the good, and certainly not quite what they expected. And so the age of Reason, so calm, so cool, would become the hot and bloody Age of Revolution.
In the early 1600s, Tulip mania took over Amsterdam. Choice bulbs were changing hands for the price of a house.
But, like any stock market boom, the roof fell in and the market crashed! Boom and Bust the perpetual cycle of free-market capitalism.
Tsar Ivan the Terrible recruited mercenaries to push into Siberia to exploit the natural rsource: fur. This was the original source of Russian wealth.
It’s impossible to imagine modern Russia without Siberia. It would be just another eastern European country.
England tried, for several years, to hold out against the Dutch in the struggle for the nutmeg trade in the Banda Islands.
The fight was lost but in reparation for handing over tiny Run Island Britain was offered another tiny island in exchange. The equally tiny Manhattan Island.
When Martin Luther voiced criticism of the Catholic Church he was accused of heresy. Aided by the north German princes they formed the Protestant movement.
A protest against church corruption had turned into a social revolution. Despite attempted treaties and compromises, Protestants and Catholics went to war for 125 years.
Spanish soldiers kidnapped and held to ransom the Emperor of the Incas, Atahualpa. He paid a massive ransom in gold and silver.
In two hours of carnage and confusion, at least 2,000 Incas died. Most were trampled to death in their attempts to escape. Not a single Spaniard died. And Pizarro took Atahualpa hostage.
Europeans were evicted from Japan, which became a closed country, Sakoku, because of their obsession with Catholicism.
The first Englishman to embrace Japanese culture, William Adams, is still fondly remembered in Japan. This memorial to him is in an area of Tokyo called Anjin-Cho, in memory of Anjin-san, Mr navigator.
Sailing west from Spain, Christopher Columbus believed he would find a short route to Japan and China; He found South America and vast riches.
The invading Europeans brought disease to the natives that decimated the population AND brought back a new strain of syphilis.
