| 1689: English Parliament passes the Act of Toleration, protecting Protestants. Roman Catholics are specifically excluded from exemption. |
| 1738: The Methodist Church is established. |
| 1764: Boston lawyer James Otis denounces taxation without representation, calling for the colonies to unite in opposition to Britain's new tax measures. |
| 1798: Believing that a French invasion of Ireland is imminent, Irish nationalists rise up against the British occupation. |
| 1844: Samuel Morse taps out the first telegraph message. |