The world in
What happened in 1762?
9 events across 4 world regions, each with its sources.
Europe
Seven Years' WarThe Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict in which major European powers split into opposing alliances: Great Britain and Prussia versus France and Austria. Fighting spanned Europe, North America, India, and West Africa, and regional engagements became known by names such as the French and Indian War, the Third Carnatic War, and the Third Silesian War.
- Industrial Revolution
A transition in manufacturing processes that began in Great Britain around the 1760s and spread to continental Europe and the United States by about 1840. It was marked by the replacement of human and animal power with machinery and of handicraft with factory production, signaling a historic shift from agrarian to industrial society.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
.jpg?width=176)
Outbreak of the Russo-Circassian WarIn 1763, the Russian Empire invaded Circassia and occupied Mozdok, prompting the Circassian people to organize a resistance movement to preserve their independence, marking the beginning of the Russo-Circassian War. This conflict became the longest war in the history of the Caucasus and of Russia, ending in 1864 with the defeat of Circassian forces.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Heinrich Ambros Eckert / Public domain ↗
Aqueduct of Vanvitelli BuiltThe Aqueduct of Vanvitelli began construction in Campania, Italy, spanning about 38 km to carry spring water to the Royal Palace of Caserta and the San Leucio complex. Designed by Luigi Vanvitelli, it was a major 18th-century hydraulic work and later became part of a World Heritage site.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Original uploader was Istvánka at hu.wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
.jpg?width=176)
Construction of the Petit Trianon beginsIn 1762, construction began on the Petit Trianon, a Neoclassical château in the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, France. Commissioned by King Louis XV for his mistress Madame de Pompadour, it was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel.
Central & South America
Siege of Havana (1762)In 1762, during the Seven Years' War, British forces besieged and captured Spanish-held Havana, aiming to weaken Spanish power in the Caribbean and enhance the security of British American colonies. Spain had recently abandoned neutrality by allying with France, prompting a British declaration of war. The British ultimately took the city.
Construction of San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress beginsIn 1763, Spain began construction of the San Carlos de la Cabaña Fortress (also known as La Cabaña) on the elevated eastern side of Havana's harbor. The project lasted until 1774, resulting in the third-largest fortress in the Americas. It was built to strengthen the defense of colonial Cuba.
SourcesWikipedia ↗Image: Glasperlenspiel at English Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
North America
- French and Indian War
From 1754 to 1763, Great Britain and France fought in North America, each with Indigenous allies. The conflict is regarded as the North American theatre of the Seven Years’ War; hostilities began in 1754, before the European war. In the United States it is often called the “French and Indian War,” while in Quebec it is known as the “guerre de la Conquête.” The fighting took place in North America.
SourcesWikipedia ↗
South Asia
Carnatic Wars (1746–1763)The Carnatic Wars were a series of military conflicts fought between 1746 and 1763 in the Carnatic coastal region of India, mainly between the French East India Company and the British East India Company, with various local rulers also involved. The wars ended with the French East India Company's defeat, its influence confined to Pondicherry and ultimately diminished by the 1763 Treaty of Paris, while the British East India Company established dominance in India, paving the way for British India.
Around 1762
These are known only to the century, not to the year. They are listed separately so a rough date is never mistaken for an exact one.
- Founding of Kew Gardens
- Establishment of the British Convict System in Australia
- Completion of the Jantar Mantar observatory complex
- Emergence of the Enlightenment
- Creation of the Dessau-Wörlitz Garden Realm
- Construction of Hwaseong Fortress Begins
- Construction of the Palace of Mafra begins
- Founding of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew