1770-1789 Submarines, American Revolution & Australia

This twenty year period covers the reign of George III and the longest period of relative world peace and safety was the six years from the end of the 1777–1779 War of the Bavarian Succession to the outbreak of the Dutch Civil War in 1785.

In 1774–1783 there was the First Anglo–Maratha War, in 1775–1783 the American Revolutionary War, in 1777–1779 War of the Bavarian Succession, in 1785–1787 the Dutch Civil War, in 1787–1791 the Austro-Turkish War, in 1787–1792 the Russo–Turkish War, in 1788–1790 Gustav III's Russian War (the Russo-Swedish War), in 1788 the Lingonberry War between Denmark-Norway and Sweden and in 1789 the French Revolution that overthrew the French monarchy.

Making headlines in 1770 was James Cook's landing on the east coast of Australia and taking formal possession for England -- followed by the first convict transport to Australia in 1788. At the same time, too, the wonderful Polynesian civilization collapsed due to Christianity in 1775.

This period were notable for the following discoveries and inventions. In 1771 oxygen was discovered by Scheele, in 1772 nitrogen was discovered by Scheele, in 1775 the steam ship was invented by Perier, in 1776 the submarine was invented by David Bushnell, in 1780 Benjamin Franklin invented bifocal lens, in 1781 Herschel discovered Uranus and in 1789 uranium was discovered by Klaproth.

Of all the inventions, the submarine was fascinating. The idea of travelling underwater -- safe from huge ocean waves -- was quite amazing but it was a military rather than a civilian invention. Nobody really believed that people would travel by submarine rather than by ship!