Time Out: A Map of Time
1793-1911
1793: Chinese reject British requests for open trade
"As your Ambassador can see for himself, we possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures", This was one small part but the main idea in Emperor Qianlong's letter of response to the British requests.
requests: trading restrictions to be relaxed, the procurement of a small island near Zhoushan for British traders to reside and store their goods on, and for the establishment of a permanent British Embassy in Beijing. Qianlong presented Macartney with a letter for King George III, refusing these requests outright.
1798: Napoleon invades Egypt
Napoleon came to Egypt with 400 ships and 54,000 men and proceeded to invade the country, But this Egyptian invasion was to be different. In addition to soldiers and sailors, Napoleon brought along 150 scientists, engineers and scholars whose responsibility was to capture, not Egyptian soil, but Egyptian culture and history. And while the military invasion was an ultimate failure, the scholarly one was successful beyond anyone’s expectations.