Key events from 1853

1853

Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Japan with the “Black Ships,” ending Japan’s 200-year isolation and forcing the country to open to Western trade.
The Crimean War begins as Ottoman Empire, Britain, and France oppose Russian expansion, introducing modern warfare and nursing reforms.
The Taiping rebels capture Nanjing, establishing it as their capital and controlling much of southern China for over a decade.
The first railway opens in India between Bombay and Thane, marking the beginning of British colonial infrastructure development.

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