| ca. 1500–1700 | 1762–1796 |
| Scientific Revolution | Reign of Catherine the Great of Russia |
| ca. 1690–1789 | 1765 |
| Enlightenment | Philosophes publish Encyclopedia: The Rational Dictionary of the Sciences, the Arts, and the Crafts |
| ca. 1700–1789 | 1780–1790 |
| Growth of book publishing | Reign of Joseph II of Austria |
| 1720–1780 | 1791 |
| Rococo style in art and decoration | Establishment of the Pale of Settlement |
| 1740–1786 | 1792 |
| Reign of Frederick the Great of Prussia | Establishment of mining school in Mexico City as part of reforms |
| ca. 1740–1789 | |
| French salons led by elite women | |