British threshing machine Swing Riots wages

Threshing machines took jobs from farm workers

Threshing machines greatly reduced the number of workers needed to separate grain from harvested plants. In Britain, the lost jobs and wages added to severe poverty among farm workers and helped trigger the Swing Riots of 1830.

Japanese people were sold overseas

During the 16th and 17th centuries, Portuguese traders bought Japanese people as slaves in Japan and sold them abroad, including in Portugal. Records also describe Japanese women being sold for sexual exploitation.

Europe and Asia have no fixed dividing line

Europe and Asia form one continuous landmass, but no sharp physical or political line separates them. The boundary uses natural features inconsistently and does not follow country borders. Cultural and language differences also vary along a spectrum rather than forming a clear dividing line.

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British threshing machine Swing Riots wages

Threshing machines took jobs from farm workers

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