In the news1756–1763
Seven Years' War casualties and destruction
During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.
Vienna, 17 Mar 1763 – Dresden, 5 Dec 1841
5 facts1 source
17 Mar 1763
Born in Vienna
30 Aug 1800
A daughter is born
5 Dec 1841
Dies in Dresden, aged 78
He lived through 9 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around Vienna.
General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.
In the news1756–1763
During the Seven Years' War, some 160,000 Prussian soldiers died in battle or from disease, devastating the population.
What people wore
Traditional dress of Austrian peasants
Upper Austrian peasants commonly wore dark-gray jackets, red waistcoats with spherical metal buttons, and black leather breeches. They completed the outfit with tight buskins and broad-brimmed, shallow-crowned round hats.
Getting around
Coach vs. rail time (Vienna–Graz)
When rail travel was available, a journey from Vienna to Graz took nine hours, while a post coach took twenty-nine hours on the same route.
Around the world · 1769–1776Watt’s steam engine. James Watt’s much more efficient steam engine, patented in 1769, powered the mills and mines of the Industrial Revolution.
In the news1766
A new tax and excise ordinance in 1766 created state monopolies on items including tobacco, coffee, and porcelain.
Music
The Ländler and Early Viennese Waltz
Around 1750, the Ländler, also known as the Schleifer, served as a popular country dance for couples and provided the foundation for the later Viennese waltz.
Daily life
Shared urban living in cramped quarters
For ordinary residents, homes were often cramped rented rooms in multi-story buildings where daily tasks like cooking, sleeping, and working were all performed in the same limited space. Families relied on neighborhood wells and fountains for water and had to manage heating through tiled stoves that required constant attention.