The First Opium War (Anglo-Sino War) ends: Chinese and British emissaries sign the Treaty of Nanking, ceding the island of Hong Kong to the United Kingdom forever, granting special concessions to the British, by opening six ports to British trade, and paying over one thousand metric tons of silver in compensation for British opium that had been destroyed Chinese customs agents.
[updated 9/7/2026] Thanks to Jim Lorenz for this entry.
Great Britain gave it back in 1997, so even “forever” has limits in human diplomacy. –– JL
Subsequent Events:
References:
A Short History of the Opium Wars
www.calyx.net/~schaffer/heroin/opiwar1.html
The Anglo-Chinese Treaty of Nanking (1842)
web.jjay.cuny.edu/~jobrien/reference/ob24.html
First Opium War – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Opium_War
Treaty of Nanking – Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Nanking
Current U.s. National Debt:
