Dmitri Mendeleev presented his periodic table of the elements based on increasing atomic weight on March 6, 1869, in a presentation to the Russian Chemical Society. While Mendeleev's table was the first to gain some acceptance in the scientific community, it was not the first table of its kind.
In the end, the British sale of opium was used as means for  obtaining more land and trading rights from the Chinese, leading to  the devastation of the Chinese government and economy which is why  The First Opium War will be remembered in history as the time when  China was ultimately betrayed by the British.
By Robert McNamara. Definition: The term Opium War actually refers to a pair of wars fought between Britain and China in the early 1800s.The first Opium War took place from 1839-1842. British traders were importing opium from India into China, against the wishes of the Chinese government.efinition: The term Opium War actually refers to a pair of wars fought between Britain and China in the early 1800s. The first Opium War took place from 1839-1842.