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Oct 1, 1347
Black Death Begins in Europe
The Black Death arrived by sea when 12 Genoese trading ships docked at the Sicilian port of Messina. Spread through animals to humans from fleas or dying rats.Killed at least 60 percent of the population in rural and urban areas. -
Jan 1, 1350
Renaissance Begins
The Renaissance; A period of cultural rebirth. A movement that began in Florence in the late 13th Century, Italy and eventually spread throughoutt Europe. Its influence can still be felt today, and one of the greatest legacies out of this era was the artwork. -
Jan 1, 1439
Johannes Gutenberg - Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg was a German Blacksmith who was known for inventing the printing press. Gutenberg's movable type printing press initiated a revolution. His press allowed manuscripts to be mass produced at affordable costs. The 42-line Gutenberg Bible; printed around 1455, was Gutenberg's most well known printed item. -
Jan 1, 1445
Council of Trent
The Council of trent was one of the Roman Catholic Church's most important ecumenical councils. Held in Trento, Bologna, and Northern Italy. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, described as the embodiment of the Counter Reformation. -
Aug 3, 1492
1st Voyage of Columbus
Columbus left Palos with three ships, the Saint Maria, Nina and the Pinta. He was received as a hero in Spain because of all of the things he did on this trip. The fact that Columbus had found a country that appeared to be rich in metals was important to Spain. -
Jul 20, 1498
Da Gama lands in India
Portugues explorer Vasco de Gama becomes the first European to reach India via at the Atlantic Ocean when he arrives at Calicut on the Malabar Coast. De Gama sailed from Lisbon, Portugal, in July 1497, rounded the Cape Of Good Hope, and anchored at Malindi on the East Coast of Africa. He was not greeted warmly by the Muslim merchants of Calicut so he had to fight his way out of the harbor to return his trip home. -
Jan 1, 1499
Naming of the "New World"
Americas were named after Amerigo Vespucci who was a navigator that traveled to the "New World" in 1499 and 1502. In 1507, a German cartographer, Mart Waldseemuller, chose to make a new map of that included the new world. When the large new map was unveiled by Waldeemuller it had the large title "AMERICA" across what is now present day Brazil. -
Jan 1, 1503
Da Vinci paints the "Mona Lisa"
Mona Lisa, oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect and engineer Leonardo Da Vinci. It was painted when Da Vinci lived in Florence and it now hangs in Louvre, in Paris. It still remains an object of pilgrimage in the 21st Century. -
Jan 1, 1508
Michelangelo begins painting Sistine Chapel
Michelangelo began working on the Sistine Chapel in 1508. Originally the Pope asked Michelangelo to paint the ceiling with a geometric ornament and place the twelve apostles in spandrels around the decoration. Michelangelo wanted to paint the Old Testament scenes now found on the vault, divided by the fictive architecture that he uses to organize the composition. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Post 95 Theses
Martin Luther wrote the "Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences". 95 Theses is a list of questions and propositions for debate. -
Jan 1, 1519
Magellan starts his "Around the World" trip.
In search of fame and fortune, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain. Only five ships leave to discover a Western Sea Route to the Spice Islands. He discovered what is now known as the Strait of Magellan and became the first European to cross the Pacific Ocean. -
Jan 1, 1526
Slave Trade across Atlantic
Over the period of the Atlantic Slave trade some 12.5 Million slaves had been shipped from Africa, and 10.7 million had arrived in the Americas. While African American population was rapidly decreasing the rest suffered to the point of death. All was selfishly done for money, no hesitation and no respect for humanity. -
Jan 1, 1532
Pizarro Invades the Inca Empire
Pizarro heard about land brimming with gold and riches up for grabs in Peru. He went there several times until he got permission from the Queen to carry out the conquest of Peru and became its governor in 1532. Things were not going great for Peru such as diseases, so he took it upon himself to kill over 2,000 men and abduct Atahualpa. Disease killed nearly half the population. -
Jan 1, 1534
Henry VIII founded Anglican Church
The 1534 Act of Supremacy, established the Church of England. Under King Henry VIII in the 16th Century, the church of England broke with Rome, because Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, The world "Anglican" means "of England, but the Anglican Church exists world wide. -
Jan 1, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England
Elizebeth I was the long ruling queen of England, governing with relative stability and prosperity for 44 years. Born on September 7th, 1533 in Greenwich England. She was a princess but declared illegitimate through political machinations. She eventually claimed the throne at the age of 25 and held it keeping England in the ascendant through wars, and political and religious turmoil. -
Jamestown, Colony in Virginia, Founded
On May 13th, 1607, 104 English men and boys arrived to start a settlement in North America. Named after King James I, they picked Jamestown Virginia for their settlement. The settlement was the first permanent English settlement in North America.
