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Period: 1800 BCE to 800 BCE
The Maya
The Maya civilization was a Mesoamerican civilization developed by the Maya peoples the most sophisticated and highly developed writing system in pre Columbia. -
Period: 1200 BCE to 600 BCE
The Olmecs
The Olmecs were the earliest known major Mesoamerican civilization. -
1095
Taking Back the Holy Land
The Pope called for a holy war, or a crusade, against the Muslims in the Holy Land. -
1200
Shift in Focus
Europe shifted its focus to trade or the buying and selling of goods from a farming economy. -
Period: 1200 to 1521
The Aztec
The Aztecs were known foragriculture, cultivating all available land, introducing irrigation, draining swamps, and creating artificial islands in the lakes. They developed a form of hieroglyphic writing, a complex calendar system, and built famous pyramids and temples. -
1271
Marco Polo Begins to Travel
This is the year that Marco Polo began his trek that would end up being 5,600 miles long. -
1289
End of the Crusades
The year when trading centers were trending because the Crusades opened the eyes of the Europeans to the rest of the world. -
1293
End of Travel for Polos
The Polos began their journey by ship, returning with ivory, jade, jewels, porcelain, and silk for trade. -
1298
A Hard Year for Polo
Marco Polo captained a gallery-ship in a battle against Venice's rival city, Genoa. He was captured as a prisoner of war. While he was imprisoned, he wrote a book. -
Period: 1300 to
The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a time of "rebirth" in Europe. It was a time for new technology, arts, science, and mathematics. -
Period: 1400 to 1532
The Inca
The Inca Empire, also known as the Incan Empire and the Inka Empire, was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. -
1415
Capturing Africa
Portuguese captured the Fortress of Ceuta in Africa after exploring Africa for the first time. They hoped to control the global market for gold. -
1419
Portuguese and Madeira Islands
The Portuguese discovered Madiera Islands. -
1427
Portuguese and Azores Islands
The Portuguese discovered the Azores Islands. -
1434
Successful Return
One of Prince Henry's ships finally made a successful return voyage. This success motivated the Portuguese to venture even farther. -
1440
The Printing Press
The most important invention of the Renaissance and perhaps the history of the world is the printing press invented by German Johann Gutenberg around 1440. -
1469
Unification of Catholic Spain
The marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille unified Catholic Spain and began the process of building a nation that could compete for global power. -
1488
Bartolomeu Dias and Africa
Bartolomeu Dias finally made it around the tip of Africa, reaching the eastern coast of South Africa in March of 1488. -
Oct 12, 1492
October 12th, 1492
On October 12th, 1492 Colombus made landfall on an island he named Hispaniola, believing he had landed in the East Indies. -
1519
Pizarro Invades the Inca
Pizarro springs a trap on the Incan emperor Atahualpa. Pizarro's men massacre the Incans and capture Atahualpa, forcing him to convert to Christianity before eventually killing him. -
1532
The Inca fall under pizzaro
The remaining Incas were turned to slavery. Most died due to decease and the soldiers. -
Thomas hobbes writes leviatain
The leviathan was written partly as a response to the fear Hobbes experienced during the political turmoil of the English Civil Wars. -
John Locke writes The Second Treatise on Government
John Locke was present to witness these events and was so compelled by them, he wrote what is known as the Second Treatise on Government. -
The United States declares Independence July 4
Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence -
France writes the Declaration of the Rights of Man
French Revolution that granted civil rights to some commoners, although it excluded a significant segment of the French population. -
Haiti gains independence
the rebels scored a major victory against the French force there, and on November 9, 1803, colonial authorities surrendered. In 1804, General Dessalines assumed dictatorial power. -
Bolivar and his soldiers begin Venezuela’s fight for independence
Bolívar was sent to Spain for his education, soon deciding to immerse himself in the political sphere in Europe. After France invaded Spain. He became involved in the resistance movement and played a key role in the Spanish American fight for independence. -
Bolivar’s Gran Columbia gains its independence
revolutionary forces in northern South America, led by Simón Bolívar, laid the basis for a regular government at a congress in Angostura. -
Jose de San Martin frees Peru from Spain
José de San Martín and his forces liberated Peru and proclaimed its independence -
Mexico gains independence
Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest, launched the Mexican War of Independence with the issuing of his Grito de Dolores, or “Cry of Dolores”
