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1469
Marriage of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain
Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon got married in 1469. Their marriage united the kingdoms of Castiles and Aragom, creating a powerful alliance in Spain. -
Nov 1, 1474
Inquisition officially established in New Spain
Established by the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, on November 1st, 1478 and lasted until 1834. Its goal was to combat heresy in Spain, and its methods resulted in the deaths of many citizens -
Jan 2, 1492
Conquest of Granada
Isabella and Ferdinand led the final campaign to conquer the Kingdom of Granada, which ended Muslim rule in Spain and complete the Reconqusita. -
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus 1st voyage to “new world”
On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Spain to find the all-water route to Asia. -
Jun 7, 1494
Treaty of Tordesillas
On June 7, 1494, the governments of Spain and Portugal agreed to the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided their spheres of influence in the "New World" of the Americas. -
1497
John Cabot explores Newfoundland
In 1497, he sailed from Bristol hoping to find a shorter route to Asia, but he discovered Newfoundland. It is currently known today as Newfoundland in Canada. -
Sep 20, 1515
Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigates the globe
On September 20, 1519, Ferdinand Magellan departed Spain and set sail to Sanlucar de Barrameda. This became the first expedition to depart from Europe and cross the Pacific Ocean -
1526
Beginning of transatlantic slave trade
Began in 1526 when the first voyage sailed from the Africa to the Americas. At least 30,000 people were carried off a year from Africa and were exchanged for goods. -
Roanoke Island established
The Roanoke Colonies were an ambitious attempt by England's Sir Walter Raleigh to establish a permanent North American settlement with the purpose of harassing Spanish shipping, mining for gold and silver, discovering a passage to the Pacific Ocean, and Christianizing the Indians. The Roanoke Island colony founded by English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh in August 1585. -
Étienne Brûlé explores eastern Canada
Étienne Brûlé was the first European explorer to venture beyond the St. Lawrence River. On his travels he explored the Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Humber Rivers, and Ottawa Rivers. -
Jamestown established
On May 13, 1607, Jamestown, Virginia was chosen to be a settlement. It would be named Jamestown after their King, James 1. -
Henry Hudson “discovers” the Hudson River in present day New York
Hudson was first hired by the Dutch East India Company to find a shorter passage to India. He unknowingly discovered a river, which was named after him. The river is in New York and it is now currently known as the Hudson river. -
The Mayflower lands
The Mayflower arrived at modern-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their new settlement was called Plymouth Colony. -
Louis Jolliet and Jacques Marquette “discover” the Missouri River
Following it to the mouth of the Arkansas River, they learned that the Mississippi flowed through hostile Spanish domains, and in mid-July they turned homeward by way of the Illinois River -
The first (but not last) smallpox epidemic in New England
In 1721, there was a big outbreak of smallpox in Plymouth Colony. More than one sixth of people died from smallpox.