End of First 9 Weeks Activity

The Renaissance

Nov 17, 1300

Immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized by a surge of interest in Classical scholarship and values. The Renaissance also witnessed the discovery and exploration of new continents, the substitution of the Copernican for the Ptolemaic system of astronomy, the decline of the feudal system and the growth of commerce, and the invention or application of such potentially powerful innovations as paper, printing, mariner's compass, and gunpowder.

Prince Henry's School of Navigation founded

Nov 17, 1418

About 1418, Prince Henry started the first school for oceanic navigation along with an astronomical observatory at Sagres, Portugal. In this school, people were trained in nagivation, map-making, and science, in order to sail down the west of Africa.

Fall of Constantinople

May 29, 1453

In 1453 the Ottoman Empire brought their cannons to the gate of Constantinople and stormed the Christian capital after a siege. The Greek Emperor was killed; the great church of St.Sophia was plundered of its treasure and turned into a mosque.

Copernicus' Heliocentric Theory

Nov 17, 1453

Copernicus believed that the sun was at the center of our universe, and all the planets traveled around the sun.

Peak of Ottoman Empire

Nov 17, 1481

This time was called the Age of Expansion, their empire covered southeastern Europe and Anatolia

Tobacco introduced into Europe

Oct 15, 1492

Columbus wrote in his diary that he observed Indians sailing in a conoe with water, food, and tobacco leaves.

Columbus discoveres America

Nov 17, 1492

Christopher Columbus, thinking he was in India, travels to America for his country, Spain.

Treaty of Tordesailles

Jun 7, 1494

An agreement between Spain and Portugal aimed at settling conflicts over lands newly discovered or explored by Christopher Columbus and other late 15th-century voyagers.

Vasco Da Gama finds water route to tip of Africa

Nov 17, 1497

Vasco Da Gama and his crew sailed around the tip of Africa, without maps or prior knowledge, to get to India.

Erasmus' Praise of Folly

Nov 17, 1509

The Praise of Folly was written in 1509 to amuse Sir Thomas More, Erasmus's close friend and intellectual counterpart. Erasmus wrote in the preface to the work that he was reflecting upon the closeness of the Greek word for folly, Moria, and More's own last name.

95 Theses

Oct 31, 1517

Martin Luther had 95 problems with the church, he wrote them down and nailed them to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church.

Mona Lisa finalized

Nov 17, 1517

Mona Lisa, a famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci.

Magellan circumnavigates the globe

Aug 10, 1519

Magellan was the first to sail all the away around the globe, proving that the Earth was not flat and that it didn't end at a certain point. Although he was killed in the Philippines, he is still credited with sailing around the globe.

Cortez conqueres the Aztecs

Aug 13, 1521

Looking for gold and riches, Spain sends Hernando Cortes and his crew to the Aztec Empire. Cortes ends up conquering the Aztecs and looting them.

Start of the Mughal Empire

Nov 17, 1526

This dynasty was founded by Babur, in India.

Pizzaro conquering the Incas

Nov 15, 1532

Pizarro and his crew heard about an empire richer than the Aztecs, and were instantly intreagued, so they traveled through the Andes Mountains to search for the Incas. During their travels they stole the native's gold and riches.

Creation of the Anglican Church

Nov 17, 1534

This church was created when king henry viii couldn't get a divorce from one of his wives, so he was outraged and created his own church.

Council of trent

Nov 17, 1545

It was one of the Roman Catholic Church's most important ecumenical councils. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described as the embodiment of the Counter-Reformation.

Defeat of the Spanish Armada

Jul 29, 1588

The basic plan of the "Invincible" Armada was to sail up the English Channel and rendezvous with the Duke of Parma in the Netherlands. Then the combined fleets would cross the Channel and the invasion of England would be an easy victory... so they thought.

Shakespeares' Julius Caesar

Nov 17, 1599

Shakespeare writes about the tragedy of Julius Caesar.

Galileo's first telescope

Nov 17, 1609

With his telescope, which magnified objects up to 20 times, he was able to see Jupiter and the Moon.

30 Years War

Nov 17, 1618

It was a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including religious, dynastic, territorial, and commercial rivalries

William Harvey discoveres the circulation of blood

Nov 17, 1628

He is considered the father of modern physiology, was the first researcher to discovery the circulation of blood through the body. Although we take this knowledge for granted, until Harvey's time, people were not aware that the blood travels through the body and is pumped through its course by the heart.

"Discourse on Method" Descartes

Nov 17, 1637

Discourse on the Method is Descartes’ attempt to explain his method of reasoning through even the most difficult of problems. He illustrates the development of this method through brief autobiographical sketches interspersed with philosophical arguments.

Taj Mahal

Nov 17, 1648

Emporer Shah Jahan wants to house the tomb of his wife

Newton's Laws of Gravity

Nov 17, 1678

Sir Issac Newton, who discovered gravity, was a mathematician physicist nearly three centuries ago. Many people have the image that he was sitting under an apple tree when an apple fell and hit him on the head, thus giving him the idea for gravity. In reality what he discovered was that there existed a force that is required to change the speed or direction of a moving object. After much further experimentation he wrote his theories of gravity.