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Apr 1, 1453
Invasion of Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was under attack and other different empires were trying to take control over it, such as the Ottoman Empire. However, in 1453, not long after an Ottoman army stormed Constantinople, they entered Hagia Sophia, which was the main mosque at the time. The Emperor Constantine XI died that day in battle, and that was the final stand of the Byzantine Empire. This is significant to Greece’s history, because the Byzantine culture was still lived on through different countries. -
Greek War of Independence
There were several civil wars which led up to this event, such as in the first civil war, leader Theodoros Kolokotronis and Georgios Kountouriotis, who was head of the government that had been formed in January 1822 but that was forced to go away to the Island of Hydra in December of 1822. During the second civil war in 1824, Kountouriotis was the established leader at the time. Once that conflict was resolved, the Turks and the Greeks made an agreement to free the country of Greece. -
First Modern Olympics
The first modern Olympic Games took place in Athens, Greece on Easter Monday. There were only 14 countries that participated in the first Games, but the turnout of people who came to watch was in the thousands. The Olympic Games are a significant point in Greek history because Greece was the country to found the Olympics and they have become so significant in almost every country’s culture. -
Balkan Wars Gains Greece Turkish Land
During this time period, Greece got the opportunity to expand its borders and almost double its size. During the first Balkan War, Greece allied with Bulgaria, Serbia and Montenegro, and were known as the Balkan League. The Balkan League lost hope of gaining land and defeating the Ottoman Empire, but Greece kept fighting and got the Treaty of Bucharest signed in 1913, which confirmed that the Greek officially gained Macedonia, Crete and Epirus. -
Greece Joins NATO
Greece and Turkey both joined the NATO group during February of 1952. This showed that they now had an alliance with the other countries in NATO, so if any attacks were to be placed on Greece or any country in NATO, they will have alliances to help defeat the enemies. This is an important point in Greece’s history because Greece is now opening itself up to the world and forming alliances. -
New Constitution
The new constitution that was written in Greece in the year of 1975, was a combination of the constitutions from 1927 and 1952. Ever since this new constitution was created, it has been revised three more times. However, this point in Greek history is significant because in this version of their constitution, they clearly stated and reworded the importance of the Greek Orthodox Church, which is a major influence in Greek culture. -
Olympics Held in Athens, Greece
This is a major part in Greek history, because it was the only other time the Olympics was held in Greece, since the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. In contrast with the first modern Games that were held, in 2004, there were a total of 201 countries that participated, and 10,625 athletes competed (600 more than expected). -
Greece Faces Debt Crisis
This “Greek Depression” was only a part of the European Debt, in which European governments are helplessly succumbing to debt. Many people believe this was a result of weakness in the governmental structure in Greece. This began in 2009 when investors feared that the Greek government wasn’t going to be able to keep up with their debts they owed, but the economy soon came crumbling down. This is important in Greek history because it shows a turning point in Greece, where not all is well. -
Police Use Tear Gas to Break Disputes
On January 16, 2015 Greek police have to result to the use of tear gas to break up disputes. Protesters were setting fire to ATMs and trashcans in Athens, Greece and even attacked almost 100 Greek soccer fans who were coming out of the soccer stadium after watching a game. Nearly 6,000 protesters marched in representation of Nikos Romanos, who was a 21 year old who was on a hunger strike for the ability to go to college while in jail. -
Depositers Yank Out Savings from Banks
Countless Greek citizens yanked their money out of the Cyprus Bank, in fear that the crumbling economy would take their money down with them. They thought that the European Central Bank would bail them out again, just as they did in the past, but this time was different. This is an important event in Greek history (even though it is fairly recent) because it shows another event in which Greece’s economy went downhill.
