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http://www.historytoday.com/ole-j-benedictow/black-death-greatest-catastrophe-ever
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PFv2Zy4Opw0 Read and watch to learn about how the Plague impacted Europe for generations to come. -
http://historyguide.org/intellect/press.html The invention of the printing press signifies the beginning of the Renaissance in Europe.
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This begins the Era of Exploration and establishes Spain as the strongest and richest European power for years to come.
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/columbus.htm -
DaVinci's move from Italy to France essentially brings Northern Europe into the Renaissance.
http://www.vinci-closluce.com/en/decouvrir-le-clos-luce/l-exposition-leonard-de-vinci-et-la-france/ -
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, he sparked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation and a complete upheaval of the existing system of religious power and corruption in the Catholic Church. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/1500-1600-Renaissance-Reformation/protestant-reformation/a/an-introduction-to-the-protestant-reformation
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When King Henry VIII of England named himself head of the Church of England, he broke all bonds with the Catholic Church, spreading Protestantism farther from its source in Germany and sparking religious conflict in England for years to come. http://history.parkfieldict.co.uk/tudors/henry-viii-and-the-church
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The defeat of the Spanish Armada by the English fleet marked the end of Spain's domination of the seas and, with it, the American colonies. http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/armada/
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The opening of the theatre in which Shakespeare would premiere his most famous plays signifies the beginning of a dramatic literary legacy that has influenced writers, painters, composers, etc. ever since. Shakespeare has remained relevant even today and can truly be considered ahead of his time on a variety of social issues.
http://shakespeare.mit.edu -
The publishing of Thomas Hobbes' political and societal theories in "Leviathan" marks, for many, the point at which the Enlightenment Age began in Europe. The work sparked an age of reason and thinking, later influencing the overthrow and restructuring of the governments across Europe and in the Americas. http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3207
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The invention of the flying shuttle was by no means the most momentous occassion of the industrial revolution in Europe, but it did mark the beginning of a long line of inventions that led to the mechanical age and the skyrocketing of the textile industry. http://m.search.eb.com/topic/313657
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The French and Indian War was essentially a war between European powers over colonial territory (the French and the English). However, the end of the war brought about much greater ramifications that would eventually spark the American Revolution and a great loss to Britain. http://www.history.com/topics/french-and-indian-war
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The Tennis Court Oath marks the point at which the middle class and common people of France refused to no longer have a political voice. This day is the symbolic beginning of the long and bloody conflict of the French Revolution, which influenced so many other countries in the years after it. http://historyguide.org/intellect/tennis_oath.html
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The point at which Napoleon gained control of France was the point at which all of Europe became wary of its strength to defend itself. Napoleon's wars to conquer gained France a massive amount of territory and created a mess for Europe to clean up when he was finally exiled. http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/wars_napoleonic.html
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The Factory Acts were the first pieces of legislation passed in England that protected against child labor, which opened up a flood of social justice legislation in the following centuries. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/1833-factory-act/
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The Berlin Conference marks the beginning of the Age of Imperialism. The great countries of Europe essentially "carved up Africa" and created conflicts that are still felt today. http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195337709.001.0001/acref-9780195337709-e-0467
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This event is considered by many to be the catalyst that catapulted Europe into World War One, a conflict which would leave France and Germany decimated and bring America onto the world stage. http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/archduke-franz-ferdinand-assassinated
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When Hitler was appointed Chancellor of Germany, the German people were desperate for relief and for someon on whom to place their troubles. Hitler gave them a scapegoat and continued to commit some of the worst crimes against humanity the 20th century had seen, spreading throughout Europe until Germany's defeat at the end of World War Two. http://www.theholocaustexplained.org/ks3/the-nazi-rise-to-power/how-did-the-nazis-gain-support/hitler-becomes-chancellor/
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After centuries of disunity amongst the countries of Europe, the establishment of the European Union signified a new era of relative peace and common goals. http://europa.eu/index_en.htm
