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Period: Jan 1, 1350 to Jan 1, 1550
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman literature and life. It began in the mid 1300s in Italy. -
Jan 1, 1440
Printing Press
Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. -
Period: Aug 1, 1492 to Oct 1, 1492
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus set sail in 1492 and 2 months later landed on a tiny island that he named El Salvador and claimed as Spain's. He believed he had landed on islands east of India, but really they were islands of the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1498
Vasco da Gama
In 1498, Vasco da Gama landed in India after sailing across the Indian Ocean. He returned a second time to India and came back to Portugal with his ships full of valuable goods. -
Jan 1, 1500
Slave Trade
During the 1500s, Europeans began to rely more heavily on enslaved Africans. Slave trade grew quickly and by the early 1600s the slave trade was the cheif focus of European relations with Africans. -
Jan 1, 1513
Ponce de Leon
In 1513, Ponce de Leon sailed northward to what is now Florida. A later voyage to Florida ended in shipwreck and survivors from the voyage traveled overland to what is now southwestern United States and Mexico. Their travels opened even more land to Spanish claims and settlement. -
Jan 1, 1568
Guerrilla Warfare
William of Orange led a revolt against Philip. During this revolt, the military technique guerrilla warfare came about. William would send small bands of soldiers on qucik raids to keep the Spanish army confused. -
Galileo Galilei
Galilei was a mathematician that believed in the heliocentric model. After pulishing his book "The Starry Messenger" he found himself under suspicion by the authorities of the Catholic Church. The Church did not agree with the heliocentric model because it threatened their entire concept of the universe and it contradicted the Bible. -
Mechanization
In the 1600s, England could not meet the growing demand for cloth because men and women spun thread and wove cloth in their homes. Automatic machinery was used to increase production. This was known as mechanization. -
Thirty Years War Begins
The Thirty Years War began as a conflict between German Protestants and German Catholics, that slowly expanded to include most of the rest of Europe. -
Thirty Years War Ends
The Thirty Years War was a religious war which ended the unity of the Holy Roman Empire. The Peace of Westphalia ended the war in Germany in 1648. -
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution started in Great Britain in the 1780s.It began here fr many reasons like improvement in farming and new technology. -
Industrialization
In the 1800s. British manufacturers applied new technology to other industries as well. Production of shoes, clothes, ammunition, and furniture was mechanized. Machines were used for printing, papermaking, lumber and food processing, and making other machines. -
Robert Fulton
The American engineer Robert Fulton was the first to build a profitable steamboat. In 1808, his boat began regular trips on the Hudson River between New York City and Albany. Soon steamboats appeared on rivers and lakes all over the world -
The Opium War
When the Chinese blockaded the only trading outlet available to the Brtitish because they had began to trade Opium into their port, the British reacted with force, starting the Opium War. -
Triple Alliance
Bismark feared that France would want to seek revenge after being defeated at the Franco- Prussian War, so in attempt to keep them isolated, he convinced Italy to join Austria-Hungary and Germany in the Triple Alliance. -
Triple Entete
France & Great Britain became allies and then Russia & Great Britain became allies later on, forming the Triple Entete. (Alliance between France, Russia, and Great Britain) -
Paris Peace Conference
In January 1919, the victorious allied nations of World War I met at Versailles, for what came to be known as the Paris Peace Conference. -
Treaty of Versailles
In May of 1919, representatives of the new German Republic were called in and were presented with a peace treaty. The treaty with Germany was signed at Versailles. It was known as the Treaty of Versailles. -
Treaty of Versailles and Germany
The Treaty of Versailles dealt very harshly with Germany. The Germans complained that the treaty did not follow the Fourteen Points but it also made them admit that it was guilty of starting the war and must alone pay reparations.