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Sep 27, 1492
1492 Christopher Columbus reaches teh Americas
Columbus led his three ships - the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria - out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia (the Indies) where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited. Instead he reached the Americas. -
Sep 27, 1503
c. 1503 Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa painting, in the Louvre in Paris, is arguably the most famous painting in the world. It is probably also the best known example of sfumato, a painting technique partly responsible for her enigmatic smile. -
Sep 26, 1516
1516 Thomas More's Utopia is published
Saint Thomas More's Utopia is one of the most important works of European humanism. Through the voice of the mysterious traveller Raphael Hythloday, More describes a pagan, communist city-state governed by reason. Addressing such issues as religious pluralism, women's rights, state-sponsored education, colonialism, and justified warfare, Utopia seems remarkably contemporary nearly five centuries after it was written, and it remains a foundational text in philosophy and political theory. -
Sep 27, 1543
c.1543 With the Supremacy Act, Henry VIII proclaims himself head of the Church of England
Henry VIII (1491-1547) was king of England from 1509 to 1547. As a consequence of the Pope's refusal to nullify his first marriage, Henry withdrew from the Roman Church and created the Church of England. -
Sep 27, 1558
1558 Elizabeth becomes queen of England
Queen of England (1558–1603), the daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. Through her Religious Settlement of 1559 she enforced the Protestant religion by law. She had Mary Queen of Scots executed in 1587. Her conflict with Roman Catholic Spain led to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. The Elizabethan age was expansionist in commerce and geographical exploration, and arts and literature flourished. -
Sep 26, 1564
1564 William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon,is born
English poet and playwright wrote the famous 154 Sonnets and numerous highly successful oft quoted dramatic works including the tragedy of the Prince of Denmark, Hamlet; While Shakespeare caused much controversy, he also earned lavish praise and has profoundly impacted the world over in areas of literature, culture, art, theatre, and film and is considered one of the best English language writers ever. -
1599 Globe Theatre is built in London
Built by an acting company to which William Shakespeare belonged, the original Globe Theatre lasted only 14 years. In 1613, It burnt to the ground during a performance of Shakespeare's Henry VIII. The fire was attributed to a theatrical cannon, which misfired and set the thatched roof and wooden timbers aflame. -
1605-1606 Shakespeare writes King Lear and Macbeth
The story of King Lear, an aging monarch who decides to divide his kingdom amongst his three daughters, according to which one recites the best declaration of love. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's most stimulating and popular dramas. -
1607 First permanent English settlement in North America is established at Jamestown, Viginia.
On May 14, 1607, a small company of
settlers landed at a point on the James River
in Virginia and established the settlement of
Jamestown. It was the first permanent
English settlement in the New World. -
1609 Shakespear's sonnets are published
The Sonnets are Shakespeare's most popular works. Shakespeare wrote 154 sonnets, likely composed over an extended period from 1592 to 1598, the year in which Francis Meres referred to Shakespeare's "sugred sonnets". In 1609 Thomas Thorpe published Shakespeare's sonnets, no doubt without the author's permission, in quarto format, along with Shakespeare's long poem, -
1611 King James Bible is published
Was England's authorized version of the Bible translated from the original Hebrew and Greek languages into English at the request of King James I of England. At the time, other English Bibles existed, but King James did not like the most popular translation, the Geneva Bible, because he felt that some of the marginal notes encouraged disobedience to kings. -
1620 The Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts
In September 1620, during the reign of King James I, around 100 English men and women–many of them members of the English Separatist Church–set sail for the New World aboard the Mayflower, a three-masted merchant ship. The ship landed on the shores of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts, two months later, and in late December anchored at Plymouth Rock, where they would form the first permanent settlement of Europeans in New England. -
c. 1658 John Milton begins Paradise Lost
Milton began Paradise Lost in 1658 and finished in 1667. He wrote very little of the poem in his own hand, for he was blind throughout much of the project. Instead, Milton would dictate the poem to an amanuensis, who would read it back to him so that he could make necessary revisions. Milton's daughters later described their father being like a cow ready for milking, pacing about his room until the amanuensis arrived to "unburden" him of the verse he had stored in his mind. -
1660 Puritan Commonwealth ends; monarchy is restored with Charles II
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. The term Restoration is used to describe both the actual event by which the monarchy was restored, and the period of several years afterwards in which a new political settlement was established. It is very often used to cover the whole reign of Charles II (1660-1685). -
1621 Newspapers are first published in London
The first british printed newspaper is considered to be the ‘Corante’. Its conception was in 1621 and it handled affairs from all over Europe for an increasingly literate audience. -
1485 Richard III is killed in battle
Born on 2 October 1452, Richard was the youngest surviving child of Richard, third duke of York (1411-1460), and Cecily, duchess of York (1415-1495). In December 1460, when Richard was only eight, his father and an elder brother, Edmund, were killed at the battle of Wakefield. Earlier the Duke of York had successfully persuaded Parliament of his claim to the throne of England in preference to the Lancastrian heir.
