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Sep 27, 1485
RIchard III is killed in battle
Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat at the Battle of Bosworth Field was the decisive battle of the Wars of the Roses and is sometimes regarded as the end of the Middle Ages in England. He is the subject of an eponymous play by William Shakespeare. -
Sep 27, 1492
Christopher Columbus reaches the America
In the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Castile, a country that later founded modern Spain. He made four voyages to the Americas, with his first in 1492, which resulted in what is widely referred to as the Discovery of America or Discovery of the Americas. -
Sep 27, 1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
In the early modern period, the voyages of Columbus initiated European exploration and colonization of the American continents, and are thus of great significance in world history. Christopher Columbus was a navigator and an admiral for Castile, a country that later founded modern Spain. He made four voyages to the Americas, with his first in 1492, which resulted in what is widely referred to as the Discovery of America or Discovery of the Americas. -
Jan 1, 1516
Thomas More's Utopia is published
First published in 1516, 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 p -
Sep 27, 1543
With the Supremacy Act, Henry VII proclaims himself head of Church of England
Besides his six marriages, Henry VIII is known for his role in the separation of the Church of England from the Roman Catholic Church. Henry's struggles with Rome led to the separation of the Church of England from papal authority, the Dissolution of the Monasteries, and establishing himself as the Supreme Head of the Church of England. Yet he remained a believer in core Catholic theological teachings, even after his excommunication from the Catholic Church. -
Sep 27, 1558
Elizabeth I becomes queen of England
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Apr 23, 1564
William Shakespear, the Bard of Avon, is born
William Shakespeare is one of the greatest poets and playwrights in the world. He changed the way plays were written by creating new styles of writing. William was born in April, 1564, in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Although the exact date of William's birth is unknown, we recognize his birthday on April 23. This date was chosen because William was baptized on April 26, and it was customary to baptize children three days after they were born. Did you know April 23 is also St. George's Day? S -
Globe Theatre is built in London
The first theatres in the country were built during the Tudor period. London's Globe Theatre was built in 1599 and destroyed by fire 14 years later. William Shakespeare made the Globe the most famous theatre in the country. The new Globe theatre was opened in 1997 and 16th century building methods were used to construct it. -
Shakespeares sonnets are publshed
Shakespeare's sonnets were published in 1609, no doubt without authorization, by the unsavory Thomas Thorpe (1580-1614), described as "a publishing understrapper of piratical habits" who "hung about scriveners' shops"; in order to pinch manuscripts. There was no reprint until 1640. Despite a conspiracy theory that would insist that the volume was suppressed, sonnets just were not in vogue anymore. The 1640 piracy titled, rearranged, and combined the sonnets until those to the young man seem to b -
King James Bible is published
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Newspapers are first publsihed in London
In 1621 the newspaper "Corante" is published in London. -
John Milton Begins Paridise Lost
Milton’s magnum opus, the blank-verse epic poem Paradise Lost, was composed by the blind and impoverished Milton from 1658 to 1664 (first edition) with small but significant revisions published in 1674 (second edition). As a blind poet, Milton dictated his verse to a series of aides in his employ. It reflects his personal despair at the failure of the Revolution, yet affirms an ultimate optimism in human potential. Milton encoded many references to his unyielding support for the "Good Old Cause"
