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Jan 1, 1449
Birth of Lorenzo de’ Medici
Lorenzo de' Medici was born on January 1, 1449 in Florence, Italy to Piero di Cosimo de' Medici and Lucrezia Tornabuoni. -
1455
Gutenberg Prints the First Bible
Although the exact date is not known, Gutenberg produced what is considered to be the first book ever printed in the year 1455 It was a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. -
Jan 25, 1504
Michelangelo Completes the Sculpture "David"
It took Michelangelo over two years to create his statue "David" out of white marble. It was finally finished in 1504. The original sculpture of the David is located in the Accademia Gallery of Florence. The second copy of the David is located in Piazza della Signoria (Duomo Square). -
1506
Leonardo da Vinci Completes Painting the Mona Lisa (1503 - 1519)
The exact date of when the Mona Lisa was completed is unknown, as well as the year. It is believed Leonardo da Vinci worked on it between 1503 and 1506. However, he may have continued working on it as late as 1519. Recent academic work even shows that it may not have even been started before 1513. -
1516
Thomas More Publishes "Utopia"
Thomas More wrote the book "Utopia" in the year of 1516. The work was originally written in Latin and published in Louvain (now known as Belgium). "Utopia" ridiculed Europe's political corruption and religious hypocrisy. -
Oct 31, 1517
Martin Luther Posts 95 Theses on the Door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg
According to legend, Martin Luther, a priest, approached the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nailed a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions. This began the Protestant Reformation -
1534
King Henry VIII Begins Protestant Anglican Church
The Anglican Church was established in 1534. The exact date is unknown. After the pope refused to grant the king an annulment, King Henry VIII split from the Roman Catholic Church and established the Protestant Anglican Church. -
1543
Nicolas Copernicus publishes "On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres"
"On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres" was published in the year of 1543. Although we do not know the exact date, we do know that it was sometime before the author's death on May 24, 1543. In his book, Copernicus proposed that the sun was in the center of the universe and that the Earth and other planets revolved around it. -
1564
Birth of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was born in April of 1564. The exact date of his birthday is not known. However, it is recorded that he died on April 23, 1616. Although it is not proven that he died on his birthday, that is when his birth is celebrated. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom to Mary and John Shakespeare. -
Galileo Invents a Thermometer
In 1593, Galileo Galilei invented a rudimentary water thermoscope. For the first time ever, it allowed temperatures to be measured. Although it was originally called a thermoscope, today it is known as the Galileo Thermometer.
