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476
Fall of the Roman Empire
In 476 AD, a Germanic barbarian by the name of Odoacer took control of Rome. He became king of Italy and forced the last emperor of Rome, Romulus Augustulus, to give up his crown. Many historians consider this to be the end of the Roman Empire. -
Period: 476 to 1400
The Middle (Dark) Ages
Also known as the “Dark Ages,” the era is often branded as a time of war, ignorance, famine and pandemics such as the Black Death. -
1346
The Black Death
The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Europe from 1346 to 1353. One of the most fatal pandemics in human history, as many as 50 million people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. Bubonic plague is caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis and spread by fleas. -
Period: 1400 to
The Renaissance
The Renaissance was a period of cultural, political and economic “rebirth” following the Middle Ages. A feature of it was the ‘Age of Exploration’. -
1492
The Columbian Exchange
The Columbian Exchange is the process by which plants, animals, diseases, people, and ideas have been introduced from Europe, Asia, and Africa to the Americas and vice versa. It began in the 15th century, when oceanic shipping brought the Western and Eastern hemispheres into contact. -
Period: to
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a movement that emphasised reason, individualism, and scientific inquiry, challenging tradition and advancing human progress. -
Period: to
The Modern Revolution - Anthropocene
The modern revolution is when the world came to be dominated by a single species (humans). It created the world we live in today. AKA - The Anthropocene. -
The Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi is a document of New Zealand that had a major impact and effect on New Zealand. Maori agreed to let other people live in their country and to let the British make rules about behavior and see that everyone obeys them. However, there was many misunderstandings and misuse of the Treaty, which lead to fights, land loss, and land wars. -
World War II
World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. -
Period: to
Cold War
The Cold War (1945–1991) was a prolonged rivalry between capitalist Western democracies, led by the United States, and communist countries, notably the Soviet Union and China. It lasted from the end of the Second World War until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. -
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a proxy war between the US and the USSR. Both sides supported different halves in Vietnam, who were fight for different futures. The North Vietnam supported a communist ideal, back by the USSR and communist China. The South Vietnam wanted a more capitalist future, similar to the Western structure, and was supported by the US. This war lasted until around 1975. -
Period: to
The Berlin Wall
The 155-kilometer-long Berlin Wall, which cut through the middle of the city center, surrounded West Berlin from August 13, 1961 to November 9, 1989. The Wall was designed to prevent people from escaping to the West from East Berlin. The fall of the wall represented the people breaking out of communist suppression as they charge forward for their freedom.