Transition to the Modern World Timeline

The Black Death

1347

The Black Death was a plague that spread across Europe and killed and estimated 25 million people in Europe. The plague originated in China and spread through trade routes and when bodies that had the disease were flung over walls between a battle with Kaffa and Mongols. The importance of that Black Death is that it destroyed Feudalism, letting the rise to a middle class, and the Churches lost some power, as some people left because they lost faith that the church would protect them.

The Printing Press

1439

The printing press was first made in China, but was not used for making books and stuff until Johannes Gutenberg took it and used it to make books. The printing press was much faster to use for making printed or written things. It is important because it helped spread knowledge around the world. Because books were much easier to use, books became much more cheaper to buy, meaning more people could buy it.

Christopher Columbus

1451

Christopher Columbus was a trader and tried to go to Asia by heading south instead of east, but he landed in America instead, and thought it was Asia. Christopher Columbus was important because he discovered the Americas without knowing it, and he also brought disease with him.

The Last Supper

1498

The Last Supper was a painting made by Leonardo da Vinci about Christs last supper with his apostles. It was also showing Christ blessing the bread and wine. One of the apostles betrayed Christ. The Last Supper was important because it made people remember how someone betrayed Christ and it was an interpretation of Christs last supper for a monastery.

The 95 Theses

Oct 31, 1517

The 95 Theses were 95 things that the church was doing wrong, which became very popular and were spread throughout Europe because of the printing press. They were written after the church started selling indulgences. They were important because it led to the rise of Protestantism. It also was when Luther stood up to the strongest authority of the time, and many people joined him in what he believed. This lead to people protesting what they thought was wrong.

Calvinism

1519

Calvinism was based off of Protestantism in the 1500's and it was started by John Calvin, and it spread through England, Scotland, France and the Netherlands. It was important because it split off of the strongest religion of the time, Catholicism. It also branched off of Protestantism, which protested what the Church did.

The Last Judgement

1541

The Last Judgement was painted by Michelangelo for the Sistine Chapel. It is about Christ judging everyone and the end of time. The Last Judgement is important because it is the most powerful interpretation of that moment in history.

Galileo

1564

Galileo was a natural philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician who contributed to the science of motion, astronomy, and strength of materials. He is important because he went against what the Church taught because he thought they were wrong. He also contributed a lot to science and astronomy, which is still used today.

The Globe Theatre

1599

The Globe was a theater that Shakespeare showed his plays, and it was a favorite place for theatergoers. It was important because Shakespeare wrote many good plays that are still used in literature today, and The Glove was where people could go to watch these amazing plays.

Galileo's Telescope

1608

Galileo's telescope was an improvement of a different telescope that made objects more clear and easier to see if they were far, but it had a small view. The best of these telescopes Galileo made could magnify objects 30 times. The telescope was important because it allowed people to discover more of what is in space and Galileo used it to study space. Galileo's telescope was the driving force of astronomy.