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Period: Jan 1, 1299 to
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire had its golden ages from 1400-1600. Towards the end of the first world war, it became known as "the sick man of Europe." It's Islamic routes and traditons influenced modern day countries in the area and their culture. -
Period: Jan 1, 1428 to Jan 1, 1521
Aztec Empire
The Aztec Empire occupied what is modern-day Mexico city. They came up with several things still used today such as roads and irrigation and dike systems and they also had many advances in science, astrology, botany, and food production. They were conquered by the spanish in 1521 and killed off or forced into slavery. -
Period: Jan 1, 1438 to Jan 1, 1533
Incan Empire
The Incans were the largest civilization in southwestern hemisphere. They ruled an area from Ecuador to northern Chile. They were the largest socialist society to ever live successfully. The also created the first clocks using the sun and shadow. They were later conquered by the Spanish. -
Jan 1, 1450
Gutenburg creates the first printing press
The printing press was arguably the most important invention during the Reniassance because it gave so many people access to new ideas and ways of thinking at an affordable rate. the literacy rate also increased and ideas were more widespread. The first book printed was the Bible. Ths played a big part in the Reformation of the Catholic church because people were able to begin interpreting the Bible for themselves. -
Oct 12, 1492
Christeropher Columbus makes his first voyage
Christopher columbus makes his first voyage to the New World for Spain. He lands among the Bahamas and opens the possiblity for other explorers to sail in his direction. He mistakenly believes he has found a new trade route to India and calls te people of the land "Indians." He makes several other voyages to this area and helps the Spanish begin to colonize. -
Jul 1, 1497
Vasco da Gama establishes sea route to India
Vasco da Gama left Portugal in July 1497 and arrived in India in May 1948. He is the first explorer to find a trade route around Africa. This 27,000 mile journey gave Portugal a direct sea trade route with India. -
Sep 8, 1504
Michelangelo finishes the statue of David
The statue of David by Michelango is one of his most famous works. He also painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peters Basilica. His works can still be seen today and have influenced many modern artists. -
Jan 1, 1511
Eramus writes Praise the Folly
Eramus was a humanist and a writer during the Renaissance. His essay "Praise the Folly" is one of the most famous of the time period and played an important role in the Protestant Reformation. -
Jan 1, 1513
Bartoleme de Las Casas discovers Cuba
Spanish priest who went with the conquistadors to spread Chrisianity to the newly conquered spanish lands. After seeing the horrendous conditions of the natives, he becomes an abolishenist and fights to end these terrible conditions. -
Jan 1, 1517
Leonardo Da Vinci completes the Mona Lisa
Leonardo Da Vinci's most famous piece is the Mona Lisa. It has become known as the most recognized painting in the world. It was also revolutionary because at the time all portraits were done strictly as profiles with strict faces, the Mona Lisa is smiling and shown from the front. Da Vinci was also a great inventor and invented many things we still use today, such as the scissors. -
Jan 1, 1519
Hernando Cortes
Hernando Cortes landed in Mexico in 1519. After learning of the vast wealth of the Aztecs, the Spanish decided to take a break from colonizing the Carribean and begin colonizing the mainland.Cortes was a conquistador, or spanish conqueror. He forced the Aztecs to hand over all their gold and they rebelled. The Spanish then fought back and conquered them in 1521. -
Jan 1, 1519
Ferdinand Magellan cirmcunavigates the world
Ferdinand Magellan sailed for Spain and became the first person to circumnavigate the globe, proving that it is possible to do it. He also discovered the Strait of Magellan and rediscovered the Phillipines. His journey lasted 3 years. -
Period: Jan 1, 1526 to
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire united India as one and were the ruling power when Indian went through a golden age and many works of art and new ideas flourished. During their rule, the Taj Mahal was created. The Mughal's left a permanent mark on society and modern day culture of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. -
Jan 1, 1532
Fransisco Pizarro conquers the Incans
Fransisco Pizarro was lured to Peru by promises of riches and power. He captured the Incan leader and even after they paid the ransom for his release, the leader was killed anyways and Spain claimed Cuzco as the first spanish settlement. -
Nov 1, 1558
Act of Supremacy
The Act of Supremacy was passed in 1558 by Queen Elizabet I. This stated the king, not the pope, was in charge of the church. This made England a protestant state and made for many tensions between the two religions until religious tolerance was declared. -
Dec 4, 1563
Council of Trent
The council was called a total of three times by the Pope to discuss important things within the Catholic church. The results of the meeting were:
1.) The Church's interpretation of the Bible was final.
2.) One must have faith and good works in order to be gauranteed a spot in Heaven
3.) Indulgences had no value
The catholic church still stands by these practices today -
Jan 1, 1577
Francis Drake circumnavigates the globe
Sir Francis Drake circumanvaigated the world in 1577 and explored the American Pacific coast up to modern-day Washington state. He was the second-in-command of the Royal English fleet against the Spanish Armada in 1588. -
Shakespeare writes Romeo and Juliet
One of William Shakespeare's most famous works is his tragic play of Romeo and Juliet. He transformed European theatre by expanding expectations about what could be done with characterization, plot, language and genre. He is known as the greatest writer of the English language and is still studied by many today. -
William Harvey makes discoveries about the circulatory system
William Harvey was an English doctor. He is most famous for his idea of how blood pumps around the body by the heart. He was the first doctor to correctly describe in detail the process by which blood circulates. -
Petition of Right
Put in action by the House of Commons after Charles I declared martial law during the Thirty Years War. It was written as an extension to the Magna Carta and described the rights the King could not infinge. The petition was ratified by both houses and is still in place today. -
Galileo Galilei dies
Galileo Galilei is known as the "father of astronomy" and the "father of modern science." He may not have been the first to create the telescope, but Galilei was the first to publish his findings of stars, moons, and other planets. This proved Copernicus's heliocentric theory. -
Period: to
Rule of Louis XIV
Also known as Louis the Great, he gained the throne at the age of 5, but Cardinal Mazarin ruled until Louis was old enough to take full control. He ruled as an absolute monarch and put Colbert as his minister of finance. In 1661, he built the Versaille Palace to distance himself from his people. He limited the power of his nobles and revoked the Treaty of Nantes, During his rule France became the most powerful country in Europe. -
Period: to
Qing Dynasty
The Qing dynasty is the last ruling imperial dynasty of China. They were also known as the Manchu dynasty. They overthrew the Ming dynasty and changed the capital of China to Beijing, which it has remained since then. -
Thomas Hobbes writes Leviathan
Hobbes was a french philosopher. His main idea was that a government should have one ruler or an assembly of men with total power. He then began looking into human nature and began preaching that all men are equal, but very selfish and without government to install order there would be complete anarchy and chaos. -
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was constructed during the rule of the Mughal Empire. It was created as a tomb for the wife of Shah Jahan. It also shows the vast and intricate arcitectural power of the Empire. It still stands as a power and cultural symbol of India. -
Versailles Palace
Louis XIV called for construction fo Versaille Palace as a way to distance himself from his people and create a place where he can watch over and better control his nobles. The Palace of Versailles was where the signing of the treaty to end WWI took place and is used a a historical landmark today. -
Isaac Newton publishes his theory on gravity
Isaac Newton published 3 books called Principia. These included all his ideas on gravity and physics. Many of his ideas have been proven correct and are taught today. -
John Locke writes Two Treaties on Government
John Locke, also known as the "father of liberalism" was a philosopher and physician from England. His works told of how man was born thoughtless and only gained knowledge through experience. He also believed in government with consent of the governed and the natural born rights of life, liberty, and property. Many of which are used in our countries cores foundings and constitution. -
Period: to
War of Spanish Succesion
After Charles II died without leaving an heir to the throne, there was a war over who would take up the torch and lead Spain. The French wanted Phillip of Anjou to rule and Great Britian and the Dutch republic wanted to keep that from happening because they felt that would give France to much control over Europe. Finally, an agreement was reached when King Phillip gave up his right to rule France in order to rule Spain and parts of Spain were given to other countries such as Austria and Britian. -
Period: to
War of Austrian Succession
After the death of Austrian ruler Charles VI, his daughter was unable to take power so a war broke out over who would rule. The war was a conglomeration of related wars including invasions of Austria and the wars over Silesia. -
Montesquieu writes the Spirit of Laws
Montesquieu was a french philosphe during the Enlightenment period. Many of his ideas of seperation of powers and classifcations of governments based on principles are still used today. -
Period: to
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a war over the American colonies between France and Great Britian and a war over the Austian province of Silesia between Prussia and Austria. Britian gained control over all French colonies east of the Mississippi River and Prussia gained Silesia. -
Rousseau writes The Social Contract
Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a french philosphe during the Enlightenment period who influenced the French Revolution as well as the American Revolution. His idea included general will, civil religion, and popular sovereignty. His ideas helped the developement of nationalism and socialism. -
Spinning Jenny invented
The creation of the spinning jenny is attributed to James Hargreaves. It increased yarn and thread production, which in turn increased textile production and made clothes and other woven goods cheaper. This also lead to the creation of textile factories. -
Richard Akwright patents the water frame
Arkwright was an entrepeneur during the Industrial Revolution. He took an interest in spinning frames and later created the water frame. This machine used water-generated power to propel the machine and it also used humans in place of cylinders. This lead to an increase in textile production and a rise in factories. -
Adam Smith publishes the Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith was a scottish economist whos main ideas helped fuel capitalism. His idea of people doing what's best for themselves and those around them will then contribute to a better, more financially stable country is still used today and is a portion of the the liberal theory. -
Steam Engine invented
In 1781 James Watt created and patented the first steam powered engine. They were normally wood or coal fueled and gave off about 10hp. This paved the way for steam engines to be used for transportation such as boats and trains. -
Robert Fulton makes a successful commercial steamboat
Robert Fulton was an american engineer who is credited with creating the first commercial steamboat. He became interested shortly after learning of James Watt's steam enginge. He is also credited with being the one to create the first submarine, the Nautilus, for Napoleon Bonaparte. -
Tennis Court Oath
When the members of the Third Estate, mostly representing peasants, were locked out of te Estates-General meeting they met on a near by tennis court. There they decided actions had to be taken to ensure equality among all classes. The oath stated how the king needed to make adjustments and whn he refused to oblige, the people lead to an uprising and a revolution. -
Storming of the Bastille
After much conspiracy that the city of Paris was being surrounded and about to be attacked on orders from the king, the french people stormed the prison and armory of the Bastille. The french people went on a panicked rampage and began killing all the officials against them. The Parisians won and this marked the start of the French Revolution. -
Haitian Rebellion
In 1791, Toussaint L'Ouverture lead a slave revolt against the French in control over the Haitian-French colony of Saint-Domingue. It ended in November 1803 with a french defeat. Haiti became an independent country on January 1st, 1804. -
Cotton Gin invented
The cotton gin was created in 1793 by Eli Whitney and then patented in 1794. It is a machine created to pull out cotton seeds from the fibers. This lead to a growth of slavery in the south because there was a greater demand for slaves to pick cotton. -
Edward Jenner creates smallpox vaccine
The most deadly and quickly spread diseases of all time was smallpox. Edward Jenner was an English doctor who had heard cowpox may be able to be used to cure smallpox. After several tests, he was able to successfully create a vaccine and today the disease is virtually extinct. -
Congress of Vienna
The Congress of Vienna was a meeting held by the major european powers to decide what would happen now that Napoleon was defeated once and for all. It was decided all those dethroned due to Napoleon would be put back in charge and France would lose territory. -
Battle of Waterloo
After Napoleon regained control over France after coming back from exile, an army comprised of Prussia, Great Britian, and the Netherlands, lead by British commander the Duke of Wellington met him in Waterloo in present-day Belgium. After a long battle, Napoleon was defeated and his 100 day campaign was ended. -
Ricardo states his comparitative advantage theory
David Ricardo was a British political economist, similar tot Adam Smith and Thomas Malthus. Malthus' theory of comparative advantage stated that each country should specialize in one industry and abandon the production of all others. This would also eliminate competition. -
Malthus publishes his Essay on te Principle of Population
Thomas Malthus was a british writer who wrote mostly about the political economy and population. His main beliefs included:
1.) The icrease of population is necessarily limited by the means of subsistence
2.) Population does invariably increase when subsistence increases, and
3.) The superior power of population is repressed
These ideas are the backbone for natural selection and many evolutionists such as Charles Darwin read about his theories. -
Period: to
First Opium War
The First Opium War was between China and Britian. China then attempted to outlaw opium in an effort to stop trading with Great Britian. Britian fought against this because they really wanted their tea and silk and quickly defeated China. China then had to sign the Treaty of Nanjing, which opened its doors for trade to the west and gave Hong Kong to Britian. -
Period: to
The Crimean War
The Crimean War was a war over who had control of the Crimean Peninsula. THe fighting was between Russia on one side and France, Britian, Sardinia, and the Ottoman Empire on the other. The Crimean War is known as the first modern war because of its advanced use of tactics and weaponry. -
Period: to
Second Opium Wars
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Indian Rebellion of 1857 ends
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 is also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. The British were ruling India through the use of the British East Trading Company. They had formed their own army to protect trade routes using the natives called Sepoys. The mutiny was due to many factors. The final spark that lit the powder keg was when rumors of the smmo used by the Sepoys were starting to be wrapped in pig fat for packaging and this set them off because the pig is a sacred animal to the Hindus. -
Louis Pasteur tests pasteurization
Louis Pasteur was a french chemist and microbiologist. He was the first to prove the germ theory correct, and explain that some diseases are caused by microorganisms. He also discovered pasteurization, the process of heating a liquid to a specific temperature for a predefined time in order to slow the spoilage rate. He known as the "father of microbiology." His processes and theories are still used today. -
Suez Canal is complete
The Suez Canal is a man-made waterway the connect from the Mediterranean sea to the Red sea. The Egyptian government borrowed money from the British in order to pay for this extenstive project. This put the country in debt to England and when they could not repay them, the British took control of not only the Suez Canal, but Egypt as well. This water was is significant because it prevented people from having to sail all the way around Africa in order to reach the Indian Ocean. -
Period: to
Franco-Prussian War
Prussia began poking France's borders, provoking a war and in July 1870, France declared war. The small German confederation of states sought protection from the militarily superior Prussia. Prussia wins and soon after changes there name to Germany. -
Period: to
First Boer War
Fought between the British and South African Republic, the war was over the province of Transvaal. The Britis annexed Transvaal and the Boers became angry and stated the British weren't helping them. Great Britian then trued to force the Boers into the union and fighting broke out. The South African Republic was successful. -
Berlin Confrence
The Berlin Confrence took place from 1884 to 1885, this meeting was called to regulate colonization of Africa. All African territories were conquered except for Liberia, a protectorate of the United States, and Euthopia, due to strong and cunning leadership. This is why Africa is divided the way it is now. -
The Indian National Congress was created
The Indian National Congress was founded in order to bring order to Hindu portion of India. They also lead the independence movement against Great Britian for India. Today. they are still the ruling body of India. -
Period: to
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was Great Britian's second attempt to conquer not only Transvaal, but now the Orange Free State. This campaign was longer than the las t and resulted in many more deaths. After news of the British using scorched-earth and concentration camp techniques, support for the war lessened but the British still won. These states are now part of what is modern-day South Africa. -
Period: to
The Boxer Rebellion
China had finally had enough of the big European powers manipulating and controlling them so in a rise of nationalism and patriotism, China banded together and rebelled against the British imperialists. The Alliance of the European countries was able to defeat China nad bring it back into its sphere of influence. The chinese were also forced to pay 450 million dollars in taxes. -
Period: to
Russo- Japanese War
Russian took control of Manchuria and Japan took control of Korea. Russia, however, refused to recognize Japan as being the sphere of influence for Korea and Japan attacked on the accusations of Russian aggression. The Japanese defeated the Russians, demonstrating that Japan was a force to be reckoned with. -
Period: to
Maji Maji Rebellion
The Maji Mai Rebellion was a revolution among the German owned East African colonies. They wanted to fight and gain back their independence and after 3 years of fighting, they only managed to kill 15 europeans, but they did kill tens of thousands of bystanders and insurgents. The Maji Maji defeat squashed any hope for another. -
Archduke Ferdinand is assassinated
Archduke Ferdinand was the leader of Austria-Hungary who was assassignated by Serbian nationalist Princip. This was the final spark that lit the powder keg that lead to the first world war. Russia's alliance with Serbia protected it against Austria-Hungary and their alliance with Germany. -
Zimmeran Telegram intercepted
Unrestricted submarine warfare was declared by the United States during the first world war after the instances of Germany sinking the Lusitania and the sending of the Zimmerman Telegram telling Mexico they have German support to attack the United States. This lead to the United States entry into WWI. -
Period: to
Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was a war between the Bolshevik Red Army and the White Army. Each had a different idea for how the government should be run and the Red Army eventually won out. Russias government then began to change into a communist society, which it kept until the late 1900's. -
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk signed
The treaty was signed between the new Bolshevik government and the central powers. This pulled Russia out of World War I. It took two months of negotiations before it was created and signed. Fighting had officially stopped on Decmember 5th of the previous year when an armistice was called. -
Armistice is called
Armistace was the agreement to cease fighting in Europe to end the first world war. It marked a victory for the allies even though the Germans did not surrender. The main european powers then met for the Paris Peace Confrence where negotions of the treaties took place. -
Paris Peace Confrence
Called after the first world war, the Paris Peace Confrence stated the terms and conditions of the Treaty of Versailles would state, such as reparations. The League of Nations was also decided here. -
Treaty of Versailles is signed
The Treaty of Versailles was the peace treaty Germany had to sign after World War I. Even though an armistace was called on November 1918, it took many months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Confrence. It stated Germany had to pay reparations and debanded its military. -
Joseph Stalin comes to power
Joesph Stalin gained power in the spring of 1922 and ruled as a totalitrian government. He ruled by eliminating all possible threats to his rule. His ideas and policies made the USSR strong and powerful. During WWII he signed a peace treaty with Hitler but fought against him when Germany invaded Russia. After the war, Stalin gained power of most of Eastern Europe. He was in power until he died in 1953. -
Stock Market crash
The Stock Market Crash of 1929, also known as Black Tuesday, was the result of panicked stock owners frantically selling all there stocks in hope of getting out of the market before it crashed. This event lead to the United States' Great Depression and sent the world into a recession. -
Period: to
Long March
The communist arky of south China began losing to the People's Liberation Army. In order to escape, they began a retreat to the North that was over 6,000 miles long.The north then became communist and the south formed Taiwan. -
Munich Confrence
The Munich Confrence was held for the Western powers to compromise and appease Hilter in an attempt to prevent another war. They agreed that Hitler could annex Czechoslovakia as long as it had a majority of German speakers. -
Kristallnacht
In retaliation for a Jewish man killing a Nazi officer, a group of Nazi's raided towns. They burned synagouges and destroyed jewish businesses as well as beat any jew on the streets. This occured over many countries and cities. This is seen as the beginning of the Holocaust. -
German invasion of Poland
Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, wanted to conquer and expansed the German borders and he did so by invading nearby Poland. This is the start of World War II because Poland had pacts with both France and Great Britian. -
Fall of France
On May 10th, Germany invaded France and began defeating all the french forces. French troops were pinned to the western coast when they were rescued by British civilians and taken across the channel. France was able to regain there country after D-DAY. -
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britian was Germany's unsuccessful attempt to take down Britian. After several months of fighting, however, Germany was unable to make any lead way and abandoned the efforts. This was a great mistake on Germany's part and lead to there downfall. -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On Decemeber 7th, 1941, Japan pulled the United States fully into WWII by launching a suprise attack on the Hawaiian naval port of Pearl Harbor. This was a hard hit to the USA but we fought back and began fighting in the Pacific Theatre, island hopping and eventually defeating Japan. -
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is one of, if not the most important battles of the Pacific war. It is seen as the turning point in the war because the United States was finally able to win. This battle weakened the Japanese Imperial Navy for the rest of the war. -
Battle of Stalingrad
Nazi Germany broke the terms of the peace treaty with the USSR and invades Russia. After lots of intense fighting, the brutal winter and strength of the Russian army was able to drive out the germans. -
D-Day
D-Day was the Allied powers attack to regain France from German control. This battle was codenamed Operation OVERLORD and used to get the Allied army back onto mainland Europe. This was the most famous battle of the war and the turning points for the allies. Germany was never able to recover after this. -
Yalta Conference
This conference was a meeting of Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt in order to decide a plan of action for how to take back France. The ending of the meeting concluded with a decision of codename OVERLORD, or D-Day. -
Bombing of Hiroshima
In an attempt to end the war and prevent as many American casualities as possible, President Truman made the decision to drop two atomic bombs on Japan. One on Hiroshima, and one on Nagaski. A total of 49,000 deaths were recorded and on August 15th, 1945, Japan fully surrended to American. -
Establishment of the United Nations
The United Nations is an international government used to replacethe ineffective League of Nations. It was created to keep the peace and security among nations. 5 countries hold veto power: United States, Russia, France, China, and Britian. This is still in effect today. -
Partition of India
After much tension in India between the Hindus and Muslims, the British granted both freedom in 1947 and decide to split the countries. West India has become known as Pakistan, a mostly Muslim state, while India has remained a mostly Hindu state. -
Period: to
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade, or Berlin Airlift, is known as the first big crises of the Cold War. The USSR was poorly managing the Eastern bloc of Germany and many people were starving. Berlin began dropping care packages full of food and candy for the people to live off of. -
War in Korea
The Korean War was fought in Korea between the communist north and the democratic south. The north had support from Russia and China, while the south had backing from the United States. A cease fire was called and the country has remained divided at the 38th parallel ever since. -
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw pact was created to combat the National Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is between the Eastern European countries of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Hungary, USSR, Albania, and Romania. The alliance was changed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization after the Cold War. -
Cuban Missle Crisis
During a time of brinkmanship, the USSR began building missile launch sites in Cuba. It is the closest the world has ever come to a nuclear war. American ships blockaded Soviet ships and the Soviets and Cubans promised to disarm the missiles as long as the US didn't attack. -
Six Day War
Egypt launched forces to the Israeli border and in response, Israel attacked Egyptian air-fields. Israel was declared the winner for capturing the Gaza Strip. -
Camp David Accords
After nearly 30 years of tension between Israel and Egypt, a peace treaty was created to lessen them. This became known as the Camp David Accords because it was signed in Camp David, Maryland. -
Tiananmen Square
A demonstration wsa being held by several thousand students to protest the Chinese government, when suddlenly, the army began firing into the crowd. The students were peacefully protesting and unarmed. The Chinese government tried to keep it from getting out but were unsuccessful. -
German Reunification
After the second World War it was decided that Germany would be split into two zones for easier management. USSR would control the Eastern half and the Allies would control the West. Shortly after gaining power, the USSR closed its doors and blocked East Germany from the west and made it communist. It wasn't until 1989 that the country was once again united as a whole. -
August Coup
The communist party in Russia who opposed Gorbachev's new policies tried to take back control of te government. The military stated a coup to try and reached the White House but were stopped by thousands of russian citizens refusing to go back to there old ways. The military had no choice but to give up and Russia remains a democratic state today (kind of).
