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1500
Pedro Cabral lands in South America
A Portuguese sea captain, Pedro Cabral, landed in South America in 1500, which established Portugal’s claim to the region later named Brazil. -
1502
Christopher Columbus discovers the Americas
A Spanish explorer named Christopher Colombus set foot in the Americas in 1492, where he explored the coastline of Cuba and the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean believing that he had reached Asia. He failed to find a route through the outer islands to what he believed was mainland Asia but would explore all major Caribbean islands and Honduras in Central America, which he would call the Indies. Columbus would have four voyages to the Americas, those being in 1492, 1493, 1498, and 1502. -
1518
First slave ship lands in the Americas
In 1518, a Spanish ship carried the first enslaved Africans directly from West Africa to the Americas. During the next two centuries, the trade in enslaved people grew dramatically. This would mark the start of the Atlantic Slave Trade, which would range from the 16th century to the 19th century. -
1519
Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage
Ferdinand Magellan, a Spanish explorer, set sail from Spain in 1519 to find a sea passage through the Americas. In 1520, he passed through the Strait of Magellan at the tip of South America and reached the Philippines where he was killed by indigenous natives. He is remembered as the first person to sail around the globe. Only one of his ships returned to Spain from its voyage. -
1519
Spanish forces meet the Aztecs
In 1519, under the command of Hernan Cortes, Spanish forces landed in Veracruz in current-day Mexico. As he went, he made alliances with city-states that had tired of the oppressive rule of the Aztecs. In November, Cortés arrived at Tenochtitlán and was welcomed by the Aztec monarch Montezuma. The Spaniards would show off their steel swords, cannons, and firearms, which gave the Spanish a great advantage over the Aztecs. -
1521
The Aztec empire falls to the Spanish
Tensions had risen between the Spaniards and the Aztecs, which led to the Spanish taking Montezuma hostage and pillaging the city. In 1520, the Aztec population revolted and drove the invaders out. What took out the Aztecs would be the diseases the Spanish brought from Europe, as they had no natural immunity. Eventually, after receiving fresh soldiers, Cortés defeated the Aztecs, leveled their buildings, and filled in their canals. -
1532
Spanish forces meet the Inca
Spanish expeditions led Francisco Pizarro and a small group of men to arrive in the central Andes in early 1531, where they would meet the Inca empire. The Inca Empire was devastated by smallpox brought by the Spanish. The death of the Inca emperor led to a civil war, which Pizarro took advantage of. Pizarro captured the new emperor and after executing him, his soldiers and Inca allies sacked Cuzco. Pizarro founded a new colony in Lima in 1535. -
1553
The Scientific Revolution begins
The Scientific Revolution was a significant period in Europe that led to the emergence of modern science. It brought about major developments in mathematics, physics, astronomy, biology, and chemistry, which transformed the way society viewed nature. The Scientific Revolution was marked by a focus on understanding how nature works and the introduction of the scientific method. -
1572
The Inca empire falls to the Spanish
The Spanish began the conquest of the Inca Empire in 1532 and by 1572, the last Inca state was fully conquered. The Spaniards took control of Vilcabamba in 1572, where the last remaining Inca ruler was captured and executed, bringing the Inca Empire to an end. -
East India Company is founded
The East India Company, founded by the English, was incorporated by royal charter on December 31, 1600 and went on to act as a part-trade organization, part-nation-state and reap vast profits from overseas trade with India, China, Persia and Indonesia for more than two centuries. Its business flooded England with affordable tea, cotton textiles and spices, and richly rewarded its London investors. The East India Company was later formally dissolved by Act of Parliament in 1874. -
Dutch East India Company is founded
The Dutch East India Company was a trading company founded in the Dutch Republic in 1602 to protect that state’s trade in the Indian Ocean and to assist in the Dutch war of independence from Spain. The company prospered through most of the 17th century as the instrument of the powerful Dutch commercial empire in the East Indies. It was dissolved in 1799 due to bankruptcy. -
Quebec is founded
During the 17th century, the French colonized parts of what is now Canada, then named New France, and Louisiana. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec, the first permanent French settlement in the Americas. -
The Thirty Years’ War begins
The Thirty Years’ War was a religious conflict fought primarily in central Europe during the 17th century. The war lasted from 1618 to 1648 and caused more than 8 million casualties, resulting from military battles, famine, and disease caused by the conflict. Initially, the war began as a battle between the Catholic and Protestant states that formed the Holy Roman Empire. However, as the Thirty Years’ War progressed, it became more about which group would ultimately govern Europe. -
New York is founded
In 1624, Dutch colonists arrived in the Americas and established Fort Amsterdam, a trading post located on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. The settlement was officially named New Amsterdam in 1626 and was recognized as a city in 1653. -
The English Civil War begins
The English Civil Wars, fought between King Charles I and Parliament, consisted of three wars from 1642 to 1651. They were part of a larger conflict known as the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, and were caused by disagreements over religion, power, and economic policies involving Ireland, Wales, and Scotland. -
End of the Thirty Years’ War
The Treaty of Westphalia was signed in 1648, ending the Thirty Years’ War. As per the treaty, the Netherlands achieved independence from Spain. Sweden gained control of the Baltic region and France was recognized as the prominent Western power. The power of the Holy Roman Emperor was dismantled, allowing the German states to once again determine the religion of their territories. -
End of the English Civil War
After the English Civil War, Oliver Cromwell became Lord Protector in 1653. He was succeeded by his son Richard, who abdicated eight months later. The larger Parliament was reassembled, and negotiations with Charles II began. Charles II resumed the throne in May 1660, beginning the English Restoration. Many castles were besieged during the wars, resulting in severe damage to these sites. -
New York is conquered by the English
In 1664, the English took control of the New Netherland colony from the Dutch and changed its name to New York after King Charles II granted the lands to his brother, the Duke of York. The city was temporarily regained by the Dutch in July 1673 and was renamed New Orange. It was later renamed New York again and its name has remained since November 1674. -
The Age of Enlightenment begins
The Age of Enlightenment was a significant movement that took place in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. The primary focus of this movement was to promote ideas that revolved around the value of human happiness, the pursuit of knowledge through reason and evidence, and the promotion of ideals such as natural law, liberty, progress, toleration, fraternity, constitutional government, and the separation of church and state. -
The Seven Year's War begins
The Seven Year's War between France and Britain begins. Tensions between France and Britain had been at a boiling point since their struggles to control India and North America. The conflict exploded across the colonial boundaries, which sought to expand their influences in India and North America. Many countries were dragged into the conflict, such as Spain, Russia, Austria, and Portugal. -
End of the Seven Year’s War
The Treaty of Paris of 1763 marked the end of the Seven Years' War between Great Britain and France, along with their respective allies. As per the treaty's terms, France gave up all its territories in mainland North America, effectively removing all foreign military threats to the British colonies in the area. Great Britain, in turn, gained Canada, all lands located east of the Mississippi river, and Florida. Furthermore, France ceded Louisiana to Spain and evacuated Hanover. -
The American Revolution begins
The American Revolution took place between 1765 and 1783. It was a political and military struggle in which 13 of Britain’s North American colonies rebelled against the British rule. The protest initially began due to taxes imposed by the British monarchy and Parliament without colonial representation. As the political disagreements escalated, they led to a cycle of defiant acts and punitive laws, ultimately resulting in open rebellion. -
End of the American Revolution
With the help of France, the American colonies were able to defeat the British, gain independence, and create the United States of America. The Treaty of Paris was signed by representatives of the United States and Britain on September 3, 1783, which marked the end of the War of the American Revolution. With its signing, the 13 colonies became free from British rule. -
The French Revolution begins
The French Revolution was a period in world history that began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with the ascent of Napoleon Bonaparte. Its causes are generally agreed to be a combination of social, political and economic factors, which cause French citizens to revolt. -
End of the French Revolution
The French Revolution put an end to the feudal system, disbanded a kingdom and its monarchy, and established civil laws and fairer representation of all peoples under governance, it also served to unify and strengthen France as a country and a people. It also led to the Proclamation of the French First Republic in September 1792.