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Magnetic Pole
William Gilbert concludes that the earth is a magnet and coins the term 'magnetic pole' -
Jamestown Established
Jamestown is established. The first permanent English settlement in America. -
John Smith Saved
John Smith claims (many years later) that when captured by Indians he was saved from execution by Pocahontas, daughter of the chief -
Puritans
A shipload of Puritans sail from Boston in Lincolnshire to seek religious freedom in Holland -
First Newspapers
News sheets published in Augsburg and Strasbourg become the first known newspapers -
Surface of the Sun
Galileo, with his new powerful telescope, observes the moons of Jupiter and spots moving on the surface of the sun -
Muskets
A flintlock designed in France becomes the standard firing mechanism for muskets -
Pocahontas taken hostage
The American Indian princess Pocahontas is taken hostage by Jamestown colonists in the first Anglo-Powhatan war -
Pocahontas married
Pocahontas is baptized a Christian and marries John Rolfe, one of the Jamestown colonists -
House of Burgesses
the first representative assembly in America, meets for the first time in Virginia. -
Slaves
First African slaves are brought to America. -
Plymouth Colony
The Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts is established by Pilgrims from England. -
Mayflower Compact
41 male passengers sign the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony's government. -
William Bradford
William Bradford, one of the Pilgrims from the Mayflower, is elected governor of the new Plymouth Colony -
Thanksgiving
The Mayflower settlers in Plymouth offer thanksgiving for their first harvest, eating turkeys in a celebration shared by local Indians -
Amsterdam
Peter Minuit purchases the island of Manhattan from local Indians and calls the place New Amsterdam -
First Massachusetts settlement
John Winthrop selects the site of Boston for the first Massachusetts settlement -
Rhode Island
Rhode Island is founded by Roger Williams as a colony based on the principle of religious tolerance -
War between English and Pequot Indians
War between English colonists and Pequot Indians brings disaster to the Pequots but safeguards the settlement of Connecticut -
first book published in American Colonies
The first book published in England's American colonies is Bay Psalm Book, a revised translation of the psalms -
first battle of English Civil War
Charles I leads his army into action at Edgehill - the first, but inconclusive, battle in the English Civil War -
Charles I Trial
Charles I, brought to trial before 135 commissioners in Westminster Hall, refuses to recognise the court's validity -
Charles I beheaded
Charles I is beheaded on a scaffold erected in the street in London's Whitehall -
Charles I convicted of treason
After a trial lasting a week in Westminster Hall, Charles I is convicted of treason for fighting a war against parliament -
Charles II inherits throne
Charles II, in the Hague, inherits the English and Scottish thrones of his executed father, Charles I -
New York
English seize New Amsterdam (city and colony) from the Dutch and rename it New York -
Wavelength and Color in Light
Isaac Newton's experiments with the prism demonstrate the link between wavelength and color in light -
Microscope
The Dutch scientist Anton van Leeuwenhoek builds a microscope powerful enough for him to observe and describe the red corpuscles in blood -
Gold Rush
Gold is found in Brazil, launching the first great American gold rush -
steam engine
Thomas Savery creates the first practical steam engine, designed to pump water out of mines