-
Aug 3, 1492
Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World
Columbus led three ships out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he would reach Asia. The trip was longer than Columbus and his crew anticipated. Columbus headed off disaster by promising his crew that if land was not sighted in two days, they would return home. The next day land was discovered. Discovering the Americas spread new plants, animals and inventions throughout the world. -
Apr 2, 1513
Juan Ponce de Leon explored Puerto Rico and Florida
Juan Ponce de Leon was born on December 3, 1460 in Germany. He became interested in sailing through his cousin, Christopher Columbus. They went on an expedition to the Americas. Due to a disagreement between Ponce de Leon and his cousin, he did not return home but remained in Santo Domingo, which is now known as the Dominican Republic. He then sailed in search of gold to the island of Borinquen, which is now called Puerto Rico. Because of this discovery, Juan Ponce de Leon died in Cuba in 1521. -
Sep 19, 1540
Francisco Vasquez de Coronado discovered the Grand Canyon
Francisco Vázquez de Coronado was born in Salamanca, Spain, around 1510. Stories of gold and riches located to the north of Mexico had begun to circulate in the 1530s. Vázquez de Coronado was selected by the viceroy to lead a mission to further explore. Disappointed by the expedition's failure to find a golden city, he decided to send out men to investigate further. Him and his men became the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon. Because of this expedition, the Grand Canyon was discovered. -
May 8, 1541
Hernando de Soto discovered the Mississippi River
Hernando de Soto first came to the New World in 1514. In late May 1539, de Soto was on the west coast of Florida with 600 troops, servants, and staff, 200 horses, and a pack of bloodhounds. He went looking for gold and silver. Traveling through Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, across the Appalachians, and back to Alabama, de Soto failed to find the gold and silver he desired. In May 1541, the Hernando and his men discovered and crossed the Mississippi River. He then returned to Spain wealthy. -
Dec 13, 1577
Sir Francis Drake started circumnavigating the world
Sir Francis Drake circumnavigated the globe from 1577-1580. Queen Elizabeth also assigned him the task of exploring the Northwestern coast of North America. Drake also helped defeat the Spanish Armada of 1588. Because of Sir Francis Drake's expedition, more was learned about the world. -
The Edict of Nantes was signed
The Edict of Nantes was signed by King Henry IV of France, and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France substantial rights in the nation. The Edict separated civil from religious unity. The Edict offered many specific concessions to the Protestants, such as amnesty and the reinstatement of their civil rights. Because of the signing of The Edict of Nantes, Clavinist Protestants gained rights. -
Henry Hudson discovered the Hudson River
Henry Hudson embarked on sailing voyages that provided new information on North American water routes. While Hudson was in North America, he and his crew traveled up the river that would later carry his name. He explored the Hudson River up as far as what later became Albany. Because of this discovery, Henry Hudson got the Hudson River named after him. -
Louis XIII died
Louis XIII was king of France from 1610 to 1643. Louis XIII took over the throne in October 1610. King Louis XIII and Anne of Austria got married in November 1615 when they were only 14 years old. Louis and Anne welcomed a son, Louis XIV, in 1638. The couple had another son, Philippe, two years later. Louis had little time to watch his two sons grow up. He died of tuberculosis on May 14, 1643. Louis XIII died at the age of 41. Because of his death, Louis XIV, was crowned king. -
Charles I was executed
Charles ascended to the English throne in 1625 when his father, King James I died. He responded to political opposition by dissolving Parliament on many occasions and in 1629 decided to rule entirely without Parliament which resulted in the first English Civil War. In 1648, Charles appeared before a high court where he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. The next year, he was beheaded. This caused other kings to be nicer to their people, because they didn't want to be killed. -
The Palace of Versailles was completed
Louis XIII originally built the Palace of Versialles as a hunting lodge. When his son, Louis XIV, took over, he expanded it into one fo the largest palaces in the world. Louis XIV invited many other royal people to live in the palace with him. Regular citizens saw this huge palace and all of the royal people living in it and realized how much power and money the king had. This made people start to question the idea of a monarchy which led to the French Revolution. -
The English Bill of Rights was signed
When King James II was replaced by William III of Orange and Mary, William and Mary had to sign the Bill of Rights. One of the main things that it did was it established a limited and constitutional monarchy. This means that the parliament had equal power to the king and queen. The English Bill of Rights had a huge impact on the rest of the world because now it wasn't just the king and queen with all of the power. -
Voltaire was born
Voltaire was born on November 21, 1694 in Paris, France. Even at a young age, he showed promise as a writer. He wrote many play, poems, historical and philosophical works. He was arrested and exiled from Paris a few times, but when he returned, they now thought he was a literary genius. His works got everyone to start thinking about religious freedoms and freedom of speech.
