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Aug 3, 1492
Columbus sailed the ocean blue
The Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria sailed out of a Spanish port around dawn on August 3, 1492. In a matter of months, Columbus's fleet would reach the shores of what Europeans saw as an astonishing new world. -
Oct 10, 1511
First enslaved Africans arrive in the Americas
As other European nations established colonies in the Americas, their demand for cheap labor grew. Thus, they also began to import large numbers of Africans. On this date, the first African slaves arrived in the Americas. -
Aug 13, 1521
Cortés conquers Aztec Empire
After landing in Mexico, Cortés and his men marched for weeks through difficult mountain passes finally reaching the magnificent Aztec capital. After various armed conflicts, on this date Cortés and his men finally conquered the Aztecs. -
May 3, 1533
Pizarro conquers Incan Empire
On this date, Francisco Pizzaro, a Spanish conquistador, marched on the Incan capital, Cuzco. Pizarro and his army of about 200 men captured it without a struggle and thus, the Incan Empire is conquered. -
English found Jamestown
In 1606, a company of London investors received from King James a charter to establish a colony in North America. In late 1606, the company's three ships and more than 100 settlers pushed out of an English harbor and after arriving, they name the settlement Jamestown, in honor of their king. -
English founded Plymouth
On this date, a second group of English known as Pilgrims founded a second English colony Plymouth, in Massachusetts.Persecuted for their religious beliefs in England, these colonists sought religious freedoms. -
French and Indian War ends
On this day, the Bristish colonists, with the help of the British Army, defeated the French The war was started in 1754 because of a dispute over land claims in the Ohio Valley between Britain and France.