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Oct 12, 1492
Columbus "discovers" the New World
Columbus had convinced the royal family of Spain to fund his journey, as he believed the world was round. On August 3, the Niña, Pinta, and Santa Maria (Columbus's ships) sailed out of a Spanish port. Months later, they would reach the an island in the Bahamas in the Caribbean Sea. They thought they were in the East Indies, and Columbus died believing so. -
Jan 1, 1511
First enslaved Africans arrive in the Americas
The first Europeans to bring in African slaves were the Spanish. The slaves were to work in Spanish America, laboring in gold mines and plantations. The idea of slaves would soon be picked up by other Europeans, and the slave trade would begin. -
Jan 1, 1521
Cortés conquers Aztec Empire
The Aztecs, a powerful empire, fell to Cortés, a Spanish conquisidor. When Cortés had arrived, the people believed he was a god. However, some of his men killed many warriors and chiefs during a religious festival, and they were driven out. However, Cortés struck back, and even though he was greatly outnumbered, he conquered the Aztecs. There were several key factors: the Spanish had superior weaponry, various conquered people helped fight, and diseases also wiped out hudreds of thousands. -
Jan 1, 1533
Pizarro conquers Incan Empire
When Pizarro met Atahulpa, the Incan Emperor, they tried to convert him. Sources say that he did not understand how to open the Bible, and then threw it onto the ground. With this, they rushed in and captured him. The Incan emperor tried to bargain for his life by offering to fill a room once with gold and twice with silver. However, after gaining the ransom, the Spanish killed him. The empire was taken over without a struggle afterwards. -
English found Jamestown
The start of Jamestown was disasterous. Settlers were more interested in gold than planting corps, and it led to the crushing statistic that seven of ten people died from hunger, disease, and battles with the Indians in the first few years. However, it ended up doing fairly well. -
English found Plymouth
A group known as the Pilgrims founded another English colony called Plymouth. They had been persecuted for their religious beliefs in England, and sought freedom from this. They were the people who sailed in the Mayflower. -
French and Indian War ends
The English had become hungry for more land. They pushed farther West, only to collide with the French territory. This, not surprisingly, led to a war between the two, later known as the French and Indian War, which became a larger conflict known as the Seven Year's War.
