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The Ottoman Empire controlled parts of Europe, North Africa, and Asia for about 600 years. It was significant because under the Ottoman Empire, Islamic influence spread throughout the region and the Byzantine Empire was destroyed with the fall of Constantinople.
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The Songhai Empire was one of Africa’s greatest empires. It was significant because the Ghanaian and Mali Empires were incorporated into it, the cities of Timbuktu and Jenne were captured, new methods of farming were developed, and its schools became centers for learning history, geography, Islamic law, and astronomy
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Prince Henry the Navigator was a Portuguese prince who sponsored explorations of the west African coast during the 1400s. He was important because he helped advance the study of geography and made Portugal the leader in exploration.
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On this date, two Portuguese captains captured 12 Africans in Cabo Branco, marking the beginning of the Portuguese slave trade. This event was important because it would later lead to a worldwide transatlantic slave trade.
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Mrtin Luther was an influential German monk, priest, and theologist. He was important because he opposed indulgences, and started the Protestant Movement, a movement that would come huge and significant in the future.
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Christopher Columbus was sponsored by the Spanish monarcy to set out on a voyage to find a route to the Indies from the West. While on his voyage, he discovered the Americas. This discovery was important because countries started to come to the New World and build empires.
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The Safavid Dynasty was a gunpowder empire just like the Ottoman and Mughal Empires. It was centered in Persia, and it's main religion was Shiite Islam. It was important because it was a challenge to the Ottoman Empire.
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John Calvin was an influential French theologian during the Scientific Revolution. He was important because he challenged the Catholic Church and its practices. He denied indulgences that priests often gave, and believed that you must accept Jesus Christ in order to be saved.
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Spain conquers and destroys the Aztec Empire, which is located in Mexico. It is significant because it is the key event in the formation of New Spain.
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The Mughal Dynasty was an Islamic empire spanning the Indian subcontinent. It had many great leaders who improved and enlarged the empire, such as Akbar, Aurangzeb, and Shah Jahan. There were many beautiful buildings built during this time.
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The Society of Jesus is a Catholic organization that strives for education, intellectual research, and cultural pursuits. It is important because it consists of missionaries who travel to other countries to teach.
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The Council of Trent, held in Trento, Italy was a council of the Catholic Church. The Church condemned Protestantism and the Reforms. It was significant because it was a counter-revolutionary act against Protestantism.
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Akbar was a Mughal emperor, and was one of the greates emperors of the dynasty. He was important because of his religious tolerance and justice. He also founded a religious cult called the Divine Faith.
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Galileo was the first person to use the telescope to observe the stars and planets. He was important because of the contributions he made to the Scientific Revolution. He challenged Aristotle's concept of motion and came up with the law of inertia, which would later inspire Isaac Newton
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Emperor Wanli was the thirteenth emperor of the Ming Dynasty in China. He was important because his reign was the longest in the Ming era, and it witnessed a steady decline in the dynasty.
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The Spanish Armada was a Spanish fleet that set sail to invade England. The Spanish were defeated. It was significant because it showed which country was more dominant and had a stronger navy.
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The Tokugawa Shogunate was a military dictatorship in Japan which lasted nearly 300 years. It was important because the Shogunate was able to unify Japan under one ruler and end centuries of endemic warfare. It also brought a lasting peace to Japan
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The Thirty Years' War was a series of wars fought in Central Europe between Protestants and Catholics. It ended in the treaty of Westphalia. Hapsburg supremacy was curtailed, feudalism declined, and the Holy Roman Empire became decentralized.
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John Locke was a philospher, physician, and an Enlightenment thinker. He is important because he developed a social contract theory and affected the development of epistemology and political philosophy.
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The Qing Dynasty was the last imperial dynasty of China. It was significant because its multicultural empire lasted three centuries and formed the basis for modern China.
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The Seven Years' War was fought between several countries in Europe and the New World. As a result, France cedes New France to Britian, Louisiana to Spain, and great Britain returns Cuba and the Phillippines to Spain.
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James Watt, an inventor and mechanical engineer, made improvements on the seperate condenser and rotary motion. It was important because it was the first steam engine to to use steam just above atmospheric pressure.
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The American Revolution was a revolt carried out by the Thirteen Colonies against the British Empire. It was a resistance to British imperialism. When Britian passed the Stamp Act and the Coercive Acts, tension rose in the colonies. Before the colonies gained independence, they had to fight a long war. This revolution was important because, as a result, the Declaration of Independence was written, which broke all ties to the British monarchy.
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King Louis XVI was King of France. He wanted to make reforms to abolish serfdom and show tolerance towards non-Catholics. He was important because during the French Revolution, he was met with hostility andexecuted.
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The spinning mule is a machine used to spin cotton and other fibers. It was important because it revolutionized labor and production could bbe faster.
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The French Revolution was an uprising by the French people against the monarchy. Parisians stormed the Bastille prison to acquire weapons. The Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen. It was significant because the monarch and religion in France lost power, and the country became a constitutional republic.
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The Haitian revolution was a slave revolt in the french colony of Saint - Domingue. It was important because it was the second colony in the Western Hemisphere to gain independence, and slavery was eliminated.
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Napoleon Bonaparte was a great French political and military leader who rose to power after the French Revolution. He abolished feudalism, spread religious tolerance, and unified Europe under his empire.
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Many colonies in Latin America were trying to gain independence from the imperialist countries (Spain and Portugal). This was important because self-government was on the rise.
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The Congress of Vienna was a council held in Vienna, Austria by ambassadors of Europan states. Klemens Wenzel von Metternich organized the event. Its primary goals were to restore peace in Europe after the Napoleonic Wars and restore old boundaries. It was significant because finalized the borders between European countries such as Russia, Prussia, Germany and the Netherlands.
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The Opium Wars were fought between China and Great Britain because of conflicting views on trade and diplomatic relations. It was important because five treaty ports were opened and Hong Kong was ceded to Britain.
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The Communist Manifesto is a short book published by the political theorists Karl Marx and Freidrich Engels. It stresses the problems of class struggle and capitalism, and explains how communism and socialism will be prevalent in the future. This book is significant because it laid the foundation of future communist and socialist societies and influenced people like Lenin.
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The Taiping Rebellion was a massive civil war in China against the Manchus. The Manchus were ruling the Qing Dynasty. It was important becasue the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom was crushed.
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The Crimean war was a war that was fought between the Allies (Great Britian, France, Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia). It began when Russia attacked Ottoman provinces. The result of the war was Russian defeat. It was significant because it ended the dominant role of Russia in SE Europe.
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In 1857, a group of Sepoys rebelled against the East India Company. It was important because after the British victory, the power was transferred to the throne and the Mughal Empire ended.
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Origin of Species, which is writtem by Charles Darwin, is a scientific literature which is based on evolutionary biology. It is important because it explains many scientific pheomona, snd it still remains controversial today.
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Henry Ford, an automobile manufacturer, built his first car in 1896. In 1903, he officially opened the Ford Motor Company. His creation of the assembly line revolutionized the automobile industry and the concept of manufacturing worldwide.
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The Meiji Restoration was a series of events in Japan where imperial rule was restored in Japan by the Meiji emperor. It was significant because it led to changes in Japan's political and social struggle and Japan emerged as a modernized nation.
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The Suez Canal is an official waterway in Egypt that connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. It is important because it allows ships to travel faster instead of navigating all of Africa.
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The Boer War was fought between the British and the Boer South African Republic. At first, the Boers were victorious. However, the British were able to retaliate. The war was important because after the war, South Africa became a British colony.The British also put the Boer population in concentration camps, one of the earliest uses of this method by modern powers.
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The Berlin Conference regulated the colonisation and trade in Africa, when Germany was rising as a powerful imperial power. It was organized by Otto van Bismarck, the first chancellor of Germany. It was important because it led to the Scramble for Africa, when imperialists took power in Africa.
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The Indian National Congress is both a historical and modern political party in India. It is on the center-left on the Indian political spectrum. It was significant because it played a major role in the struggle against the British and the Indian independence movement.
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The Boxer Rebellionwas an anti-foreign and anti-Christian movement that took place in China during the last few year of the Qing dynasty. "The Boxers" were followers of a secret Chinese society known as Yihequan. The rebellion was significant because a massive uprising against foreign imperialism and missionaries in China. Also, Western powers had to look out for China.
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The Russo-Japanese War was a conflivt between Russia and japan over the dominance of Manchuria and Korea.it was important because it was the first time an eastern country defeated a Western superpower.
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The All-India Muslim League was a historical political party founded in the early years of the 20th century in the British Indian Empire. It became important because it started an anti-colonial movement in India. It played a major role in the partition of India and the creation of the countries of Pakistan and Bangladesh.
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The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that connects the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean. The U.S. took over the project to complete it, and it was completed in 1914. It's important because it gives easier access to ships sho want to sail straight through the middle of North and South America.