Important Dates in World History

  • 8000 BCE

    Beginnings of Agriculture

    The first time humans began growing crops, and the beginning of civilization.
  • 3000 BCE

    Beginnings of Bronze Age - and early civilization

    The start of civilization, and the beginning of the use of bronze for tools, weapons and other goods.
  • 1300 BCE

    Iron Age

    The period after the Bronze Age, where iron was mined and used for tools, weapons, and other goods.
  • 732 BCE

    Battle of Tours

    A fight between Islamic invasion forces and the Frankish/European forces, led by Charles Martel. Stopped Islam from spreading to France.
  • 600 BCE

    Life of Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Tsu, (beginnings of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism)

    The period of origin, where Chinese philosophy and religion first time shape.
  • 500 BCE

    Greek Golden Age

    The Classical Period or Golden age of Greece, from around 500 to 300 BC, has given us the great monuments, art, philosophy, architecture and literature which are the building blocks of Western civilization.
  • 323 BCE

    Alexander the Great

    An Ancient Greek King, from Macedonia, hailed the throne from his father King Philip. Conquered Persia and created the Greek empire.
  • 221 BCE

    Qin unifies China

    Qin Shihuang Di was the emperor and unifier of China, this was the first time China was fully unified. He did this in a rather short period of time.
  • 32

    Beginnings of Christianity

    Started the period of the spread of the Christian faith throughout the Roman Empire, and eventually throughout the world.
  • 180

    End of Pax Romana

    The end of Roman peace, which lasted 207 years, ended because of German invasion.
  • 220

    End of Han Dynasty

    The end of Han China, caused by a rise of new control by a new family, Cao Wei became the new emperor of China which started the new dynasty.
  • 333

    Roman Capital moved to Constantinople

    Was the first thing many people saw when traveling through the Roman Empire from Asia. The reason Constantinople became the capital was because it was easier to defend.
  • 400

    Beginning of Tran-Saharan Trade Route

    The start of an important trade route that spanned across Africa, and was important in trade between African empires, and Europe and Asia
    .
  • 476

    Fall of Rome

    The fall of Rome meant the collapse of the sole great power of Europe, which left the rest of Europe vulnerable to invasion from the Middle East and Africa.
  • 527

    Justinian Rule of Byzantine Empire

    re-established the Roman Empire, created the Justinian code and made Europe more Christianized.
  • Mar 28, 632

    Rise of Islam

    The rise of Islam created an identity in the Middle East, was created by the followings of Muhammed, God called Allah.
  • Mar 28, 632

    Rise of Islam

    First formed by Muhammed and his followers, became is the religious icon of the Middle East and the second largest religion in the world.
  • Mar 28, 1054

    1st Schism in Christian Church

    Sparked by tensions concerning corruption of the Catholic Church, split the church into the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
  • Mar 28, 1066

    Norman Conquest of England

    The Norman conquest of England was the 11th century invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled as William the Conqueror.
  • Mar 28, 1071

    Battle of Manzikert

    A battle between the Turks and the Byzantine Empire, led to the capture of the Emperor and undermined the Byzantine rule over Anatolia.
  • Mar 28, 1095

    First Crusade

    The first of many attempts to recapture the holy land, led to the recapture of Jerusalem from the Arabs in 1099
  • Mar 28, 1258

    Mongols sack Baghdad

    The sacking and capture of Baghdad under Hulagu Khan, end of the Islamic Golden age.
  • Mar 28, 1271

    Marco Polo's Travels 1271-1295

    An expedition by an explorer named Marco Polo, from Asia, explored Asia.
  • Mar 28, 1324

    Mensa Musa's Pilgrimmage 1324

    A piligrimmage to Mecda by Mensa Musa, King of the Mali Empire. Brought 12,000 slaves, and 60,000 men, as well as a bunch of gold he gave to the poor along the way and built a mosque every Friday on his way to Mecca.
  • Mar 28, 1325

    Ibn Battutas travels 1325-1349

    Originally a hajj to Mecca, ended up covering 75,000 miles and travelled to 44 countries, spread Islam.
  • Mar 28, 1347

    Bubonic Plague in Europe 1347-1348

    A terrible disease, from China that travelled across the Silk Road in to Europe. Killed about 60% of Europe's population.
  • Mar 28, 1433

    End of Zheng He's Voyages 1433

    Ended the Chinese voyages for good, emperor destroyed the entire fleet and prevented China from likely discovering America.
  • Mar 28, 1453

    Ottomans Capture Constantinople 1453

    Siege that lasted 53 days, and ended the Byzantine Empire.
  • Mar 28, 1492

    Columbus/Requinsta of Spain 1492

    The Spanish settlement in North America, and enslavement of many Caribbean natives.
  • Mar 28, 1502

    First slaves to America 1502

    Started the African slave trade, caused by the lack of Native American slaves in North America.
  • Mar 28, 1517

    Martin Luther/95 Theses 1517

    Promoted talk over catholic traditions and their corruptness, led to the second schism of Christianity, discovery of Protestantism.
  • Mar 28, 1521

    Cortes conquered the Aztecs

    Conquering if the Aztec by Cortes and Spain, most of the population became slaves and dug for gold and silver.
  • Mar 28, 1521

    Dias rounded Cape of good hope 1521

    Portuguese explorer that travelled around Africa into the Indian Ocean, the first European to do so.
  • Mar 28, 1533

    Pizzaro Toppled the Incas 1533

    Pizzaro led the Spanish campaign to the Incan empire, they shared the same fate as the Aztecs, with the emperor being executed and the people being used as a slaves.
  • Mar 28, 1571

    Battle of Lepanto 1571

    Battle between the Holy League and the Ottomans, led to the destruction of the ottoman navy.
  • Defeat of the Spanish Armada by the British 1588

    Marked the defeat of the Spanish navy and crushing of their invasion plans, led by Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis Duke
  • Battle of Sekighara - Unification of Japan - beginning of Tokugawa era 1600

    Was a decisive battle between the Tokugawa clan and Toyotomi clan/Diamyo that unified Japan and established the Tokugawa era.
  • Foundation of Jamestown 1607

    First British settlement in America, named after King James I.
  • 30 Years War 1618-1648

    War between the Hapsburg states and the Anti-Hapsburg states, fight between Protestants and Catholics.
  • Unsuccessful Ottoman Siege of Viena 1683

    Siege led by Suleimen and the Ottomans against the Holy Roman Empire and European allies. They were defeated, if they won, Islam would've likely spread through the heart of Europe.
  • Glorious Revolution/English Bill of Rights 1689

    The overthrow of the British King James II, and establishment of the British parliament.
  • French and Indian War 1756-1763

    War between the French and Indian allies, and the British. Started by conflict between the two imperial forces, led to the French forfeit of land east of the Mississippi River.
  • American Revolution 1776

    The revolution of the thirteen American colonies of the British, led to war between the two. Resulted in the Declaration of Independence and the creation of the United States of America.
  • French Revolution Begins 1789

    Start of a 10 year conflict in France, the people wanted to end the monarchal rule by King Louis the 16th and his poor leadership and bankruptsy of France. Led to a short period of republican rule before Napolean toke over.
  • Haitian Independence 1804

    Independence of Haiti from France, what was once the wealthiest country became a barren land with few to little any crops left. Caused by French superiority and lack of fairness for the colonists and natives.
  • Congress of Vienna 1815

    Conference of ambassadors from European states, wanted to settle critical disputes that arose from the French Revolution and Napoleonjc wars.
  • Independence of Latin America 1820s

    Caused by the Latin American Wars of Independence were the revolutions that took place during the late 18th and early 19th centuries and resulted in the creation of a number of independent countries in Latin America. Freed Latin America from colonist rule.
  • First Opium War of China 1839

    War between the British empire and China because of disputes over opium dumping by China. Led to one-sided treaties and granted more access to China for Europe.
  • European Revolutions/Communist Manifesto written 1848

    Republican revolts against European monarchies. Communist manifesto sparked the start of a communist uprising and the spread of Marxism/Communism throughout Europe and the rest of the world.
  • Commodore Perry opens up Japan 1853

    America gains access to Japanese trade over a treaty, japan feared they would suffer the same fate of China from the western nations.
  • Sepoy Mutiny 1857

    An Indian rebellion against British rule and the British East Indian company.
  • End of Russian Serfdom/Italian Unification 1861

    The ending of Russian slavery/serfdom by Alexander II due to pressure from European nations. The Italian unification was led by Giuseppe Mazzini and Giuseppe garibaldi, caused by a political and social movement among statss in the Italian peninsula.
  • Emancipation Proclamation of USA 1863

    A proclamation issued by Lincoln to end slavery in the United States.
  • German Unification 1871

    Otto van Bismarck united Germany through a series of wars and conflicts, such as the Prussian war.
  • Berlin Conference 1885

    The conference between European powers, to divide Africa amongst each other, and settle conflicts over who gets what.
  • Spanish American War - US aquires Philipine, Cuba, Guam, and Puerto Rico. 1898

    Spanish American war was between the Americans and Spain. It led to victory for the American led by president Theodore Roosevelt, and the recolonization of Cuba, Guam and Puerto Rico by the United States. Spain also gave America the Philippines in a treaty.
  • Boer War - British in control of South Africa 1899-1902

    A war between the British and the South African republic of claim of South African territory
  • Russo-Japanese War 1905

    A war between Russia and Japan over rival imperial ambitions in Korea and Manchuria. Led to a Japanese victory, and their rise as a World power.
  • Mexican Revolution 1910-1920

    A conflict in Mexico between democratic forces and nazi supported forces that shaped Mexican culture and politics.
  • Chinese Revolution/End of Dynastic Period 1911

    Was the overthrow of the Qing dynasty rule, and the starting point for more a democratic government in China, and eventually the communist party of China.
  • Start of WWI 1914

    Was a war between the central powers and the allied powers. Test of strength between European powers, started over assassination of archduke. Ended in allied power victory.
  • Russian Revolution 1917

    The removal of the tsar system, replaced by the Bolshevik party (communism).
  • Treaty if Versialles 1919

    Effectively ended the Great War, signed in France by European nations.
  • Stock Market crash 1929

    The crash that began the Great Depression, caused by the vast production of goods in America, but there was no where to sell them because Europe was still recovering.
  • Japanese Invasion of Manchuria 1931

    Japan sought imperial expansion, so they invaded Manchuria, to gain power in Asia and hopefully have strategic point to invade China from.
  • Italian Invasion of Ethiopia 1935

    Resulted from the Berlin conference, in which Europe colonized Africa. Italy made a one sided treaty that was '"mistranslated', led to Italy taking Ethiopia by force instead of sneaky negotiation tactics, Ehtiopia won because they had western arms.
  • German Blitzkrieg of Poland 1939

    German sought for land to farm with and to move German people into in order to become self-sufficient, invaded Poland as a result, one of the causes for WWII
  • Pearl Harbor 1941

    Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, hoped to destroy the American pacific navy fleet and prevent America from joining the war. Resulted in America joining in the war, and retaliating against Japan.
  • End of WWII

    Europe was in turmoil, but quickly recovered with the help of the United States. Left America and Russia as the sole two world powers of the world. Ended the Nazi regime.
  • Independence and partition of India 1947

    The Indian Independence Act 1947 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan
  • Birth of Israel 1948

    Set up by west end powers, created a homeland for all the Jews who had no national identity, toke land from Palestine and established it as Israel.
  • Chinese Communist Revolution 1949

    On 1 October 1949 Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People's Republic of China. It was a time of revolution, upheaval and bloodshed. The events of that period, and the first decades of communist rule which followed, forged the identity of modern China.
  • Korean War 1950-1953

    An American and South Korean effort to prevent Communism from spreading, resulted into Korea dividing into North and South Korea.
  • Vietnamese defeat French at Dien Bien Phu 1954

    Vietnamese fought off French control over the nation in this battle, supported by China and led to Vietnam becoming independent and a communist nation.
  • De-stalinization of Suez Canal 1956

    effort to remove Stalinist ideals and communist control over Suez Canal
  • Cuban Revolution 1959

    Armed revolt against the current Cuban government, led by Fidel Castro and supported by the soviets.
  • Cuban Missile Crisis 1962

    A crisis where the soviets armed Cuba with nukes, caused conflict with America and nearly led to a nuclear war.
  • Chinese Cultural Revolution 1967

    In 1966, China's Communist leader Mao Zedong launched what became known as the Cultural Revolution in order to reassert his authority over the Chinese government.
  • Yom Kippur War 1973

    was a war fought by the coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria against Israel from October 6 to 25, 1973. The military combat actions during the war mostly took place in the Sinai and the Golan Heights, territories that were occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967. Egypt and Syria wanted to regain the Sinai and the Golan Heights respectively
  • Iranian Revolution 1979

    refers to events involving the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, who was supported by the United States, campaign of civil resistance against the shah
  • First Palestinian Intifada 1987

    was a Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza
  • Tiananmen Square/Berlin Wall 1987

    The Tiananmen Square was a student led protest in China against the wide splits of China's political leadership. The fall of Berlin Wall marked reunification of Germany, and the end of Russian rule over east Germany.
  • Fall of USSR/Gulf War 1991

    USSR fell largely due to the great number of radical reforms that Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev had implemented during his six years as the leader of the USSR. An American retaliation over the Iranian invasion of Kuwait, led to the gulf war.
  • Geoncide in Rhawnda/1st all race election in s. Africa

    The genocidal mass slaughter of Tutsi and Hutu people by members of majority Hutu government. First all race election led to the election of Nelson Mendela as the first black president of South Africa.
  • 9/11 Attacks 2001

    Attacks done by terrorists against the America, caused the Great War on terrorism and future wars in the Middle East.