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Columbus sets sail for India, using a new shortcut route he devised by studying maps of Asia.
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Columbus and his three ships full of men arrive at the island Guanahaní and claim the land as Spain's, although the island is already inhabited by another people. Columbus thought he had arrived in India, so he calls these people Indians. The tribe, called Taínos, traded food and supplies with Columbus' men, though in return Columbus often gave them "things of little value".
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Columbus captures about 10 Taínos as slaves. Five days later, two of them escape.
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The King and Queen of Spain get numerous complaints about Christopher Columbus' poor government, and decide to place him under arrest.
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Hernán Cortés, a Spanish conquistador, conquers the Aztec empire in Mexcio.
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Franciso Pizarro, another Spanish conquistador who was distantly related to Cortés, conquers the Inca empire. He claims he will let the emperor, Atahualpa, live if the empire is handed over peacefully, but Pizarro kills him anyway, because he's a jerk. (EXACT DATE UNKNOWN)
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King James I writes and publishes a short book titled "A Counterblaste to Tobacco", one of the first known anti-tobacco publications. In it, James explains how and why he finds tobacco so distasteful. (EXACT DATE UNKNOWN)
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The first stable settlement in the Americas is built. Early colonists managed to complete the small town, which was basically a large fort, in a month and named it after King James I.
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41 men sign the Mayflower Compact in the cabin of the Mayflower. The compact stated the first steps they must take to become a more civilized colony.
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The Native Americans and Europeans celebrated the first Thanksgiving as a way to give thanks to the earth for a successful crop. (EXACT DATE UNKNOWN)
