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Period: 114 BCE to 1450
The Silk Road
The Silk Road was an important trade route between Europe and Asia. The route united the two continents economically and culturally. -
1066
Norman Feudalism
The Norman Conquest in England introduced feudalism when William I gave land to his 180 followers. This would be the system used for about 120 years. -
Period: 1185 to
Japanese Feudal System
Japan started it's feudal system in 1185 and was further pushed during the Kamakura Period. This system would be used until 1603. -
Period: 1300 to
The Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was founded under Osman I in Turkey, and controlled most of Southeast Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa at it's peak. It was dissolved after losing WW1. -
Period: 1325 to 1519
The Aztec Empire
The Aztec Empire was a native Central American empire that started in 1325. It fell to the Spanish conquistadors in 1519. -
Period: 1400 to
Scientific Revolution
The Scientific Revolution was a period of rapid growth in science in Europe. Science influenced politics, changed the way people thought, and became more popular than Christianity. -
Period: 1438 to 1572
The Inca Empire
The Inca Empire was started in 1438 and resided in the Andes. They dissolved in 1533 when the Spaniards conquered them. -
Period: 1492 to
The Colombian Exchange
The Colombian Exchange was the transfer of disease, people, crops, and animals between the New and Old World. -
Oct 12, 1492
Colombus discovers North America in 1492
Christopher Colombus, along with his crew, sail to North America in 1492 and connect the continent to Europe. -
Aug 13, 1521
Fall of Tenochtitlan
Hernan Cortez and his soldiers captured the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan on August 13, 1521, marking the end of the Aztec Empire. -
Period: 1526 to
The Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was a Southern Asian empire that reached from Kashmir to South India at it's peak. It was dissolved in 1857 by the British Raj. -
Period: Aug 25, 1530 to
Ivan the Terrible
Born on August 25th, 1530 to Vasily III, Ivan IV would become infamous for his reign of terror. He died on March 18th, 1584, due to a stroke while playing chess. -
1534
France Colonizes America
France landed in Canada in 1534. They colonized Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and St. Lawrence, and moved to the rest of Canada later. -
Jan 16, 1547
Ivan IV becomes Tsar
On January 16th, 1547, Ivan IV came to power. While ruling reasonably at first, he began ruling cruelly later on, gaining the title of "Ivan the Terrible". -
Period: 1558 to
The Livonian War
The Livonian War was fought for control of Livonia, and involved the Tsardom of Russia (under Ivan IV) against Sweden, Lithuania, and Poland. After 24 years, Russia lost the war. -
Period: to
Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was a period of intellectual and philosophical revolution in Europe. -
The Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot was an assassination attempt by Catholics in England to blow up the Parliament Building while King James I was in it. The plot was discovered before it could happen and all men involved were killed. -
Britain Colonizes America
Britain settlers first landed in Virginia in 1607. They would establish 12 other colonies in different states along the East Coast. -
Period: to
Draining of Lake Texcoco
The Spaniards began a project to drain Lake Texcoco to expand Mexico City in the 1600s. The project was finished in 1950, and by then the lake was almost completely gone. -
Period: to
English Civil War
The English Civil War was between the Roundheads and Cavaliers, ending in a Roundhead victory. The Roundheads were Puritans and supporters of Parliament, while the Cavaliers were the nobles and landowners under Charles I. -
Cossack Riots
The Cossack riots were attacks against Jews by the Cossacks in Ukraine, Poland, and Belarus that resulted in the deaths of an estimated 20,000 Jews. -
Invention of the Steam Engine
The steam engine was invented by James Watt in 1712. It allowed for factory machines to run much easier, and for them to be compact enough to fit in buildings. It also allowed for new ways of transportation by boat. -
Russo-Swedish War
Russia defeats Sweden during an invasion with help from Denmark and Norway, ending the Swedish Empire. -
Period: to
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period of rapid mechanical evolution. It started the transition of goods created by hand to machinery. -
Period: to
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the separation of America from Britain. After heavy taxes were placed on America by Britain, American militias began forming to fight against and eventually push British forces out of America. -
Period: to
Napoleon
Napoleon was a French Military General who led France to win 38 battles, while only losing 5. -
Boston Massacre
The Boston Massacre was an riot in Boston that ended in 5 Americans killed by British Redcoats. It was one of the leading factors for the American Revolution. -
Boston Tea Party
The Boston Tea Party was a protest in regards to the lack of representation for America. Americans snuck onto British boats and dumped 342 chests of tea into the harbor. -
End of the Patroon System
The Patroon System was abolished in 1775 when the British Parliament took away the land from Dutch Americans, who took the side of the independence-seeking Americans. -
Period: to
French Revolution
The French Revolution started because the Third Estate of French citizens were heavily taxed and underrepresented. The Third Estate overthrew the government and used the guillotine on many French officials. -
Period: to
French Revolution
During the French Revolution, the Third Estate rebelled against the upper classes and abolished their monarchic government. -
Period: to
Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was a slave rebellion led by Toussaint L'Overture against the French in Haiti. It is widely regarded as the most successful and largest slave rebellion in the West. -
The Combination Act
The Combination Act in Britain prevented trade unions and strikes from forming. This prevented workers from trying to bargain with their employer for better conditions. -
Period: to
Age of Imperialism
During the Age of Imperialism, developed countries began colonizing undeveloped land. America was heavily targeted during this time, as it was undiscovered and free for the takers. -
Battle of Austerlitz
Known as Napoleon's greatest victory, Napoleon triumphed over the much larger Russo-Austrian force using ambush tactics. -
The Radical War
The Radical War was a 60,000 person strong protest for radical political reform in Scotland. It was ultimately crushed. -
Period: to
The British Raj
The British Raj was the period of British rule over India. Britain treated the country very poorly and resulted in an estimated 35 million dead Indians. -
Abolition of Serfdom in Russia
In 1861, Tsar Alexander II abolished serfdom, a practice that allowed land owners to keep people on their land and what they wanted with them. The abolition freed about 23 million people. -
Period: to
The Scramble for Africa
The Scramble for Africa was the period of colonization in Africa by European countries. The countries divided up Africa amongst each other and exploited the continent for themselves. -
Creation of the Car
Carl Benz created a patent for his invention, a three wheeled gas powered vehicle, on January 1st, 1886. This would come to be known as the first car, the vehicle which revolutionized individual transportation for the modern age. -
First Successful Plane Flight
Wilbur and Orville Wright flew the first successful plane flight in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17th, 1903. The plane revolutionized travel and allowed for easier transportation than any previous vehicle. -
Bloody Sunday
Bloody Sunday was a worker march turned massacre in Russia. Unarmed marchers attempting to bring a petition to Tsar Nicholas II were fired upon by soldiers, resulting in mass strikes and protests throughout Russia. -
Period: to
The Russian Revolution of 1905
The Russian Revolution of 1905 began on January 22nd, 1905 as a result of the Bloody Sunday massacre. The revolution wanted worker rights and political reform, and ended after Nicholas II gave in to most of the demands. -
Period: to
World War I
World War I was the largest war in human history at the time, and introduced many revolutionary war implementations and strategies. The war was between Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire, forming the Central Powers, and Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Canada, Japan and the United States, forming the Allied Powers. -
Period: to
The Bolshevik Revolution
The Bolshevik Revolution was the movement that led to the Bolshevik party, led by Lenin, to take over the government and overthrow the Tsar. Lenin's government would eventually form into the Soviet Union. -
Period: to
The Russian Civil War
The Russian Civil War was between the Bolshevik Red Army, led by Lenin, versus the White Army, which wanted to create a capitalist government. The Red Army won, leading to the creation of the Soviet Union. -
Benito Mussolini comes to power
Mussolini, the Fascist ruler of Italy during World War 2, came to power on October 24,1922, through a coup d'etat. -
Period: to
World War II
World War II involved the Allied Forces, composed of Britain, Russia, France, and the U.S., against the Axis forces, composed of Germany, Japan, and Italy. World War II was the largest war in history. -
Period: to
Indonesian Revolution
The Indonesian Revolution was the fight for independence from the Netherlands by Indonesia after World War 2. Indonesia had gained a taste for independence after Japanese occupation encouraged nationalism. -
Period: to
The Cold War
The Cold War was a period of high political tensions between the Soviet Union and United States after World War 2. The war never escalated to full warfare because of fear of mutual destruction, but both sides attempted to harm each other influentially and economically. -
Period: to
The Korean War
Started when Kim Il-sung of North Korea attempted an invasion of South Korea, the US and UN joined the side of South Korea and forced a retreat from North Korea. China helped North Korea with preventing a counter-invasion from the South. -
Period: to
Algerian Revolution
The Algerian Revolution was the fight for Algerian independence from France. The Algerian National Liberation Front used guerrilla tactics and terrorism to free Algeria from France. -
Period: to
The Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was the war between North Vietnam, backed by China and the Soviet Union, and South Vietnam, backed by the United States. The United States entered the war to help prevent the spread of communism, but ended up losing. -
Period: to
The Suez Crisis
After Egypt nationalized the Suez Canal, British, French, and Israeli forces captured the Suez, prompting the Soviet Union to attempt to gain favor with Egypt. The invading forces retreated after the US threatened them with economic sanctions. -
Period: to
The Hungarian Revolution
The Hungarian Revolution was started by university students in Budapest to protest against the Soviet rule of Hungary. The revolution was crushed when Soviet forces, including tanks, began firing on the protestors. -
Period: to
The Congo Crisis
The Congo Crisis was a period of political tension and fighting in the Congo after the country gained independence from Belgium. The crisis was used by both the Soviets and the United States as an attempt to try and become allied with the Congo. -
The U-2 Incident
The Soviet Union shot down an American U-2 spy plane taking surveillance photographs, leading to high tensions between the two. The incident was resolved peacefully, but was a massive embarrassment to the US and led to the cancellation of the Paris summit. -
Period: to
Sino-Soviet Split
The Sino-Soviet Split was the breakdown of relations between the Soviet Union and China. China feared the Soviet Union was straying too far from orthodox communism, especially under the rule of Krushchev. -
Period: to
The Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was created by communist East Berlin to separate itself from capitalist West Berlin and to keep its citizens from escaping. The wall was brought down due to political reform. -
Period: to
The Cuban Missile Crisis
After the US discovered the Soviet Union had nuclear weapons in Cuba, a blockade was created around Cuba and intense negotiations began between the two superpowers. The crisis ended after the Soviets agreed to remove the missiles as long as the US did not invade Cuba. -
Period: to
Soviet-Afghan War
The Soviet-Afghan War started due to a coup by Nur Mohammed Taraki, who became an ally of the Soviet Union. After revolutions began all over the country, Taraki called upon the Soviet Union for support, who responded by invading the country and began fighting the US-backed mujahideen fighters. The conflict came to an end ten years later when the soviet army was withdrawn. -
Death of Kim Il-sung
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Il-sung died on July 8, 1994, from a stroke. After his death, a 34 hour mourning period was held and his son, Kim Jong-il was put into power.