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As the Renaissance was sweeping through Europe, the great desire for learning created a huge demand for books that hand copying and block printing could not satisfy. Johannes Gutenberg created a printing press with movable type that solved the problem. With this new printing press, books could be mass produced.
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Christopher Columbus was determined to find a way to the East by sailing West. After several attempts to sell his idea, he convinced King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to provide him with the men and ships necessary for the journey. However, Columbus underestimated the diameter of the earth and instead of reaching India, he landed in the Caribbean.
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Ponce de lion led the first European expedition to reach what is now Florida. In 1509 he became the governor of Puerto Rico and became very wealthy. However, political rivals removed him from 1512, and so he begain a new adventure. He led an expedition to Florida, or Bimini, to search for the legendary fountain of youth.
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Leonardo da Vinci was one of the most versatile geniuses in history. His interests and achievements spread into an astonishing variety of fields that are usually considered scientific specialties. Leonardo studied anatomy, astronomy, botany, and geology, and he designed machines and drew plans for hundreds of inventions.
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At Henry's instance, parliament passed two acts in 1534 made a complete break with the Roman Catholic Church. One act declared that the pope had no authority in England. The other, the famous Act of Supremacy, made the Church of England a separate institution, and it also established the king as its supreme head.
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The rebirth of science began about 1543, with the publication of two important books. Nicolaspernicus, the Polish astronomer, published De Revolutionibus Orbium Celestium, which differed from Ptolemy's view of the solar system. Andreas Vesalius, the Belgian anatomist, published De Fabrica Corporis Humani, which described his own anatomical observations, rather than repeating Galen's statements. Both broke from the old ideas, but kept portions of the Greek influence.
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Although Luther desired to maintain the oneness of the Church, and to improve the Catholic Church, his teachings helped to cause a division into the Protestant and Catholic churches. He is especially known for Justification by Faith, and was firmly against the selling of indulgences.
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John Calvin was one of the leaders of the Protestant Reformation. Calvin's brilliant mind, powerful preaching, many books and large correspondence, and capacity for organization and administration made him a dominant figure of the Reformation. He was especially influential in Switzerland,England, Scotland, and colonial North America.
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The reformation spread rapidly and soon over a third of the french population received the Reformed Christian Faith. The pope, however, was not happy and urged the king to murder the new protestant believers. And that brought about one of the worst mass murders the french have ever experienced.
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Sir Francis Drake was an explorer and military commander. and was the first Englishman to sail around the world. His naval warfare against the Spaniards, the chief rivals of the English, helped England become a major sea power.
