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The prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca in 570 AD. He wrote the Koran, and died in 632 AD.
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The movable type printing press, invented by Johannes Gutenberg, drastically reduced the time of book copying by using a unique ink-moving system, where the ink was rolled over the wood or metal blocks. This raised general literacy rates, lowered the prices of books, and increased the knowledge of people. It also helped spread ideas of the Renaissance.
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In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. He thought that he had reached the East Indies, so he called the native people 'Indians'.
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Martin Luther nailed the 95 Theses to the door of a church. They showed that he disapproved of the church practices at the time.
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The Edict of Nantes was signed on April 13, 1598 by Henry IV. It granted religious freedom to Huguenots, who were French Protestants.
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The English Civil War was between the Cavaliers, led by King Charles I, and the Roundheads, who were Parliamentary forces led by Oliver Cromwell. The war ended with the beheading of Charles and Cromwell becoming Lord Protector of England.
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In October of 1685, Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, ending religious freedom for Huguenots. This led to the weakening of the French middle class because most Huguenots either fled the country or converted to Catholicism.
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In 1688, William and Mary of Orange became rulers of England. They took power bloodlessly from James II, so the transfer of power is called the Glorious Revolution.
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Inspired by the Enlightenment, the American Revolution began in 1775 as minor skirmishes at Lexington and Concord. American independence was declared in 1781, but fighting ended in 1785.
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The French Revolution began with the storming of the Bastille. The people grew so angry with the French monarchy that they abolished it and started multiple different governments, which made it easy for Napoleon Bonaparte to take over as First Consul.
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After the Napoleonic Wars, the Congress of Vienna met to restructure Europe. The key principles were legitimacy, a balance of power, and compensation.
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In 1823, Mexico, formerly led by Spain, becomes an independent republic. This was largely due to Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costillo, a local priest.
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Before 1853, Japan utilized a policy of isolationism, allowing only select Dutch merchants to live near Nagasaki. In 1853, Matthew Perry, an American commodore, negotiated the Treaty of Kanagawa with Japan, which began the opening of Japan.
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After all of Italy, except Venice and Rome, is unified, Victor Emmanuel II is crowned King of Italy. Prior to the coronation, he was the king of Sardinia.
