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1202
Transmission of Greek Text during 4th Crusade
It opens the door to learning -
Jan 1, 1449
Birth of Lorenzo de’ Medici
The most powerful and enthusiastic patron of Renaissance culture in Italy. -
1455
Gutenberg Prints the First Bible
In 1455, Gutenberg produced what is considered to be the first book ever printed: a Latin language Bible, printed in Mainz, Germany. -
1473
Nicolas Copernicus Publishes On the Revolution of the Celestial Spheres
On the revolutions of the celestail spheres, written by Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) and published just before his death, placed the sun at the center of the universe and argued that the Earth moved across the heavens as one of the planets. -
1478
Thomas More Writes Utopia
Utopia is a work of fiction and socio-political satire by Thomas More (1478–1535) published in 1516 in Latin. The book is a frame narrative primarily depicting a fictional island society and its religious, social and political customs. Many aspects of More's description of Utopia are reminiscent of life in monasteries. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci Paints the Mona Lisa
The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world". -
1504
Michelangelo Sculpts the David
David was originally commissioned as one of a series of statues of prophets to be positioned along the roofline of the east end of Florence Cathedral, but was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of civic government in Florence, in the Piazza della Signoria where it was unveiled on 8 September 1504. -
1517
Martin Luther Posts 95 Theses on the Door of Castle Church
The priest and scholar Martin Luther approaches the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, and nails a piece of paper to it containing the 95 revolutionary opinions that would begin the Protestant Reformation. -
1564
William Shakespeare is Born
William Shakespeare was an English poet, playwright and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". -
Galileo Invents the Thermometer
In 1593, Galileo Galilei discovered that the density of liquids (how much they contract and expand) reacts predictably to changes in temperature. Armed with this discovery, he invented a device that allowed temperature variations to be measured. -
King Henry VIII Begins Protestant Anglican Church
Under King Henry VIII in the 16th century, the Church of England broke with Rome, largely because Pope Clement VII refused to grant Henry an annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. ... Upon Henry's death, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer began changes that allied the Church of England with the Reformation.
