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Jan 1, 1449
Birth of Lorenzo de' Medici
was an Italian statesman and de facto ruler of the Florentine Republic during the Italian Renaissance. He was called Lorenzo the Magnificent by Florentines. He was a diplomat, politician and patron of scholars, artists, and poets. -
Oct 22, 1454
Gutenberg prints the first Bible
The Gutenberg Bible was the first major book printed using mass-produced movable metal type in Europe. -
Aug 3, 1492
Columbus discovers the new world
Christopher Columbus Discovers America, 1492. Columbus led his three ships the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria out of the Spanish port of Palos on August 3, 1492. His objective was to sail west until he reached Asia or the Indies where the riches of gold, pearls and spice awaited. -
1501
Michelangelo sculpts the David
David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created in marble.By the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is a 5.17-metre (17.0 ft) marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favoured subject in the art of Florence. -
1503
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci is thought by some to have begun painting the Mona Lisa in 1503 or 1504 in Florence, Italy. Although the Louvre states that it was "doubtless painted between 1503 and 1506", the art historian Martin Kemp says there are some difficulties in confirming the actual dates with certainty. -
1513
Niccolo Machiavelli writes The Prince
The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. From correspondence a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (Of Principalities). -
1517
Martin Luther posts 95 Theses on the door of Castle Church
On this day in 1517, 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. -
1534
founding of the society of Jesus by lgnatius of Loyola
The Jesuit movement was founded by Ignatius de Loyola, a Spanish soldier turned priest, in August 1534. The first Jesuits Ignatius and six of his students took vows of poverty and chastity and made plans to work for the conversion of Muslims. Under Ignatius' charismatic leadership, the Society of Jesus grew quickly.Jul 21, 2010 -
1536
John Calvin publishes Institutes of the Christian Religion
John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion is a defining book of the Reformation and a pillar of Protestant theology. First published in Latin in 1536 and in Calvin's native French in 1541, the Institutes argues for the majesty of God and for justification by faith alone. -
1543
nicolaus Copernicus published on the revolutions of the celestial spheres
Just before he died in 1543, he published a book called “On the Revolutions of the Celestial an explanation of heliocentrism that challenged the way we thought about the solar system and the earth's place in it. He proved that Copernicus was right the earth did revolve around the sun. -
1564
William Shakespeare is born
Birth and death of William Shakespeare celebrated. Historians believe Shakespeare was born on this day in 1564, the same day he died in 1616. ... He became an alderman and bailiff in Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shakespeare was baptized in the town on April 26, 1564.
