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Filippo Brunelleschi was a famous architect and a great patron of Renaissance art and architecture. Brunelleschi built the cathedral which would become the largest free-standing dome structure in all of Europe. -
Marine technology greatly improved during this time. Previously, ships were not capable of sailing across the entire ocean, but now voyages could be made across the entire Atlantic with reasonable chance at success. This made exploration and discovery of far away lands possible. -
The printing press was invented during the time of great technological advances which followed the Renaissance. A man named Johannes Gutenberg invented the press which made creation and distribution of printed material cheaper and faster. -
The Gunpowder Revolution began with the creation of gunpowder and changed the course of military technology forever. Gunpowder became widely used in Europe during this time. The discovery of gunpowder led to the emergence of cannons which became popular weapons of war. -
Desiderius Erasmus was a priest who was also a master in philosophy and the history of languages. His education came from the traditional scholastic style of the late-medieval church and the humanistic style of education that came about during the time of the Renaissance. -
Michelangelo was the most famous artist of the Renaissance time period who created many famous sculptures and paintings. Michelangelo's most famous works are his sculpture of David and his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. -
Martin Luther was a German monk who famously challenged some of the beliefs and practices of the Catholic Church. He looked into the different rituals, sacraments, and leadership styles of the church to form his ideas and opinions. His ideas sparked a reformation in the Church which led to many different viewpoints and forms of the religion. One of his most famous actions was nailing 95 theses to the door of the WIttenberg Cathedral expressing his disagreement with many of their practices. -
Christopher Columbus set out on his first voyage in August of 1492 with three small ships- the Nina, Pinta, and the Santa Maria. Sailing with 90 other men, he set out to discover new lands. -
The Reformation caused many divisions to arise within the Christian church. After the reformation, Christianity was divided into the Catholic (Roman/Latin) Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Churches. -
In 1545, the Spanish discovered thousands of tons of silver in the mountain of Potosi in present day Bolivia. This wealth gave Spain an advantage over Europe because it didn't have to cultivate as much trade or innovation because of all the precious metals it was acquiring.