Important Dates Flashcards
3000 BCE
Large-scale sedentary ancient civilizations are thriving in Peru, Egypt, Iraq, and India.
500 BCE
Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism have formed in Asia. Confucius and Lao Zi are defining Chinese culture and philosophy. Ancient Greece is thriving.
0 CE
In or around this year. Jesus is born, creating new religion from Hebrew/Abrahamic tradition
579 CE
Mohammed is born, claiming to be a prophet in the Abrahamic tradition. Islam begins to spread around Africa and Asia.
1000 CE
The Song Dynasty is thriving in China, as are Benin and Ghana in Africa
1250-1350 CE
Mongolian Empire, with four khanates - the Golden Horde, the Khanate of Chagatai, the Il-Khanate of Persia, and the Yuan dynasty rules the largest land-based empire.
1300-1500 CE
Italian Renaissance glorifies Greco-Roman culture and Catholicism
1324 CE
Mali king Mansa Musa makes pilgrimage to Mecca as trade routes knit civilizations from West Africa to Japan
1404-1433 CE
Voyages of Zheng He on the Indian Ocean connect China to states on the Indian Ocean.
1453 CE
The Turks conquer the Eastern Roman / Byzantine Empire and establish the Ottoman Empire. Christianity and European identities are fractured while a new Islamic empire emerges
1492 CE
The Spanish expel the Muslims in the Reconquista, creating the first nation-state.They send
Columbus to search for India, but he instead initiates European contact and conquest of the Americas, home to the largest empires in the world at the time. The enslavement of indigenous peoples in the Americas and Africa accelerates. The Columbian Exchange begins to alter the diets, cultures and environments of 4 continents.
1517 CE
Martin Luther published his 95 Theses to protest of the abuses of the Catholic Church leading to the creation of Protestant Christianity
1600 CE
British East India Company (EIC) begin trading in India with Mughal Empire
1644 CE
Fall of the Ming, Rise of the Qing dynasty in China
1648 CE
Peace Westphalia signed following Thirty Years War.
1763 CE
The Seven Years’ War ends. England takes colonies from France in Asia, Africa and the Americas. At the same time, it is experiencing early industrialization as James Watt developed the steam engine.
1776 CE
Adam Smith publishes The Wealth of Nations and American colonies begin the era of revolutions by challenging England. Other colonies in the Americas will revolt throughout the 1800s, especially against Spain.
1833 CE
Slavery abolished in Britan (1848 - France, 1865 - U.S.)
1843 CE
Treaty of Nanjing ends the Opium Wars between China and Britain
1848 CE
Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx (in early years of German industrialization); the feminist movement’s Seneca Falls Conventions occurs in the United States.
1857 CE
Start of direct British rule in India after the Sepoy Mutiny/First War for Indian Independence.
1868 CE
Meiji Restoration in Japan ends the era of the Shogunate.
1844-1885 CE
Berlin Conference to decide rules for dividing Africa. At the same time, the International Meridian Conference is held, accelerating the global acceptance of western units of measure, such as the Christian calendar, degrees of latitude and longitude, and the 24-hour clock with time zones.
1898 CE
The United States victory in the Spanish-American War leads to the growth of American empire in taking the Philippines, Cuba, and Puerto Rico from Spain.
1914-1918 CE
World War 1 is fought. Independence comes to many ethnic groups. However, problematic new borders are drawn, especially in the Middle East as the Ottoman Empire collapses. Simultaneous revolutions are also occurring in China, Mexico, and Russia.
1939-1945 CE
World War 2 is fought. The United Nations is created, promoting human rights in response to the atrocities of the War. Decolonization accelerates. In the next few decades, nation-states become the global norm. Many countries ally with either the communist Soviet Union or the capitalist-democratic USA in the Cold War.
1947-1949 CE
Indian Independence. Creation of Isreal. Start of apartheid in South Africa. Communist Revolution in China.
1960 CE
“The Year of Africa” when many African nation gain independence during decolonization.
1979 CE
The Iranian Revolution
1989 CE
Fall of communist in Russia and East Europe. Globalized capitalism continues to spread around the globe.
1994 CE
End of apartheid as Nelson Mandela elected as first black president of South Africa.
1997 CE
Hong Kong becomes semi-autonomous after the British leave their former colony.
1999 CE
The Euro is adopted as the official currency of the Eurozone, replacing many different currencies throughout Europe.
