World history key dates flash cards

The cards, front and back

1. 1
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   1453: Fall of Constantinople

   Back

   The Ottoman Empire under Mehmed II captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire. The city became the Ottoman capital, later known as Istanbul, and the event is often used to mark the end of the Middle Ages.

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   c. 1440: Gutenberg's printing press

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   Johannes Gutenberg developed movable-type printing in Mainz around 1440. Books became far cheaper and faster to produce, which helped spread ideas during the Renaissance and the Reformation.

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   1492: Columbus reaches the Americas

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   Christopher Columbus, sailing for Spain, reached the Caribbean in October 1492. It began lasting contact between Europe and the Americas, with huge and often devastating effects on Indigenous peoples.

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   1517: Luther's Ninety-five Theses

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   Martin Luther published his Ninety-five Theses criticising the sale of indulgences. This is the traditional starting point of the Protestant Reformation, which split Western Christianity.

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   1648: Peace of Westphalia

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   A set of treaties that ended the Thirty Years' War in Europe. It is often linked with the idea of sovereign states that control their own territory and religion.

6. 6
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   1688: Glorious Revolution (England)

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   James II was replaced by William III and Mary II. The Bill of Rights of 1689 followed, limiting royal power and strengthening Parliament.

7. 7
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   1776: American Declaration of Independence

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   On 4 July 1776 the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing that thirteen American colonies were breaking away from Great Britain.

8. 8
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   1789: French Revolution begins

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   The storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789 became the symbol of the revolution. It ended absolute monarchy in France and spread ideas of citizenship, rights and popular sovereignty.

9. 9
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   1815: Battle of Waterloo

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   Napoleon was defeated by British-led and Prussian armies in present-day Belgium. The Congress of Vienna then redrew the map of Europe.

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    c. 1760 to 1840: Industrial Revolution

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    Beginning in Britain, machines, factories, steam power and new iron-making methods transformed work and towns. Historians date it roughly from the 1760s to the 1830s or 1840s.

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    1861 to 1865: American Civil War

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    The Union fought the Confederate states, which had seceded largely over slavery. The Union won, and the 13th Amendment of 1865 abolished slavery in the United States.

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    1914 to 1918: First World War

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    A global war centred on Europe between the Allies and the Central Powers. It ended with the armistice of 11 November 1918 and the collapse of four empires.

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    1917: Russian Revolution

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    The Tsar abdicated in February 1917 and the Bolsheviks led by Lenin seized power in October 1917. Civil war followed, and the Soviet Union was formed in 1922.

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    1929: Wall Street Crash

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    The New York stock market crashed in October 1929. It was followed by the Great Depression, a worldwide economic slump with mass unemployment through the 1930s.

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    1939 to 1945: Second World War

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    Began when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. War in Europe ended in May 1945 and in the Pacific with Japan's surrender in August and September 1945.

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    1945: United Nations founded

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    The UN Charter was signed in San Francisco in June 1945 and the organisation came into existence on 24 October 1945, aiming to keep international peace and security.

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    1947: Independence of India and Pakistan

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    British rule in South Asia ended in August 1947 with the partition into India and Pakistan, accompanied by mass migration and violence.

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    1969: First Moon landing

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    On 20 July 1969, Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon while Michael Collins orbited above.

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    1989: Fall of the Berlin Wall

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    On 9 November 1989 East German authorities opened the border and crowds crossed the wall. Germany was reunified in October 1990.

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    1991: End of the Soviet Union

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    The Soviet Union was formally dissolved in December 1991, splitting into fifteen independent states. This is commonly taken as the end of the Cold War.

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    1994: End of apartheid in South Africa

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    South Africa held its first elections open to all races in April 1994, and Nelson Mandela became president.