important dates in world history

Large-scale sedentary ancient civilizations are thriving in Peru, Egypt, Iraq and India.

3000 BCE

Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism have formed in Asia . Confucius and Lao Zi are defining Chinese culture and philosophy. Ancient Greece is thriving.

500 BCE

In or around this year Jesus is born, creating a new religion from the Hebrew/Abrahamic tradition.

0 CE

Mohammed is born, claiming to be a prophet in the Abrahamic tradition. Islam begins to spread around Africa and Asia.

579 CE

The Song Dynasty is thriving in China, as are Benin and Ghana in Africa.

1000 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.

1250-1350 CE

Italian Renaissance glorifies Greco-Roman culture and Catholicism.

1300-1500 CE

Mali king Mansa Musa makes pilgrimage to Mecca as trade routes knit civilizations from West Africa to Japan.

1324 CE

Voyages of Zheng He on the Indian Ocean connect China to states on the Indian Ocean.

1405-1433 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.

1453 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.

1492 CE

Martin Luther published his 95 Theses in protest of the abuses of the Catholic Church leading to the creation of Protestant Christianity.

1517 CE

British East India Company (EIC) begin trading in India with Mughal Empire

1600 CE

Fall of the Ming, Rise of the Qing dynasties in China

1644 CE

Peace of Westphalia signed following the Thirty Years War

1648 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 develops the steam engine.

1763 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.

1776 CE

Slavery abolished in Britain (1848 - France, 1865 - U.S.)

1833 CE

Treaty of Nanjing ends the Opium Wars between China and Britain

1843 CE

Communist Manifesto written by Karl Marx (in early years of German industrialization); the feminist movement's Seneca Falls Convention occurs in the United States

1848 CE

Start of direct British rule in India after the Sepoy Mutiny/First War for Indian Independence

1857 CE

Meiji Restoration in Japan ends the era of the Shogunate.

1868 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.

1884-1885 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

1898 CE

World War I World War I 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.

1914-1918 CE

World War II 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.

1939-1945 CE

Indian Independence.Creation of Israel. Start of apartheid in South Africa. Communist Revolution in China

1947-49 CE

"The Year of Africa" when many African nations gain independence during decolonization

1960 CE

The Iranian Revolution

1979 CE

Fall of communism in Russia and East Europe. Globalized capitalism continues to spread around the globe.

1989 CE

End of apartheid as Nelson Mandela elected as first black president of South Africa

1994 CE

Hong Kong becomes semi-autonomous after the British leave their former colony

1997 CE

The Euro is adopted as the official currency of the Eurozone, replacing many different currencies throughout Europe

1999 CE