Important Dates in AP World History - Modern

Vocabulary flashcards for key historical events and their significance.

Mongols Sack Baghdad (1258)

Ended the Islamic Golden Age; the Abbasid Caliphate was destroyed.

Marco Polo’s Travels (1271-1295)

Increased European interest in Asia; inspired exploration.

Mansa Musa’s Pilgrimage (1324)

Displayed Mali’s wealth; promoted Islamic culture.

Ibn Battuta’s Travels (1325-1349)

Documented Islamic world; showed cultural unity.

Bubonic Plague in Europe (1347-1348)

Massive population loss; weakened feudalism.

End of Zheng He’s Voyages (1433)

China turned inward; missed Age of Exploration.

Ottoman Capture of Constantinople (1453)

End of Byzantines; trade shift; rise of Ottomans.

Dias Rounds Cape of Good Hope (1488)

Opened sea route to Asia; Portuguese trade power.

Columbus Discovers Americas (1492)

Columbian Exchange; colonization begins.

Reconquista in Spain (1492)

End of Muslim rule in Iberia; Spanish unification.

First Slaves to Americas (1502)

Start of Atlantic Slave Trade.

Martin Luther’s 95 Theses (1517)

Started Protestant Reformation.

Cortez Conquers Aztecs (1521)

Fall of Aztecs; Spanish colonization.

Pizarro Conquers Inca (1533)

Inca Empire falls; Spanish wealth grows.

Battle of Lepanto (1571)

Stopped Ottoman expansion in Europe.

Defeat of Spanish Armada by the British (1588)

British naval dominance begins.

Thirty Years’ War (1618-1648)

Religious war; Peace of Westphalia.

Ottoman Failed Siege of Vienna (1683)

End of Ottoman expansion into Europe.

Seven Years’ War (1756-1763)

Global conflict; British colonial power rises.

Start of Industrial Revolution (1760)

Technological change; urbanization begins.

American Declaration of Independence (1776)

Birth of U.S.; inspired future revolutions.

French Revolution (1789)

Overthrew monarchy; rise of republicanism.

Haitian Revolution (1804)

First successful slave revolt.

Congress of Vienna (1815)

Restored monarchies; balance of power.

Latin American Independence (1820s)

End of Spanish/Portuguese colonial rule.

First Opium War in China (1839)

China forced to open trade; British influence.

Karl Marx writes the Communist Manifesto (1848)

Marxist ideas spread; foundation of communism.

Commodore Perry Opens Japan (1853)

End of Japanese isolation; trade ports were open to the United States and other countries

Second Opium War (1856)

More Western influence; unequal treaties.

Sepoy Rebellion (1857)

End of Mughal rule; start of British Raj.

End of Russian Serfdom / Italian Unification (1861)

Modernization of Russia; Italy unites.

Emancipation Proclamation (1863)

Freed slaves in Confederate states.

German Unification (1871)

New power in Europe.

Berlin Conference (1885)

Africa divided among European powers.

Boer War (1899)

British take over Dutch territories.

Russo-Japanese War (1905)

Japan defeats Russia; rise of Japan.

Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)

Overthrew dictator; reforms began.

Chinese Nationalist Revolution (1911)

Qing Dynasty falls; Republic formed.

World War I (1914)

Major war; collapse of empires.

Russian Revolution (1917)

Communists take power; USSR created.

Treaty of Versailles (1919)

Harsh terms for Germany; WWII seeds sown.

Stock Market Crash (1929)

Great Depression begins.

Japan Invades Manchuria (1931)

Start of Japanese imperialism.

Germany Invades Poland (1939)

WWII begins in Europe.

Pearl Harbor Attack (1941)

USA enters WWII.

A-bombs on Japan / UN Formed (1945)

WWII ends; UN founded for peace.

Indian Independence / Partition (1947)

End of British rule; India & Pakistan created.

Birth of Israel (1948)

Ongoing conflict with Palestine.

Chinese Communist Revolution (1949)

Mao takes power; PRC established.

Korean War (1950-1953)

Divided Korea; Cold War conflict.

USA Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968)

Ended segregation; advanced equality.

Stalin Dies / De-Stalinization (1956)

Khrushchev reforms USSR policies.

Vietnam War (1956-1973)

US defeated; Vietnam unified under communism.

Cuban Revolution (1959)

Castro takes power; communist Cuba.

Berlin Wall Built (1961)

Cold War division solidified.

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

Nuclear tension; brink of war.

Chinese Cultural Revolution (1967)

Mao purges dissent; chaos in China.

Iranian Revolution (1979)

Islamic Republic established.

Tiananmen Square / Berlin Wall Falls (1989)

Suppression in China; end of Cold War in Europe.

Collapse of USSR (1991)

Cold War ends; many new nations formed.

Rwanda Genocide / End of Apartheid (1994)

Ethnic violence; Mandela elected in SA.

9/11 Attacks in USA (2001)

Sparked War on Terror; changed global security.