Queen Salamasina comes to power in Samoa
Salamasina drew together all the great aristocratic bloodlines and links to supernatural power in a period of political transformation, to create a basis of legitimacy for the new power-brokers of Samoa.
Modernity (1500 - 1945 C.E.)
The Portuguese become the first Europeans to visit modern-day Micronesia
European explorers, first the Portuguese in search of the Spice Islands (Indonesia) and then the Spanish, reached the Carolines in the sixteenth century.
Johannes Schöner becomes the first person to include Terra Australis on their globe
The first depiction of Terra Australis on a globe was probably on Johannes Schöner’s lost 1523 globe on which Oronce Fine is thought to have based his 1531 map of the world.
The reign of Gustav I marks the beginnings of the modern Swedish state
Gustav Vasa fought for an independent Sweden, crushing an attempt to restore the Union of Kalmar and laying the foundation for modern Sweden
Martin Luther composes his “95 Theses” disrupting dogma and domination of the Catholic Church
95 Theses propounded two central beliefs — that the Bible is the central religious authority and that humans may reach salvation only by their faith and not by their deeds.
The Safavid dynasty flourishes in modern-day Iran
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran, often considered the beginning of modern Iranian history.
Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar founds the city of Havana
Havana was founded in the sixteenth century and became a major port for Atlantic shipping, particularly the Spanish treasure fleet.
Copernicus discovers that Earth orbits the Sun
Circa 1508, Copernicus developed his own celestial model of a heliocentric planetary system. Around 1514, he shared his findings in the Commentariolus.
Raphael completes his painting The School of Athens
The School of Athens is considered “the perfect embodiment of the classical spirit of the High Renaissance” and it is the most famous painting by Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino.
Leonardo da Vinci paints the Mona Lisa
Mona Lisa, oil painting on a poplar wood panel by the Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer Leonardo da Vinci, is probably the world’s most-famous painting.