Boadicea leads an uprising against the Roman Empire
Marcus Aurelius writes his Meditations
First Council of Nicaea convened
Muhammad, founder of Islam, is born in Mecca
The Franks under Charles Martel win decisively at the Battle of Tours
The Carolingian Empire is divided by the Treaty of Verdun
Lady Murasaki Shikibu writes The Tale of Genji
King Harold II killed in the Battle of Hastings
The Concrodat of Worms is signed by Pope Calixtus II and Holy Roman Emperor Henry V
Pope Gregory VIII calls for the Third Crusade
Fibonacci publishes the mathematical text Liber Abaci
Kublai Khan establishes the Yuan Dynasty
Giotto paints the Scrovegni Chapel
Giovanni Boccaccio writes The Decameron
Construction of the Forbidden City finishes in Beijing
Joan of Arc burned at the stake
Bartolomeu Diaz reaches the Cape of Good Hope
Leonardo da Vinci paints The Last Supper
Martin Luther writes his 95 Theses
Suleiman the Magnificent lays siege to Vienna
Akbar becomes the third emperor of the Mughal Empire
William Shakespeare writes Richard III, one of his earliest plays
Claudio Monteverdi composes L'Orfeo, one of the first operas
Peace of Westphalia ends the 30 Years' War
Isaac Newton builds the first reflecting telescope
King James II is overthrown in the Glorious Revolution
Reign of Louis XIV comes to an end in France
George Frideric Handel composes the Messiah oratorio
The Treaty of Paris ends the Seven Years' War
The Committee of Public Safety is created by the National Convention in France
John Marshall becomes Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
Charles Darwin sets out on the HMS Beagle
The Meiji Restoration returns Japan to imperial rule
Vincent van Gogh paints The Starry Night
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded
Haile Selassie crowned Emperor of Ethiopia
Communist China begins it Great Leap Forward
Ferdinand Marcos becomes President of the Philippines
Kyrgyzstan declares independence from the Soviet Union
Grigori Perelman proves the Poincaré Conjecture