1453: Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople
1454: Gutenberg perfects printing with moveable type
1469: Marriage of Ferdinand & Isabella, uniting Spain
1480: Spanish Inquisition begins
1485: Henry VII defeats Richard III ending War of the Roses in England
1492: Spain pushes Moors out of Granada after 800 years and expels Jews from Spain
1503: Da Vinci paints "Mona Lisa"
1509: Henry VIII becomes king of England; African slave trade with the New World begins
1517: Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to church door, launching Protestant Reformation Coffee introduced into Europe
1519: Magellan begins round-the-world voyage

1558: Elizabeth I becomes Queen of England

1570: Spanish introduce potato to Europe

1572: St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in France--Hundreds of Huguenots killed by Catholics