Notable Historical Events

A chronological reference of significant moments in world history. Follow the links for comprehensive articles and further context.

Ancient World

• c. 3000 BCE — Rise of Ancient Egypt; unification under the first pharaohs
• 776 BCE — First Olympic Games held at Olympia, Greece
• 509 BCE — Founding of the Roman Republic
• 331 BCE — Battle of Gaugamela; Alexander the Great defeats Darius III
• 27 BCE — Beginning of the Roman Empire under Augustus

Medieval Period

• 476 — Fall of the Western Roman Empire
• 1066 — Battle of Hastings; Norman conquest of England
• 1215 — Magna Carta signed at Runnymede
• 1347–1351 — The Black Death devastates Europe
• 1453 — Fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire

Early Modern Era

• 1492 — Columbus reaches the Americas
• 1517 — Protestant Reformation begins with Luther's 95 Theses
• 1687 — Newton publishes the Principia
• 1776 — American Declaration of Independence
• 1789 — French Revolution begins

Modern Era

• 1859 — Darwin publishes On the Origin of Species
• 1903 — First powered flight by the Wright brothers
• 1914–1918 — World War I
• 1945 — End of World War II; founding of the United Nations
• 1969 — Apollo 11 Moon landing
• 1989 — Fall of the Berlin Wall

Further Reading

• World history — broad overview
• Timeline of human history — comprehensive chronology
• Historiography — the study of historical methodology