| Important Dates in History-1 | |
| Date | Event |
| May 528 B.C. | Siddharta Gautama (563-483 BC) was enlightened under the Bodhi Tree and became the Buddha “Awakened One.” He would spend the rest of his life teaching meditation & mindfulness as a way to enlightenment. |
| 323 BC | Alexander the Great (356-323 BC) built an empire from Greece to India before dying of natural causes at age 33. |
| 221 BC | Shih Huang Ti (259-210 BC), known as the “First Emperor” unified China for the first time. During his Chin Dynasty (221-210 BC), he initiated a centralized government, conducted a census and standardized the country's currency, written language, laws, and weights & measures. He also began constructing the Great Wall of China. |
| March 15, 44 BC | Julius Caesar (102-44 BC) was assassinated by disgruntled colleagues after establishing the Roman Empire. |
| 31 BC | Octavian (63 BC-14 AD), Caesar's nephew, defeated Mark Antony (83-30 BC) & Queen Cleopatra (69-30 BC) at the Battle of Actium. Octavian declared himself Emperor Caesar Augustus in 30 BC, marking the birth of Imperial Rome. |
| December 25, 4 BC | Jesus Christ (4 BC-29 AD) born in Bethelehem, Roman Palestine, and taught the importance of simplicity, tolerance, meekness, and peace. He was cruxified in 29 AD but rose from the dead three days later (Easter). |
| 325 AD | Emperor Constantine (280-337 AD) embraced Christianity and initiated the Council of Nicaea where the differences between Eastern & Western factions of the Christian Church were resolved. The Council drafted the Nicene Creed, the basic Christian beliefs that became the dominant religion in Europe. |
| 476 AD | Last Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustulus (?-476 AD) taken prisoner at Ravenna in 476 AD by German King Odovacar, ending 505 years of the Roman Empire. |
| July 16, 622 | Mohammed (570-632) while meditating near Mecca in 610 AD, had visions from Allah to write the Koran. He escaped from his enemies in Mecca on July 16, 622 and went to Medina. Mohammed's journey (hejira) on this date would mark the birth of Islam. He raised an army while spreading his beliefs, and returned to conquer Mecca in 630 AD. |
| December 25, 800 | Charlemagne (742-814) unified most of Europe under his rule. While attending Mass in Rome, he was unexpectedly crowned “Emperor of the Romans” by Pope Leo III. |
| October 14, 1066 | William of Normandy (1027-1087) crossed the English Channel from France and defeated British King Harold II (1027-1066) at the Battle of Hastings. On Christmas Day, William was crowned King of England, and became known as William the Conqueror. |
| June 15, 1215 | At Runnymede, King John of England (1167-1216) signed the Magna Carta, a 63-part document of human rights that became the foundation of the English legal system. |
| 1295 | Marco Polo (1254-1324) returns from China after a 20-year stay, seeing more of Asia than any other European of his day. His book The Travels of Marco Polo is one of the most influential travel book in history, inspiring others to find a shorter route to China. |
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| © Peter Y. Chou, WisdomPortal.com P.O. Box 390707, Mountain View, CA 94039 email address: peter@wisdomportal.com (updated 10-4-99) |
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