Steven Newport I felt that, especially where we talk about things like births, deaths, and things directly related to the souls that lived in this time, that an overall timeline may be useful; setting the lives they led in a form of context.
| Year | Event |
| 1522 | A single ship from Ferdinand Magellan's expedition completed the first circumnavigation of the globe, opening up global trade routes. |
| 1526 | Babur founded the Mughal Empire in India, which would last until 1857. |
| 1526 | Ottoman Turks under Suleiman the Magnificent defeated the Hungarians at the Battle of Mohács, leading to the partition of Hungary and the rise of the Habsburg monarchy in Bohemia and parts of Hungary. |
| 1530s | Henry VIII of England severed ties with the Catholic Church, initiating the English Reformation and declaring himself the head of the new Church of England. |
| 1556 | The deadliest earthquake in history hit Shaanxi, China, killing approximately 830,000 people. |
| 1556 | Akbar the Great began his reign as Mughal emperor, expanding the empire across most of Northern India. |
| 1562 | Sir John Hawkins began the British slave trade, marking the formal entry of England into the transatlantic slave trade. |
| 1588 | The English navy defeated the Spanish Armada, a pivotal moment in the shift of naval power from Spain to England. |
| 1665 | The Great Plauge |
| 1756-1763 | The Seven Years' War (which included the French and Indian War in North America) ended with the Treaty of Paris, establishing British dominance in North America and India. |
| 1769-1770 | James Cook extensively explored and mapped New Zealand and Australia, facilitating British colonization of the region. |
| 1776 | The United States declared independence from Britain, recognized by Britain in 1783 after the American Revolutionary War. |
| 1789 | The French Revolution began, leading to the overthrow of the monarchy and profound political and social changes across Europe. |
| Late 18th Century | The Industrial Revolution began in Britain, introducing significant technological, economic, and social changes that would spread globally. |
| 1803-1815 | The Napoleonic Wars reshaped the political map of Europe. |
| 1857 | The Indian Rebellion led to the end of the British East India Company's rule and the formal establishment of British colonial rule (the British Raj) in India. |
| 1861-1865 | The American Civil War resulted in the abolition of slavery in the United States. |
| 1869 | The Suez Canal opened, significantly shortening sea routes between Europe and Asia./td> |
| 1871 | The unification of Germany occurred, establishing the German Empire. |
| 1883 | The death of Karl Marx, a key figure in the development of communist theory. |
| 1914 | The outbreak of WWI, 'The Great War' |
| 1918 | The end of 'The Great War' |
| 1932 | The Tithe 'Riot' |
| 1939 | The outbreak of WWII |
| 1945 | The end of WWII |