# Top 10 Events in History to 1500 **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 7, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757 "2004-04-07T15:23:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/21 "2004-04-07T23:35:57Z")
Because the birth of Christianity can actually be verified by secular souces. Yes, I’m a Christian. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/22 "2004-04-07T23:41:34Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Because the birth of Christianity can actually be verified by secular souces. > Yes, I’m a Christian. More or less. (To both) ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/23 "2004-04-08T00:28:28Z")
I always like the one about glass; not the invention of glass per se but the point when we learned not only that it could be used to help people see (short/long-sighted) but how to _manufacture_ tailored options. That meant that all those guys whose eyesight was failing just as they became expert (working in poor light, age, etc) could continue – craftmanship, and the ability to create at a whole new level, opened up every area of technology like nothing before. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/24 "2004-04-08T01:26:10Z")
I think the unification of China under Qin Shi Huang-di. Plenty of information here, [http://www.roc-taiwan.org.uk/taiwan/5-gp/zzz/history/1stunification.htm,.](http://www.roc-taiwan.org.uk/taiwan/5-gp/zzz/history/1stunification.htm,.) China is important in any study of history and will probably prove to be even more important in the future. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/25 "2004-04-08T05:00:10Z")
> [@N. Sane](#): > > I’m finishing up a History of Civilization course that I took an incomplete in last semester. For the final exam, I have to write an in-class essay on an event that we studied in class that I would pick to be in the Top 10 Historical Events to 1500, and justify my choice. > > I’ve been pondering this for the better part of a week. How would you narrow it down to just 10? And you had to choose just 10 events, up through 1500 C.E., which ones would make the cut and why? > > For the record, I’m still trying to figure out mine. I’m thinking of writing about William the Conqueror’s invasion of Britain in 1066; even if I don’t write on that one, I think it’s a biggie. Or perhaps Alexander the Great’s attempts at world domination. **LMM** , Martin Luther nailed the 95 theses to the door in 1517, past the period in question. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/26 "2004-04-08T05:06:46Z")
And as to why I quoted the OP to respond to **LMM** I have no idea… ---
**Author:** ![Blown\_Injected](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a87d85/32.png) [@Blown\_Injected](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blown_Injected)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/27 "2004-04-08T10:14:11Z")
Cracking into the 4’s in the quarter mile. 500 HP daily drivers. OK OK, lets just make it mass transportation ---
**Author:** ![MsRobyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90ced4/32.png) [@MsRobyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsRobyn)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/28 "2004-04-08T11:20:07Z")
I’m taking the second half of that world civilization course, but I’ll gladly chip in. [ul] [li]The development of agriculture. Gotta feed people, y’know.[/li][li]The development of cities[/li][li]The discovery and development of a) numbers and b) geometry. Useful for building buildings and all[/li][li]The discovery of spoken and written language[/li][li]Columbus’ voyages and the Columbian Exchange.[/li][li]Of course, the development of the printing press[/li][li]The birth and rise of the Abrahamic religions[/li][li]The Roman empire, and especially the fall, because that gave birth to most of Western European culture[/li][li]Improvements in navigational skills and tools in China and Portugal.[/li] [/ul] That’s all I can really think of right now. I’ve deliberately not included military campaigns. I don’t believe in the concept of inevitability because it can’t be assumed that had battle _x_ gone a different way, that consequence _y_ would happen, especially for events that happened so long ago. Robin ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/29 "2004-04-08T13:06:19Z")
The assassination of Julius Caesar: ironically, it was historically important because it cleared the way for his nephew Octavian. If Julius Caesar had lived, he would probably have founded a empire that would have lasted a hundred years or so. But his nephew founded on that lasted 1500 years. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/30 "2004-04-08T13:34:45Z")
[QUOTE=MsRobyn] I’m taking the second half of that world civilization course, but I’ll gladly chip in. [ul] [li]The development of agriculture. Gotta feed people, y’know.[/li][li]The development of cities[/li][li]The discovery and development of a) numbers and b) geometry. Useful for building buildings and all[/li][li]The discovery of spoken and written language[/li][li]Columbus’ voyages and the Columbian Exchange.[/li][li]Of course, the development of the printing press[/li][li]The birth and rise of the Abrahamic religions[/li][li]The Roman empire, and especially the fall, because that gave birth to most of Western European culture[/li][li]Improvements in navigational skills and tools in China and Portugal.[/li] [/ul] Yeah, but most of that list is vague (what year did we did we invent agriculture?) as well being so important and vital to the development of civilization that it sort of spoils the fun of picking specific dates and events. > [@](#): > > I like gobear’s list, but I would’ve put the birth of Christianity (early 1st century CE - some would say 33 CE) as pretty significant all by it’s ownsies. Without that religion alredy being around, Constantine couldn’t have decreed it the state religion. And, it’s had some significant impact around the globe, we can agree. Yes, but the reason I included the birth of Islam and not the birth of Christianity was that Islam became an important multinational faith almost immediately after its initial founding, whereas Christianity was an underground cult for the first 3 centuries of its existence. IMO, it was Constantine’s adoption of the faith that enabled it to break into the big time. I could also, I guess, have substituted St. Paul’s evangelism, because without his tireless spreading of Christianity throughout the Empire, Christianity would not have been as influential as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757/31 "2004-04-08T14:05:03Z")
I don’t think these have been mentioned yet Rubicon crossing in 49 BC lead to the fall of the Roman Republic and the emergence of the Empire. Fall of Constantinopal in 1453 AD Reconquista in 1492 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/top-10-events-in-history-to-1500/238757.md?page=1)