33,000-8,000 B.C.

First humans cross into Americas from Asia

5000 B.C

Corn is developed as a staple crop in highland Mexico

4000 B.C.

First civilized societies develop in the middle east

1200 B.C.

Corn planting reaches present day American southwest

1000 A.D.

Norse voyagers discover and briefly settle in northeastern North America corn cultivation reaches Midwest and southeastern Atlantic seaboard

1100

Height of the mississippian settlement at Cahokia

1100-1300

Christian crusaders arouse European interest in the east.

1295

Marco polo returns to Europe

Late 1400s

Spain becomes united

1488

Diaz rounds southern tip of Africa

1492

Columbus lands in the Bahamas

1494

Treaty of Tordesillas between Spain and Portugal

1498

da Gama reaches India. Cabot explores northeastern America for England

1513

Balboa claims all lands touched by the pacific ocean for Spain

1513,1521

Ponce de Leon explores Florida

1519-1521

Cortez conquers Mexico for Spain

1522

Magellan’s vessel completes circumnavigation of the world

1524

Verrazano explores eastern seaboard of North America and France

1532

Pizarro crushes Incas

1534

Cartier journeys up the st. Lawrence river

1539-1542

De soto explores the southeast and discovers the Mississippi river

1540-1542

Coronado explores present day southwest

1542

Cabrillo explores California coast of Spain

1565

Spanish build fortress at St. Augustine

Late 1500s

Iroquois confederacy founded, to Iroquois legend

1598-1609

Spanish under Onate conquer Pueblo peoples of Rio Grande Valley

1609

Spanish found New Mexico

1680

Popes rebellion in New Mexico

1680s

French expedition down Mississippi river under La Salle

1769

Serra founds first California mission at San Diego