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This period of creativity, of new ideas and inspirations, is called the Renaissance. It lasted from about 1350 to the 1500s. The people who named this period believed it represented a new beginning, or rebirth, in Europe's history and culture of the Greeks and Romans.

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Humanism emphasized the abilities and accomplishments of human beings. The humanists believed that people were capable of great things. As a result, they admired artists, architects, leaders, writers, scientists, and other talented individuals like, William Shakespeare and Hans Holbein.

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In time, their complaints led to a religious reform movement called the Reformation. Although people called for church reform in other places, the Reformation began in what is now Germany. This area was part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the Reformation the church officials focused more on power and not religious beliefs. Martian Luther was a part of this Reformation.

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The most famous Renaissance writer is probably the English dramatist William Shakespeare. He wrote excellent poetry, but Shakespeare is best known for his plays. They include more than 30 comedies, histories, and tragedies.

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This widespread change in views was part of the Scientific Revolution, the series of events that lead to the birth of modern science. People began placing more importance on what they observed and less on what they were told. They used their observations to come up with logical explanations for how the world worked.

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They called this land, which in time came to be known as America, the New World. Exited by the new discovery, explorers set out from Europe to learn more about the new land. Led by Spain explorers from Portugal, France, England, and the Netherlands set sail for North and South America.

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This document listed the rights for Parliament and the English people. For example, it gave Parliament the power to pass laws and to raise taxes. In addition, Parliament made the king promise to honor Magna Carta.

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A bloody period of the French Revolution during which the government executed thousands of its opponents and others at the guillotine. This device beheaded victims with a large, heavy blade. The Reign of Terror finally ended when one of its own leaders was executed in 1974.

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The use of reason in shaping people's ideas about society and politics defined a period called the Enlightenment. Because of its focus on reason, this period is also called the Age of Reason. During the Enlightenment, some people used reason to examine government.

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Largely written by Thomas Jefferson, this document declared the American colonies' independence from Britain. A new nation, the United States of America, was born. In 1783 the United States officially won its independence.

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People began inventing machines to make goods and supply power. These machines completely changed the way people across Europe worked and lived. We call this period of rapid growth in machine-made goods the Industrial Revolution.

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People invest money in businesses in the hope of making a profit. The growth of industry helped lead to a new economic system, capitalism. In this system, individuals own most businesses and resources.

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Efforts to gain political power were lead by suffragettes, women who campaigned to gain the right to vote. In 1928 British suffragettes won the right to vote for women in Great Britain. Changes like these helped usher in the modern age.

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Industrial growth began with textiles, or cloth products. In the early 1700s people made cloth by hand. They used spinning wheels to make thread and looms to weave it into cloth.