Dossier №237

1,492 AD

Christopher Columbus reaches islands in the Caribbean after sailing west from Spain.

The voyage connected worlds already inhabited by millions of people.

Columbus landed in the Caribbean while seeking a westward route to Asia. The crossing began sustained contact between Europe and the Americas, followed by conquest, forced labor, disease, ecological exchange, and profound demographic change.

1,206 AD

Temüjin is proclaimed Genghis Khan at a gathering of Mongol leaders.

This question uses 1206 AD as its sourced chronological anchor.

The new title marked the unification of steppe groups that would build the largest contiguous land empire in history.

622 AD

Muhammad and his followers migrate from Mecca to Medina in the journey known as the Hijra.

This question uses 622 AD as its sourced chronological anchor.

The migration established a new Muslim community and became the starting point of the Islamic calendar.

125 BC

The envoy Zhang Qian returns to the Han court with intelligence about Central Asia.

This question uses 125 BC as its sourced chronological anchor.

His journeys broadened Chinese geographic knowledge and helped encourage exchange routes later grouped under the name Silk Road.

284 BC

Ptolemy II begins the reign that brings the Museum and Library of Alexandria to new prominence.

This question uses 284 BC as its sourced chronological anchor.

He funded the library’s expansion and scientific scholarship, helping make Alexandria a leading center of Hellenistic learning.