The Most Important Events That Changed History Forever

In the following weeks, one witness described how difficult it was to "get away from faces of innocent victims who were killed. Their pictures are everywhere, on phone booths, street lights, walls of subway stations." The World Trade Center is currently in the process of being rebuilt.

Invention of the Printing Press (1440)

Sometime around 1440, German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press. The printing press was a device that transferred ink to a print medium. The global spread of Gutenberg's press allowed for the mass circulation of information and ideas, known as the Printing Revolution.

The printing press was a crucial step in the process of democratizing knowledge. Within half a century of its invention, the classical canon was reprinted and distributed throughout the entirety of Europe. The printing press also caused the decline of Latin as the language of most public works, as well as higher levels of urban growth.

The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand (1914)

Archduke Franz Ferdinand was the heir presumptive to the rhone of Austria-Hungary. On June 28, 1914, Ferdinand and his wife were killed in Sarajevo by a member of young Bosnia named Gavrilo Princip. Ferdinand's assassination is considered to be the catalyst for World War I.

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The More You Know

  • Nutella was invented during WWII, when an Italian pastry maker mixed hazelnuts into chocolate to extend his chocolate ration.
  • Commercial flights were allowed to fly any course to their destination and would often detour over points of interest. This ended in 1956 when two planes crashed mid-flight over the Grand Canyon.
  • The longest tennis rally lasted over 12 hours.
  • During World War 2, a bear named Wotjek joined the Polish army. He carried ammunition and occasionally drank beer.
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Post originally appeared on Upbeat News.