Hernán Cortés departed Cuba with eleven ships bound for the Mexican mainland, launching the expedition that would topple the Aztec Empire.

Hernán Cortés and roughly 500 Spanish soldiers established a settlement on the Mexican coast, the opening move of the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Charles V, King of Spain, was elected Holy Roman Emperor, creating a vast dynastic empire spanning much of Europe and the Americas.

Charles V, King of Spain, was elected Holy Roman Emperor, uniting Spanish, Austrian, Burgundian, and Imperial territories into an empire on which 'the sun never set.'

Ferdinand Magellan's five-ship expedition departed Seville, beginning the voyage that would become the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Ferdinand Magellan departed Sanlúcar de Barrameda with five ships, beginning the expedition that became the first circumnavigation of the globe.

Hernán Cortés and his small Spanish force entered Tenochtitlan and met Aztec emperor Moctezuma II, beginning the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Hernán Cortés and his small Spanish force were received peacefully into the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan by Moctezuma II, a fateful welcome.