William Harvey publishes De Motu Cordis, demonstrating that the heart pumps blood in a continuous circuit around the body.
The Mayflower Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact and establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.
Beginning with a revolt in Bohemia, the conflict spreads across Central Europe, drawing in the major European powers and causing enormous loss of life.
Shakespeare dies in Stratford-upon-Avon, leaving some 39 plays and 154 sonnets.
A series of conflicts between the Royalists of Charles I and the Parliamentarians, ending in victory for Parliament under Oliver Cromwell.
Galileo dies at Arcetri near Florence, where he had been under house arrest since his trial by the Inquisition in 1633.
Isaac Newton, founder of classical mechanics and co-inventor of calculus, is born at Woolsthorpe, England.