Mughal forces defeat Hemu, securing the throne of the young Akbar, whose reign brings the empire to its zenith.
Babur, using artillery and firearms, defeats Ibrahim Lodi, ending the Delhi Sultanate and founding the Mughal Empire.
Queen Elizabeth I grants a royal charter to the East India Company, which later comes to rule much of the Indian subcontinent.
Afonso de Albuquerque seizes Goa from the Bijapur Sultanate; it becomes the capital of Portuguese India until 1961.
Vasco da Gama's fleet left Lisbon, rounded the Cape of Good Hope, sailed up the East African coast and reached Calicut, opening a direct sea route between Europe and Asia.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan builds the Taj Mahal at Agra in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal; it becomes the emblem of Mughal architecture.
Guru Nanak is born at Talwandi (now Nankana Sahib, Pakistan); his teachings become the foundation of Sikhism.