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One of the most important skills to develop a historical sense is to
de-compartmentalize information and realize that certain things happen
at approximately the same time. How often, for example, do we stop to
realize that events in history are often in some way interrelated and
that one event can lead to another; how science and technology can be
affected, positively and negatively, or even continue on in spite of political
events. So, for example, how often do we stop to realize that in
a span of only a few years saw a huge mental leap, such as Kepler proposing
his laws of planetary motion, as well as a mental degradation, such as
the beginning of slavery in the colonies? Or that although windmills had
been around since the 12th century, it was not until as Bach was writing
his first cantata that the very first instructions for the construction
of a windmill were written down.
In class, we recommend that teachers provide students with one or more
of the timelines below, or one of the comparative PDF files combining
these timelines, and ask them to discuss and/or research the impact of
contemporary or near-contemporary events upon each other. They will also
notice that in the comparative timelines, the entries are grouped by decade
or part of a century for the more recent entries, and in some cases, one
column might not have an entry for a particular date. We encourage you
to have students fill in those blank spaces and explain how the events
they add are connected to the others already on the table.
Individual Timelines
Comparative Timelines
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