The 1500s was a century of significant historical and cultural events that shaped the world in various ways. Here are some of the notable events that happened in the 1500s:

• Renaissance culture (arts, science, ideas) began in Italy and spread throughout Europe.
• Swahili culture thrived in East Africa along the coast bordering the Indian Ocean, trading with Arab Muslims, India, and China.
• European countries established the slave trade in West Africa to obtain workers for the sugar and tobacco plantations in South America and the Caribbean, and later to the cotton plantations in the southern U.S. .
• Martin Luther officially protested against the Catholic Church, and the religious Reformation began. Protestant religions emerged in Europe.
• Magellan sailed around the world and proved that the Earth is round.
• England broke away from the authority of the Catholic Church and became a Protestant country under King Henry VIII.
• Britain defeated the ships of the Spanish Armada and became the ruler of the Atlantic Ocean.
• Elizabeth I ruled England, which was a period of William Shakespeare.
• The Ottoman Empire attacked Europe, and the Battle of Lepanto was fought.
• Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico for Spain.
• The Mogul Empire of India was established under Akbar the Great.
• The Italian Renaissance ended.

These are just a few of the many events that happened in the 1500s. The century was a time of great change and exploration, and it set the stage for many of the political, social, and cultural developments that followed.