1539
Hernando de Soto Lands in Florida
Veteran of Pizarro's Andean conquest and hungry for an empire of his own, Hernando de Soto waded ashore on the Gulf coast of Florida with six hundred men…
Mercator Prints His First World Map
A young Flemish cartographer named Gerardus Mercator published a double-hemisphere world map based on the most recent Iberian voyages.
Tahmasp's Capital Moves to Qazvin
After Ottoman incursions made Tabriz unsafe, the Safavid shah Tahmasp shifted his capital east to Qazvin and poured royal patronage into a new school…
First Printing Press in the Americas
A printer named Juan Pablos, sent from Seville by an Italian printshop, opened the first European-style press in the New World in Mexico City.
Cardano Publishes Practica Arithmeticae
The Italian polymath Girolamo Cardano published a treatise on arithmetic that hinted at solutions to cubic equations.
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Frequently asked
What happened in the year 1539?
Saeculum lists 5 events from 1539. The most significant is Hernando de Soto Lands in Florida.
What era was 1539 part of?
1539 falls within the Renaissance (1501-1650). Reformation, conquest, and the world drawn whole.
Which regions saw notable events in 1539?
The events from 1539 span North America, Europe and Middle East.