1540s

Events and trends

• 1541 Hernando de Soto is the first European to see the Mississippi River.
• 1542 The first contact of Japan with the West (Portugal).
• 1542 St. John of the Cross is born.
• 1543 The invasion of Ahmad ibn Ibrihim al-Ghazi is finally defeated by a joint Ethiopia-Portuguese force.
• 1547 Miguel de Cervantes (Alcalá de Henares), author of Don Quixote, is born on September 29th in Spain.
• 1549 Francis Xavier is the first Christian Missionary to visit Japan.

References