1609: England is on the rise to its eventual position as the dominant world power, having been considered a third-rate backwater as recently as 1558, when Elizabeth I ascended to the throne.

Today: Having suffered great physical and financial losses during the two World Wars in the twentieth century, England is still an important member of the European community but is not considered one of the superpowers that influence world affairs.

1609: The first newspapers with regular press schedules appear in Lower Saxony and Strasbourg.

Today: With the advent of electric media, especially the internet, many doubt that print newspapers will survive for long into the twenty-first century.

1609: Jamestown, the first permanent European settlement in what is now America, is nearly destroyed, having been founded two years earlier by English gentlemen who were unprepared for breaking new soil. During the "Starving Time" of 1609-1610, residents were driven...