What are the most important historical events and figures that everyone should know about?

Admittedly this will be focused on Western Civilization, although I would argue that these events and figures have all been globally sigificant and should be studied world-wide:

Events in chronological (ish) order:

Development of democracy in ancient Greece

Formation of the Roman Empire

Life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth

Legalization of Christianity under Constantine

Islam is founded

Discovery of the Americas

Invention of Gutenburg’s printing press

Martin Luther publishes his 95 Theses on October 31, 1517, starting the Protestant Reformation, a watershed moment for Christianity, western thought, political rebirth, and a new, inividualistic approach to society.

Elizabeth I’s defeat of the Spanish Armada on August 8, 1588. The birth of England as a naval, and eventually world, superpower. Laid the foundation for the formation of the British Empire, the largest empire the world has ever seen.

Puritans arrive in the “New World” in 1620, laying the bedrock for Protestant Christianity in American life.

Birth of liberal thought in Germany, and its eventual spread across the western world

American Revolution, combined with Thomas Jefferson’s work championing the separation of church and state, a relatively novel concept, at least in practice, for the time.

Queen Victoria acceeds to the British throne on June 20, 1837, launching Britain’s Victorian Era.

World War I and the fall of various monarchies accross Europe. Movement accelerates toward a new global society. Birth of modern warfare part 1. America begins to emerge as a global superpower.

Communism

World War II. Birth of modern warfare part 2. America is established as a global superpower

Cold War

Sexual Revolution

9/11 terrorist attacks

Donald Trump is elected President of the United States, ushering in a new level of social unrest, political vitriol, and emphasis on “us versus them” divisive mentality across the world’s last remaining superpower. General chaos ensues.

Figures in chronological (ish) order.

Plato - Foundational to Western thought

Jesus of Nazareth - Founder of the Christian faith, largest religion on the globe

Paul of Tarsus - Most significant Christian theologian to date

Contantine - Legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire

Muhammed - Founder of Islam, second-largest religion in the world

Martin Luther - Marked and led the official start of the Protestant Reformation

Galileo Galilei - Publically opposed the Catholic church regarding a helio-centric solar system.

Elizabeth I - Ruled England through its entrance on the global stage as a superpower. Presided over the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Began English colonization of the Americas. Formed the groundwork for the modern Church of England.

Isaac Newton - Extensive contribution to modern science

Robert Boyle - Extensive contribution to modern science

Johann Sebastien Bach - Primary example of Western music, religion, and culture converging in the 18th century. Touchstone of Western culture.

Immanuel Kant - Representative of the birth of German liberalism

Thomas Jefferson - Extensive contribution to democracy in America, laid the groundwork for freedom of religion and separation of church and state in the United States, author of globally significant document the Declaration of Independence, a model which many similar documents have been based off of and regarded as a general declaration of the modern rights of mankind.

Victoria - Longest reigning British monarch at the time of her reign. Reinvented the concept of royalty and ushered in a new stage of social responsibility, morality, and family life. Reigned over the largest empire on the planet.

Charles Darwin - Author of On the Origin of Species

Abraham Lincoln - Extensive contribution to American politics and statesmanship. Held together the nation that would become the world’s most significant superpower during its darkest hour.

Karl Marx - Representative of the birth of communism

Adolf Hitler - Most notorious tyrant and war criminal on the planet

Winston Churchill - Extensive contribution to British politics and statesmanship. Generally credited with primary role in the Allied victory in World War II.

Elizabeth II - Quite possibly the most famous, respected, and immediately recognizable person alive during the 20th and 21st centuries to date. Her coronation marked the birth of modern television. Her funeral was one of the largest gatherings of world leaders in history and reportedly the most significant British security operation since World War II. Longest reigning British monarch to date. Second longest reigning monarch in world history.