Millennium Milestones in Order Quiz

Charlemagne's coronation took place in 800 AD. He was simply crowned 'August Emperor' by Pope Leo III, not Holy Roman Emperor, but that moniker came into eventual use. The Pope actually did not have any legal standing for such an action, but his obeisance to the Frankish leader was best served by this tactic.

In fact, reportedly Charlemagne was surprised and angry at the turn of events. It took another 12 years before the rival Byzantine leadership recognized Charlemagne's new status.

Avicenna, a Persian philosopher-physician, published his five-volume work on medicine in 1025. (Avicenna is the western interpretation of his name, also transliterated as Ibn Sina.) It remained a gold standard medical text up until the 18th century. Latin and Hebrew translations were used in addition to the original Arabic.

The oldest surviving version is of book 5 from 1052, held by the Aga Khan Museum in Ontario, Canada. Avicenna was born in 980 AD, near the Samanid capital of Bukhara, now part of Uzbekistan.

He was clearly a brilliant man, known to have memorized the Quran by age 10 and publishing over 400 texts in his lifetime.

Chinese monks had used block printing over 600 years before Gutenberg's famous printing press, and had moveable type on baked clay or wood by the early part of the second millennium. Gutenberg's innovations included using metal for the moveable type, and a system for casting replacement type.

He also changed the ink formulation so it would work better with metal type, and used a wine press to flatten the paper. Gutenberg's printing press could churn out around 3600 pages in a day. The specific date of Gutenberg's first printed Bible isn't clear, but is thought to have been around 1452.

The Botanical Garden of Padua was laid out and planted in 1545. It is operated by the University of Padua and is owned by the Italian government. It began as a collection of medicinal plants but now encompasses plants from around the world, mostly in outdoor gardens rather than greenhouses.

The oldest plant in the collection is a dwarf fan palm tree planted in 1585 referred to as the "Goethe palm" as he mentioned it in a 1790 work. In 1997, the Garden was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Urban VII was in office in 1590 for just twelve days during September of that year. Born Giovanni Battista Castagna to a wealthy Roman family, he had served in many roles in the Catholic Church prior to his election to the papacy. His short reign is most known for a ban on tobacco use within churches, with the threat of excommunication for those who transgressed.

He is also remembered for acts of charity, including subsidizing Rome's bakers so they could sell bread to the poor at a reduced price.

He died of malaria just days after becoming Pope.

Harvard University was chartered in 1636 and in 1639 was named after Puritan clergyman John Harvard, who left his estate and library to the institution. In 1638 the school acquired the first printing press in British North America. Harvard was initially chartered with the intention of training Congregationalist clergy for the growing colony, but by 1708 had already installed a secular president.

The oldest building on the campus is Massachusetts Hall, originally constructed in 1720. A National Historic Landmark, the building has served many uses, including as a barracks during the American Revolutionary War, and currently houses a dormitory and administrative offices.

Louis XIV of France reigned from 1643-1715 (72 years). He died just 4 days shy of his 77th birthday, at the Palace of Versailles. He was succeeded by his grandson, 5-year-old Louis XV, echoing his own ascent to the throne at a young age. Louis XIV's reign is dubbed "The Great Century," and he is known as the Sun King - he kept a firm grasp on the monarchy and ruled absolutely.

The US state of Louisiana is named for him. He was a grand supporter of the arts, especially when they reflected his glory.

Edward Rutledge was born in Charleston, South Carolina in November of 1749, and was thus 26 years of age at the signing of the Declaration. He studied law in London, and returned to South Carolina to practice - he was selected as one of the colony's delegates to the Continental Congress.

He served in the militia during the war, and was captured along with other Declaration signatories; he was released during a prisoner exchange. He was elected Governor of South Carolina in 1798; he died while in office in 1800.

Pius IX reigned as Pope from 1846 to 1878. Born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti in 1792, he did not seem destined for the priesthood initially, and was even engaged to an Irishwoman at one point. He also suffered epileptic seizures which made the church leadership leery of his capability initially.

Despite this rocky beginning, he was chosen as the Archbishop of Spoleto in 1827. His politics leaned toward the liberal at first, but he later switched to intensely conservative philosophies. His papacy is remembered for the loss of the papal states and institution of the dogma of papal infallibility.

He was beatified in 2000.

The painting sold in 1990, for $82.5 million. Other paintings have commanded higher sales prices subsequently, but after the year 2000. There are actually two van Gogh paintings by this name - one belonged to Dr. Gachet himself, with whom van Gogh recuperated after his stint in the asylum at Saint-Remy-de-Provence. That version currently belongs to the Musee d'Orsay in Paris.

The painting sold in 1990 was at one time seized by Hermann Goering. It was auctioned by Christie's to buyer Ryoei Saito, honorary chair of Japan's Daishowa Paper Manufacturing company.

The painting disappeared from view, and was feared to have been cremated along with its owner. It is believed to have been sold twice since the 1990 auction but has not been exhibited since then.