The Bubonic Plague pandemic swept through Europe, drastically reducing the population and having long-lasting social and economic impacts.
Following 1492, the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, and ideas between the Americas, West Africa, and the Old World fundamentally changed societies and ecosystems.
U.S. law passed offering free land to settlers willing to develop it, encouraging westward expansion and frontier settlements.
In response to environmental degradation, sustainable farming practices and ecological awareness began to take hold globally.