and his son was soon dethroned by Mamadou Toure who ascended the throne in 1493 under the name Askia (meaning "general") Muhammad. Askia Muhammad made Songhai the largest empire in the history of West Africa. The empire went into decline, however, after 1528, when the now-blind Askia Muhammad was dethroned by his son, Askia Musa. 1492: Boabdil's surrender of Granada marks the end of the Spanish Reconquista and Al-Andalus. 1492: Ferdinand and Isabella sign the Alhambra Decree, expelling all Jews from Spain unless they convert to Catholicism; 40,000–200,000 leave. 1492: Christopher Columbus landed in the Americas from Spain. 1493: Christopher Columbus landed on modern-day Puerto Rico. 1493: Leonardo da Vinci creates the first known design for a helicopter. 1494: Spain and Portugal sign the Treaty of Tordesillas and agree to divide the World outside of Europe between themselves. 1494–1559: The Italian Wars lead to the downfall of the Italian city-states. 1495: Manuel I of Portugal was succeeded as the king of Portugal (reigns until 1521). 1497–1499: Vasco da Gama's first voyage from Europe to India and back. 1499: Ottoman fleet defeats Venetians at the Battle of Zonchio. 1499: University "Alcalá de Henares" in Madrid, Spain is built. 1499: Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica is made in Rome 1500: Islam becomes the dominant religion across the Indonesian archipelago. 1500: Around late 15th century Bujangga Manik manuscript was composed, tell the story of Jaya Pakuan Bujangga Manik, a Sundanese Hindu hermit journeys throughout Java and Bali. 1500: Charles of Ghent (future Lord of the Netherlands, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Holy Roman Emperor) was born. 1500: Guru Nanak begins the spreading of Sikhism, the fifth-largest religion in the world. 1500: Spanish navigator Vicente Yáñez Pinzón encounters Brazil but is prevented from claiming it by the Treaty of Tordesillas. 1500: Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal. 1500: The Ottoman fleet of Kemal Reis defeats the Venetians at the Second Battle of Lepanto. Gallery Inventions, discoveries, introductions Renaissance affects philosophy, science and art. Rise of Modern English language from Middle English. Introduction of the noon bell in the Catholic world. Public banks. Yongle Encyclopedia—over 22,000 volumes. Hangul alphabet in Korea. Scotch whisky. Psychiatric hospitals. Development of the woodcut for printing between 1400–1450. Movable type first used by King Taejong of Joseon—1403. (Movable type, which allowed individual characters to be arranged to form words, was invented in China by