In August of 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. This is a clever rhyme that people use to remember when Columbus set off and discovered the New World. But what if he didn't get permission from Queen Isabella to go off into the unknown to do this? It might have been another hundred years before people discovered that the world was not flat. Historians will probably never know how the world would be if Columbus had not discovered the Americas, but they do know that his courage to sail the Atlantic has helped to make this country what it is today. Previous civilizations have had a major impact on the modern world and Christopher Columbus is just one contributor. Other civilizations also contributed to modern world development. A few of the most important time periods that affected today's society are Ancient Rome, the Age of Discovery, and the Renaissance.
             Ancient civilizations have each had their own impact on today, including the Roman Empire. They had advancements in all areas including, art, literature, religion, and science. One of the most important things that happened in Ancient Rome was the spread of Christianity. It was a new religion in those times and it wasn't very popular among the people. Then a man named Paul was spoken to by Jesus, and from then on he dedicated his life to making the religion known throughout the Roman Empire. Within a period of 150 years, there was only a part of Rome that did not have people practicing Christianity. With this small beginning, today, Christianity is one of the most widespread religions. Another thing that the Romans contributed to the modern world was their architecture and engineering. The most famous invention that they built was the aqueducts. These structures were used to carry water to civilians for everyday use. They carried one cubic meter of water a day to each person, which is more than people nowadays receive. Other great structures built ...