Portuguese colonizers established the city of Rio de Janeiro, planting the Christian civilization of Portugal along the coast of South America and advancing the spread of the faith.

Pope Pius V issued the papal bull Regnans in Excelsis, excommunicating Queen Elizabeth I and intensifying religious conflict between Protestant England and Catholic Europe.

Pope Gregory XIII issued the papal bull establishing the Gregorian calendar, reforming timekeeping across the Christian world and aligning the liturgical year more accurately.