Global Issues in Contemporary Society Practice Test

Posting the Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 marks a turning point in European history—the start of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther, a German monk and professor, wrote a list critiquing practices like the sale of indulgences and then publicized them in Wittenberg, famously on the town door on October 31, 1517. This act didn't instantly sever ties with the Catholic Church, but it sparked widespread debate and helped ignite reforms across Europe as the ideas spread, aided by the printing press. The year 1517 is recognized as the moment the movement began.

Other dates don’t fit because they refer to later or unrelated events: 1454 is well before Luther’s time and more about early printing developments, 1521 is when Luther faced the Diet of Worms, a consequence of the reform effort rather than its starting point, and 1492 is a different era altogether.