Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci were both extremely important figures of the Renaissance time. Both were blessed with such artistic skills, that they were honored for them, even to this day. The Sistine Chapel's ceiling, is covered with paintings from Michelangelo. Leonardo da Vinci on the other hand, created the Mona Lisa which is very well known today. If I were to have a choice, I would want to meet Leonardo dea Vinci more. He was considered a Renaissance Man, for his hard paitrinage and work. Michelangelo went blind, simply because paint dripped into his eyes while he was working on the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel.
        The Mona Lisa has a very mysterious facial expression. It is explained as neither a frown or a smile. To meet someone with such artistic skills, and mystery would be fantastic. Leonardo da Vinci was able to create many other art works in his life time. While in his youth, he was appremticed and taught about the arts, and how they were created. To have such valuable lessons taught to the next generation takes skill.

Charles Darwin is one of the most well known naturalist in our time period, even to this day. He is known for his discovery concerning evolution, and the likes of it. His theory of evolution has mechanically changed the way we think about how animals, as well as humans have changed over the years. Extinction is also a factor in evolution. If an animal goes extinct, that animal will go away forever, never to be rediscovered again. For example,the dinosaurs had gone extinct, but the cause is still a puzzling mystery to some scientists. Charles Darwin was an English naturalist that sailed upon the Beagle,a ship. He visited the Galapagos Islands, and did his research on finches.
    What he discovered was remarkable. He was able to find the fact that all the finches were different in some way. Some beak shapes affected the way they ate, and what type of environment they lived in. The cycle of finches had began when they first flew to the Galapagos Islands, from South America. His theory of natural selection has mad it ultimately easier for other scientists today. An example of natural selection, could be a population of lizards. They live in a hot airy desert, and they are all tan colored, so they can blend in with the tan rocks. If you had a black lizard, however, it will stand out and most likely get eaten by a predator. Traits, such as the lizards skin pigmentation, can help that lizard survive.

Throughout the course of European history, I found the Black Death the most fascinating. Not the fact that one third of the population was wiped out, but more along the lines of how it began, and how it spread so quickly. Life in society would have been normal, and almost the same without the Black Death. In fact, the Black Death helped many people who survived with occupations, and jobs. It was said that rats the came in from Asian countries had been flea infested, and got on cargo ships. Those ships set sail to places all over the European continent. At the time, the Black Death was a mystery to many others, simply because they were still dumbfounded about who or what had caused the Black Death. Many had suffered from it, and many even believed that this was a punishment from God.
    As helpless as they were, the surviving people were the lucky ones. They had to avoid others with the Black Death at all charges, and made sure that they were sanitary themselves. What would happen to the people who had the Black Death? They had many symptoms, and buboes growing on their bodies. They would indeed die within a few days, and have many ill fevered other symptoms.

In the duration of the Middle Ages, a wild plague had spread throughout the majority of Europe. This plague was otherwise known as the Black Death. They say the origin of this deadly disease migrated from China,through the Silk Road. Once it reached the Meditteranean, it spread like a wild fire, dominating anyone, and anything in it's path. In this era, or time period, many individuals did not know hoe to make this plague go away, but they tried their best to prevent it. The Rats on ships were infected by fleas, and those rats were scattered everywhere. Once the person was bitten as well, they then had the plague. The plague was very contagious, and people tried avoiding others who had it at all cost.
      Some people believed that putting certain types of herbs or flowers in their pockets would help prevent them from catching this deadly disease. In the end, over 200 million people had died from the Black Death. People began to panic over dying, and once you got the plague, you were almost certain to die within a short period of time. These strange lumps, or known as buboes, would appear on your body, and once they swelled up, you were almost gone. No one had survived this deadly plague, and nothing as deadly as this has returned, thankfully.

Days have gone passed now, and decisions begin to run through my mind. Some of my own family have gone into war as they risk their life for others. I pray for their safe voyage as they continue to quarrel. What if they end up bruised, bleeding, or even worse, dead? What will I do if I have to face reality of living in this world? My thoughts are quickly snapped back, as I realize someone is calling my name, my uncle. He went into the war as well, and I have missed him dearly. Now, my time has come. Yes, it is indeed time for me to go into the war, and I am deathly afraid. Why couldn't I have lived life as a mere peasant, so I could have worked on the fields instead of going into this dangerous war. Surviving or not doesn't matter anymore. I simply don't wish to go.
    My uncle calls my name again. I can faintly hear him this time. This journey that I am taking is very heart stopping, and over all dangerous. If I ever do end up surviving, I will most definitely consider myself the luckiest man alive. I  hope that, not only I survive, but my uncle as well. What if's begin to race into my mind again for the second time.

For the past couple of days, I have been in deep thoughts. They continue to come, one after another, some may be negative, while the others try to calm me down. Without a certain doubt, I believe I knew what was the right decision, but why? I was recently introduced to a new family, a wealthy noble one at that. I was said to wed their oldest child, although I am only thirteen. These types of decisions aren't mine to make, yet I feel an unfamiliar pit in my stomach. In my own opinion, I think marrying for money is a bit ridiculous, and love should be taken into consideration. Talking to my parents would be pointless, as they would ignore me again. Should I really risk going to make that journey, just to reach there, or should I reconsider? Although, making my parents happy was my top priority, I'm not so sure now.
   Weeks have passed now, and I've reached my decision, I have chosen to make the effort, and journey. It may be a bit strenuous, but it if makes my parents satisfied and content, I shall take all risks. I really disapprove of this idea, but what can I do? My father has passed his heritage onto me, and now it is my job to take that position, as king. Pondering over sadness, and double thoughts, is this truly the right way to go. Am I just wandering through hallways that will eventually lead me into circles? Hopefully I will never find out. 
    What will I do?

I have been traveling for days now, without any luck. I've seen two dead body's, and the seen cannot be unseen. I wish I could be cleansed of my mind, and for my sins. My feet, head, body, and hands ache. The sun is beginning to set, and the air is becoming colder. I am in desperate need for food, and a nice shelter would also be great. I have come so far, I can't give up now, but it seems as if all hope is lost. Without anything to do, I should probably rest for a moment. Wait, I can see a building near by. Maybe there are individuals inside that can shelter, and care for me. Without giving this decision much thought, I'm running towards there with full speed.
        I'm almost there until I come to realize something. There isn't smoke, nor animals near by. As I come closer, I also realize that the building is in ruins. What am I to do now? With nowhere to run to, I am utterly lost in the middle of a clearing. Maybe it would be better if I were caught, then I could be put out of my misery. Although these thoughts come into mind, I am somehow not able to come to it. I might be afraid of the thought of dying, or death in general. Perhaps I should stay alive, for my dead  other and missing father. I will continue to stay alive until the very end.

The sun was beating down on my back, as I slowly finished my work for the day. My shift had ended a couple of minutes ago, and I slowly packed my items. For a second, I thought I had seen fire out of the corner of my eye. Smoke began to billow into clouds in the air. There was only one explanation for this, fire. Quickly, I panicked, but couldn't find a solution. I ran to find the source, but it seemed as if it were forever, until I got there. People began to scream in circles, and trees were crashing down with a loud "swish", or "bam." I tried to remain calm, and look for a water source, but the closest thing was a pail, and tiny puddle leaking from the side of the building. 
    Swiftly, I took the pail, and put water inside of it. One pail wasn't going to do the trick, so I tried to gather others, but the village had seemed abandoned by the time I got there. Surely there wasn't enough time to waste, so I ran. I ran deeper and deeper into the woods. Not knowing where I was going, I decided to stop for a breath of air. The village was now in an inferno, with buildings melting down in the intense heat. My village was no more.

Throughout the Middle Ages, many people from the past have been identified as important figures. Charlemagne was known as the Frankish leader, and ruler of a section of Europe. He ruled proudly, and had many followers. His reign soon came to an end though, simply because he was a weak ruler, with weak followers. He was one of the others from the Germanic tribe. Charlemagne stressed the importance of learning and teaching. He made education a well known fact. He made rivalries with the Roman empire in the, and in 800, Pope Leo the third came to bring his reign to an end. Charlemagne really wanted education to continue its growth. He hired Spanish scholars to come,and he even had different languages available to others.
         Charlemagne was supported until the very end. He had his kingdom built in the old province of the Roman Empire, Gaul. He was deliberately known as "Charle the Great," and continued to grow from there. Charlemagne was an important figure to the Frankish in this exact time period, and has made his fame clear and known. However, Charlemagne may have differed from the other leaders. He stressed education greatly, while other leaders might have not cared much about it. 

The modern day tradition is summed up to the fact that many people living in the U.S. make New Years Resolution. the Resolution might not prevail very long. Words and actions are two totally different things. For example, if your resolution was to lose weight, you might keep the resolution for a couple of weeks, then finally give up on it. Some people don't even make resolutions, probably knowing that they can't keep up with it. My New Years "Resolution" is to stop procrastinating so much. In the past year, all the time that I had to do homework, I most likely spent it leisurely, but that must come to an end. Procrastination can lead to many of the different problems, and issues, especially when attending school. To stop this process may seem simple, but it's not in reality. 
           To keep this "resolution," I must resist the urge to stay away from all distracting objects. Getting my homework done should be my first priority. Turning assignments in late, can lead to consequences. Priorities would be another thing that procrastination won't help. In actuality, I have tried to keep this resolution up in the past years, but it simply wouldn't work. My lack of seriousness was probably the main problem. In other words, it's nice to make a resolution, but it's better to keep up with it. My resolution differs from the many that prevail out there. Several people resolve to not eat as much, or to get healthier, or eat get more hours of sleep. Hopefully they will have the strength to do so for their resolutions.