I swear I did not read this before I made my comment about 1492 Spain......
Three things of historical importance happended in Spain in 1492. The first was the national union between Ferdinand and Isabella. Uniting their two kingdoms in essence unified Spain. Second was the funding of Columbus' mission to the Indies. The third was the final expulsion of the Moors from Spain, touted as Spain's final battle against the Saracens. Ferdinand's ancestral namesake was St. Ferdinand 3. Europe forgets, but Islam remembers. The popularity, and resonance, in the Arab world, of... Sign in to see full entry.