Throughout history, there have been turning points that changed the course of society. The three major turning points were the Age of Exploration, the Renaissance, and the Reformation. Each had many positive and negative effects on history. During the Age of Exploration, many explorers set out in their huge sailing ships to find another way to reach India, but what they discovered was a major turning point in world history. During the Renaissance, many people in Europe began to have new ideas and concepts about life and even began to believe in humanism, which emphasized the value of human beings in many forms (in that period it was art). And finally, during the Reformation, it was a time of religious conflict that transformed Europe into what it was today. The Age of Exploration was one of the most important turning points in world history. Before the age of exploration and immediately after the Crusades, trade between Asia and Europe had increased. However, one major setback occurred and it concerned the prices of traded commodities. Starting in China, an item could be traded in India (for example) and then traded in Saudi Arabia at a higher price. And it would later trade in Europe at an even higher price. So Europeans had to pay the highest price for something that might have been worth less by going to the source itself. This led to the age of exploration. Using large ships with huge sails, Europeans tried to find ways to trade with China and India by going around Africa or simply going west into the Atlantic to find another way to China or India (this this was what Columbus had thought). The Portuguese began the age of exploration by finding a way to India by going through the paper of a small but mighty man, Martin Luther. Luther himself was a holy person and began to notice the corruption in the Church. He endured everything until the last drop when he saw a priest, Johann Tetzel, selling indulgences. Tetzel said that for a certain sum of money he would ensure their entry into heaven and also their deceased relatives. This final outrage led Luther to write his 95 theses on indulgences. This would lead to questioning of the Church and would soon lead to the Church being exposed throughout Europe thanks to a powerful weapon that Luther had at his disposal. And that was the printing press. Within a few nights all of Europe learned the truth about the Church and many people were happy that finally someone had told everyone what the Church was really like. Many changes occurred during this period.