- Florence was founded in 59 BC as a settlement for former soldiers who were allotted land by Julius Caesar
- In 1257 the city was ruled by a podestà, the Guelph Luca Grimaldi
- Art began to show up in Florence throughout the 14th-16th centuries
- The German officer in charge, Gerhard Wolf, ordered the bridge not to be blown up, because he had been a student in Florence before the war. Now there is a memorial plaque on the bridge because he spared it
- In 1966, the Arno river flooded and killed at least 40 people, along with millions of rare artifacts found in Florence
- In 2002, Florence was the seat of the first European Social Forum
- In 1993 the Mafia set a bomb that blew up in the via de Georgofili, killing 5 people, and destroying parts of the museum called the Torre Dei Pulci
- In the 19th century the population of Florence doubled, and tripled in the 20th century with the growth of tourism, trade, financial services and the industry
- In 1529, Spain attacked Florence and took it over. Rome and the Pope helped to restore Florence after Italy took it back
- Florence’s main area expansion took place in the 12th century
