Right, so here at Crash Course we try not to focus too much on dates, but if I'm going to convince you that the Renaissance didn't actually happen, I should probably tell you, you know, when it didn't happen. So, traditionally, the Renaissance is associated with the 15th and 16th centuries-ish. The Renaissance happened all across Europe, but we're going to focus on Italy because I want to and I own the video camera. Plus, Italy really spawned the Renaissance. But was it about Italy that lent itself to Renaissance-ing? Was it the wine, the olives, the pasta, the plumbers, the relative permissiveness when it comes to the moral lassitude of their leaders? Well, let's go to the Thought Bubble.