This Day in History: Martin Luther Made His Views on Indulgences Public
On 31 October 1517, Martin Luther, a doctor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, made his views on indulgences public using a hammer and nails. The date is regarded as the start of the Reformation movement.
Today, 31 October, the history column looks back to 1517, when Martin Luther, a doctor of theology at the University of Wittenberg, made his views on indulgences public. Indulgences are remissions of sins granted by the church, and this was the subject on which Luther set out his position. He did so with the help of a hammer and nails.
This event is regarded as the beginning of the Reformation movement. The Reformation was a movement to renew the Christian church, and its start is linked in history to Luther's action on 31 October 1517.
The source describes the blows of Luther's hammer as ringing in a new era in human history.
