Contemporary
Dissolution of Czechoslovakia (1993): The Velvet Divorce
Czechoslovakia ceased to exist and was peacefully replaced by two independent states, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Contemporary
Kent State Shootings (1970): National Guard Fire on Students
Four students were killed and nine wounded, sparking a nationwide student strike that closed hundreds of colleges.
Contemporary
Space Shuttle Columbia STS-1 (1981): The First Shuttle Flight
Columbia completed 37 orbits and landed safely, proving the reusable Space Shuttle and opening a programme of 135 missions that ran until 2011.
Contemporary
War of Attrition 1967-1970: Egypt and Israel on the Suez Canal
A US-brokered ceasefire took effect on 8 August 1970 with no change to the front line; Egypt immediately moved anti-aircraft missiles closer to the canal.
Contemporary
Agent Orange and Operation Ranch Hand: Defoliation in Vietnam
About 75 to 77 million litres of herbicides were sprayed, leaving lasting dioxin contamination and long-running health and compensation disputes.
Ancient World
Dead Sea Scrolls: Ancient Jewish Manuscripts from Qumran
The scrolls became the oldest known manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible and a unique window on Judaism in the Second Temple period.
Ancient World
Newark Earthworks: Hopewell Geometry and Moon Alignments in Ohio
The surviving Great Circle and Octagon became part of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks World Heritage Site in 2023.
Ancient World
Zhang Qian's Mission to the West and the Origins of the Silk Road
The mission failed to win an alliance with the Yuezhi, but Zhang Qian's reports led Han China to open regular diplomatic and trade contacts with Central Asia.
Ancient World
Menander I and the Indo-Greek Kingdom in Ancient India
Menander became the most powerful Indo-Greek king and was remembered in Buddhist literature as King Milinda.
Ancient World
Social War (91-88 BC): Rome's Italian Allies Revolt
Rome defeated the rebels militarily but granted Roman citizenship to almost all free communities of Italy south of the Po.
Ancient World
Parthenon (447 BC): Building the Temple of Athena in Athens
Athens built a marble Doric temple to Athena that became the most famous monument of classical Greece and a lasting symbol of Western architecture.
Ancient World
Amarna Letters: Diplomatic Archive of Bronze Age Egypt
The earliest large diplomatic archive known, revealing the Late Bronze Age system of great powers and their vassals.