Modern Era
Spanish Civil War (1936–1939): Republicans Against Franco
Nationalist victory; the Second Spanish Republic was destroyed and Francisco Franco ruled Spain as dictator until his death in 1975.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Battle of Lake Poyang (1363): Zhu Yuanzhang's Decisive Victory
Decisive victory for Zhu Yuanzhang; Chen Youliang was killed and his Han regime collapsed, clearing Zhu's path to found the Ming.
Middle Ages
Siege of Baghdad (1258): Mongols End the Abbasid Caliphate
Mongol victory; Baghdad was sacked, the caliph executed and the Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad ended.
Middle Ages
Kalmar Union (1397): Margaret I Unites Scandinavia
Denmark, Norway and Sweden were joined under a single monarch; Sweden broke away for good in 1523, while Denmark and Norway stayed united until 1814.
Ancient World
Pantheon, Rome: Hadrian's Temple and Its Great Concrete Dome
The rebuilt Pantheon survived intact as a church from AD 609 and became the most influential domed building in Western architecture.
Ancient World
Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287 BC): Mathematician and Engineer
Archimedes made lasting discoveries in geometry, mechanics and hydrostatics and was killed when Rome captured Syracuse in 212 BC.
Modern Era
Operation Market Garden (1944): The Bridge Too Far at Arnhem
Allied failure; the bridges up to Nijmegen were taken, but the British 1st Airborne Division was destroyed at Arnhem and the Rhine was not crossed.
Modern Era
Italian Invasion of Ethiopia (1935): Mussolini's Colonial War
Italy occupied Addis Ababa and annexed Ethiopia in May 1936; League of Nations sanctions failed, and Italian rule lasted until 1941.
Modern Era
Italo-Turkish War (1911-1912): Italy's Conquest of Libya
Italian victory; the Ottoman Empire withdrew from Libya under the Treaty of Ouchy, and Italy kept the Dodecanese islands it had occupied.
Modern Era
Manhattan Project (1942–1945): The Race for the Atomic Bomb
The United States, with British and Canadian participation, produced the first nuclear weapons, tested one on 16 July 1945 and used two against Japan in August 1945.
Modern Era
Balkan Wars (1912-1913): Prelude to the First World War
The Ottomans lost nearly all their European lands; Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Romania gained territory, Albania became independent and Bulgaria lost much of its gains.
Middle Ages
Red Turban Rebellion (1351-1368): Uprising Against the Yuan
The revolts destroyed Yuan authority south of the Yellow River and ended with Zhu Yuanzhang founding the Ming dynasty in 1368.