Early Modern
Union of Lublin (1569): The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Born
Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania became a single Commonwealth with one elected monarch and a common Sejm, while keeping separate laws, armies and treasuries.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Treaty of Zaragoza (1529): Settling the Moluccas Dispute
Spain gave up its claim to the Moluccas (Spice Islands) to Portugal for 350,000 ducats, and a demarcation line was drawn in the Pacific east of the islands.
Contemporary
2001 Gujarat Earthquake: The Republic Day Bhuj Disaster in India
About 13,800 to 20,000 people were killed and around 400,000 homes destroyed; Gujarat created a new disaster management authority and rebuilt Kutch.
Contemporary
Maastricht Treaty (1992): The Birth of the European Union
The twelve European Community states created the European Union, introduced EU citizenship and set the rules and timetable for economic and monetary union.
Contemporary
Stonewall Riots (1969): The Uprising That Sparked Gay Liberation
Several nights of protest against police harassment turned gay rights into a mass movement and led to the first Pride marches in 1970.
Contemporary
Viking 1 Mars Landing (1976): First Pictures From Mars
Viking 1 made the first fully successful landing on Mars and returned the first clear surface images, but its biology experiments found no convincing evidence of life.
Contemporary
Cultural Revolution 1966-1976: Mao, the Red Guards and Upheaval
A decade of political persecution, violence and economic disruption ended after Mao's death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four; the Party later condemned it as a catastrophe.
Contemporary
Checkpoint Charlie Standoff (1961): US and Soviet Tanks Face Off
Both sides withdrew their tanks on 28 October after a quiet agreement between Washington and Moscow; the division of Berlin was left unchanged.
Ancient World
Pazyryk Burials: Frozen Tombs of Scythian-Era Horsemen
Ice that formed inside the robbed tombs preserved bodies, textiles, wood and leather, giving an unrivalled picture of the nomadic horse cultures of the Eurasian steppe.
Ancient World
Kingdom of Aksum: Rise of the Ancient Ethiopian Empire
Aksum became one of the great states of late antiquity, adopted Christianity in the 4th century and declined after the 7th century as Red Sea trade shifted.
Ancient World
Mawangdui Han Tombs: Lady Dai and Her Treasures in Changsha
The excavations revealed one of the best-preserved ancient bodies ever found and a large body of Western Han art, textiles and texts, now mostly in the Hunan Museum.
Ancient World
Mahinda's Mission: How Buddhism Reached Sri Lanka in 247 BC
King Devanampiya Tissa and his court accepted Buddhism, the Mahavihara was founded and Sri Lanka became a lasting centre of Theravada Buddhism.