Prehistory
Madjedbebe: Australia's Oldest Known Human Occupation Site
Excavations dated the earliest artefacts to about 65,000 years ago, pushing back the possible human arrival in Australia, though the date remains debated.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Prehistory
Sinosauropteryx (1996): The First Feathered Dinosaur from China
Sinosauropteryx became the first non-avian dinosaur known with a covering of simple feathers, opening a wave of feathered dinosaur discoveries.
Prehistory
Chengjiang Biota: China's Early Cambrian Fossil Treasure Trove
Discovered in 1984 and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, the Chengjiang fossils are one of the most complete records of early animal life.
Modern Era
Hindenburg Disaster (1937): The End of the Airship Age
The hydrogen-filled airship burned in about half a minute; 36 people died and passenger airship travel effectively ended.
Modern Era
Battle of Kiev (1941): The Largest Encirclement of the War
German victory; the Soviet Southwestern Front was encircled and destroyed, Kyiv fell on 19 September and German forces claimed about 665,000 prisoners.
Modern Era
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare (1917): Germany's U-Boat Gamble
Shipping losses soared in early 1917, but the convoy system contained the threat, and the campaign helped bring the United States into the war.
Modern Era
Anglo-Zulu War (1879): Cetshwayo's Kingdom Against Britain
Britain defeated the Zulu army at Ulundi, captured Cetshwayo and broke up the Zulu kingdom, which was annexed in 1887.
Modern Era
First Battle of Bull Run (1861): The Civil War's First Big Battle
Confederate victory; the Union army retreated in disorder to Washington, and both sides realised the war would be long.
Modern Era
Mendeleev's Periodic Table (1869): Ordering the Chemical Elements
Mendeleev's periodic system organised the elements by atomic weight and properties, predicted undiscovered elements and became the central framework of chemistry.
Modern Era
Decembrist Revolt (1825): Officers Against the Russian Tsar
The revolt was crushed by artillery on the same day; five leaders were hanged and more than a hundred exiled to Siberia.
Middle Ages
Moai of Rapa Nui: History of the Easter Island Statues
Nearly 1,000 statues were carved to honour ancestors; all had been toppled by the mid-1800s, and some have since been re-erected as a World Heritage Site.
Middle Ages
Catalan Atlas (1375): Mansa Musa on a Medieval European Map
The atlas became one of the most important medieval world maps, giving Europeans a vivid image of West African gold and of Asia.