Early Modern
Fall of Tenochtitlan (1521): Siege of the Aztec Capital
Spanish and Indigenous allied victory; the Mexica capital was destroyed, Cuauhtémoc was captured and Mexico City was built on the ruins.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Contemporary
Hurricane Andrew (1992): The Storm That Flattened South Florida
Andrew killed 65 people directly and indirectly, caused about $26.5 billion in US damage and led to stronger building codes and a restructured Florida insurance market.
Contemporary
Pan-European Picnic (1989): The Border Opening at Sopron
Several hundred East Germans crossed into Austria; within weeks Hungary opened its border to all East Germans.
Contemporary
Loving v. Virginia (1967): Ending Interracial Marriage Bans
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that laws banning interracial marriage violated the Fourteenth Amendment, ending such bans in all US states.
Contemporary
Salyut 1 (1971): The First Space Station and Soyuz 11
The first crew lived aboard a space station for 23 days, but all three cosmonauts died when their Soyuz 11 capsule depressurised during the return to Earth.
Contemporary
Congo Crisis 1960-1965: Independence, Secession and Lumumba
The Katanga secession was ended by UN forces in 1963, but the crisis left the country divided and ended with Mobutu seizing power in November 1965.
Contemporary
Hungarian Revolution of 1956: Uprising Against Soviet Rule
The revolution was crushed by Soviet forces; about 200,000 Hungarians fled abroad and Imre Nagy was executed in 1958.
Ancient World
Return from Exile: Cyrus's Decree and the Second Temple
Judeans were allowed to return to Jerusalem, the Temple was rebuilt by about 515 BC and Judah survived as a self-governing Persian province.
Ancient World
Djenné-Djenno: West Africa's Oldest Known City on the Niger
An indigenous town grew into a large trading centre long before Arab merchants crossed the Sahara, overturning older ideas about the origins of West African cities.
Ancient World
Lingqu Canal (214 BC): Linking China's Great River Systems
The canal let Qin move supplies south, enabling the conquest of Lingnan and the creation of three new commanderies in 214 BC.
Ancient World
Sangam Age: Tamil Kingdoms and Poetry of Ancient South India
Three Tamil dynasties and many chieftains ruled the far south, leaving a large body of classical Tamil poetry and evidence of busy trade with the Roman world.
Ancient World
Battle of Cynoscephalae (197 BC): Legion Against Phalanx
Decisive Roman victory; Philip V accepted peace, gave up his Greek possessions and paid an indemnity.