Middle Ages
Battle of Tours (732): Charles Martel Halts the Umayyad Advance
Frankish victory; Abd al-Rahman was killed and the Umayyad army withdrew south, ending the largest raid north of the Pyrenees.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Baptism of Poland (966): Mieszko I and the Birth of a Nation
Mieszko I accepted Latin Christianity, bringing his Piast state into Christian Europe and laying the foundations of Poland.
Early Modern
Great Storm of 1703: The Hurricane That Struck England
An estimated 8,000-15,000 people died, most of them seamen; the Royal Navy lost 13 ships and the first Eddystone Lighthouse was destroyed.
Early Modern
William Dampier in Australia (1688 and 1699): Buccaneer Explorer
Dampier became the first Englishman known to land on and describe the Australian mainland, and his books shaped British interest in the Pacific.
Early Modern
First Great Awakening (1730s–1740s): Revival in the Colonies
The revivals divided established churches, boosted evangelical denominations, founded new colleges and encouraged a more personal, voluntary style of religion in colonial America.
Early Modern
Battle of Sarhu (1619): Nurhaci Crushes the Ming Army
Decisive Later Jin victory; three of the four Ming columns were destroyed, and the Ming lost the initiative in the north-east.
Early Modern
Battle of Lepanto (1571): The Holy League Defeats the Ottomans
Decisive tactical victory for the Holy League; most of the Ottoman fleet was captured or destroyed, but Venice still lost Cyprus.
Early Modern
Leeuwenhoek Discovers Microorganisms (1676): The Animalcules
Leeuwenhoek's letter of 9 October 1676 gave the first detailed descriptions of microorganisms, later confirmed by the Royal Society in 1677.
Early Modern
Lady Jane Grey (1553): The Nine Days' Queen of England
Mary I took the throne without a battle; Jane was imprisoned, condemned for treason and beheaded in February 1554.
Early Modern
La Noche Triste (1520): The Spanish Flight from Tenochtitlan
A Mexica victory: the Spaniards escaped the city but lost an estimated 400-600 or more Spaniards, thousands of allies and most of their treasure.
Contemporary
1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake: The World Series Quake in California
The earthquake killed 63 people, injured about 3,800 and caused an estimated $6 billion or more in damage, prompting a major seismic retrofit program for California's bridges and freeways.
Contemporary
Baltic Way (1989): The Human Chain Across Three Nations
A human chain of about two million people drew world attention to the Baltic demand for independence, which was achieved in 1990–1991.