Prehistory
Doushantuo Formation: China's 600-Million-Year-Old Fossil Embryos
Phosphatised microfossils revealed cell-level detail from the Ediacaran Period, fuelling a debate over whether they include the oldest known animal embryos.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Modern Era
Haiyuan Earthquake (1920): China's Great Ningxia Earthquake
One of the deadliest earthquakes in recorded history; an estimated 200,000 to 270,000 people died and whole villages were buried by landslides.
Modern Era
Lend-Lease Act (1941): America Becomes the Arsenal of Democracy
The United States supplied about $50 billion of war material to Allied nations, becoming the main arsenal of the anti-Axis coalition.
Modern Era
Murder of Rasputin (1916): The Death of the Tsarina's Favourite
Rasputin was killed, but his death did not save the monarchy, which fell ten weeks later.
Modern Era
Third Battle of Nanking (1864): The Fall of the Taiping Capital
Qing forces captured Nanjing on 19 July 1864, destroying the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom as a state; much of the city's population was killed and the city was plundered.
Modern Era
Mexican-American War (1846-1848): War for the American West
US victory; under the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexico ceded California and most of the Southwest and accepted the Rio Grande border.
Modern Era
On the Origin of Species (1859): Darwin's Theory of Evolution
Darwin's book convinced most scientists within two decades that species evolve, and made natural selection the central idea of modern biology.
Modern Era
Congress of Vienna (1814–1815): Redrawing the Map of Europe
The Final Act of 9 June 1815 redrew the map of Europe and created a balance of power and a system of great-power cooperation that lasted for decades.
Middle Ages
Cahokia: The Great Mississippian City by the Mississippi
Cahokia grew into a city of perhaps 10,000 to 20,000 people, spread Mississippian culture across the Midwest and South, and was largely abandoned by about 1350.
Middle Ages
Kouroukan Fouga (1236): The Manden Charter of the Mali Empire
According to oral tradition, the assembly organised the new Mali Empire into clans and roles and set rules for society; its memory became a UNESCO-recognised heritage in 2009.
Middle Ages
Ken Arok and the Founding of the Singhasari Kingdom in Java
Ken Arok defeated Kediri at Ganter in 1222 and founded the Rajasa dynasty, which ruled Singhasari and later Majapahit.
Middle Ages
Nestorian Stele (781): Early Christianity in Tang China
The stele preserved the main record of Christianity in Tang China and, after its rediscovery in the 1620s, became famous worldwide.