Early Modern
Great Siege of Malta (1565): The Knights Against Suleiman
The Knights Hospitaller and Maltese defenders held out until a Spanish relief force arrived, and the Ottoman expedition withdrew.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Boyle's Law (1662): Robert Boyle, the Air Pump and Gas Pressure
Boyle published the inverse relation between the pressure and volume of a trapped body of air, later known as Boyle's law.
Early Modern
John Calvin's Geneva (1541): The Reformed Church Takes Shape
Geneva became the model Reformed church and a training centre for Protestant ministers across Europe.
Early Modern
Magellan-Elcano Expedition (1519-1522): First Circumnavigation
The ship Victoria returned to Spain with 18 of the roughly 270 men who set out, completing the first circumnavigation of the Earth.
Contemporary
Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (1985): France Bombs Greenpeace
The ship was sunk and one crew member killed; France eventually admitted responsibility, its defence minister resigned and it paid compensation to New Zealand and Greenpeace.
Contemporary
Schengen Agreement (1985): How Europe Abolished Border Checks
Five states agreed to phase out checks at their shared borders, laying the foundation of today's Schengen Area of 29 countries.
Contemporary
1964 Tokyo Olympics: Japan's Post-War Return to the World
Japan staged the first Olympic Games in Asia and used them to showcase its post-war recovery and new infrastructure.
Contemporary
Eradication of Smallpox (1967–1980): How a Disease Was Ended
Smallpox became the first human disease to be eradicated; the World Health Assembly declared the world free of it on 8 May 1980.
Contemporary
Suez Crisis 1956: Nasser, the Canal and the End of Empire
Military success for the invaders turned into political defeat; under US, Soviet and UN pressure Britain and France withdrew and Egypt kept the canal.
Contemporary
Death of Joseph Stalin (1953): The Power Struggle That Followed
Stalin died of a stroke; a collective leadership replaced him, Beria was arrested and executed, and Khrushchev emerged as the dominant leader.
Ancient World
Kingdom of Urartu and the Founding of Erebuni (782 BC)
Argishti I built the fortress of Erebuni, which secured Urartian rule north of Mount Ararat and gave its name to the later city of Yerevan.
Ancient World
Monte Albán: Founding of the Zapotec Capital of Oaxaca
A new hilltop capital united the Valley of Oaxaca and became the centre of Zapotec civilisation for more than a thousand years.