Modern Era
Battles of Narvik (1940): The Fight for Norway's Iron Ore Port
The Royal Navy destroyed the German destroyer force and Allied troops retook Narvik on 28 May, but the Allies withdrew in early June and the town returned to German control.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Modern Era
Zeppelin Raids on Britain (1915-1918): The First Blitz
German airships killed around 550 people in Britain, but heavy losses to improved defences ended the campaign by 1918.
Modern Era
Perry Expedition (1853-1854): The Black Ships Open Japan
The Convention of Kanagawa of 31 March 1854 opened Shimoda and Hakodate to American ships and began the end of Japan's seclusion policy.
Modern Era
Monroe Doctrine (1823): America Warns Europe Off the Hemisphere
The United States declared the Americas closed to new European colonisation and intervention, a principle that became a cornerstone of US foreign policy.
Modern Era
Morse Telegraph (1844): 'What Hath God Wrought' and Morse Code
The first long-distance electric telegraph line in the United States proved the system, which spread across the country and became the basis of a worldwide network.
Modern Era
Battle of Wagram (1809): Napoleon Defeats Austria Again
French victory; Austria sought an armistice and signed the Treaty of Schonbrunn in October 1809, losing large territories.
Middle Ages
Chaco Canyon and Pueblo Bonito: Ancestral Puebloan Centre
Chaco became the centre of a regional system of great houses and roads, then declined during drought in the twelfth century as population shifted north.
Middle Ages
Great Zimbabwe: Stone City of a Medieval African Kingdom
Great Zimbabwe became the capital of a wealthy Shona-speaking state trading gold to the Indian Ocean, then declined in the 15th century as power shifted elsewhere.
Middle Ages
Ananda Temple at Bagan: King Kyansittha's Masterpiece
The Ananda became one of the most admired temples of the Pagan kingdom and a model for later Burmese temple architecture.
Middle Ages
Silla Unification of Korea (668): The Three Kingdoms End
Silla absorbed Baekje and southern Goguryeo, expelled the Tang by 676 and ruled the peninsula south of the Taedong River until 935.
Middle Ages
Dome of the Rock (691): Abd al-Malik's Shrine in Jerusalem
The Umayyads created the oldest surviving major monument of Islam, a domed shrine over the sacred rock that remains a symbol of Jerusalem.
Middle Ages
The Anarchy (1138–1153): Stephen and Matilda's Civil War
The war ended in stalemate; by the settlement of 1153 Stephen kept the crown for life and recognised Matilda's son Henry as his heir, who became Henry II in 1154.