Modern Era
Battle of Carabobo (1821): Simón Bolívar Frees Venezuela
Decisive patriot victory; the royalist army in Venezuela was broken and Caracas was liberated days later.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Modern Era
Vulcanized Rubber (1839): Charles Goodyear's Accidental Discovery
Vulcanization turned natural rubber into a durable material that stayed elastic in heat and cold, founding the modern rubber industry.
Modern Era
Peninsular War (1808-1814): Wellington in Spain and Portugal
Allied victory; the French were driven out of Spain and Portugal, at enormous cost to the Iberian population.
Middle Ages
Classic Maya Collapse: Why the Southern Maya Cities Fell
Divine kingship ended in the southern lowlands, most large cities were abandoned and population fell sharply, while Maya society continued and shifted north.
Middle Ages
Kingdom of Mapungubwe: Southern Africa's First State (c. 1075)
A wealthy trading kingdom with a ruling elite on Mapungubwe Hill flourished and then declined, foreshadowing the rise of Great Zimbabwe.
Middle Ages
Mahmud of Ghazni and the Sack of Somnath Temple (1025)
Mahmud's army took Somnath, broke the temple's linga and carried off great treasure; the temple was later rebuilt several times.
Middle Ages
Taika Reform (645): Japan Remakes Itself on the Chinese Model
The Soga clan's dominance ended, and the court began a long programme of reforms that produced Japan's ritsuryō state of law codes by 701.
Middle Ages
Umayyad Caliphate (661-750): The Empire Ruled from Damascus
The dynasty built the largest empire of its time and established Arabic and Islam across it, but was overthrown by the Abbasid Revolution in 750.
Middle Ages
Kingdom of Sicily (1130): Roger II and Norman Palermo
Roger II united Sicily and southern Italy into a kingdom that lasted, under various dynasties, until the nineteenth century.
Middle Ages
Sutton Hoo Ship Burial (c. 625): Anglo-Saxon Royal Treasure
One of the richest early medieval burials found in Europe, it transformed understanding of Anglo-Saxon wealth, craftsmanship and international contacts.
Middle Ages
Byzantine Iconoclasm: The Battle Over Holy Images, 726-843
Images were restored in 843, an event celebrated by the Orthodox Church as the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
Early Modern
Stenka Razin's Rebellion (1670-1671): Cossack Revolt on the Volga
The rebellion was crushed; Razin was captured, handed to Moscow and executed in June 1671, and Astrakhan was retaken in November 1671.