Modern Era
Assassination of Alexander II (1881): The Tsar Liberator Killed
Alexander II died of his wounds the same afternoon; the conspirators were hanged and his son Alexander III began a long period of reaction.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Battle of Yamen (1279): The Last Stand of the Song Dynasty
Decisive Yuan victory; the last Song emperor died and the Song dynasty came to an end.
Middle Ages
Children's Crusade (1212): The History Behind the Legend
Neither movement reached the Holy Land; the marchers dispersed, returned home or settled in Italy, and later writers turned the episode into a tale of children sold into slavery.
Middle Ages
Grote Mandrenke (1362): The Great Drowning of the North Sea
A storm surge broke the dikes along much of the North Sea coast, killing an estimated 25,000 or more people, drowning the trading town of Rungholt and reshaping the Wadden Sea coastline.
Middle Ages
St Brice's Day Massacre (1002): Æthelred Orders Danes Killed
An unknown number of Danes in English towns were killed; Danish raids intensified and Sweyn Forkbeard conquered England in 1013.
Early Modern
Raid on the Medway (1667): Dutch Fleet Humiliates England
Dutch victory: several of England's largest warships were burned and the flagship Royal Charles captured, hastening the Treaty of Breda that ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War.
Early Modern
James Cook's First Voyage (1768-1771) on HMS Endeavour
Cook observed the 1769 transit of Venus, charted both main islands of New Zealand and the east coast of Australia, and claimed that coast for Britain.
Contemporary
COVID-19 Pandemic: Origins, Lockdowns, Vaccines and Legacy
More than 7 million deaths were officially reported and excess-mortality estimates are far higher; mass vaccination from December 2020 reduced severe illness, and WHO ended the global emergency on 5 May 2023.
Contemporary
Hong Kong Handover 1997: British Rule Ends after 156 Years
Sovereignty over Hong Kong passed from the United Kingdom to the People's Republic of China, which made it a Special Administrative Region under 'one country, two systems'.
Contemporary
Reykjavik Summit (1986): Reagan and Gorbachev Near Disarmament
The summit ended without an agreement because of disagreement over the Strategic Defense Initiative, but its proposals paved the way for the INF Treaty of 1987 and later strategic arms cuts.
Ancient World
Fishbourne Roman Palace: Britain's Grandest Roman Villa
A Mediterranean-style palace with mosaics and a formal garden was built in southern Britain; its excavation transformed views of early Roman Britain.
Ancient World
Battle of the Hydaspes (326 BC): Alexander Against King Porus
Macedonian victory; Porus was captured but kept his kingdom as Alexander's ally.