Early Modern
Augsburg Confession (1530): The Lutheran Statement of Faith
The Lutheran estates set out their faith before the emperor; Catholic theologians rejected it and the confession became the basic creed of Lutheranism.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Columbus's Fourth Voyage (1502–1504): Shipwrecked on Jamaica
Columbus explored the Central American coast but lost all four ships and spent a year stranded on Jamaica before returning to Spain.
Contemporary
Seveso Disaster (1976): The Dioxin Cloud Over Northern Italy
A cloud containing TCDD dioxin contaminated several towns; hundreds were evacuated, thousands of animals died, and Europe adopted the Seveso Directives on industrial accident prevention.
Contemporary
Turkish Invasion of Cyprus (1974): The Island Divided
Turkish forces took control of about 36–37 per cent of the island; Cyprus has remained divided along a UN-patrolled buffer zone ever since.
Contemporary
FDA Approval of the Pill (1960): Enovid and the Contraceptive Era
Enovid became the first drug approved for contraception, and within five years millions of American women were using the pill.
Contemporary
Plate Tectonics Revolution (1960s): Seafloor Spreading Proven
Within about six years, most earth scientists accepted that Earth's outer shell is divided into moving plates, explaining earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains and ocean basins.
Contemporary
Burmese Independence 1948: Aung San and the End of British Burma
Burma became an independent republic outside the British Commonwealth, with U Nu as prime minister and Sao Shwe Thaik as president.
Contemporary
Battle of Inchon (1950): MacArthur's Amphibious Gamble in Korea
Decisive UN victory; the landing cut North Korean supply lines, led to the recapture of Seoul and reversed the course of the Korean War.
Ancient World
Yazilikaya: The Rock Sanctuary of the Hittite Gods
Yazilikaya became the most important surviving Hittite sanctuary and has been part of the Hattusa UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986.
Ancient World
Founding of Carthage: Phoenician Tyre's Colony in North Africa
Tyrian settlers founded Qart-hadasht, the 'New City', which grew into the leading Phoenician power of the western Mediterranean until its destruction by Rome in 146 BC.
Ancient World
Mozi and Mohism: Ancient China's Philosophy of Universal Love
Mohism was one of the leading schools of the Warring States period but faded after the Qin unification; its texts were rediscovered and re-evaluated from the 18th century onward.
Ancient World
Kuru Kingdom: The First State of Vedic India, c. 1200 BC
The Kurus built the first large polity of Vedic India, where the Vedic hymns were collected and the classic system of public ritual and social order took shape.