Modern Era
Peshtigo Fire (1871): The Deadliest Wildfire in US History
A firestorm burned about 1.2 million acres and destroyed Peshtigo and other settlements; it remains the deadliest wildfire in US history.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Modern Era
The Blitz (1940–1941): German Bombing of British Cities
Around 43,000 British civilians were killed and over a million homes damaged, but Britain's war production and will to fight were not broken.
Modern Era
Sinking of the Lusitania (1915): U-Boat Attack Off Ireland
The liner sank in about 18 minutes with the loss of 1,198 lives, including 128 Americans, provoking a major crisis between the United States and Germany.
Modern Era
First Opium War (1839-1842): Britain, China and the Opium Trade
British victory; the Treaty of Nanking ceded Hong Kong, opened five treaty ports and began the era of unequal treaties.
Modern Era
San Martin's Crossing of the Andes (1817) and Chacabuco
The Army of the Andes crossed the cordillera, defeated the royalists at Chacabuco on 12 February 1817 and took Santiago, restoring Chilean self-rule.
Modern Era
McCormick Reaper (1831): Mechanising the American Grain Harvest
The horse-drawn reaper cut grain many times faster than hand tools and, after a slow start, became the basis of a large farm-machinery business centred on Chicago.
Modern Era
Battle of Jena-Auerstedt (1806): Prussia's Sudden Collapse
Decisive French victories; the Prussian army disintegrated and Napoleon entered Berlin on 27 October 1806.
Middle Ages
Yaxchilan Lintels: Lady Xoc and the Maya Bloodletting Rite
Three stone lintels created one of the finest and most revealing images of Classic Maya royal ritual and of the public role of a royal woman.
Middle Ages
Queen Gudit and the Decline of Aksum (c. 960): Legend and History
A hostile queen devastated the Christian kingdom in the late 10th century, hastening the long decline of the Aksumite state.
Middle Ages
Brihadisvara Temple: Rajaraja Chola I's Great Temple at Thanjavur
Rajaraja I completed the largest temple in India of its time, a symbol of Chola imperial power that is still in worship and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Middle Ages
Xuanzang's Journey to India (629–645): The Pilgrim Monk
Xuanzang returned with 657 Buddhist texts, translated a large share of them into Chinese and wrote a detailed record of the lands he crossed.
Middle Ages
Battle of Nahavand (642): The Last Stand of Sasanian Persia
Decisive Arab Muslim victory; organised Sasanian military resistance collapsed and the Iranian plateau lay open to conquest.