Early Modern
Columbus's Second Voyage (1493–1496): La Isabela and Colonisation
Spain founded its first planned town in the Americas at La Isabela, imposed tribute on the Taíno of Hispaniola and began permanent colonisation.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Contemporary
Minamata Disease (1956): Industrial Mercury Poisoning in Japan
Thousands were poisoned; the Japanese government recognised the cause only in 1968, and the disaster inspired the global Minamata Convention on Mercury of 2013.
Contemporary
Council of Europe (1949): Founding of Europe's Human Rights Body
Ten Western European states created an intergovernmental organisation for democracy, human rights and the rule of law, which later produced the European Convention on Human Rights.
Contemporary
Empire Windrush Arrival (1948): Caribbean Migration to Britain
The arrival of more than 800 Caribbean passengers became the symbolic start of large-scale post-war Commonwealth migration to Britain.
Contemporary
Miller-Urey Experiment (1952): Testing the Origin of Life
The experiment produced amino acids from simple gases and water, founding the laboratory study of the chemical origins of life.
Contemporary
Philippine Independence 1946: The End of American Colonial Rule
The United States relinquished sovereignty over the Philippines, which became the independent Republic of the Philippines with Manuel Roxas as president.
Contemporary
Iron Curtain Speech (1946): Churchill at Fulton, Missouri
Churchill's warning of an iron curtain across Europe was widely criticised at first but became the defining image of the Cold War division of the continent.
Ancient World
Olmec Civilization: Rise of Mesoamerica's First Great Culture
The Olmec created the first great art style, monumental centres and elite networks of Mesoamerica, influencing the Maya, Zapotec and later cultures.
Ancient World
Yinxu: The Last Capital of the Shang Dynasty at Anyang
The first archaeologically confirmed capital of a Chinese dynasty, Yinxu became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006.
Ancient World
Dholavira: Indus Water Engineering in the Rann of Kutch
Dholavira became one of the five largest Indus cities, famous for its water management, and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021.
Ancient World
Cloaca Maxima: Ancient Rome's Great Sewer and Its History
The drain made the Forum valley usable and became the trunk of Rome's sewer system; parts of it still carry water today.
Ancient World
Phaistos Disc (c. 1700 BC): The Mysterious Stamped Disc of Crete
An undeciphered text stamped with movable signs, unique in the Bronze Age world and now kept in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum.