Ancient World
Battle of the Granicus (334 BC): Alexander's First Asian Victory
Macedonian victory; the Persian satraps' army was destroyed and western Asia Minor lay open to Alexander.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Ancient World
Rosetta Stone: The Decree of 196 BC That Unlocked Hieroglyphs
The bilingual decree gave scholars the key to Egyptian hieroglyphs, deciphered by Champollion in 1822.
Ancient World
Siege of Dura-Europos (256): Sasanian Assault on a Roman Town
The Sasanians captured Dura-Europos and the town was abandoned, but the Roman defensive works preserved many of its buildings under earth.
Modern Era
Operation Mincemeat (1943): The Corpse That Deceived Hitler
German commanders accepted the false documents and strengthened Greece and Sardinia, helping the Allied landing in Sicily in July 1943.
Modern Era
Weimar Hyperinflation (1923): When German Money Became Worthless
The paper mark collapsed completely; the Rentenmark introduced in November 1923 stabilised the currency, followed by the Reichsmark in 1924.
Modern Era
Younghusband Expedition (1903-1904): Britain's Invasion of Tibet
British forces reached Lhasa and imposed the Anglo-Tibetan Convention of 1904, but Britain soon withdrew and later recognised Chinese suzerainty over Tibet.
Modern Era
Cristero War (1926-1929): Mexico's Church-State Conflict
The 1929 arrangements restored public Catholic worship without changing the constitution; the rebels disbanded under an amnesty.
Modern Era
Rutherford's Atomic Nucleus (1911): The Gold Foil Experiment
Rutherford concluded that an atom's positive charge and almost all of its mass are concentrated in a tiny central nucleus, replacing the 'plum pudding' model.
Modern Era
Neuschwanstein Castle: Ludwig II's Fairy-Tale Fortress
A romantic castle left unfinished at Ludwig's death in 1886, opened to the public weeks later and now one of Europe's most visited monuments.
Middle Ages
Toluid Civil War (1260-1264): Kublai Khan Versus Ariq Böke
Kublai won and Ariq Böke surrendered in 1264, but the Mongol Empire split into rival khanates that never again acted as one.
Middle Ages
Saladin's Capture of Jerusalem (1187): The City Surrenders
Jerusalem surrendered to Saladin on 2 October 1187 on ransom terms, ending 88 years of crusader rule over the city.
Middle Ages
Battle of Poitiers (1356): The Black Prince Captures a King
Decisive Anglo-Gascon victory; King John II was captured and France fell into political crisis.