Middle Ages
Battle of Brunanburh (937): Athelstan's Great Victory
Decisive English victory; the alliance of Dublin, the Scots and Strathclyde was broken and Athelstan's kingdom survived.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Middle Ages
Siege of Belgrade (1456): John Hunyadi Halts Mehmed II
Hungarian and crusader victory; Mehmed II lifted the siege, and Belgrade remained in Hungarian hands until 1521.
Early Modern
War in the Vendée (1793-1796): Royalist Revolt in Western France
The revolt was crushed with great loss of life; estimates of the dead run to well over 100,000, and the war left a lasting divide in French memory.
Early Modern
US Bill of Rights (1789): The First Ten Amendments Explained
Ten amendments protecting individual rights and limiting federal power were added to the US Constitution in December 1791.
Early Modern
Battle of Breitenfeld (1631): Gustavus Adolphus Defeats Tilly
Decisive Swedish-Saxon victory; Tilly's army was destroyed and Sweden became the leading Protestant power in Germany.
Early Modern
Henry Hudson's Last Voyage and Mutiny in Hudson Bay (1610-1611)
Hudson, his son and seven men were cast adrift in June 1611 and never seen again; eight survivors brought the Discovery back to England.
Contemporary
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (2014): Aviation's Greatest Mystery
The Boeing 777 is believed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean; despite the largest search in aviation history and debris found in Africa, the main wreckage and the cause remain unknown.
Contemporary
Sierra Leone Civil War 1991-2002: The RUF and Blood Diamonds
The war ended in 2002 after UN peacekeeping, British military intervention and disarmament; a UN-backed Special Court later convicted rebel leaders and Charles Taylor.
Contemporary
Vietnam Veterans Memorial: Maya Lin's Wall in Washington, D.C.
The memorial was dedicated in 1982 and became one of the most visited and influential memorials in the United States.
Ancient World
Mogao Caves at Dunhuang: Buddhist Art on the Silk Road
A small hermit's cave grew into nearly 500 decorated cave temples, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the richest stores of Buddhist art in the world.
Ancient World
Boudica's Revolt (AD 60-61): The Iceni Queen Against Rome
The revolt destroyed three Roman towns but was crushed by Suetonius Paulinus; Boudica died soon afterwards and Roman rule in Britain was restored and reformed.
Ancient World
Aristotle and the Lyceum (335 BC): Founding Western Science
Aristotle's school became a centre of research and teaching whose writings shaped philosophy and science for some 2,000 years.