Early Modern
Reign of Terror (1793-1794): Robespierre and the Guillotine
Around 17,000 people were officially sentenced to death and many more died in prison or summary killings before the Terror ended with Robespierre's fall.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
The Federalist Papers (1787–1788): Hamilton, Madison and Jay
The essays helped make the case for ratification and became the most influential commentary on the US Constitution.
Early Modern
Vasa Warship (1628): Sweden's Great Ship Sinks on Maiden Voyage
The Vasa capsized and sank after sailing about 1,300 metres, killing an estimated 30 people; she was raised almost intact in 1961 and is now a museum ship.
Early Modern
English East India Company Founded (1600) and Its First Voyage
London merchants received a 15-year royal monopoly of English trade east of the Cape of Good Hope, and the first voyage returned in 1603 with a large cargo of pepper.
Contemporary
Rana Plaza Collapse (2013): Bangladesh's Garment Factory Disaster
The collapse killed 1,134 people and injured about 2,500, leading to the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and new scrutiny of global clothing supply chains.
Contemporary
Gulf War 1990-1991: Kuwait Invaded and Operation Desert Storm
A US-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait and restored its government, but Saddam Hussein remained in power in Baghdad.
Contemporary
Operation Cyclone: The CIA's Arming of the Afghan Mujahideen
The covert programme supplied billions of dollars in weapons and money to the Afghan resistance, raising the cost of the Soviet war until Moscow withdrew in 1989.
Ancient World
Disaster of Yongjia (311): The Sack of Luoyang by the Xiongnu
Han-Zhao forces sacked Luoyang and captured Emperor Huai, wrecking the Western Jin and driving many northern Chinese families south of the Yangtze.
Ancient World
Portus: The Harbour of Imperial Rome Built by Claudius and Trajan
Portus became the main port of imperial Rome for some four centuries, handling the grain and goods that fed the capital.
Ancient World
Alexander the Great (356-323 BC): Conquests of Macedon's King
Alexander conquered the Achaemenid Persian Empire and reached the Indus, but his empire split among his generals after his death in 323 BC.
Ancient World
Lighthouse of Alexandria: The Pharos, a Wonder of the World
The tower guided ships into Alexandria for some 1,500 years before earthquakes ruined it; its name became the word for lighthouse in many languages.
Ancient World
Battle of Carrhae (53 BC): Parthia Destroys Crassus's Army
Decisive Parthian victory; Crassus was killed, most of his army destroyed or captured, and Rome's eastward expansion was halted at the Euphrates.