Early Modern
Mesmer Royal Commission (1784): Franklin Tests Mesmerism
The commission found no evidence for a magnetic fluid and attributed the patients' reactions to imagination, discrediting animal magnetism as science.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Assassination of Henry IV of France (1610) by Ravaillac
Henry IV died within minutes; his eight-year-old son became Louis XIII, with Marie de' Medici as regent.
Early Modern
Mercator Projection (1569): Gerardus Mercator's World Map
Mercator published an 18-sheet world map on a new conformal projection that showed lines of constant compass bearing as straight lines; it became the standard for nautical charts and later for web maps.
Contemporary
Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami (2011): Japan's Great Disaster
About 15,900 people were confirmed dead and some 2,500 remain missing; hundreds of kilometres of coast were devastated and the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident followed.
Contemporary
Live Aid (1985): The Global Concert for Ethiopian Famine Relief
The concerts and the wider Band Aid campaign raised well over 100 million pounds for famine relief and changed how celebrities and the public engaged with humanitarian causes.
Contemporary
Rosetta and Philae (2014): First Landing on a Comet
Philae became the first spacecraft to land on a comet, though it bounced into a shaded crevice, while the Rosetta orbiter studied the comet for more than two years.
Contemporary
Sabra and Shatila Massacre 1982: Killings in Beirut's Camps
Phalangist militiamen killed between several hundred and several thousand civilians; Israel's Kahan Commission found Defence Minister Ariel Sharon personally responsible for ignoring the danger, and he left the defence ministry.
Contemporary
Nixon's Visit to China (1972): The Week That Changed the World
The United States and the People's Republic of China opened direct relations, set out their positions in the Shanghai Communiqué and moved towards full diplomatic recognition in 1979.
Ancient World
Battle of Adrianople (378): Goths Defeat Emperor Valens
Decisive Gothic victory; Emperor Valens and roughly two-thirds of the eastern Roman field army were killed.
Ancient World
Dong Zhuo Seizes Luoyang (189): The Han Court Falls to a Warlord
Dong Zhuo controlled the Han emperor until his murder in 192; his coup broke central authority and opened the era of warlords that led to the Three Kingdoms.
Ancient World
Battle of Actium (31 BC): Octavian Defeats Antony and Cleopatra
Decisive victory for Octavian; Antony and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, their army surrendered and Egypt was annexed by Rome in 30 BC.
Ancient World
King's Peace (387 BC): Persia Dictates Terms to the Greeks
The Corinthian War ended; the Greek cities of Asia Minor passed to Persia and Sparta became the enforcer of the peace in Greece.