Middle Ages
Battle of Kulikovo (1380): Dmitry Donskoy Defeats Mamai
Muscovite-led victory over Mamai's army; Mamai's power collapsed, but Moscow remained under Golden Horde overlordship after Tokhtamysh sacked the city in 1382.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Estates-General of 1789: The Assembly That Sparked a Revolution
The Third Estate broke away to form the National Assembly, ending the Estates-General as a body and opening the French Revolution.
Early Modern
Franco-American Alliance (1778): France Joins the Revolution
France recognised American independence and became a military ally, entering the war against Britain in 1778.
Early Modern
Siku Quanshu (1773): The Qianlong Emperor's Complete Library
The largest collection of Chinese writings ever compiled was copied by hand in seven sets, while thousands of works deemed offensive to the Qing were suppressed.
Early Modern
Battle of Karnal (1739) and Nader Shah's Sack of Delhi
Decisive Persian victory; Nader Shah occupied Delhi, massacred thousands of its inhabitants and carried off the Mughal treasury, including the Peacock Throne.
Early Modern
Kant's What Is Enlightenment? (1784): Dare to Know, Sapere Aude
Kant's short essay became the most famous definition of the Enlightenment and a lasting statement on freedom of thought and public reason.
Early Modern
Expulsion of the Moriscos (1609–1614): Spain's Last Muslims
Around 300,000 Moriscos were deported, mostly to North Africa; Valencia and Aragon suffered severe population and economic losses.
Early Modern
Urdaneta's Tornaviaje (1565): The Return Route across the Pacific
The San Pedro reached Acapulco after about 130 days at sea, establishing a reliable eastward route across the Pacific and enabling Spanish rule in the Philippines.
Contemporary
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011): Meltdowns in Japan
Three reactors melted down and released radioactive material; about 150,000-165,000 people were evacuated and the accident was rated INES level 7.
Contemporary
1984 Los Angeles Olympics: Soviet Boycott and Carl Lewis's Gold
A record 140 nations competed despite a Soviet-led boycott, and the privately run Games made a surplus of over $200 million, changing how Olympics were financed.
Contemporary
Higgs Boson Discovery (2012) at CERN's Large Hadron Collider
Discovery of the Higgs boson confirmed the last missing particle of the Standard Model and led to the 2013 Nobel Prize in Physics for Englert and Higgs.
Contemporary
Assassination of Anwar Sadat (1981): Death at a Cairo Parade
Sadat was killed and Vice-President Hosni Mubarak succeeded him, ruling under emergency law for almost 30 years while keeping peace with Israel.