Contemporary
Pentagon Papers (1971): The Leak That Exposed Vietnam Policy
The Supreme Court allowed publication to continue on 30 June 1971; charges against Ellsberg were dismissed in 1973 because of government misconduct.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Ancient World
Arrival of the Huns in Europe (c. 370): Collapse of the Goths
The Alans and the Gothic kingdoms north of the Black Sea collapsed, and tens of thousands of Goths sought refuge inside the Roman Empire in 376.
Ancient World
Yellow Turban Rebellion (184): The Uprising That Doomed the Han
The main revolt was crushed within a year, but the campaigns empowered regional commanders and set China on the path to the warlord era and the Three Kingdoms.
Ancient World
Battle of Philippi (42 BC): The End of Brutus and Cassius
Victory for the triumvirs; Cassius and Brutus took their own lives and the republican cause was destroyed.
Ancient World
Plato's Academy (c. 387 BC): The First School of Philosophy
The Academy became the model of a philosophical school and gave its name to academies and academic life across the world.
Ancient World
Medinet Habu: Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III at Thebes
Ramesses III built the best-preserved mortuary temple of the New Kingdom, whose reliefs are the main record of his wars against the Sea Peoples.
Ancient World
Palace of Darius at Susa: Achaemenid Royal Residence
Became one of the main royal residences of the Achaemenid Empire; its glazed-brick friezes are now among the best-known Persian artworks.
Modern Era
Battle of Gazala (1942): Rommel's Victory and the Fall of Tobruk
Decisive Axis victory; the British Eighth Army was driven back into Egypt and Tobruk surrendered with over 30,000 Allied troops.
Modern Era
Spartacist Uprising (1919): Communist Revolt in Berlin
The uprising was crushed by government troops and Freikorps; Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were murdered on 15 January 1919.
Modern Era
Benin Expedition of 1897: The Sack of Benin City and Its Bronzes
Benin City was captured and burned, the Oba was exiled, the kingdom was annexed and thousands of royal artworks were taken to Europe.
Modern Era
Execution of Emperor Maximilian (1867): End of Mexico's Empire
Maximilian and generals Miguel Miramón and Tomás Mejía were shot by a Republican firing squad, ending the Second Mexican Empire and restoring Benito Juárez's republic.
Modern Era
Lumière Brothers' First Film Screening (1895): Birth of Cinema
The first commercial projection of films to a paying audience launched cinema as a public entertainment that spread worldwide within months.