Early Modern
Articles of Confederation (1777): America's First Constitution
The United States' first written framework of government, in force from 1781 until it was replaced by the US Constitution in 1789.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Fall of Ayutthaya (1767): Burma Destroys Siam's Capital
Ayutthaya was sacked and abandoned and its kingdom collapsed, but Taksin expelled the Burmese garrison within months and refounded Siam at Thonburi.
Early Modern
Patrona Halil Revolt (1730): The End of the Tulip Period
Grand Vizier İbrahim Pasha was executed, Ahmed III abdicated in favour of Mahmud I, and Patrona Halil was himself killed in November 1730.
Early Modern
William Herschel Discovers Uranus (1781): A New Planet Found
Uranus was recognised as the seventh planet, the first discovered with a telescope, roughly doubling the known size of the Solar System.
Early Modern
Flight of the Earls (1607): Ulster's Gaelic Lords Leave Ireland
The earls never returned; their lands were declared forfeit to the crown, leading directly to the Plantation of Ulster.
Early Modern
Lope de Aguirre and the Marañón Expedition (1560–1561)
The expedition collapsed into mutiny and murder; Aguirre's rebellion ended when he was killed by royal forces at Barquisimeto in October 1561.
Contemporary
2010 Chile Earthquake: The Maule Quake and Its Coastal Tsunami
About 525 people died, many in the tsunami; damage reached about 30 billion US dollars, but modern buildings largely withstood the shaking.
Contemporary
Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo (1977): Argentina's Disappeared
The mothers' weekly vigils drew world attention to the junta's disappearances; three founders were themselves abducted and killed in December 1977.
Contemporary
Curiosity Rover (2012): Sky Crane Landing on Mars
Curiosity landed safely and found that an ancient lake in Gale Crater once offered conditions suitable for microbial life.
Contemporary
Iran-Iraq War 1980-1988: Saddam Hussein's War against Iran
A UN-brokered ceasefire under Resolution 598 ended the war with no territorial change, after an estimated half a million or more deaths.
Contemporary
Battle of Hamburger Hill (1969): The Assault on Ap Bia Mountain
US and South Vietnamese troops took the hill on 20 May 1969 at heavy cost, then abandoned it in early June, fuelling criticism of the war in the United States.
Ancient World
Nydam Boat: Iron Age Ship from a Danish Bog Offering (c. 320)
The oldest known large clinker-built rowing ship of northern Europe, preserved in a bog as part of a war-booty offering.