Modern Era
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945): The Marines and Mount Suribachi
US victory after five weeks of fighting; almost the entire Japanese garrison was killed, and the island's airfields were used by American aircraft for the rest of the war.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Modern Era
Kristallnacht (1938): The Night of Broken Glass in Nazi Germany
Synagogues, Jewish homes and businesses were destroyed, at least 91 Jews were killed and about 30,000 Jewish men were sent to concentration camps; persecution sharply escalated.
Middle Ages
Gyeongbokgung Palace (1395): Seoul's First Joseon Royal Palace
Joseon's new capital gained its principal palace, which served as the seat of government until 1592 and was rebuilt in the 1860s.
Middle Ages
Ibn Khaldun's Muqaddimah (1377): A New Science of History
Ibn Khaldun produced a theoretical introduction to history that analysed society, politics and economics, now regarded as a founding work of social science.
Middle Ages
Joan of Arc: The Maid of Orléans, Her Trial and Her Legacy
Joan helped relieve Orléans and crown Charles VII, was executed for relapsed heresy in 1431, rehabilitated in 1456 and canonised in 1920.
Ancient World
Catacombs of Rome: Early Christian Burials Beneath the City
Christian and Jewish communities created dozens of underground cemeteries whose tombs, inscriptions and paintings are a major source for early Christianity.
Ancient World
Venus de Milo (c. 150 BC): The Hellenistic Aphrodite of Melos
The statue was bought by France, presented to Louis XVIII and placed in the Louvre in 1821, where it became one of the most famous ancient sculptures.
Modern Era
Yalta Conference (1945): Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin
The Allies agreed on zones of occupation for Germany, a new frontier and government formula for Poland, the voting rules of the United Nations and Soviet entry into the war against Japan.
Modern Era
Nanjing Massacre (1937): Japanese Atrocities in China's Capital
Japanese troops killed tens of thousands to over 200,000 prisoners and civilians and committed mass rape; the event became a defining symbol of the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Middle Ages
Joseon Dynasty Founded (1392): Yi Seong-gye Remakes Korea
The Goryeo dynasty ended and Yi Seong-gye became the first king of Joseon, which ruled Korea until 1897 and lasted as a state until 1910.
Middle Ages
Janissaries: Origins of the Ottoman Elite Infantry (c. 1363)
The Ottomans gained Europe's first permanent, salaried standing infantry, which became the core of their armies for over four centuries.
Middle Ages
Siege of Orléans (1428-1429): The Turning Point for France
French victory; the English lifted the siege on 8 May 1429, opening the way to Charles VII's coronation at Reims.