Early Modern
Partitions of Poland (1772-1795): A Country Erased from the Map
The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was divided completely among Russia, Prussia and Austria and ceased to exist as a state until 1918.
All Articles
Every Chronicle article on world history, newest first: battles, empires, disasters, discoveries and revolutions.
Early Modern
Battle of Quebec (1775): Failed American Invasion of Canada
British victory: Montgomery was killed, about 400 Americans were captured and the American attempt to take Canada began to collapse.
Early Modern
Qing Expedition to Tibet (1720): The Qing Take Lhasa
Dzungar forces withdrew from Tibet, the Seventh Dalai Lama was enthroned in Lhasa, and a Qing garrison and protectorate were established.
Early Modern
Battle of Zenta (1697): Prince Eugene Crushes the Ottomans
Decisive Habsburg victory; the Ottoman field army was destroyed and the sultan agreed to peace talks that produced the Treaty of Karlowitz.
Early Modern
Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments (1764): Against Torture
The treatise became a European bestseller and inspired reforms that limited torture and the death penalty, including Tuscany's abolition of capital punishment in 1786.
Early Modern
Assassination of Henry III of France (1589) by Jacques Clément
Henry III died on 2 August 1589; the Valois dynasty ended and the Protestant Henry of Navarre claimed the throne as Henry IV.
Early Modern
New Laws of 1542: Las Casas and Indigenous Rights in the Indies
Indigenous slavery was banned and new encomiendas forbidden, but colonial resistance and a revolt in Peru forced the Crown to withdraw key clauses in 1545.
Contemporary
Black Saturday Bushfires (2009): Victoria's Deadliest Fire Day
173 people were killed and more than 2,000 homes destroyed, Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster; fire warnings and the 'stay or go' policy were overhauled.
Contemporary
Treaty of Lisbon (2007): Reforming the European Union
The EU's founding treaties were amended, creating a permanent President of the European Council, a stronger foreign policy chief and a binding Charter of Fundamental Rights; the treaty entered into force on 1 December 2009.
Contemporary
Battle of the Sexes (1973): Billie Jean King vs Bobby Riggs
King won 6–4, 6–3, 6–3, a widely watched victory that boosted women's professional tennis and the wider campaign for equality in sport.
Contemporary
Dolly the Sheep (1996): First Mammal Cloned From an Adult Cell
Dolly proved that a specialised adult cell could be reprogrammed to produce a whole new animal, transforming developmental biology and prompting worldwide laws on human cloning.
Contemporary
Angolan Civil War 1975-2002: MPLA, UNITA and Foreign Armies
The MPLA government won; the war ended after UNITA leader Jonas Savimbi was killed and a ceasefire was signed on 4 April 2002.