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Important Events

Here we feature some of the most seminal, historical, and influential events throughout history – both celebrated and unheralded – from the emergence of powerful civilizations and empires, to famous battles, great achievements, and events that have helped shape the world we currently know.

Ancient Mariners: Transoceanic Voyages Before the Europeans

Ancient Mariners: Transoceanic Voyages Before the Europeans

The idea that humans have been completing transoceanic voyages - traveling the earth via our oceans - before Europeans set sail is, in many people's eyes, an accepted conclusion. Yet it is still...
'Battle of Alexander versus Darius’ (1644-1650) by Pietro da Cortona. Darius III was Alexander the Great’s adversary at the Battle of Gaugamela. Source: Public Domain

Battle of Gaugamela: Alexander the Great Thrashes the Achaemenids

No name in world history rings more familiar than that of Alexander the Great. A man that managed extraordinary feats, conquering huge swaths of the world and placing his banner in many a kingdom and...
Big Bang and the hands of God representation.  Source: rolffimages / Adobe Stock

The Bible’s Big Bang, Creation of the Universe

The most profound mystery of mankind is the origin of the universe. In juxtaposition, its origin is also the most profound event known to man. Since about 1200 BC the Bible has declared in its first...
Man on fire showing representation of one of the victims at the Ball of the Burning Men (‘Bal des Ardents’)     Source: Daniele Depascale / Adobe stock

Ball of the Burning Men: Temperatures Rose at Hot Royal Party

The world of medieval aristocracy was always plagued by extravagance, power, and eccentricity. Where there was an abundance of power and wealth, the great leaders and kings of the world descended...
Street art illustrating what the Spanish conquistadores did to the Inca during their conquest and the Battle of Cajamarca. Source: shantihesse / Adobe Stock.

The Battle of Cajamarca – The Conquest of the Spanish and the End of the Inca Empire

The Battle of Cajamarca was a battle fought between the Spanish and Inca in 1532. The battle, which is sometimes considered to be an ambush or a skirmish, saw a small band of Spaniards led by the...
The Battle of Zama. Source: Art Institute of Chicago / Public domain

When Hannibal Met His Nemesis: The Battle of Zama

The Battle of Zama was a decisive battle of the Second Punic War (also known as the Hannibalic War, or the War Against Hannibal), which was fought between Rome and Carthage. The battle was won by the...
The Age of Discovery was a time when European explorers journeyed across the world. Source: oleskalashnik/Adobe Stock

The Age of Discovery: A New World Dawns

The Age of Discovery (also known as the Age of Exploration) refers to an exciting era in European history when a number of extensive overseas voyages took place. This period lasted roughly from the...
Representation of the Albigensian Crusades against the Cathars. Source: Yelkrokoyade / Public Domain.

The Fall of Spirituality: The Blood-Soaked History of the Cathars

The history of Christianity has always been filled with struggle. When the Middle Ages brought a rise in devoted, unique Christian teachings, the Church responded by declaring them heretics. And the...
Medieval crusader

The Crusades Beyond the Battlefield

The Crusades were a series of holy wars between the Christians of Western Europe and the Muslims of the Middle East. Traditionally, there were nine major Crusades, which took place between the 11th...
Depiction of the Captivity of Judah.   Source: The Providence Lithograph Company / Public domain

The End of Ancient Judaism: The Captivity

The twelve tribes of ancient Judaism were united into a single kingdom under the reigns of Saul, David, and Solomon. The destruction of this kingdom and the forced exile of its population is known as...
The Roman Empire’s Crisis of the Third Century. Source: Luis Louro / Adobe Stock.

The Roman Empire’s Crisis of the Third Century

The history of the Roman Republic , and subsequently, the Roman Empire, is vast and rich, full of intrigues, conflicts, and incredible conquests. But no empire is without weaknesses, and history is...
The Black Death was spread across Europe by rats. Source: rawinfoto / Adobe Stock.

Culling the World: The Catastrophic Conquests of the Black Death

Medieval history is seldom kind. The decades and centuries slumbered onwards, each one bringing its own share of wars, crime , poverty...and disease. Happiness and prosperity were rare and almost...
A woman in a forest holding holly. Credit: LoloStock / Adobe Stock

Decking the Halls of History: The Pagan Origins of Christmas Decorations

The idea of hanging up decorations in the middle of winter is older than Christmas itself. Decorations are mentioned in ancient descriptions of the Roman feast of Saturnalia , which is thought to...
The Renaissance: The ‘Rebirth’ That Changed the World

The Renaissance: The ‘Rebirth’ That Changed the World

The Renaissance refers to the period in European history between the 14 th and 17 th centuries. As a historical era, the Renaissance was preceded by the Middle Ages, and succeeded by the early modern...
A depiction of Ahmose fighting back the Hyksos from Egypt.  Source: Public domain

Did the Hyksos Pull Off a Peaceful Invasion of Egypt?

The Hyksos were a dynasty of kings who ruled over the northern part of Egypt during the 2 nd millennium BC. They were not native Egyptians, but came from the East, most likely Western Asia...
The spread of the Ostrogothic Kindom, The Goths at the Battle of Mons Lactarius.

Ostrogothic Kingdom – The Rise and Fall of the Eastern Goths

The early medieval and early AD history of Europe saw many emerging nations, and plenty of migrations as well. Tribes were restless, axes sharpened, and old kingdoms were growing weak. And in such...
St Augustine of Canterbury preaches to Aethelberht of Kent during Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England 	Photo source: James William Edmund Doyle / Public domain

How Anglo-Saxon England Made the Radical Change to Christianity

The Christianization of Anglo-Saxon England began towards the end of the 6 th century AD, and by the end of the succeeding century, all the kings of Anglo-Saxon England were Christian, at least...
The Battle of the Boyne (Ireland) between James II and William III, July 12, 1690. Source: Scolaire / Public Domain.

The Battle of the Boyne – A Jacobite Flame Turned to Embers

In the near modern history of Ireland and Scotland , the Jacobite risings played a very important role. In a never-ending struggle for wealth and power, noble monarchs pitted the poor folk of these...
he Earth endured a cataclysm that caused a mass extinction of many large mammals. Source: James Thew / Adobe Stock.

Cataclysm, Mass Extinctions, and the Consequent Myths

According to geologists, in the interval from 10,000 to 8,000 BC, some 35 to 45 species of large mammals became extinct. This is called a mass extinction . Mass extinctions can be defined as species...
Greek troops rushing forward at the Battle of Marathon. Source: पाटलिपुत्र / Public Domain.

The Battle That Inspired The Marathon

The Battle of Marathon was a pivotal battle in the Graeco-Persian Wars. This battle took place in August or September 490 BC. During the battle, the Athenians and their Plataean allies successfully...
Elizabeth Brownrigg and her family abused their child servants. Source: JPRFphotos / Adobe Stock.

Elizabeth Brownrigg: Child Abuse and Murder in the 18th Century

On the morning of Monday, September 14th, 1767, in the Tyburn Gallows , a 47 year-old Elizabeth Brownrigg stood in a cart awaiting her execution by a noose. So great was the uproar from angry crowds...
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako at the emperor's ceremony of enthronement to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

A New Japanese Emperor Takes To The Chrysanthemum Throne

The Chrysanthemum Throne is the throne of the Emperor of Japan and a metonym referring to the Japanese monarchy itself. The Japanese imperial family has recently been in the news, due to the...

The Myth of National Socialism: How the Nazis Distorted the Nordic Past

National Socialism is one of the most unusual and documented regressus ad uterum historical events in modern times. It’s a unique case in history when a modern political party returned to its...
Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix (1830), celebrates the French Revolution (Louvre Museum).    Source: Public Domain

The French Revolution and Birth of Liberty, Equality and Fraternity

The French Revolution is often considered to be one of the most significant events not only in the history of France and Europe, but also in the world. This revolution is known also as the Revolution...

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