Timeline
Recent publications from the archive.
On This Day: 1974 - The British election ended in a hung parliament after the Jeremy Thorpe-led Liberal Party achie
However, a cold interrogation of the archival data and the parliamentary arithmetic suggests that the "kingmaker" label was a mathematical mirage.
On This Day: 1844 - A gun explodes on board the steam warship USS Princeton during a pleasure cruise down the Potom
The cold waters of the Potomac River carried the weight of the nation's technological aspirations on February 28, 1844.
On This Day: 1776 - The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina breaks up a Loyalist militia
By the winter of 1775, Royal Governor Josiah Martin of North Carolina was a ruler without a realm.
On This Day: 1617 - Sweden and the Tsardom of Russia sign the Treaty of Stolbovo, ending the Ingrian War and shutti
This perspective ignores the intense internal pressures facing the Swedish King, Gustavus Adolphus.
On This Day: 1995 - The UK's oldest investment banking institute, Barings Bank, collapses after a rogue securities
Quick Historical Background Founded in 1762 by Francis Baring and his brother John, Barings Bank was the oldest merchant bank in London.
On This Day: 1876 - Japan and Korea sign the Treaty of Kangwha, which grants Japanese citizens extraterritoriality
To the west, the Qing dynasty stood as the traditional suzerain, the center of a tributary system that had defined regional order for centuries.
On This Day: 1266 - Battle of Benevento: An army led by Charles, Count of Anjou, defeats a combined German and Sici
To him, this was a defense of the only home his people had found in Italy, protected by the Hohenstaufen kings who valued their bows and their loyalty.
On This Day: 1932 - Adolf Hitler, having been stateless for seven years, obtains German citizenship when he is appo
Within the Brunswick government, the decision was not without internal friction.
On This Day: 1916 - In the Battle of Verdun, a German unit captures Fort Douaumont, keystone of the French defences
Sergeant Kunze of the 24th Brandenburg Regiment squeezed his frame through a narrow embrasure, expecting a hail of French lead or the cold bite of a bayonet.
On This Day: 1895 - Revolution breaks out in Baire, a town near Santiago de Cuba, beginning the Cuban War of Indepe
Another common misconception is that the revolution was a purely military affair from its inception, driven by a desire for battlefield glory.
On This Day: 1917 - The U
Fast Background By the early months of 1917, the global landscape of World War I was one of stagnant horror and mounting desperation.
On This Day: 1945 - During the Battle of Iwo Jima, a group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribach
Core Event Summary The ascent of Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, was a tactical necessity during the early phase of the Battle of Iwo Jima.
On This Day: 1945 - Capitulation of German garrison in Poznań
The image of a city's liberation often conjures scenes of cheering crowds, flower-strewn tanks, and a swift retreat by a defeated foe.
On This Day: 1744 - War of the Austrian Succession: The Battle of Toulon causes several Royal Navy captains to be c
By the early weeks of 1744, the Mediterranean had become a pressure cooker of geopolitical ambition and personal loathing.
On This Day: 1943 - The Saturday Evening Post publishes the first of Norman Rockwell's Four Freedoms in support of
This was the moment abstract political philosophy became a tangible, visual reality.
On This Day: 1933 - United States Congress
Fast Background The road to February 20, 1933, began with the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment on January 16, 1919.
On This Day: 1714 - The battle of Napue between Sweden and Russia is fought in Isokyrö, Ostrobothnia
The biting frost of February 19, 1714, clings to the pines of Isokyrö, a landscape where the breath of men and horses hangs in thick, crystalline plumes.
On This Day: 1637 - Off the coast of Cornwall, England, a Spanish fleet intercepts an important Anglo-Dutch merchan
High on the cliffs of Cornwall, a shepherd might have looked out to see a horizon choked with canvas and fire.
On This Day: 1944 - Operation Hailstone
The morning of February 17, 1944, broke with a deceptive stillness over the turquoise waters of Truk Lagoon.
On This Day: 1940 - Altmark incident: The German tanker Altmark is boarded by sailors from the British destroyer HM
The freezing mist clung to the sheer, jagged cliffs of the Jøssingfjord on the evening of February 16, 1940.
On This Day: 1933 - In Miami, Giuseppe Zangara attempts to assassinate US President-elect Franklin D
The scene at Bayfront Park in Miami on the evening of February 15, 1933, remains one of the most scrutinized moments in American political history.
On This Day: 1493 - While on board the Niña, Christopher Columbus writes an open letter (widely distributed upon hi
This letter served as the official announcement of the existence of the New World to the European public.
On This Day: 1690 - Constantin Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, and the Holy Roman Empire sign a secret treaty in Sibi
It assumes that because Cantemir was a veteran of the Ottoman military machine, his allegiance was singular and his intellect was confined to the battlefield.
On This Day: 1898 - The battleship USS Maine explodes and sinks in Havana harbor in Cuba, killing about 274 of the
The blast was so violent that it lifted the five-ton forward turret into the air before the ship began a rapid descent into the mud of the harbor floor.
On This Day: 1849 - The delegation headed by Metropolitan bishop Andrei Șaguna hands out to the Emperor Franz Josep
However, the historical record reveals a far more sophisticated and unified diplomatic effort.
On This Day: 1988 - The 1988 Black Sea bumping incident: The U
To the Soviets, the Black Sea was a "closed" or "semi-closed" sea where American presence was viewed as a direct provocation.
On This Day: 1942 - Second day of the Battle of Bukit Timah is fought in Singapore
General Arthur Percival's subordinates, fearing encirclement, ordered a withdrawal from the line prematurely.
On This Day: 1943 - Attempting to completely lift the Siege of Leningrad, the Soviet Red Army engages German troops
Immediate Causes The genesis of the engagement on February 10, 1943, lay in the modest success of Operation Iskra (Spark) earlier that year.
On This Day: 1941 - Operation Grog Bombards Genoa
Immediate Causes By the dawn of 1941, the geopolitical landscape of the Mediterranean was shifting rapidly against the interests of Benito Mussolini.
On This Day: 1944 - Exercise Tiger Tragedy: E-boats Attack, 946 Killed
1944: World War II: Nine German E-boats attack US and UK units during Exercise Tiger, the rehearsal for the Normandy landings, killing 946.
On This Day: 1941 - Gudovac Massacre: Start of Ustaše Genocide
Gudovac, 1941: The First Stain of a Genocidal Campaign The year 1941 was a dark one for Europe, consumed by the flames of World War II.
On This Day: 1996 - Port Arthur Massacre Shocks Australia
On that fateful day, the historic site became synonymous with one of the darkest chapters in Australian history: the Port Arthur Massacre.
On This Day: 1986 - Chernobyl's Fallout: Sweden Sounds the Alarm
The Silent Alarm: How Sweden Uncovered Chernobyl's Secret The date was April 28th, 1986.
On This Day: 1952 - Japan Regains Sovereignty with San Francisco Treaty
1952: The Treaty of San Francisco comes into effect, restoring Japanese sovereignty and ending its state of war with most of the Allies of World War II.
On This Day: 1945 - Mussolini Executed by Italian Resistance
1945: Benito Mussolini and his mistress Clara Petacci are shot dead by Walter Audisio, a member of the Italian resistance movement.
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