c. 1184 BCEWar & Conflict
Fall of Troy
The legendary city of Troy fell after a prolonged siege by Greek forces, as recounted in Homer's Iliad.
Europe
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War & Conflict
16 events in this category
490 BCEWar & Conflict
Battle of Marathon
Greek forces achieved a decisive victory over the Persian army near Athens.
Europe
480 BCEWar & Conflict
Battle of Thermopylae
A small Greek force led by King Leonidas of Sparta held the pass at Thermopylae against the massive Persian army.
Europe
October 1, 331 BCEWar & Conflict
Alexander the Great Conquers Persian Empire
Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Empire at the Battle of Gaugamela, creating one of the largest empires in ancient history.
Middle East
1001 CEWar & Conflict
Mahmud of Ghazni Raids India
Sultan Mahmud of Ghazni launched seventeen devastating raids into India, plundering wealthy temple cities and beginning centuries of Turko-Afghan incursions into the subcontinent.
Asia
1429War & Conflict
Joan of Arc Leads France
A teenage peasant girl claiming divine visions led the French army to a decisive victory at Orleans, turning the tide of the Hundred Years' War.
Europe
May 29, 1453War & Conflict
Fall of Constantinople
The Ottoman Empire captured Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and marking a turning point between the medieval and modern eras.
Europe
January 26, 1565War & Conflict
The Vijayanagara Empire Falls
The Vijayanagara Empire — the last great Hindu empire of southern India — was destroyed at the Battle of Talikota by an alliance of Deccan sultanates.
Asia
June 23, 1757War & Conflict
Battle of Plassey — British Rule Begins
Robert Clive's victory at Plassey gave the British East India Company effective control of Bengal, beginning nearly two centuries of British colonial rule over India.
Asia
May 10, 1857War & Conflict
The Indian Rebellion of 1857
Indian soldiers and civilians rose against the British East India Company in a massive rebellion — the first large-scale challenge to colonial rule.
Asia
April 9, 1865War & Conflict
American Civil War Ends
General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, effectively ending the American Civil War.
Americas
June 28, 1914War & Conflict
World War I Begins
The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand triggered a chain of alliances that plunged Europe into the First World War.
Europe
April 13, 1919War & Conflict
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
British troops under General Dyer opened fire on thousands of unarmed Indian civilians gathered in Jallianwala Bagh, killing hundreds and galvanizing the independence movement.
Asia
September 1, 1939War & Conflict
World War II Begins
Nazi Germany invaded Poland, triggering declarations of war from Britain and France and beginning the Second World War.
Europe
August 6, 1945War & Conflict
Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, ushering in the nuclear age.
Asia
September 11, 2001War & Conflict
September 11 Attacks
Terrorist attacks on the United States killed nearly 3,000 people and fundamentally changed global security and foreign policy.
Americas