Explore history chronologically, from the ancient world to the modern era.
The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed, one of the ancient world's most extraordinary engineering achievements.
Giza, Egypt
According to legend, Romulus founded the city of Rome, which would grow into one of history's greatest civilizations.
Rome, Italy
A small Athenian army defeated a much larger Persian force, saving Greek democracy from conquest.
Marathon, Greece
Athens reached its peak of cultural, political, and economic power under Pericles.
Athens, Greece
Julius Caesar was stabbed to death by a group of senators on the Ides of March, triggering the end of the Roman Republic.
The last Roman emperor was deposed, marking the traditional end of the ancient world.
Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press, revolutionizing the spread of knowledge in Europe.
Mainz, Germany
The Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, ending the Byzantine Empire and reshaping trade, culture, and politics.
Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey
Britain imposed a direct tax on the colonies for printed materials, sparking widespread protest.
British American Colonies
Colonists dumped 342 chests of British tea into Boston Harbor to protest taxation without representation.
Boston, Massachusetts
The first military engagements of the American Revolutionary War, where "the shot heard round the world" was fired.
Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts
The Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, announcing separation from Britain.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The last major battle of the American Revolution, where British General Cornwallis surrendered.
Yorktown, Virginia
Delegates met in Philadelphia to draft the United States Constitution.
The first ten amendments to the Constitution were ratified, guaranteeing individual freedoms.
United States
French soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone in Egypt, which became the key to deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.
Rosetta (Rashid), Egypt
Supreme Court established judicial review, the power to declare laws unconstitutional.
Washington, D.C.
Confederate forces fired on Fort Sumter in South Carolina, starting the Civil War.
Charleston, South Carolina
President Lincoln declared all enslaved people in Confederate states to be free.
The bloodiest battle of the Civil War and a turning point for the Union.
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, effectively ending the Civil War.
Appomattox Court House, Virginia
Japan attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, bringing America into World War II.
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Allied forces launched the largest amphibious invasion in history on the beaches of Normandy, France.
Normandy, France
The United States dropped the first atomic bomb used in warfare on the Japanese city of Hiroshima.
Hiroshima, Japan
Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.
Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat, sparking a 381-day boycott of city buses.
Montgomery, Alabama
A 13-day confrontation between the U.S. and Soviet Union over nuclear missiles in Cuba, the closest the world came to nuclear war.
Cuba / Washington, D.C.
Over 250,000 people marched for civil rights; Dr. King delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech.
Landmark legislation outlawing discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Landmark legislation that outlawed discriminatory voting practices and protected the right to vote for all citizens.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the Moon.
Moon
The Berlin Wall fell, symbolizing the end of the Cold War and the reunification of Germany.
Berlin, Germany