The decisions, mistakes and turning points
that shaped the modern world.
In-depth history articles exploring the events, people and systems behind today's world.
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The Art of War: Sun Tzu's Timeless Strategies Explained
Tulip Mania: The World's First Financial Bubble
In 1637 a tulip bulb cost more than a house. Then the market collapsed by 99% overnight.
Genghis Khan: How One Man Conquered Half the World
Left for dead at nine. Built the largest contiguous empire in human history.
The Silk Road: How Trade Built the Modern World
4,000 miles from China to Rome. When it closed it accidentally created America.
Cleopatra: The Most Misunderstood Ruler in History
History called her a seductress. She was the most dangerous politician of her age.
The Fall of Rome: How the Greatest Empire Destroyed Itself
Nobody invaded Rome. The eternal city rotted from the inside.
Smallpox: The Disease That Conquered Continents
Killed more humans than any other disease. Eradicated entirely in 1980.
Julius Caesar: The Assassination That Destroyed Rome
Twenty-three senators stabbed him to save the Republic. They destroyed it instead.
Napoleon's Greatest Mistake: The Russian Invasion
600,000 men crossed the border. Fewer than 100,000 came home.
The Spanish Flu of 1918: History's Deadliest Pandemic
50 million dead in two years. More than World War One. And governments censored it.
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