Dates That Made History

Christians believe Jesus is a man who preached and performed miracles and died on the cross but was resurrected. But for historians, the crucifixion is the least unreliable indicator of the Jesus' existence.

Muhammed’s first year in Medina, in year 622 of the Christian era, marks the beginning of the Muslim era and the birth of a new religion, civilisation, empire and calendar. The Hegira, Muhammed’s visit to the Mecca in Medina, also marks a major change : from then on, believers will pray in the direction of this new sacred place and no longer in the direction of Jerusalem.

Alexander’s death marks the loss of the greatest conquerors in History, the only man who managed to extend the Empire to Eurasia, the Mediterranean and India. Different versions of The Romance of Alexander were found in the Persian, Arabian and Latin regions of the world, but also in Mali.

1492 was officially the year the Americas were 'discovered', marking the end of the Middle Ages. Yet it's possible that Christopher Columbus setting foot on a West Indian beach in October obscures a far more complex story.

Because of its abstract nature, one tends to forget that the Tennis Court Oath was the key tipping point of the French Revolution, both from a symbolic and legal standpoint. On June 20, 1789, the deputies of the Third Estate, gathered in the hall of the Jeu de Paume at Versailles, swore together not to separate before having written a constitution to France. What happened that day at Versailles? Who are these men who made the people the sovereign of the French nation?

“I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people” : those are the first words pronounced by Nelson Mandela after his release from prison, after 27 years of incarceration. The event struck a chord worldwide, reminding us that South Africa, historically, was not only the first country to be colonised but also the last country to be decolonised.

April 21, 753 BC: The Roman world was certain of its foundation date for more than 1000 years. The mythical tale, Ab Urbe Condita, formalized by Titus Livius, was based on the struggle of its founding twins: sons to a god, Mars, and a virgin, Rhea Silvia. Archaeological research and historical critics are now convinced of two things: the city is older and the myth is more recent.

The defeat of Alesia, in 52 BC, marked the end of the well-known “Gallic War”, immortalized by its winner, Julius Caesar. Year zero of our French national history, Alesia became the founding act of an improbable Gallic unit, personalized in the guise of an impossible hero, Vercingetorix.

In the middle of the 8th century, the chancellery of the bishops of Rome was on the verge of becoming a spiritual heir to the Western emperors. That was when it committed the most important forgery in the history of the West.

The fall of Constantinople marked the end of the Byzantine Empire – a power descending from none other than ancient Rome. Its symbolism has long since transcended its actual significance.

Despite its worldwide fame, Lascaux is no longer considered to be the “Palace of Versailles” or the “Sistine Chapel” of prehistory, and is no longer considered to be the place of invention or creation of art. What if Lascaux was actually from a “Middle Ages” of prehistoric and human art?

In 1911, the expedition led by the Norwegian Amundsen reached the South Pole, beating the British Scott to the punch. The story of the conquest of the poles is the last chapter of a long epic, closing the age of the great scientific explorations that began at the end of the 18th century and became extraordinarily popular since the end of the 19th century.