Medieval Rulers
Crowned Emperor of the Romans in 800 CE by the Pope, this Frankish king united much of Western Europe and earned the title “Father of Europe.”
Charlemagne
This French emperor revolutionized European warfare with mass conscription, corps-based armies, and lightning-fast campaigns.
Napoleon Bonaparte
This style of African-American music originated in the early 20th century and emphasized improvisation, syncopation, and swing rhythms.
Jazz
The Great Wave off Kanagawa, one of the most iconic Japanese prints, was created by this ukiyo-e master.
Hokusai
This South African leader was released from prison in 1990 and later became the country’s first Black president in 1994.
Nelson Mandela
This Norman duke became king of England in 1066 after his victory at the Battle of Hastings.
William the Conqueror
At this 1415 battle, English longbowmen devastated French knights in muddy terrain, showcasing the decline of heavy cavalry.
The Battle of Agincourt
Marked by simplicity, balance, and clarity, this era followed the Baroque and included Mozart and Haydn.
Classical era
Developed in 15th-century Florence, this technique revolutionized Western art by allowing artists to create the illusion of depth and three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Linear Perspective
This Chinese city was handed over to China by the British in 1997 after more than 150 years of colonial rule.
Hong Kong
Known as “The Lionheart,” this English king led the Third Crusade and spent much of his reign away from his kingdom.
Richard "The Lionheart" I
This innovation, introduced in China and spread through the Islamic world, eventually revolutionized medieval siege warfare in Europe.
Gunpowder
This Delta blues guitarist is said to have "sold his soul to the devil" at a crossroads to gain his legendary musical skills.
Robert Johnson
Dating back over 17,000 years, the cave paintings in this French site include depictions of horses, bulls, and human handprints, showcasing early human use of natural pigments and sophisticated perspective techniques.
Lascaux Cave
This 1994 genocide resulted in the deaths of approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in just 100 days.
Rwandan Genocide
This Muslim military leader recaptured Jerusalem in 1187 and was known for his chivalry during the Crusades.
Saladin
Philip II of Macedon revolutionized warfare with this exceptionally long spear, giving his phalanx a deadly reach advantage over enemies.
The Sarissa
This singer was only 13 years old when she recorded her now-iconic 1958 version of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.
Brenda Lee
This painting, depicting Christ holding a crystal orb, became the most expensive artwork ever sold at auction in 2017—yet its attribution to Leonardo da Vinci remains hotly debated among art historians.
Salvator Mundi
This wave of protests and uprisings in the early 2010s swept across the Middle East and North Africa, demanding political reforms.
Arab Spring
This Ottoman sultan captured Constantinople in 1453, ending the Byzantine Empire.
Mehmed II
In 216 BCE, Hannibal famously used this tactic—encircling the enemy—to annihilate a Roman army at the Battle of Cannae.
Double envolopment/Pincer movement
Decades before Beatlemania, this 19th-century composer caused audiences to faint and fight over his gloves and hair.
Franz Liszt
This late 19th-century art movement is characterized by flowing organic lines, floral motifs, and the integration of fine and decorative arts, as seen in the architecture of Hector Guimard and the illustrations of Alphonse Mucha.
Art Nouveau
This 1985 dual-venue benefit concert, organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, brought together some of the world's biggest music acts to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia and was broadcast live to over a billion viewers worldwide.
Live Aid