Dates That Made History

Based on a couple of recent discoveries, the pictograms that were found in Lascaux Cave now appear to represent human art from a sort of "middle ages" of prehistory.

As a pharaoh, Akhenaten abandoned Ancient Egypt's traditional polytheism and introduced Atenism. This seismic cultural shift proved to be short-lived.

April 21, 753 B.C. stands as the date most attributable to the founding of the city of Rome. However, examination of further evidence that exists points to an earlier time.

To this day Socrates is a central figure in Humanity's study of ancient cultures, yet as a philosopher he was persecuted for heresy and set before the Temple of Hephaestus.

The Battle of Alesia was the climatic military battle of the Gallic Wars between the Gauls and the Romans and is considered one of Julius Caesar's greatest military achievements.

The exact date of the Donation of Constantine is unknown. This phantom date, and the fact that the document was a forgery, exemplifies the geopolitical issues of the Middle Ages.

This military encounter between the Abbasid Caliphate and its allies against the Tang Dynasty took place over control of the Syr Darya region, a key location along the Silk Road.

The year 1000 A.D. does not register in the minds of historians as one of great consequence, but to some of the world's population who were alive at that time, terror haunted many.

On August 25, 1270, Louis IX of France landed on African soil during his second crusade and died. Even though the world saw the death of a king, it also saw the birth of a saint.

The reign of Mansa Musa is considered to be the Zenith of the Mali Empire. It has been suggested that he was the wealthiest person in history.

The fall of Constantinople in 1453 widened the East-West Schism, and saw Constantinople become the new Ottoman capital. This event marked the beginning of the Renaissance.

A descendant of Tamerlane and Genghis Khan, on April 20, 1526, Babur utilized the tactic of Tulugma to defeat Ibrahim Lodi's numerically superior army.

On May 14, 1610, Henry IV of France was assassinated in his carriage on Rue de la Ferronnerie by Francois Ravaillac who was immediately seized and executed.

The Battle of Borodino in 1812 saw Napoleon's Grande Armee invade Russia to face the Imperial Russian Army led by General Mikhail Kutuzov, a key moment in the Napoleonic Wars.

From 1848 to 1849, widespread revolutionary waves swept across Europe. The fervor occurred at a time when national governments were being closely examined and reshaped.

Three Chinese emperors were responsible for creating Yuanmingyuan. In the mid-19th century, the palatial grounds were targeted by British and French forces bent on destruction.

To survive the punishing trek to the South Pole stands among the greatest feats ever recorded by mankind. On December 14, 1911, Amundsen's expedition achieved the very feat.

The Paris massacre that occurred on October 17, 1961, took place within the context of the Algerian War, and involved the killing of Algerians by the French National Police.

On September 11, 1973, the Popular Unity government in Chile led by President Salvador Allende was overthrown by a group of military officers led by General Augusto Pinochet.