SortStack #3103 — 2034-12-07
By year · Order from earliest to most recent.
- The first ancient Olympic Games are held at Olympia 776 BCE
The only event was a single sprint of about 190 meters, and the first recorded champion was Coroebus of Elis — a cook.
- Socrates is condemned to death and drinks hemlock in Athens 399 BCE
Convicted of corrupting the youth, he refused friends' escape plans. He never wrote anything down — everything we know comes via Plato and others.
- The volcanic island of Krakatoa explodes in Indonesia 1883
The blast was heard nearly 4,800 km away — likely the loudest sound in recorded history — and its ash turned sunsets blood-red worldwide for months.
- Germany invades Poland, beginning the Second World War 1939
Britain and France declared war two days later — then months of eerie quiet followed on the Western Front, a period nicknamed the 'Phoney War.'
- India and Pakistan gain independence from Britain 1947
Independence came at midnight, and the hastily drawn border triggered one of history's largest migrations — some fifteen million people crossed in both directions.
- The Burj Khalifa opens in Dubai as the world's tallest building 2010
At 828 meters, its tip can be seen from about 95 km away — and people on the top floors can watch the sunset minutes after it sets at ground level.