01score 72
Treaty of Versailles 1919
The Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919 formally ended World War I but planted the seeds for decades of resentment, economic collapse, and territorial disputes across Europe.
Reverse trending
Past events still shaping today.
Trending is what people are reading about right now. This is the opposite: events from the archive ranked by how much they still shape the present - through cause-and-effect to later events, the size of the chain they set off, and how recently that chain landed.
Below each entry: the downstream events in this archive that the ranking traces to, and the editorial line on why it’s still in the air.
The three most consequential
02score 64
American Civil War 1861
The American Civil War (1861–1865) killed more than 620,000 soldiers and fundamentally rewrote the nation's constitutional order, abolishing slavery through the 13th Amendment and forcing a violent reckoning over federalism that no political compromise could prevent.
Downstream in this archive
03score 54
Gulf War 1991
Operation Desert Storm in January–February 1991 was the first major U.S.
Downstream in this archive
The rest of the ladder
- 748
Reign of Augustus Begins 27
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 749
Treaty of Nanking 1842
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 750
Siege of Vicksburg 1863
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 751
Partition of Bengal 1905
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 752
Herero and Nama Genocide 1904
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 753
New Zealand Women's Suffrage 1893
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 754
First Non-Stop Solo Flight Across Atlantic 1927
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 755
Gatling Gun Revolutionizes Warfare 1862
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 756
Babe Ruth's 60 Home Run Season 1927
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 757
1920 US Presidential Election 1920
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 758
FIFA World Cup Inaugurated 1930
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 759
Roaring Twenties Jazz Age Crystallizes 1920
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 760
Nuremberg Rally & Nazi Mass Festival 1933
score 15The 1933 rally demonstrated the Nazi regime's capacity to mobilize and theatricalize mass politics at unprecedented scale.
- 761
Motion Picture Academy Founded 1927
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 762
Bengal Famine Begins 1943
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 763
Great Smog of London 1952
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 764
Sino-Indian Border War 1962
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 765
Congo Crisis and Belgian Withdrawal 1960
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 766
First Manned Space Walk by Leonov 1965
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 767
Wounded Knee Occupation 1973
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 768
One Day International Cricket 1971
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 769
1976 Summer Olympics Boycott 1976
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 770
Sydney Opera House Opens 1973
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 771
VCR and Home Video Recording 1975
score 15Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.