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
- 1204
Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 2020
score 14The crash exposed systemic failures in Pakistan's aviation oversight, including pilot fatigue protocols and maintenance standards.
- 1205
Battle of Pavia 1525
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1206
Venice's Arsenal Launches First Galley 1570
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1207
Treaty of Breda Settles Anglo-Dutch War 1667
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1208
Peshtigo Fire 1871
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1209
Treaty of Paris (1856) 1856
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1210
London International Exhibition Opens 1862
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1211
Donner Party Disaster 1846
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1212
Great Blizzard of 1888 1888
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1213
Johnstown Flood Disaster 1889
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1214
Kellogg-Briand Pact Signed 1928
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1215
Scopes Trial: Evolution in American Courts 1925
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1216
1932 Summer Olympics Opening 1932
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1217
Pittsburgh Steelers Founded 1933
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1218
Radio City Music Hall Opens 1932
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1219
British General Election 1924 1924
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1220
Teapot Dome Scandal Emerges 1921
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1221
German Bundesliga Founded 1963
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1222
Daytona 500 Inaugural Race 1959
score 14Sits upstream of multiple events in this archive; the present still inherits its choices.
- 1223
Simplon Tunnel Opens 1906
score 14The Simplon Tunnel was a feat of engineering that established a direct rail corridor through one of Europe's most formidable geographic barriers.
- 1224
Edmund Hillary Summits Mount Everest 1953
score 14Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay's summit on May 29, 1953, broke the last great geographical barrier on Earth and made them instant global celebrities.
- 1225
Solomon's Temple Constructed 960 BCE
score 14Solomon's Temple established Jerusalem as the spiritual capital of ancient Israel and created a template for sacred architecture that influenced religious practice across millennia.
- 1226
Eastern Zhou Dynasty Inaugurates 771 BCE
score 14The court's eastward flight fragmented Zhou authority and triggered a fundamental restructuring of Chinese political power.
- 1227
Indian Act Grants Limited Voting Rights 1905
score 14The 1905 reforms represented a turning point in Indian political history-not because they granted meaningful power, but because they formalized the principle that Indians could participate in their own governance.