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

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.

Downstream in this archive

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

set offThe September 11 Attacks2001

The rest of the ladder

124
Abu Hureyra Settlement Warfare Evidence 9650 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
125
Memphis Nile Flood Disaster 2180 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
126
Egyptian Narmer Palette Victory Games 3100 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
127
Earths' Climate Crisis 8.2k Event 8200 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
128
Ghaggar-Hakra Monsoon Collapse 9500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
129
Harappan Standardized Weights & Measures 2500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
130
First Evidence of Medical Care and Healing 74000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
131
2020 United States Presidential Election 2020
score 31
Joe Biden defeated incumbent Donald Trump on November 3, 2020, in a contest shaped by a global pandemic, racial justice upheaval, and unprecedented mail-in voting.
132
Wadi el-Jilf Cave Sanctuary: Pre-Dynastic Ritual 9000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
133
Domestication of Pigs in Mesopotamia 9800 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
134
Neolithic Dog Burial at Bonn-Oberkassel 14200 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
135
Yangshao Culture Rivalry & Conflict 5000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
136
Susa Athletic Contests Documented 3200 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
137
Jomon Culture Emergence 11000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
138
Battle of Uruk 2700 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
139
Indus Valley Games & Athletic Contests 3200 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
140
Ain Mallaha Fishing Festival Complex 9500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
141
Ain Mallaha Communal Harvests Festival 9500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
142
Çayönü Tepesi Shrine Complex Built 8000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
143
Susa First Settlement Layer 7000 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
144
Abu Hureyra Settlement Transitions to Agriculture 9500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
145
Abu Hureyra Social Organization Emerges 9600 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
146
Battle of Tel Megiddo Proto-Warfare 9400 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.
147
Obsidian Trade Network Emerges Anatolia-Levant 9500 BCE
score 31
Anchors a chain of later events the archive maps as consequences - its frame keeps showing up in how the present is organized.