Major occurrences documented by contemporary accounts.
Prague in 1968 was the stage for the Prague Spring, Alexander Dubček’s reform experiment, and its violent suppression by Warsaw Pact forces. This article traces the city’s politics, daily life, newspapers, photographs and memories through primary sources.
In September 1900, a hurricane of unprecedented fury struck Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6,000 people and destroying the thriving port city. Through eyewitness accounts, newspaper reports, and photographs, this article reconstructs the horror and resilience of America’s deadliest natural disaster.
In September 1939 Warsaw became the centre of Poland’s resistance to the German invasion. This article reconstructs the siege through the city’s daily press, the recollections gathered in the 1948 ‘Diary of a Varsovian’ competition, and the photographs that survive. It follows the shift from ordinary city life to bombardment, shelter, and surrender, and explains why these primary sources remain essential to understanding the invasion.
Paris in 1919 was the stage for the Paris Peace Conference, the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, and a victory parade that masked deep anxiety. This article explores the city’s politics, economy, daily life, and primary sources during a year that reshaped the world.
Sarajevo in 1914 was a city of Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian contrasts, where the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June triggered the July Crisis and the First World War. This article examines the city, its people, the conspiracy, the primary sources, and the immediate aftermath.
Tokyo in 1945 was a capital under fire. The March firebombing destroyed much of the city, killed tens of thousands, and left over a million homeless. By August, Japan’s surrender had ended the war, and Tokyo stood at the center of occupation and reconstruction.
In 1965 Jakarta was Indonesia’s political nerve center, where the September 30 coup attempt triggered an army takeover, anti-communist mobilization, and a climate of fear. This article reconstructs the capital’s crisis through newspapers, diplomatic dispatches, photographs, and trial records.
On 15 February 1942, British Singapore surrendered to Japan after a swift and humiliating campaign. This article explores the fortress myth, the battle, the occupation, and daily life through primary sources. It explains why the fall mattered then and why it still matters.
Richmond in 1865 witnessed the evacuation of the Confederate government, a devastating fire, Union occupation, Lincoln’s visit, and the end of slavery. Diaries, newspapers, and photographs preserve the capital’s dramatic collapse and its uncertain rebirth.
In 1984 Delhi became the stage for one of independent India’s gravest political and communal crises. The assassination of Indira Gandhi on 31 October was followed by anti-Sikh violence, army curfews, and a national reckoning with justice and memory.
