Historian Patrick Boucheron revisits the most important dates in history through the prisms of memory and collective imagination.
CreatorsPatrick Boucheron, Denis van Waerebeke
33 AD: The Crucifixion of Jesus
Mar 17, 2018
Christians believe Jesus is a man who preached and performed miracles and died on the cross but was resurrected. But for historians, the crucifixion is the least unreliable indicator of the Jesus' existence.
24 September 622: The Hegira
Mar 17, 2018
Muhammed’s first year in Medina, in year 622 of the Christian era, marks the beginning of the Muslim era and the birth of a new religion, civilisation, empire and calendar. The Hegira, Muhammed’s visit to the Mecca in Medina, also marks a major change : from then on, believers will pray in the direction of this new sacred place and no longer in the direction of Jerusalem.
323 BC: Death of Alexander the Great
Mar 24, 2018
Alexander’s death marks the loss of the greatest conquerors in History, the only man who managed to extend the Empire to Eurasia, the Mediterranean and India. Different versions of The Romance of Alexander were found in the Persian, Arabian and Latin regions of the world, but also in Mali.
1492: The New World
Mar 24, 2018
1492 was officially the year the Americas were 'discovered', marking the end of the Middle Ages. Yet it's possible that Christopher Columbus setting foot on a West Indian beach in October obscures a far more complex story.
20 June 1789: The Tennis Court Oath
Mar 31, 2018
Because of its abstract nature, one tends to forget that the Tennis Court Oath was the key tipping point of the French Revolution, both from a symbolic and legal standpoint. On June 20, 1789, the deputies of the Third Estate, gathered in the hall of the Jeu de Paume at Versailles, swore together not to separate before having written a constitution to France. What happened that day at Versailles? Who are these men who made the people the sovereign of the French nation?
11 February 1990: Liberation of Nelson Mandela
Mar 31, 2018
“I stand here before you not as a prophet, but as a humble servant of you, the people” : those are the first words pronounced by Nelson Mandela after his release from prison, after 27 years of incarceration. The event struck a chord worldwide, reminding us that South Africa, historically, was not only the first country to be colonised but also the last country to be decolonised.
24 August 79: Destruction of Pompeii
Apr 7, 2018
The catastrophe led to a vast interdisciplinary project : volcanology reveals the force of the eruption, archeology and the study of texts uncover new objects of daily life found in the remains of buildings and roadways, including graffiti on the walls… The eruption of the Vesuvio froze the town of Pompei forever. But can one be sure that all of these discoveries date back to the eruption?
6 August, 1945: Hiroshima
Apr 7, 2018
As opposed to the official discourse, the United States viewed the Hiroshima operation as a large-scale scientific experiment to force the Japanese to capitulate and avoid a Russian invasion of Japan. The first mass bombing of the History: maybe 70.000 sustained fatal injuries.
1347: The Beginning of the Black Death
Apr 14, 2018
Did the first outbreaks occur in China or in the Caspian Sea ? Experts still argue. But how did the plague actually spread ? After many controversies, it seems that the rat flea was the major carrier of this disease.
1431: The Fall of Angkor
Apr 14, 2018
The fascinating discovery of Angkor’s ruins conveys images of magnificence and splendour : we’d like to believe in the idea of a lost civilisation, as was the case for the Roman Empire. Yet, the study of the ruins of these monumental temples gives no sign of any brutal disappearance : monumental inscriptions.
