Historical Events.

2013 Boston Marathon bombing

15.04.2013

Two bombs exploded near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three people and injuring many others.

2012 Benghazi attack

11.09.2012 → 12.09.2012

Armed attacks struck U.S. diplomatic and CIA facilities in Benghazi, killing four Americans.

2008 financial crisis

09.08.2007 → 2009

Also known as 2007–2008 financial crisis · 2008 · Colapso financiero de 2007

The acute phase of the global financial crisis in 2008, marked by the failure or rescue of major financial institutions and the freezing of credit markets.

2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami

26.12.2004

Also known as 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake · 2004 South East Asia earthquake · Boxing Day Tsunami

A powerful undersea earthquake off Sumatra produced a devastating tsunami across Indian Ocean coastlines.

1996 Mount Everest disaster

10.05.1996 → 11.05.1996

Multiple mountaineers died in a violent storm during summit attempts on Everest in May 1996.

Rwandan genocide

07.04.1994 → 15.07.1994

Also known as 1994 Genocide against Tutsi · génocide au Rwanda · génocide contre les Tutsis de 1994

Extremist authorities and militia carried out a genocide principally against Tutsi civilians in Rwanda in 1994.

Battle of Mogadishu (1993)

03.10.1993 → 04.10.1993

U.S. forces and Somali militia fought in Mogadishu during an attempted capture mission.

Oslo Accords

13.09.1993

Israeli and Palestinian leaders signed the Oslo Declaration of Principles after secret negotiations.

Iraqi invasion of Kuwait

02.08.1990

Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, triggering international military intervention and the Gulf War.

Fall of the Berlin Wall

09.11.1989

Also known as Berlin Duvarı'nın Yıkılışı · Berlin Wall demolition · Berlin Wall fall

The opening of the Berlin Wall marked the collapse of the physical division between East and West Berlin and initiated the end of the divided-city order.

Pan Am Flight 103 bombing

21.12.1988

A bomb destroyed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, killing all 259 people aboard and 11 on the ground.

1988 Chilean national plebiscite

05.10.1988

Chilean voters rejected the extension of Augusto Pinochet's presidency in a landmark plebiscite.

June Democratic Struggle

10.06.1987 → 29.06.1987

Also known as June Democracy Movement · June Struggle · Juni-Aufstand

South Korean democracy protests forced concessions toward direct presidential elections in June 1987.

Chernobyl disaster

26.04.1986

Also known as 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster · accidente de Chernóbil · accidente nuclear de Chernóbil

The catastrophic April 26, 1986 accident at Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, followed by radioactive releases, evacuation, emergency response, and an extensive containment effort.

Trial of the Juntas (Argentina)

1985

Argentine prosecutors tried members of the former military dictatorship for crimes committed during the Dirty War.

Sabra and Shatila massacre

16.09.1982 → 18.09.1982

Mass killings of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians took place in Beirut refugee camps during the 1982 Lebanon War.

1981 Spanish coup d'état attempt

23.02.1981 → 24.02.1981

Also known as 1981 İspanyol darbe girişimi · 1981 Spanish coup d'etat · 23-F

A failed attempt to seize the Spanish parliament and overturn democratic government occurred in February 1981.

Gwangju Uprising

18.05.1980 → 27.05.1980

Also known as Gwangju-Aufstand · Gwangju Ayaklanması · Gwangju massacre

South Korean pro-democracy protests in Gwangju were violently suppressed by military forces in May 1980.

December Twelfth military coup

12.12.1979

South Korean military officers led by Chun Doo-hwan seized control of key military institutions in December 1979.

Frost–Nixon interviews

1977

David Frost's televised interviews with former President Richard Nixon became a major public examination of Watergate.

Fall of Saigon

30.04.1975

North Vietnamese forces captured Saigon, ending the war and precipitating political reunification under communist leadership.

1973 Chilean coup d'état

11.09.1973

Also known as 11 de setembro de 1973 · 11. September 1973 · 1973 Şili Darbesi

The Chilean armed forces overthrew Salvador Allende's government in September 1973.

1972 Andes plane crash

13.10.1972

Also known as 1972 Andes flight disaster · Accidente aéreo de los Andes · Accidente del vuelo 571 de la fuerza aerea uruguaya

Flight 571 crashed in the Andes, leading survivors to endure extreme conditions before rescue.

Munich massacre (1972)

05.09.1972 → 06.09.1972

Members of a Palestinian militant group took Israeli Olympic team members hostage in Munich, ending in their deaths and a failed rescue.

Bloody Sunday (1972)

30.01.1972

British troops shot civil rights demonstrators in Derry on 30 January 1972.

Watergate scandal

1972 → 1974

Investigations into the Watergate break-in and cover-up precipitated the resignation of U.S. President Nixon.

Publication of the Pentagon Papers

13.06.1971

The publication of classified Vietnam War history exposed government decision-making and sparked a major press-freedom dispute.

December 1970 protests in Poland

14.12.1970 → 22.12.1970

Workers' protests on the Polish Baltic coast were violently suppressed by communist authorities in December 1970.

Apollo 13 oxygen tank explosion

13.04.1970

An oxygen tank exploded aboard Apollo 13, forcing cancellation of the landing and a difficult crew rescue.

Apollo 11 Moon landing

20.07.1969

The first crewed lunar landing on 20 July 1969, when NASA Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin reached the Moon while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit.

Apollo 8 first crewed lunar orbit

24.12.1968

Apollo 8 became the first crewed spacecraft to enter lunar orbit in December 1968.

Tet Offensive

1968

North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched coordinated attacks across South Vietnam in 1968.

Apollo 1 cabin fire

27.01.1967

Three astronauts died when fire engulfed the Apollo 1 command module during a ground test.

Aberfan disaster

21.10.1966

Also known as Aberfan Faciası · Catástrofe de Aberfan · catastrophe d'Aberfan

A colliery spoil tip collapsed on the Welsh village of Aberfan, killing 144 people, most of them children.

Selma to Montgomery marches

07.03.1965 → 25.03.1965

Civil-rights activists marched in Alabama to advance voting rights, culminating in a march to Montgomery.

Indonesian mass killings of 1965–1966

1965 → 1966

Indonesian anti-communist mass killings were carried out in 1965–1966; perpetrators' accounts are examined in the documentary.

Cuban Missile Crisis

16.10.1962 → 28.10.1962

Also known as 1962 Küba Füze Krizi · affaire des missiles de Cuba · crise de Cuba

U.S. and Soviet leaders confronted nuclear escalation after discovery of Soviet missile sites in Cuba.

Capture of Adolf Eichmann

11.05.1960

Israeli operatives captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina and transported him to Israel for trial.

Nationalization of the Suez Canal

26.07.1956

Gamal Abdel Nasser announced Egyptian nationalization of the Suez Canal Company in July 1956.

Battle of Algiers (1956–1957)

1956 → 1957

Urban warfare, bombing and repression in Algiers were major stages of Algeria's independence struggle.

Death of Joseph Stalin

05.03.1953

Stalin's death created a Soviet power struggle and opened a new phase of leadership change.

Great Smog of London (1952)

05.12.1952 → 09.12.1952

Severe air pollution engulfed London for several days in December 1952 and caused thousands of deaths.

Battle of Chosin Reservoir

27.11.1950 → 13.12.1950

Also known as bataille du réservoir de Chosin · Batalha de Chosin Reservoir · batalla de la reserva de Chosin

UN and Chinese troops fought around the Chosin Reservoir in a crucial Korean War engagement.

Chinese invasion of Tibet

06.10.1950 → 23.05.1951

Also known as Anexação do Tibete pela República Popular da China · Anexión del Tíbet a la República Popular de China · Annessione cinese del Tibet

The People's Liberation Army's advance into Tibet in 1950 ends the period of relative isolation represented in the film and prompts Harrer's departure.

Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi

30.01.1948

Also known as asesinato de Gandhi · asesinato de Mahatma Gandhi · asesinato de Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi by Nathuram Godse in January 1948.

Partition of India

1947

Also known as Indépendance de l'Inde · Partição da Índia · Particion de la India

The partition of British India created India and Pakistan amid mass migration and communal violence.

International Military Tribunal for the Far East

1946 → 1948

Allied powers prosecuted senior Japanese leaders for wartime crimes at the Tokyo tribunal.

Nuremberg Trial of major war criminals

20.11.1945 → 01.10.1946

Also known as Gerichtssaal 600 · Juicio de Nüremberg · Juicios de Nuremberg

The International Military Tribunal prosecuted leading Nazi officials for crimes against peace, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Japanese surrender announcement (1945)

15.08.1945

Emperor Hirohito's announcement of surrender followed intense internal debate and ended fighting for Japan.

Atomic bombing of Hiroshima

06.08.1945

Also known as atak atomowy na Hiroszimę · bombardamento atomico di Hiroshima · bombardeamento atómico de Hiroshima

The United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, killing tens of thousands directly and exposing survivors to radiation.

Trinity nuclear test

16.07.1945

Also known as Dreifaltigkeitsbombe · El sitio Trinity · Ensayo Trinity

The first test detonation of a nuclear weapon occurred in New Mexico as part of the Manhattan Project.

Battle of Berlin (1945)

16.04.1945 → 02.05.1945

Also known as bataille de Berlin · Batalha de Berlim · Batalla de Berlín

Soviet troops captured Berlin during the final weeks of Nazi Germany; the film depicts the collapsing regime in the capital.

Battle of Okinawa

01.04.1945 → 22.06.1945

Also known as bataille d'Okinawa · batalha de Okinawa · batalla de Okinawa

One of the fiercest Pacific campaigns of World War II included the assault on the Maeda Escarpment shown in the film.

Battle of Iwo Jima

19.02.1945 → 26.03.1945

Also known as bataille d'Iwo Jima · Batalha de Iwo Jima · Batalla de Iwo-Jima

U.S. and Japanese forces fought for Iwo Jima in a major Pacific battle.

Battle of the Bulge

16.12.1944 → 25.01.1945

Also known as Ardenler Taarruzu · Ardennenoffensive · Ardennen-Offensive

Germany's Ardennes offensive was defeated by Allied forces; portions are shown in Band of Brothers.

Operation Market Garden

17.09.1944 → 25.09.1944

Allied airborne and ground troops sought to secure bridges in the Netherlands; the operation failed to achieve key objectives.

Battle of Peleliu

15.09.1944 → 27.11.1944

U.S. Marines and Japanese defenders fought an exceptionally costly battle on Peleliu in 1944.

Liberation of Paris

19.08.1944 → 25.08.1944

Parisian resistance and advancing Allied forces freed Paris from German occupation in August 1944.

Warsaw Uprising

01.08.1944 → 02.10.1944

Also known as Alzamiento de varsovia · Insurrection de varsovie · Insurrection de Varsovie (1944)

The 1944 armed uprising of the Polish Home Army and Warsaw residents against German occupation, lasting from 1 August until the capitulation on 2 October. Distinct from the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

20 July plot

20.07.1944

Also known as 20. Juli 1944 · Atentado contra a vida de Hitler · Atentado de 20 de julho

German officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler and seize control of the Nazi state.

D-Day

06.06.1944

Also known as débarquement de Normandie · desembarco de Normandia · Desembarques da Normandia

Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944.

Operation Gunnerside

27.02.1943 → 28.02.1943

Norwegian commandos attacked the heavy-water production site at Vemork as part of Allied efforts against German nuclear research.

Arrest and execution of Sophie Scholl

18.02.1943 → 22.02.1943

Sophie Scholl and other White Rose resistance members were arrested, tried and executed by Nazi authorities in February 1943.

Massacres in Volhynia

02.1943 → 1945

Also known as ludobójstwo wołyńskie · Masacre de polacos en Volinia · masacri della Volinia

Ukrainian nationalist forces and local collaborators carried out mass attacks on Polish civilians in Volhynia and neighboring regions during 1943–1945, followed by retaliatory Polish attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

Operation Mincemeat

1943

British intelligence used a corpse with forged documents to misdirect Axis planning before the invasion of Sicily.

Battle of Stalingrad

17.07.1942 → 02.02.1943

The extended struggle for Stalingrad, conventionally dated 17 July 1942–2 February 1943, ending in the defeat of German-led Axis forces and constituting a turning point on the Eastern Front.

Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich

27.05.1942 → 04.06.1942

Czechoslovak operatives attacked Heydrich on 27 May; he died from wounds on 4 June 1942.

Wannsee Conference

20.01.1942

Also known as conférence de Wannsee · Conferencia de Wannsee · Conferência de Wansee

Senior Nazi officials coordinated implementation of the genocidal persecution of European Jews at Wannsee.

Battle of Kokoda Track

1942

Australian and Japanese troops fought along the Kokoda Track in Papua during 1942.

Attack on Pearl Harbor

07.12.1941

Also known as Angriff auf Pearl Harbor · Atak na Pearl Harbor · ataque a Pearl Harbor

The Japanese aerial attack on the United States Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 7 December 1941, prompting the United States to enter World War II.

Dunkirk evacuation

26.05.1940 → 04.06.1940

Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk and nearby beaches during 26 May–4 June 1940, following the German advance in France.

Katyn massacre

1940

Also known as François Naville · Katyn · Katyn Forest massacre

Soviet security forces murdered Polish prisoners and detainees in mass executions during spring 1940.

German invasion of Poland

01.09.1939 → 06.10.1939

Also known as 1939 Defensive War · 1939 Invasion of Poland · Agresja Niemiec na Polskę (1939)

Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, initiating the European phase of World War II and destabilizing the multiethnic eastern borderlands.

Attack on Westerplatte

01.09.1939 → 07.09.1939

Polish troops defended Westerplatte against German attacks at the opening of World War II.

Munich Agreement

30.09.1938

Also known as accordi di Monaco · accordo di Monaco · accords de Munich

European powers agreed to the cession of Czechoslovak borderlands to Nazi Germany at Munich.

Bombing of Guernica

26.04.1937

German and Italian aircraft bombed the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.

Nanjing Massacre

1937 → 1938

Also known as Estupro de Nanquim · Masacre de Nankín · Masacre de Nanking

Japanese troops committed widespread killings and violence against civilians and prisoners after taking Nanjing.

Defense of Sihang Warehouse

1937

Chinese troops defended Sihang Warehouse in Shanghai against Japanese forces in October 1937.

Salt March

12.03.1930 → 06.04.1930

Gandhi's march to the sea against the British salt tax became a landmark of Indian civil disobedience.

March on Rome

28.10.1922 → 31.10.1922

The Fascist mobilization and political pressure culminated in Mussolini's appointment as prime minister.