Not all periods of peace are created equal.

Tom Holland wrote: "The capacity of the legions to exercise extreme violence was the necessary precondition of the Pax Romana."

Yes, Rome's domination brought peace, but it was delivered by the bloody end of a sword.

🧵 Thread The Pax Romana, or Roman Peace, spanned roughly 200 years, beginning with Augustus in 27 BC and ending around 180 AD with the death of Marcus Aurelius.

It wasn’t peace as we know it—it was dominance. A world forged in conquest and maintained through control.

What does it take to challenge an Empire?

Meet the mysterious seer whose visions inspired the tribes to unite and take up arms against Roman imperial might.

She became a symbol of defiance & ignited a savage rebellion that would shake the region to its very core.

🧵 (Thread) The year was 69 AD, and the Roman Empire was mired in chaos.

The death of Emperor Nero had plunged the empire into civil war, a turbulent period known as the Year of the Four Emperors.

The Mongol campaigns claimed the lives of an estimated 60 million people.

They mastered the art of mass depopulation and systematic culling.

Their inflicted death toll was so high that the world's carbon footprint was forever altered.

Here is how they did it. 🧵 (thread) Their campaigns were defined by speed, strategy, and an unparalleled ability to instill fear.

But what set them apart wasn’t just their mobility and battlefield brilliance—it was their calculated approach to depopulation and control.

Two ships and 129 men vanished without a trace.

An Arctic mission turned into a nightmare of ice, starvation, and cannibalisms.

A ghost ship and its crew, lost for a century.

Here's what really happened to the Franklin Expedition. 🧵 In 1845, the British Admiralty launched its most ambitious Arctic expedition yet.

Two state-of-the-art ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, set sail under the command of Sir John Franklin.

Their mission?

Sometimes, the fate of the world hinges on a series of chance events.

A sandwich, a wrong turn, and a teenager with a gun changed the course of history forever.

This is the tale of the shots that lit the world on fire. The date was June 28, 1914. The place: Sarajevo, a city in the Austro-Hungarian province of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was visiting the city with his wife, Sophie.

Built by emperors, shaped by wars, and maintained by millions, the Great Wall of China is a story of blood, sweat, and stones.

It seemed impenetrable, until the Mongols arrived on the scene.

And when the horde surpassed it they left a trail of destruction in their wake.

🧵 The year was 1211 AD. Genghis Khan, the leader of a nomadic confederation turned military juggernaut, stood before the northern defenses of the Jin dynasty.

The Great Wall loomed large, a symbol of defiance. For centuries, it had held invaders at bay.

What made an army of farmers, shopkeepers, and tradesmen challenge the most powerful empire of the time?

A story every American should know, on how their revolution took off and how armed conflict became inevitable.

🧵 The year is 1765 AD.

Colonists are bustling with activity in towns and cities across the thirteen colonies.

From Boston to Charleston, life is filled with the rhythms of trade, farming, and family. But beneath the surface, tensions are brewing.

Most people know that Fabergé eggs were exquisitely crafted jewelry masterpieces from Tsarist Russia.

But few realize that many of these treasures concealed surprises within their designs.

I’ve gathered some of the most fascinating ones for you. 🧵 1) The Rosebud Egg (1895)

This egg, given by Tsar Nicholas II to Tsarina Alexandra for Easter, contained a surprise—a miniature rosebud that could be opened to reveal a portrait of their son, Tsarevich Alexei.

He is the most legendary philosopher-king of all time.

Commanding armies and himself in turbulent times.

His treatise, "Meditations", has inspired leaders, thinkers, and entrepreneurs for centuries.

These timeless principles will guide you in the new year

Let's dive in. 🧵 On Self-Control

WWI's deadliest ace was a fighter pilot who hailed from an aristocratic family.

But why did he make himself an obvious target by flying a bright red plane?

The answer lies in the mind of the Red Baron.

A story stranger than fiction...🧵 During WWI, camouflage was the norm. Pilots painted their planes in muted colors to blend into the sky.

But Manfred von Richthofen chose the exact opposite—a vivid, unmistakable red. Why?

69 tons of steel & a cannon capable of destroying targets over 2 miles away.

The Tiger II wasn’t just a tank—it was a fortress on tracks.

Dubbed the Königstiger, it was a super-tank meant to dominate the battlefield.

Germany's desperate gamble to turn the tide of a losing war. By 1944, the Third Reich was crumbling.

The Allies pressed hard from the west, while the Soviet juggernaut advanced relentlessly from the east.

Germany’s once-mighty army was being ground down, its resources stretched to the breaking point.

Sometimes the best thing history can offer is contrast.

A selection of haunting wartime Christmas cards that will make you feel grateful you can be with your loved ones today.

Consider it my gift to you. A German illustration from December 1943 captures a stark juxtaposition: A family celebrates Christmas in the warmth of home, while far away on the Eastern Front, soldiers light a candle at a comrade's grave.

The Christmas tree is one of the most powerful symbols of Western culture.

Its roots stretch back thousands of years, blending ancient pagan rituals, Christian traditions, and modern customs into the holiday centerpiece we know today.

A🧵 on our scared tradition. Long before Christmas, evergreen trees symbolized life and resilience during the winter months.

Germanic tribes celebrated Yule, adorning trees or sacred groves with offerings to honor their gods during the solstice.

What happens when a CIA officer switches sides?

A tale of greed, betrayal, and devastation—unveiling the story of the most damaging double agent in U.S. history.

Here is all you need to know about "the Spy who sold America." Ames wasn’t the CIA’s most impressive officer. He had a reputation for mediocrity, a drinking problem, and a failing marriage.

But what he lacked in talent, he made up for in proximity to secrets.

Meet Germany's most lethal tank commander.

He destroyed an astonishing 138 Allied tanks and 132 armored vehicles.

This is the story of the man who became a "Tiger Ace" by leaving a trail of complete destruction in his wake. His career as a tank commander began in earnest during Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

It was on the Eastern Front that Wittmann honed his skills, mastering the art of armored warfare and earning respect for his calm demeanor under fire.

Otto von Bismarck was a master strategist, playing the game of power like a grand chessboard.

He unified Germany through war, but his true genius lay in his ability to keep Europe at peace.

A 🧵 on the lessons from the Iron Chancellor himself for those aspiring to wield power. 1) Master the Art of Realpolitik

Politics is not about ideals, but about what is achievable.

Bismarck's "Realpolitik", was centered on pragmatic, goal-oriented policies rather than ideological purity.

Incentives, more often than not, are more important than ideologies.

The Germans were one of the most advanced civilizations before entering WWII.

They had great scientists, fantastic engineers, and brilliant philosophers.

However, as the war unfolded, the very qualities that made German engineering exceptional became a double-edged sword.

🧵 The meticulous nature of German engineering led to the creation of some of the most advanced weapons of the time.

Tanks like the Tiger and Panther were marvels of military technology, boasting superior firepower, armor, and precision.

"My god It works."

Those must’ve been the words running through Elon’s mind when his rockets took off.

Rewind a mere 120 years.

Two brothers standing in the cold December wind, watching their creation defy gravity for the first time.

Here’s how they made history. 🧵 The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur, were two self-taught engineers from Dayton, Ohio. They weren’t scientists, and they didn’t have formal education beyond high school.

But they shared two key things: an obsession with flight and a knack for solving hard problems.

It is hard to imagine Paris without its signature icon.

However, it almost didn't happen.

Eiffel's design was so bold that the greatest artists of his time called it 'an abomination'.

A 🧵 on the "Iron Lady", the symbol of Paris that nearly never was. The year was 1887. Paris was preparing to host the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world fair celebrating the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.

The city wanted a showstopper—a centerpiece that would symbolize France's innovation and industrial strength.

The field of Crécy lay shrouded in mist.

On one side, the vast army of 🇫🇷; on the other, a smaller but resolute🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿force.

At the center of it all, clad in dark armor, stood the Black Prince.

History would remember this—not as a boy's trial by fire, but as the making of a legend. The year is 1346 AD, the Hundred Years' War rages on, and the fields of northern France are about to witness one of the most pivotal battles in medieval history—the Battle of Crécy.

During WWI, a strange iron leviathan crawled onto the battlefield.

The world's first tank looked more like a mechanical monster than a weapon of war.

This is the story of the Mark I, and how it changed warfare forever, complete with rare footage.

🧵 The year is 1916 AD. Trench warfare dominates the battlefields of Europe.

Barbed wire stretches for miles, machine guns mow down soldiers by the thousands, and no-man’s-land is a graveyard of shattered hopes.