Today in 1187, Saladin captured Jerusalem from the Crusaders.

The defenders fought valiantly for 12 days, but with only 14 knights against thousands, they could not hold against the might of Saladin’s army.

This is how Christian rule over Jerusalem came to its bitter end 🧵👇🏼 Three months earlier, the Kingdom of Jerusalem suffered a catastrophic defeat at Hattin.

Virtually its entire army was lost…about 18,000-20,000 men including 1,200 mounted knights. King Guy captured and only 200 knights escaped the slaughter.

Today in 331 BC, Alexander the Great destroyed the world’s greatest empire at Gaugamela.

Outnumbered and 2,000 miles from home, he annihilated Darius III’s massive army in one of history’s greatest victories.

This is the battle that created a legend 🧵👇🏼 Alexander led 47,000 troops against Darius’s army of roughly 100,000.

They fought on a battlefield that the Persian king had specifically chosen and spent months preparing to favor his cavalry and chariots.

“I have not yet begun to fight!”

Today in 1779, these five words rang out across the North Sea as John Paul Jones faced certain defeat.

His ship was sinking and his main guns were destroyed.

He defeated the British anyway, and became the father of the American Navy 🧵👇 Jones commanded the Bonhomme Richard, a converted 42 gun French merchant ship that was slower and structurally weaker than the brand new, copper bottomed 44 gun Serapis.

What happens when people reject the social contract and embrace violence?

Well today in 1954, William Golding gave us a chilling description by publishing Lord of the Flies.

The book holds 10 truths that should be a sobering reminder to us all 🧵👇🏼 1. Democratic power can crumble when challenged by force

British schoolboys stranded on an island elected Ralph as leader instead of Jack, the head choirboy who expected to be chief.

Ralph made Jack hunting chief to keep peace, but Jack later used his hunters to violently seize control of all the boys.

Today in 1812, Moscow burned as Napoleon’s Grande Armée entered the city.

His dreams of conquest turned to ash as the Russians set their own capital ablaze rather than surrender it to him.

This is the devastating story of the invasion that destroyed Napoleon’s empire 🧵👇🏼 Russia’s withdrawal from Napoleon’s Continental System in December 1810, which was his economic blockade designed to strangle Britain through trade warfare, threatened to unravel his entire anti British strategy.

Today in 1683, Western Europe was saved from Ottoman expansion after the Battle of Vienna.

The battle involved the largest cavalry charge in history, led by the fierce Polish Winged Hussars.

This is how Europe was saved 🧵👇🏼 The battle was fought on September 12, 1683, when a Christian coalition army relieved the Habsburg capital after a desperate two month Ottoman siege.

Today in 1504, Michelangelo’s highly anticipated David statue was unveiled in Florence.

He transformed a ruined block of marble into humanity’s most celebrated sculpture.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.” 🧵👇🏼 In the courtyard of the Florence Cathedral, a massive 18 foot marble block sat for 25 years after two accomplished sculptors deemed it unusable.

It was originally intended for Florence Cathedral’s roof decoration, but instead it sat there, deteriorating in the rain and sun.

Today in 1191, Richard the Lionheart devastated Saladin’s Muslim army at the Battle of Arsuf.

“none could escape the force of his arm, for wherever he turned, brandishing his sword, Richard carved a wide path for himself…cutting them down like a reaper with his sickle.” 🧵👇🏼 After capturing Acre in July 1191, Richard the Lionheart decided to march south along the coast toward Jaffa rather than directly inland to Jerusalem.

Staying along the coast allowed for crucial naval support for his army of 15,000 to 20,000 crusaders.

On this date in 1757, Marquis de Lafayette was born.

Without him, the American Revolution may have failed.

This is how one French nobleman altered the course of a nation and became a beloved hero in a foreign land 🧵👇🏼 Lafayette was born into French nobility and became an orphan by age 13.

He inherited a massive fortune that paid him 120,000 livres per year.

Today in 1189, Richard the Lionheart was crowned King of England at Westminster Abbey.

He would spend only 6 months in England during his entire reign, yet become one of its most legendary kings.

Here’s the remarkable story of Richard I that separates myth from reality 🧵👇🏼 Richard I became King of England after his father Henry II’s death.

He inherited a vast empire from Scotland to southern France.

Today in 1973, J.R.R. Tolkien passed away.

He was the genius behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit…tales that defined fantasy forever.

But who was he? This is the extraordinary life of a man who brought wonder and joy to millions 🧵👇🏼 John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892 in South Africa, to English parents Arthur and Mabel Tolkien.

Today in 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire fell.

The details of its decline should be a sobering warning to all great civilizations that consider themselves indestructible.

This is how Rome’s collapse unfolded 🧵👇🏼 For over 500 years, the Roman Empire controlled most of Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, but the western half began slowly collapsing.

In 410 AD the Visigoths sacked Rome which accelerated the decline.

Today in 1498, Michelangelo was commissioned to carve the Pietà sculpture.

At just 23 years old, Michelangelo obsessed over this work for the next 18 months.

What emerged was the Renaissance’s defining masterpiece…here’s the incredible story 🧵👇🏼 In 1498, Michelangelo Buonarroti accepted a daunting commission from French Cardinal Jean de Bilhères…

He was to carve a life sized Virgin Mary holding Christ, from a single marble block.

It was to be “more beautiful than any work in marble to be seen in Rome today…”

When Mount Vesuvius erupted today in 79 AD, it unleashed a torrent of devastation that wiped out entire Roman cities.

But what really happened on that day, and what remains after such immense destruction?

Join me and find out 🧵👇🏼 The eruption of Mount Vesuvius began around noon, and the initial explosion sent a massive column of volcanic debris high into the atmosphere.

This was the start of the disaster for the nearby city of Pompeii.

From 1984 to Animal farm, George Orwell taught humanity to recognize tyranny before it’s too late.

But who was he, and why did he understand totalitarianism so well?

Let’s explore the man who armed us against oppression 🧵👇🏼 Eric Arthur Blair (his pen name became George Orwell - more on that later) was born in 1903 in British India.

His father supervised opium production there for sale to China.

There are battles that echo throughout history, but few rival the epic stand of the Greeks at Thermopylae.

Today in 480 BC, King Leonidas and his fearless Spartans fought to save Greece from the Persians at the "hot gates.” 👇🏼🧵 Before Thermopylae in the early 5th century BC, Darius I and his Persian Achaemenid Empire had expanded West.

He subjugated Thrace and Macedonia, and next he set his sights on the Greek city states to the south.

Today in 1945, George Orwell published a devastating critique of Communism.

Animal Farm reveals why every communist revolution follows the same tragic pattern: liberation to corruption to oppression.

Here are 10 truths from Animal Farm Orwell warned us never to forget 🧵👇🏼 1. Revolution contains the seeds of its own corruption

The animals overthrow their human farmer Mr. Jones to create an equal society, but the pigs who led the rebellion gradually adopt every human vice.

They sleep in beds, drink alcohol, walk on two legs…until the final scene where neighboring farmers can’t distinguish between the pigs and humans at a dinner party.

80 years ago today, President Truman announced Japan’s surrender, and Americans poured into the streets to celebrate VJ Day.

World War II was over.

These are the moments from the war we must never forget 🧵👇🏼 Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939.

In response, Britain and France declared war and officially started World War II in Europe.

Imagine waking up to find your street has been sliced in half with barbed wire.

Your grandmother lives on the other side. You won’t see her again for 28 years.

This happened to 3 million Berliners today in 1961...but why?

Here’s the story the Berlin Wall 🧵👇🏼 After World War II ended in 1945, the victorious Allies divided Germany into four zones.

Each zone was controlled by one country…America, Soviet Union, Britain, and France.

Today in 30 BC, Cleopatra died…the last pharaoh of Egypt.

She was a brilliant ruler who spoke nine languages, revitalized Egypt, and kept Rome at bay during her 21 year reign.

Here’s what you should know about her extraordinary life 🧵👇🏼 Cleopatra VII was born in early 69 BC into the Ptolemaic dynasty.

This was a Macedonian Greek family that had ruled Egypt for 300 years since Alexander the Great’s conquest.

Today in 117 AD, Hadrian was declared Emperor of Rome!

During his reign, he built something that shouldn’t exist…a concrete dome so vast it was thought impossible!

Yet the Pantheon stands perfectly intact 1,900 years later 🧵👇🏼 Emperor Hadrian ruled Rome from 117 to 138 AD.

He was unique among Roman emperors because he was both a patron and practitioner of architecture.

He personally designed buildings rather than just commission them.