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.

Today in 527 AD, Justinian I became sole ruler of the Byzantine Empire.

He refused to accept that Rome was gone forever, and spent 38 years trying to bring it back.

Here’s the remarkable story of Justinian the Great 🧵👇🏼 Justinian I ruled the Byzantine Empire from 527 to 565 AD.

A Balkan peasant by birth, he reached the throne through his uncle Justin I, who had climbed from common soldier to emperor.

Today in 1588, the invincible Spanish Armada was spotted off the coast of England.

But 130 ships and 30,000 men turned out to be no match for Sir Francis Drake and the English guns.

This is the story of how the Armada was brought to its knees 🧵👇🏼 The Spanish Armada of 1588 was Philip II’s massive naval force.

It sailed to invade England, restore Catholicism, and stop English support for Dutch Protestant rebels.

Today in 1148, the Second Crusade ended in disaster when Crusaders fled Damascus after a failed four day siege.

Most people have heard of the Crusades, but did you know there were 8 of them from 1096 to 1270?

Here’s what you need to know about each one 🧵👇🏼 First Crusade 1096-1099

Pope Urban II called for Christians to reclaim Jerusalem from Muslim control. He promised spiritual rewards to those who could accomplish it.

Today in 1890, Vincent van Gogh suffered a fatal gunshot wound to his chest.

He stumbled back to his inn, climbed the stairs, and told no one what happened.

Why the silence? Because the truth about who pulled the trigger remains one of art history’s darkest mysteries 🧵👇🏼 He was 37 years old and died two days later with his brother Theo by his side.

Today in 1911, Hiram Bingham climbed into the clouds above Peru.

What he found there changed archaeology forever.

Come learn about the incredible site of the Incas, Machu Picchu 🧵👇🏼 Machu Picchu was built around 1420 AD by the Inca emperor Pachacuti as a royal estate and seasonal retreat for the imperial court.

Today in 1789, Paris’s bourgeoisie made a fatal error.

They armed 48,000 citizens to protect property from the mob and the crown.

Instead, they created the very force that would march them to the guillotine.

This is the story of the National Guard’s dark transformation…🧵👇🏼 Today, the day after the Bastille fell, Paris faced a dangerous power vacuum.

Royal authority had collapsed and there was no organized force to maintain order.

Today in 371 BC, the impossible happened on a small plain in central Greece.

6,000 Thebans faced 10,000 Spartans. In a few hours, three centuries of military legend would end.

This is the story of the day Sparta fell…🧵👇🏼 For centuries, Sparta had dominated Greece. Their professional warrior society and feared hoplite army had made them nearly invincible since the Persian Wars.

They controlled much of Greece through puppet governments and military garrisons.

Today in 1863, two formidable armies collided at a Pennsylvania crossroads town.

Neither planned to fight there, but over the next three days, 160,000 Americans fought the bloodiest battle in the nation's history.

Here is the story of the Battle of Gettysburg 🧵👇🏼 In June 1863, General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia, with 75,000 men, invaded Pennsylvania.

Fighting in Virginia had devastated the land, so Lee decided to invade the north and threaten major Northern cities like Philadelphia and Washington, and potentially force peace negotiations.

Today in 1812 and 1941, just 129 years apart, Napoleon and Hitler launched their armies against Russia.

Both underestimated her people’s resolve and how merciless the land would be.

Many marched in…but few returned🧵👇🏼 The goal of Napoleon’s 1812 invasion was to severely weaken Russia and force compliance with a trade blockade against Britain.

Operation Barbarossa in 1941 sought to conquer the Soviet Union and eliminate communism.

We think of Rome as the ultimate power, fearing no one…but Rome feared Hannibal.

When Hannibal invaded Italy, Rome stopped engaging him in open battle.

Why? Because today in 217 BC, Hannibal led one of the most devastating ambushes in history 🧵👇🏼 It’s called the Battle of Lake Trasimene and it took place during the Second Punic War.

It was a major Carthaginian victory over Rome.

Today in 1631, Shah Jahan lost his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

In his grief, he built the Taj Mahal, the world’s most stunning mausoleum.

Here’s the story 🧵👇🏼 Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, married Mumtaz Mahal, in 1612 after a five year engagement.

Imagine an act so bold, it becomes a phrase people say over 3,000 years later.

Today in 1184 BC, brave Greeks inside the Trojan Horse slipped into Troy and brought the city to its knees.

To them, it ended the war, but we’re still saying “Trojan Horse” today 🧵👇🏼 According to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, which are mythological and by no means historical facts, this is how the Trojan War unfolded.

Today in 1949, George Orwell published one of the most chilling books I’ve ever read, 1984.

A literary masterpiece, 1984 exposes tactics of suppression that feel all too familiar in our world today.

Here are ten truths Orwell urged us to confront to ward off Big Brother 🧵👇🏼 Totalitarian power crushes freedom.

The Party’s absolute control through surveillance and fear shows how authoritarian regimes eliminate personal liberties and achieve unchecked power.

In an age of glass, let’s revisit a time when buildings were made to inspire.

In the 19th century, architects revived the splendor of ancient Rome and Greece through Beaux Arts.

Their creations became the world’s most beautiful buildings. Come see!🧵👇🏼
Grand Central Terminal, New York - 1913

Yesterday was the anniversary of a special day as construction on St. Peter’s Basilica began in 1506!

Words cannot describe one’s feeling of awe and wonder upon entering for the first time.

I’d like to tell you the story of the building of the largest church in the world 🧵 In 1448, The Old St. Peter’s Basilica was deteriorating and it was deemed irreparable. Discussions started around what should be on built next.

Today in 1521, a very nervous Martin Luther arrived in Worms, Germany.

He was about to face the leaders of the Holy Roman Empire for challenging the authority of Pope Leo X.

What happened next changed the world forever 🧵 We begin in early 1521, when Martin Luther was summoned to the Diet of Worms.

It was to be an imperial assembly in the city of Worms, where Luther would face charges of heresy.

The Eiffel Tower was completed today in 1889!

An iconic day, and what a storied history this structure has had.

Here are some things you might not know about this incredible tower 🧵 The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair in Paris to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.