404 BC
Admiral Lysander and King Pausanias of Sparta blockade Athens and bring the Peloponnesian War to a successful conclusion.
In 404 BC, Spartan commander Lysander and King Pausanias blockaded Athens, forcing its surrender and ending the Peloponnesian War.
By deploying a naval blockade at the entrance to Piraeus, Admiral Lysander choked off the grain supply to Athens.
Combined forces under King Pausanias tightened the siege, leaving the Athenians no choice but to capitulate.
This decisive victory marked the end of a 27-year conflict between Athens and Sparta.
It shifted the balance of power in ancient Greece, ushering in Spartan hegemony.
The aftermath saw Athens stripped of its walls and fleet, and the brief rule of the Spartan-imposed Thirty Tyrants.
This conclusion of the Peloponnesian War reshaped the political landscape of the classical world.
404 BC
Lysander
Pausanias of Sparta
Peloponnesian War
775day.year
The Battle of Bagrevand puts an end to an Armenian rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. Muslim control over the South Caucasus is solidified and its Islamization begins, while several major Armenian nakharar families lose power and their remnants flee to the Byzantine Empire.
The 775 Battle of Bagrevand crushed an Armenian uprising against the Abbasid Caliphate, cementing Muslim rule in the South Caucasus.
Armed clashes at Bagrevand saw Abbasid forces decisively defeat Armenian rebels fighting to restore local autonomy.
The victory ended the power of prominent nakharar families, leading many aristocrats to flee to the Byzantine Empire.
Following the battle, the Abbasids solidified their control over the region and initiated policies that encouraged Islamization.
This shift in power altered the cultural and religious landscape of the South Caucasus for centuries to come.
Bagrevand stands as a turning point in Armenian history, marking the decline of indigenous noble dynasties.
775
Battle of Bagrevand
Armenian
Abbasid Caliphate
South Caucasus
nakharar
Byzantine Empire
1607day.year
Eighty Years' War: The Dutch fleet destroys the anchored Spanish fleet at Gibraltar.
On April 25, 1607, during the Eighty Years’ War, a Dutch fleet destroyed the anchored Spanish squadron at Gibraltar, securing naval supremacy.
The Dutch flotilla, commanded by Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk, launched a surprise attack on the Spanish fleet anchored at Gibraltar.
Utilizing fireships and coordinated maneuvers, the Dutch overwhelmed the Spanish vessels before they could raise sail.
The victory dealt a serious blow to Spanish maritime power in the Mediterranean and boosted Dutch morale.
It underscored the rising influence of the Dutch Republic in European naval warfare.
The battle’s outcome helped secure supply lines and trade routes vital to the burgeoning Dutch colonial enterprise.
1607
Eighty Years' War
destroys
Gibraltar
1644day.year
Transition from Ming to Qing: The Chongzhen Emperor, the last Emperor of Ming China, commits suicide during a peasant rebellion led by Li Zicheng.
In 1644, the Chongzhen Emperor of Ming China took his own life as peasant rebel forces led by Li Zicheng overtook Beijing, ending the Ming dynasty.
Li Zicheng’s rebel army breached Beijing’s defenses amid widespread famine and social unrest.
Facing defeat, the Chongzhen Emperor retreated to Coal Hill and chose suicide over capture.
His death marked the collapse of the Ming dynasty after nearly three centuries of rule.
Within months, Manchu forces seized the capital, inaugurating the Qing dynasty.
This dynastic shift transformed China’s political order and set the stage for two centuries of Manchu rule.
The event symbolizes the fragility of imperial authority during periods of popular upheaval.
1644
Transition from Ming to Qing
Chongzhen Emperor
Ming China
Li Zicheng
1707day.year
A coalition of Britain, the Netherlands and Portugal is defeated by a Franco-Spanish army at Almansa (Spain) in the War of the Spanish Succession.
The 1707 Battle of Almansa saw Bourbon forces defeat an allied British, Dutch, and Portuguese army, proving pivotal in the War of the Spanish Succession.
Fought near the town of Almansa in eastern Spain, the battle pitted the Duke of Berwick’s Bourbon army against an allied coalition.
Superior cavalry charges and disciplined infantry tactics overwhelmed the allies under the Earl of Galway.
The resounding Bourbon victory secured Philip V’s claim to the Spanish throne in the region.
It led to the royal courts of Valencia and Aragon accepting Bourbon rule and undermined allied hopes for a favorable negotiated settlement.
Almansa is remembered as a decisive encounter that shaped the balance of power in early 18th-century Europe.
1707
Almansa
War of the Spanish Succession
1808day.year
Dano-Swedish War of 1808–1809: The Battle of Trangen took place at Trangen in Flisa, Hedemarkens Amt, between Swedish and Norwegian troops.
The 1808 Battle of Trangen saw Norwegian forces ambush a Swedish column in dense forests, marking a key clash in the Dano-Swedish War.
Norwegian forces under Captain Bernhard Ditlef von Krogh concealed themselves along the Trangen pass to surprise an advancing Swedish column.
The tight terrain and coordinated volleys inflicted heavy losses on the Swedes and forced a chaotic retreat.
This tactical victory boosted Norwegian morale and demonstrated the effectiveness of guerrilla tactics.
The engagement formed part of the larger Dano-Swedish conflict, which arose from shifting alliances during the Napoleonic Wars.
Battles like Trangen highlighted local resistance efforts that shaped Scandinavian military history.
1808
Dano-Swedish War of 1808–1809
Battle of Trangen
Flisa
Hedemarkens Amt
1846day.year
Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War.
A skirmish known as the Thornton Affair erupts along the Rio Grande, igniting the Mexican–American War.
On April 25, 1846, U.S. Dragoons under Major Seth Thornton clashed with Mexican cavalry near the Rio Grande.
The incident arose from competing claims over Texas’ southern border following its annexation by the United States.
President James K. Polk used reports of the attack to secure a war declaration from Congress.
The ensuing Mexican–American War lasted two years and resulted in significant territorial gains for the U.S.
Hosts of battles from California to Mexico City reshaped North America’s map and influenced future U.S.–Mexico relations.
1846
Thornton Affair
Texas
Mexican–American War
1862day.year
American Civil War: Forces under U.S. Admiral David Farragut demand the surrender of the Confederate city of New Orleans, Louisiana.
Union Admiral David Farragut issues a demand for the surrender of Confederate-held New Orleans, a key Civil War objective.
In April 1862, Admiral David Farragut led a Union fleet up the Mississippi River toward New Orleans.
Farragut’s ships ran past heavily fortified Confederate forts guarding the river’s mouth under cover of darkness.
On April 25, he demanded the city’s immediate surrender to avoid bombardment and civilian casualties.
Mayor John T. Monroe initially resisted but ultimately yielded when faced with overwhelming naval power.
The capture of New Orleans dealt a severe blow to the Confederacy’s control of the Mississippi and its vital trade routes.
1862
American Civil War
U.S.
Admiral
David Farragut
demand the surrender
Confederate
New Orleans, Louisiana
1864day.year
American Civil War: In the Battle of Marks' Mills, a force of 8,000 Confederate soldiers attacks 1,800 Union soldiers and a large number of wagon teamsters, killing or wounding 1,500 Union combatants.
Confederate troops launch a surprise assault at Marks’ Mills, inflicting heavy losses on a Union supply column.
On April 25, 1864, Confederate Major General James Fagan ambushed a Union escort of supply wagons near Marks’ Mills, Arkansas.
Approximately 8,000 Confederate soldiers overwhelmed 1,800 Union troops and civilian teamsters guarding vital supplies.
The fierce engagement resulted in nearly 1,500 Union personnel killed, wounded, or captured.
The victory boosted Confederate morale during the Red River Campaign, despite eventual strategic setbacks.
The Battle of Marks’ Mills highlighted the vulnerability of supply lines and the brutality of Civil War engagements.
1864
Battle of Marks' Mills
Confederate
Union
teamsters
1882day.year
French and Vietnamese troops clashed in Tonkin, when Commandant Henri Rivière seized the citadel of Hanoi with a small force of marine infantry.
French forces under Henri Rivière capture Hanoi’s citadel, igniting early hostilities in Tonkin.
In April 1882, Commandant Henri Rivière led a contingent of French marines to occupy the ancient citadel of Hanoi in Tonkin (northern Vietnam).
The bold move aimed to expand French influence amid regional instability and rival Chinese interests.
Vietnamese defenders resisted, resulting in sharp skirmishes around the walls of the citadel.
Rivière’s action marked the beginning of France’s full-scale military intervention in Tonkin.
This clash laid the groundwork for the Sino-French War and eventual establishment of French Indochina.
1882
French
Vietnamese
Tonkin
Henri Rivière
seized
citadel of Hanoi
1892day.year
Véry bombing during the Ère des attentats (1892–1894)
The Véry bombing initiates the ‘Ère des attentats,’ a surge of anarchist bombings in late 19th-century France.
On April 25, 1892, anarchist Émile Henry detonated an explosive device inside the offices of the French Ministry of War.
This attack, known as the Véry bombing, targeted symbols of state authority in Paris.
A series of similar bombings followed between 1892 and 1894, aiming to provoke public disorder and challenge the Third Republic.
The wave of violence prompted harsh police measures and new anti-terrorism laws.
The ‘Ère des attentats’ underscored deep social anxieties amid industrialization and political radicalism in France.
1892
Véry bombing
Ère des attentats
1898day.year
Spanish–American War: The United States Congress declares that a state of war between the U.S. and Spain has existed since April 21, when an American naval blockade of the Spanish colony of Cuba began.
Congress retroactively declares the U.S. at war with Spain, formalizing the Spanish–American War that began on April 21.
On April 25, 1898, the U.S. Senate and House passed a joint resolution stating that hostilities with Spain commenced on April 21.
This followed the establishment of an American naval blockade around Cuba, aimed at cutting off Spanish supply lines.
The declaration solidified U.S. commitment to military action, framing the conflict as a defense of Cuban independence.
The war lasted just over three months, resulting in U.S. victory and major territorial gains in the Caribbean and Pacific.
The treaty that concluded the war marked America’s emergence as a global power.
1898
Spanish–American War
declares that a state of war between the U.S. and Spain
blockade
Cuba