Soldiers ask a tourist to evacuate Mirador beach ahead of Hurricane Beryl's expected arrival in Tulum, Mexico, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

Visitors pass an exhibit for Sculpture by the Sea, along the coastal walk from Bondi to Tamarama in Sydney, Australia on October 24, 2025. The annual event is Australia’s largest annual outdoor sculpture exhibition. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Do you think that history is a science? Well, not exactly. First, and foremost, history is the state's “legend of wars”, it’s official regalia. Of course, public historians are not interested in scientific truth – quite the opposite. In this respect, any attempt to present a state’s history as altruistic and benevolent as possible is welcomed and encouraged – as opposed to any revisionism attempts that may be more accurate. In this matter, Chinese have surpassed us all – they revised in highly creative manner (but rather shamelessly) the technology already invented by Europeans, a process that resulted in oldest state on the planet. Here is an interesting paradox: ask any sinologist about the Middle Kingdom during second century B.C., and he will describe it to you in such a vivid manner as if he has been living there all his life – but as soon as you will ask him to describe Chinese history in the 19-20th centuries… let's say, his eagerness will be greatly diminished. However, we will discuss China in a different article, and in the meantime we will try to understand how exactly historic “legend of wars” is formed and functions – based on a specific and well-known example. A great example is Ferdinand Magellan's first voyage around the world.

In this January 7, 2016, photo, conservationists of Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation hold a baby orangutan rescued along with its mother during a rescue and release operation for orangutans trapped in a swath of jungle in Sungai Mangkutub, Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. Last year's forest fires drove orangutans closer to the river bank, where they had to live in an over-populated swath of forest as thin as 30 meters wide along the river. (Photo by Dita Alangkara/AP Photo)

People take part in the annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival along 5th Avenue in New York City March 27, 2016. The parade, which is more of a stroll than a parade, is more informal than the city's other parades. There are no bands, no floats, and no formations, and anyone can participate. (Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

In this Tuesday, August 2, 2016 photo released by Xinhua News Agency, people stand on a platform as the Transit Elevated Bus TEB-1 conducting a test run after it unveiled in Qinhuangdao, north China's Hebei Province. The 72-feet long and 25-feet wide Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) powered by electricity can carry more than hundreds passengers, is designed to go over the normal traffic to help ease traffic congestion without having to dig new tunnels or build elevated rail tracks. (Photo by Luo Xiaoguang/Xinhua via AP Photo)

Maria Jose Cristerna is a mother of four, tattoo artist and former lawyer. 90 percent of Maria’s body is tattooed and modified with subcutaneous implants and therefor she is also called Vampire Woman. Her tattooed skin, body piercings and transformations make her look stunning, even to persons who are familiar with extreme body modifications. She is famous and a regular on television shows and events.

A marine rescue worker from Sea World works in a joint attempt with his colleagues to help a juvenile humpback whale stranded at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast, in Queensland July 9, 2014. (Photo by Jason O'Brien/Reuters)