A girl runs with her face painted at a square in La Guaira, Venezuela, Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Venezuelans prepare for upcoming carnivals. (Photo by Ariana Cubillos/AP Photo)

Rescuers work to put out fire outside a damaged residential building hit by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Donetsk, Russian-controlled Ukraine on November 7, 2023. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

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.

Human canvases modelling world famous artworks including Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Edvard Munch's The Scream take to the streets of London in a bid to mend Britain's disconnect with art on September 25, 2017. Award winning body paint artist Sarah Attwell was commissioned by online art platform Rise Art to show that great art is for everybody, following research that revealed 1 in 6 Brits have never set foot in an art gallery. (Photo by Imagewise Ltd/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

An artists performs on the street during a Myfest festival marking the May Day in the Kreuzberg district in Berlin, Germany on May 1, 2018. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

A Saudi woman holds a falcon as she participate for the first time in the 2nd Saudi Falcons and Hunting Exhibition in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 16, 2019. (Photo by Ahmed Yosri/Reuters)

Jockeys and their horses compete in the Cross Country Chase, the fourth race on the second day of the Cheltenham Festival at Cheltenham Racecourse, in Cheltenham, western England on March 12, 2025. (Photo by Justin Tallis/AFP Photo)

Participants take part in the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Parade on March 02, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. The Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade began in 1978 as a march to commemorate the 1969 Stonewall Riots in New York and has been held every year since to promote awareness of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. (Photo by Roni Bintang/Getty Images)