Runners compete in the women's 300-meter steeplechase finals during the U.S. Championships athletics meet in Eugene, Ore.,Saturday, August 2, 2025. (Photo by Ashley Landis/AP Photo)

Brazil's team performs in the artistic swimming acrobatic routine final at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, Friday, November 3, 2023. (Photo by Matias Delacroix/AP Photo)

Since her stint in the 2019 Love Island villa, where she made the nation laugh, Irish television personality Maura Higgins has been working as a brand ambassador for Ann Summers. And the 31-year-old has really set pulses racing in her latest edit with the saucy lingerie brand. Available online and in stores from today, December 1, 2021, Maura has looks absolutely stunning in the new Ann Summers Christmas campaign which includes bodysuits and basques, two-piece sets, bras, and thongs in festive hues for the Christmas season. (Photo by Ann Summers/The Mega Agency)

British designer Kim Jones (C) walks the runway to greet the audience after the show of the Spring/Summer 2025 Menswear Collection for Dior fashion house during the Paris Fashion Week, in Paris, France, 21 June 2024. The presentation of the Men's collections runs from 18 to 23 June. (Photo by Andre Pain/EPA/EFE)

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.

Eddie Ladd and Gwyn Emberton perform as Dylan and Caitlin Thomas in “Caitlin” at the Lauriston Hall, Edinburgh, Scotland on August 25 2017. (Photo by Mary Turner/Reuters)

General view of a clash after the match of the Egyptian Premier League between Pyramids FC and Zamalek at the 30 June Air Defense Stadium in Cairo, Egypt on April 23, 2019. (Photo by Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters)

Hungary's athlete Anna Toth receives help after a fall in the women's 100m hurdles semifinal during the European Athletics Championships at the Olympic stadium in Rome on June 8, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)