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.

A flock of sheep and goats is led by shepherds to pastures at a mountain village on the outskirts of Sana'a, Yemen, 27 July 2023. At least eight million sheep and goats from about 470,000 pastoralist and agro pastoralist households across Yemen will be treated and vaccinated over the two years 2023 and 2024, in an effort to reduce livestock losses, improve production efficiency, and household income generation amid an acute food insecurity, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has reported. (Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA)

A woman mourns the loss of her husband, next to a placard which reads “I'm a pusher”, who was shot dead by an unidentified gunman in Manila on July 23, 2016. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte swept to power in May on a promise to clampdown on drugs, and police have since confirmed killing nearly 200 people in a two-month crime blitz. There has also been a surge in killings by anti-drug vigilantes who leave victims' corpses on city streets wrapped in packaging tape with signs accusing them of being drug dealers. (Photo by Noel Celis/AFP Photo)

People attend a wounded man after an explosion in Istikla Street in central Istanbul, Turkey on November 13, 2022. According to governor Ali Yerlikaya, an explosion that occurred at roughly 4.20 p.m. local time has resulted in losses and injuries. Emergency personnel were dispatched to the incident. (Photo by Ihlas News Agency (IHA) via Reuters)

“Cassowaries are large, flightless birds related to emus and (more distantly) to ostriches, rheas, and kiwis”, writes Olivia Judson in the September issue of National Geographic magazine. How large? People-size: Adult males stand well over five foot five and top 110 pounds. Females are even taller, and can weigh more than 160 pounds. Dangerous when roused, they’re shy and peaceable when left alone. But even birds this big and tough are prey to habitat loss. The dense New Guinea and Australia rain forests where they live have dwindled. Today cassowaries might number 1,500 to 2,000. And because they help shape those same forests – by moving seeds from one place to another – “if they vanish”, Judson writes, “the structure of the forest would gradually change” too. (Photo by Christian Ziegler/National Geographic)

A hot air balloon flies close to the ground in the Jezreel Valley in northern Israel during an international hot air balloon festival October 14, 2014. (Photo by Nir Elias/Reuters)

Graduating cadets throw their hats in the air in celebration during the commencement ceremony for graduates of the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S., May 30, 2024. (Photo by Kevin Mohatt/Reuters)

Base jumpers leap from the 300-metre high skydeck of Malaysia's landmark Kuala Lumpur Tower against the backdrop of the city's skyline on October 3, 2016 during the annual International KL Tower Base-Jump event. (Photo by Manan Vatsyayana/AFP Photo)