A boy, who came with the humanitarian transport of children from Ukrainian public orphanages following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, reacts as he has breakfast at the Hotel Ossa near Rawa Mazowiecka, Poland on March 5, 2022. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

«Sharon Wild (from the series The Valley)», 2001. Larry Sultan grew up in California’s San Fernando Valley, which was a source of inspiration for a number of his projects. His series The Valley (2004) addresses the use of ordinary homes as sets for pornographic films, and asks why the ideal of middle-class domesticity lends itself to this most curious form of cultural appropriation. (Photo by Larry Sultan)

A group of 1000 customers receive a facial massage at a sports centre in Jinan, Shandong province, China, May 4, 2015. A group of 1000 women were given a 30 minutes facial beauty treatment together on Monday that achieved a Guinness record for the largest group of people having beauty treatment in the same location, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

Ukrainian artist Dariya Marchenko works on a portrait of Russian President Vladimir Putin named “The Face of War” which is made out of 5,000 cartridges brought from the frontline in eastern Ukraine, in Kiev, July 23, 2015. The portrait will be presented along with a novel which will tell personal stories of six people involved in this project including Daria's own story and stories of people who helped her to collect shells from the frontline. Daria Marchenko calls her art approach philosophic symbolism where every element has its hidden meaning. In her works cartridges mean human's life that was brutally ended. (Photo by Gleb Garanich/Reuters)

Takahiro Shito, 47, and his wife Sayomi Shito, 46, pray with their children Tomoka, 14, and Kenya 16, and their great uncle Akinori Takahashi, 76, as they pay respects to their daughter Chisato,12, buried in a nearby cemetery, victim of the Okowa Elementary School tragedy, who was killed during last year's tsunami on March 11, 2012 near Ishinomaki, Japan. Teachers at the school weren't trained for tsunami evacuation and didn't to lead the children up the snow covered mountain behind the school after the tsunami warning was sounded. Out of 108 students at the school, 74 died and four remain missing; 10 of the school's 13 teachers were also killed. (Photo by Daniel Berehulak /Getty Images)

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.

Bottles of vintage cognac, with a royal warrant stamp, are seen in storage inside Berry Bros and Rudd wine merchants in central London, Britain, August 21, 2015. Berry Bros. & Rudd, which started as grocers over 300 years ago in St. James's, central London, has two royal warrants. Every year Queen Elizabeth grants about 20 royal warrants, the gold emblem of the British monarchy, in a practice dating back to medieval times. The warrant holders can display the certificate and use the royal coat of arms in their marketing. The warrants lasting five years can help businesses break into new markets overseas, using their role as supplier to the royal family as a gauge of quality. On September 9, Queen Elizabeth will overtake Queen Victoria as Britain's longest-serving monarch. (Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters)

One of three young oriental small-clawed otters eats a meatball on June 18, 2015 in a zoo in Dresden, eastern Germany. The oriental small-clawed otter female Fussi gave birth to 3 healthy pups. Its pups now leave their burrow to explore the environment. (Photo by Arno Burgi/AFP Photo/DPA)