A man participates in the Pacu Jawi, a traditional bull race, at Nagari Labuah, in Tanah Datar of West Sumatra, Indonesia, on April 13, 2024. (Photo by Yorri Farli/Xinhua News Agency/Alamy Live News)

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.

Palestinians perform to amuse people with a wire which ignites sparks during the Islamic holy fasting month of Ramadan, on April 03, 2023 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Photo by Mustafa Hassona/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Afghan bodybuilders compete in the Mr. Afghanistan bodybuilding competition in Kabul on July 10, 2024. (Photo by Wakil Kohsar/AFP Photo)

Workers sleep on a railway track under repair in New Delhi, India, June 15, 2018. (Photo by Saumya Khandelwal/Reuters)

Members of the Loktev Ensemble perform during the opening of the 18th Moscow Meets Friends International Festival at the Moscow International House of Music in Moscow, Russia on May 18, 2021. (Photo by Artyom Geodakyan/TASS)

Balinese tries to see partial phase of hybrid solar eclipse using welding glass at Sanur Beach in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia on April 20, 2023. Hybrid solar eclipse is when annular and total eclipse occurs on its path the across eastern Indonesian islands. However, in central and western part of Indonesia only partial eclipse phase can be observed. (Photo by Johannes P. Christo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

People take part in a rally in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 8, 2024. (Photo by Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters)