India's yoga guru Baba Ramdev performs yoga on the banks of the river Ganges ahead of International Yoga day, in the northern town of Haridwar, India, June 19, 2020. (Photo by Sunil Kataria/Reuters)

Viking re-enactors representing the rival armies of the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons skirmish near Clifford’s Tower during the Jorvik Viking Festival on February 23, 2019 in York, England. The annual Jorvik Viking Festival held in York is recognised as the largest event of its kind in Europe. This year the festival remembers the role that the Viking women played during those turbulent times. (Photo by Christopher Thomond/The Guardian)

Participants pose for photographs as they take part in a “Hat Walk” during London Hat Week in London, Britain on April 7, 2019. (Photo by Simon Dawson/Reuters)

People dressed in underwear run into a store to pick free clothes during a promotional event starting the summer sale at an outlet of the Desigual clothing retailer in Berlin, June 20, 2014. Desigual treated the first 100 customers with a free outfit if they stripped down to their underwear for the first day of the outlet's summer sale. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

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.

The first red panda cub was born on May 30 in zoo Zlin. Zoologist Roman Vrzal holds a male of red panda. The Red panda is pictured in Zlin, Czech Republic, August 20, 2014. (Photo by Dalibor Gluck/CTK)

Police detain a protester during a demonstration near the Chinese embassy to mark the 63rd Tibetan uprising anniversary in New Delhi on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Jewel Samad/AFP Photo)

Models pose at the Yuzefi presentation during London Fashion Week June 2022 on June 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/BFC/Getty Images for BFC)