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 sifaka lemur eats leaves at the Berenty Reserve in Toliara province, Madagascar, February 15, 2022. (Photo by Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters)

Artist Jeff Koons sculpture Balloon Monkey (Magenta), 2006-13, with an estimate of £6,000,000-10,000,000 on display in St James's Square, London, before being sold by Christie's to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Ukraine. Picture date: Tuesday June 14, 2022. (Photo by Yui Mok/PA Images via Getty Images)

An aerial view shows a Russian Troika, a sledge drawn by three horses, competing on the ice-covered Yenisei River during the annual Ice Derby amateur horse race near the Siberian settlement of Novosyolovo, south of Krasnoyarsk, Russia March 17, 2018. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)

New Year's Eve revellers from Asia with Australian flags and balloons in the shape of the new year 2020 in Sydney, Australia on December 31, 2019. (Photo by Richard Milnes/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A worker disinfects a mosque for coronavirus, in Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday, April 2, 2020. The government imposed a nationwide lockdown to try to contain the outbreak of the virus. (Photo by Muhammad Sajjad/AP Photo)

Hundreds of gannets dive for mackerel off the coast of Shetland, Northern Isles of Scotland on July 2020, where they plunge into the water from heights of up to 100ft at speeds of 60mph. (Photo by David Keep/The Times)

American actress and model Megan Fox stuns in a lace crop top and matching stockings in Manhattan, New York as she strolled to a business meeting on September 12, 2021. (Photo by Rex Features/Shutterstock)