Girls stand on the rocks consulting a magazine as they carry their trays with fruits for sell, in Dakar, Senegal on February 28, 2021. (Photo by Zohra Bensemra/Reuters)

Chelsea pensioner Mike Smith in the rear of one of two Spitfires flying over Sussex during a surprise flight organised by the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. (Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images)

Bar Convent employee Lauren Masterman relaxes after cleaning a historic George and Arthur Maw tiled floor created in 1867, one of only two surviving examples of this assemblage of tiles, at England's oldest living convent Bar Convent on October 13, 2020. Visitors to the convent are being invited to follow in the footsteps of residents from the last 150 years and enjoy the historic space decorated with rare 19th century floor tiles. (Photo by Danny Lawson/PA Images via Getty Images)

A model wears a creation for the Rick Owens ready-to-wear Spring/Summer 2023 fashion collection presented Thursday, September 29, 2022 in Paris. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)

A lightning strikes St Peter's dome at the Vatican on February 11, 2013. Pope Benedict XVI announced today he will resign as leader of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics on February 28 because his age prevented him from carrying out his duties – an unprecedented move in the modern history of the Catholic Church. (Photo by Filippo Monteforte/AFP Photo)

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.

Scantily clad spectators run alongside riders in the ascent of the Col du Tourmalet during the 6th stage of the 110th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 145 km between Tarbes and Cauterets-Cambasque, in the Pyrenees mountains in southwestern France, on July 6, 2023. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)

Fans of American singer Taylor Swift, also known as a Swifties, shelter from the rain as they arrive for Swift's concert in Sydney on February 23, 2024. (Photo by David Gray/AFP Photo)