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.

People gather to view a new art installaiton at Waterfront Park entitled, Interstellar Influencer (Make an Impact) by Jason Klimoski and Lesley Chang of STUDIOKCA on Saturday March 30, 2024 in Alexandria, VA. The artwork depicts an asteroid that struck the region millions of years ago. (Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

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

A Nepalese Hindu boy in festival attire walks in a procession during “Gai Jatra”, or Cow Festival in Kathmandu, Nepal, Friday, August 19, 2016. Members of Nepal's Newar Community celebrate the festival in memory of their family members who died the preceding year, believing that the cow will guide them in their journey to heaven. (Photo by Niranjan Shrestha/AP Photo)

In an observance of Epiphany, Russian Orthodox believers swim in an icy pond outside Nizhny Novgorod, Russia. (Photo by Olga “Zwezdochka”)

Devotees whirl their head as a ritualistic performance during the annual Jhiri Fair at Kanachack village, outskirts of Jammu, India, Monday, November14, 2016. According to the villagers, the fair is held in memory of Baba Jitu, an honest farmer who killed himself since he was not prepared to submit to the unjust demands of a landlord who wanted him to part with his crop. (Photo by Channi Anand/AP Photo)

Wildlife agency rangers rescue a Malayan tapir, an endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, after it fell into a villager's fish pond in Pekanbaru, Riau on April 20, 2021. (Photo by Wahyudi/AFP Photo)

A girl catches a fish in the marshes of the southern district of Chibayish in Dhi Qar province, about 120 kilometres northwest of the southern city of Basra, on September 23, 2020. Iraq's southern marshes are blossoming thanks to a wave of ecotourists picnicking and paddling down their replenished river bends. (Photo by Hussein Faleh/AFP Photo)