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.

Super-cell thunderstorms, whirling tornados and lightning bolts illuminating the sky – these photos capture the terrifying brilliance of American storms. (Photo by Brandon Goforth/Solent News & Photo Agency)

Friends outside the convention center during opening day of the annual Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, United States July 21, 2016. (Photo by WENN/SIPA Press)

A reveler, dressed as a Brazilian national army soldier holding a mock weapon with flowers jutting out of it, participates in the annual Gay Pride Parade in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Sunday, June 18, 2017. (Photo by Nelson Antoine/AP Photo)

China's President Xi Jinping's wife Peng Liyuan, right, and French President Emmanuel Macron's wife Brigitte Macron pose in front of the clock as they visit the Orsay Museum, Monday, May 6, 2024 in Paris. (Photo by Aurelien Morissard/AP Photo)

In this Tuesday, March 17, 2015 photo, a French military plane takes off from the flight deck of the French Navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in the Persian Gulf. Aircraft aboard the French carrier are flying bombing and reconnaissance missions as part of a U.S.-led coalition targeting Islamic State militants in Iraq. (Photo by Hasan Jamali/AP Photo)

A participant blows on yellow powder held in her hand during a Holi Party before the Gay Pride Parade in Barcelona on July 9, 2016. (Photo by Lluis Gene/AFP Photo)

The antennas of the European Southern Observatory's Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array, also known as ALMA, are set against the splendor of the Milky Way in this picture by Babak Tafreshi. Construction of the full ALMA array is due to be completed in Chile's Atacama Desert in 2013, but the facility is already making scientific observations with a partial array of antennas. (Photo by ESO/B. Tafreshi/TWAN)