American model and socialite Hailey Bieber in the first decade of August 2025 rolls solo onto a flight with bags of fries and other treats from In-N-Out Burger. (Photo by Hailey Bieber/Instagram)

Yaroslava Mahuchikh, of Ukraine, competes in the women's high jump competition at the Wanda Diamond League Final 2025 athletics meeting in Zurich, Switzerland, Wednesday, August 27, 2025. (Photo by Til Buergy/Keystone via AP Photo)

Norwegian tennis player Jenny Stray Spetalen arrives for the screening of the film “Le Comte de Monte-Cristo” (The Count of Monte-Cristo) at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Yara Nardi/Reuters)

Palestinian couples participate in a mass wedding ceremony in Hamad City in Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, December 2, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Kareem Hana/AP 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.

Two women pose as they drink real ale at the Great British Beer Festival in the Olympia exhibition centre on August 13, 2013 in London, England. The festival, which runs until August 17, 2013, has over 24 bars serving over 800 different beers, ciders and perries. (Photo by Oli Scarff)

A woman holds thre dogs by a make shift leash amongst the debris left behind by a tornadon on February 7, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

The Pink Floyd inflatable pig floats next to Broadcasting House to promote their new exhibition at the V&A museum, in London, Britain May 10, 2017. (Photo by Neil Hall/Reuters)