Visconti. 1311-1450. Milanese noble family.

Visigoths. 376-711. Western Goths. Alaric sacked Rome 410. Defeated at Vouillé by Clovis 510. Settled Spain, southern France 415-711. Destroyed by Moors 711.

Vitoria. 1813. Wellington victory, liberated Spain from France. Peninsular War.

Vlachs. 2C-. Latin inhabitants of Dacia.

Vladimir I, St. 956-1015. First Christian Russian ruler. Ordered people to convert.

Volunteers, Departure of. 1792. Sang Marseillaise.

Vonnegut, Kurt, Jr. 1922-. US satirical novelist, social critic. Player Piano 1952. Slaughterhouse Five 1969.

Vosges, Place de. 1605-12. Paris’ oldest square.

Voting Rights Act. 1965. US eliminates tests that disqualified black voters.

Vuillard, Édouard. 1868-1940. French Nabis Intimist artist. Interiors. Woman Sweeping 1892.

Vulgate. 405. Official Latin translation of Bible by St Jerome. First printed 1455.

Wager of Battle. Trial by Combat. 8C-1817. Norse custom in England. Accused challenges accuser to combat-acquitted if he refuses.

Wahabi. 18-19C. Militant Moslem Arab Puritan sect. Fought Porte 1813-15. Invaded Kuwait 1919,27,28; repulsed with British help. 2001 World Trade Center. Taliban.

Wairau Affray. 1843. Maori kill 22 English Settlers in New Zealand. Maori Wars.

Waìtangi, Treaty. 1840. Britain annexes New Zealand from Maori.

Wakley. Founded Lancet (British medical journal), 1823.

Waksman, Selman. 1888-1973. Ukraine/US Streptomycin 1943.

Walachia. 1290 Vlachs settle. 1417 Ottoman suzerainty. 1774 Russia. 1859 +Moldavia =Romania.

Waldenses. 1170-. Austere heretical Christian sect. Founded by Waldo at Lyons. Persecuted in France, Italy, England.

Wales. Celts. 55BC Rome. 7C +England. 8C Divided. 9C Re-united. 11C Norman. 1284 English suzerainty. 1536 Union with England.

Wales, Statute. 1284. England annexes Wales.

Walesa, Lech. 1943-. Polish Solidarity leader instrumental in forcing decline of Communist rule. President 1990-96.

Walking Purchase. 1737. Americans cheat Indians in buying Delaware land by running instead of walking to determine land size. French-Indian Wars 1754-63.

Wallace, Alfred. 1823-1913. British naturalist. Theory of natural selection, 1838, independent of Darwin.

Wallace, George. 1919-98. Alabama segregationist governor, presidential candidate. Shot 1972.

126 more results ...