This list includes 52 Historical events that start with M, from “First Moroccan Crisis” to “Second Moroccan Crisis”. They cover global political, military, social, and cultural moments useful for students, educators, and quick reference.
Historical events that start with M are notable incidents, movements, and turning points whose common English names begin with M. Examples include landmark items like “Magna Carta” and the “Mexican Revolution”, reflecting legal and revolutionary change.
Below you’ll find the table with Event, Year, Location, and Significance.
Event: A concise event name you can scan to identify the incident and locate further detail quickly.
Year: The date or range that anchors the event in time, helping you place it within historical chronology.
Location: A brief city, region, or country designation that shows the event’s geographic context for comparative study.
Significance: A short summary of about fifteen to twenty-five words explaining why the event matters and its consequences.
Historical events that start with M
| Event | Year | Location | Alternate names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Magna Carta | 1215 | Runnymede, England | Great Charter |
| Mayflower Compact | 1620 | Plymouth Colony (New England) | Mayflower agreement |
| Mexican Revolution | 1910–1920 | Mexico | Mexican Civil War; Revolution of 1910 |
| Mexican–American War | 1846–1848 | Mexico; United States | U.S.–Mexican War |
| Meiji Restoration | 1868 | Japan | Meiji Ishin; Restoration of Imperial Rule |
| March on Washington | 1963 | Washington, D.C., United States | March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom |
| Montgomery Bus Boycott | 1955–1956 | Montgomery, Alabama, United States | Montgomery boycott |
| Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact | 1939 | Moscow; Berlin (Soviet Union; Germany) | Nazi–Soviet Pact; Ribbentrop–Molotov Pact |
| Munich Agreement | 1938 | Munich, Germany; Europe | Munich Pact; Appeasement Agreement |
| Munich Putsch | 1923 | Munich, Germany | Beer Hall Putsch |
| March of the Ten Thousand | 401 BCE | Asia Minor to Black Sea coast | Anabasis |
| Mongol conquests | 1206–1368 | Eurasia | Mongol invasions |
| Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus’ | 1237–1240 | Kievan Rus’ (modern Russia, Ukraine) | Mongol invasion of Rus’ |
| Manhattan Project | 1942–1946 | United States; United Kingdom; Canada | Manhattan Engineering District |
| May 1968 | 1968 | France (Paris); nationwide | May 1968 events; Mai 68 |
| Mau Mau Uprising | 1952–1960 | Kenya | Kenya Emergency |
| March on Rome | 1922 | Rome, Italy | Mussolini’s March on Rome |
| Mutiny on the Bounty | 1789 | South Pacific (HMS Bounty) | Bounty mutiny |
| Meuse-Argonne Offensive | 1918 | Western Front, France | Argonne Offensive |
| Mongol sack of Baghdad | 1258 | Baghdad (Iraq) | Sack of Baghdad |
| Muslim conquest of Persia | 633–654 CE | Sassanid Persia (Iran region) | Islamic conquest of Persia |
| Muslim conquest of the Levant | 634–638 CE | Levant (Syria; Palestine; Jordan; Lebanon) | Arab conquest of the Levant |
| Monroe Doctrine | 1823 | United States (Washington) | Monroe policy |
| Monmouth Rebellion | 1685 | England (Southwest; Sedgemoor) | Rebellion of the Duke of Monmouth |
| Mount Tambora eruption | 1815 | Sumbawa, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) | Tambora eruption |
| Mount Vesuvius eruption | 79 CE | Near Naples, Italy | Eruption burying Pompeii |
| Mount Pinatubo eruption | 1991 | Luzon, Philippines | Pinatubo eruption |
| March Revolution (1848) | 1848 | German states; Europe | March Revolution (German states) |
| Massacre of Glencoe | 1692 | Glencoe, Scotland | Glencoe Massacre |
| Munich massacre | 1972 | Munich, West Germany | Munich Olympics massacre |
| Malayan Emergency | 1948–1960 | Malaya (Malaysia) | Emergency in Malaya |
| McMahon–Hussein Correspondence | 1915–1916 | Middle East; London | Hussein–McMahon correspondence |
| Maunder Minimum | 1645–1715 | Global (solar activity) | Solar minimum; Little Ice Age related event |
| Musket Wars | 1818–1845 | New Zealand | Māori intertribal wars; Musket era wars |
| Minoan eruption | c.1600 BCE | Thera (Santorini), Aegean Sea | Thera eruption; Late Bronze Age eruption |
| First Moroccan Crisis | 1905–1906 | Morocco; Europe | Tangier Crisis; First Moroccan Crisis |
| Second Moroccan Crisis | 1911 | Morocco; Europe | Agadir Crisis; Second Moroccan Crisis |
| Mutiny of the Nore | 1797 | North Sea; Britain | Nore mutiny |
| Mormon migration | 1846–1847 | United States (Nauvoo to Utah) | Mormon Exodus; Pioneer Trek |
| Mughal conquest of India | 1526–1707 | Indian subcontinent | Mughal invasions; founding of Mughal Empire |
| My Lai Massacre | 1968 | My Lai, Sơn Tịnh District, Vietnam | My Lai massacre; Sơn Mỹ incident |
| May Fourth Movement | 1919 | Beijing, China | May Fourth Movement; New Culture Movement (related) |
| Marikana Massacre | 2012 | Marikana, North West, South Africa | Lonmin Massacre |
| Miners’ Strike | 1984–1985 | United Kingdom | UK miners’ strike; National Union of Mineworkers strike |
| Mountain Meadows Massacre | 1857 | Mountain Meadows, Utah Territory, United States | Mountain Meadow Massacre |
| Mongol conquest of China | 1205–1279 | China | Yuan dynasty founding; Mongol invasions of China |
| Muslim conquest of Egypt | 639–642 | Egypt; North Africa | Arab conquest of Egypt |
| Midnight Ride | 1775 | Lexington and Concord; Massachusetts, United States | Paul Revere’s Ride; Midnight Ride of Paul Revere |
| May Revolution | 1810 | Buenos Aires, Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata (Argentina) | Argentine May Revolution |
| Macedonian conquest of Persia | 334–330 BCE | Persia; Asia Minor; Near East | Alexander the Great’s conquest; Macedonian conquest |
| Moro Rebellion | 1899–1913 | Mindanao and Sulu, Philippines | Philippine–American War related Moro conflict |
| Moroccan Independence | 1956 | Morocco | Independence of Morocco from France and Spain |
Descriptions
Magna Carta
A foundational legal document limiting royal power and inspiring constitutional law across the English-speaking world.
Mayflower Compact
Early self-governance pact by Pilgrim settlers establishing majority-rule principles in colonial North America.
Mexican Revolution
A decade-long social and political upheaval that overthrew a dictatorship and reshaped Mexico’s land, labor, and political systems.
Mexican–American War
Armed conflict ending with U.S. territorial gains and significant consequences for Mexican sovereignty and North American borders.
Meiji Restoration
Rapid political and social transformation restoring imperial rule and accelerating Japan’s modernization and industrialization.
March on Washington
Mass civil-rights demonstration where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Montgomery Bus Boycott
A pivotal civil-rights protest against segregation that propelled Martin Luther King Jr.’s national leadership.
Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact
Nonaggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the USSR that secretly divided Eastern Europe and precipitated WWII.
Munich Agreement
Appeasement deal allowing Nazi annexation of the Sudetenland, symbolizing failed resistance to aggression before WWII.
Munich Putsch
Failed Nazi coup led by Adolf Hitler that propelled him into nationwide prominence and prison, where he wrote Mein Kampf.
March of the Ten Thousand
Remarkable retreat of Greek mercenaries from Persia that exposed Persian empire weaknesses and inspired classical literature.
Mongol conquests
Vast military expansions under Mongol rulers that created the largest contiguous empire and reshaped Afro-Eurasian trade and politics.
Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus’
Devastating campaigns that led to Mongol domination and long-term political changes across Eastern Europe.
Manhattan Project
Secret Allied scientific program that developed the first atomic bombs, transforming warfare and global geopolitics.
May 1968
Mass student and worker protests that challenged French society and influenced global cultural and political movements.
Mau Mau Uprising
Armed anti-colonial rebellion against British rule that accelerated decolonization and shaped modern Kenyan politics.
March on Rome
Fascist demonstration that precipitated King Victor Emmanuel III appointing Mussolini, enabling authoritarian rule in Italy.
Mutiny on the Bounty
Famous naval mutiny over leadership and conditions, spawning extensive historical debate and cultural portrayals.
Meuse-Argonne Offensive
Major Allied offensive that helped break German lines and contributed significantly to ending World War I.
Mongol sack of Baghdad
Catastrophic capture and destruction of Baghdad by Mongol forces, ending the Abbasid caliphate’s political power.
Muslim conquest of Persia
Arab Muslim campaigns that toppled the Sassanid Empire and transformed the religious and cultural landscape of Persia.
Muslim conquest of the Levant
Rapid early Islamic expansion that brought Syria and the Levant under Arab-Muslim rule, reshaping the Near East.
Monroe Doctrine
U.S. foreign-policy statement warning European intervention in the Americas, shaping hemispheric geopolitics for generations.
Monmouth Rebellion
Failed Protestant uprising against King James II that reflected religious and succession tensions in Restoration England.
Mount Tambora eruption
Gigantic volcanic eruption causing global climate anomalies and the “Year Without a Summer,” impacting agriculture worldwide.
Mount Vesuvius eruption
Cataclysmic eruption that destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, preserving dramatic archaeological evidence of Roman life.
Mount Pinatubo eruption
One of the 20th century’s largest eruptions, causing global cooling and widespread regional devastation.
March Revolution (1848)
Part of the 1848 revolutions, it sparked demands for liberal reforms and national unity across German territories.
Massacre of Glencoe
Loyalty-based killings of Highlanders by government forces, emblematic of brutal clan and state conflicts in Scotland.
Munich massacre
Terrorist attack on Israeli athletes during the Olympics that underscored modern terrorism’s global reach and vulnerabilities.
Malayan Emergency
Anti-colonial communist insurgency fought by British Commonwealth forces, shaping postwar counterinsurgency strategy.
McMahon–Hussein Correspondence
WWI-era diplomatic exchange promising Arab independence, later contested and influential in Middle Eastern borders.
Maunder Minimum
Period of unusually low solar activity linked to climatic cooling and affecting European weather and agriculture.
Musket Wars
Intertribal conflicts intensified by firearms that transformed Māori society and New Zealand’s power dynamics.
Minoan eruption
Massive Bronze Age eruption thought to have impacted Mediterranean civilizations and possibly Mycenaean societies.
First Moroccan Crisis
International diplomatic dispute that heightened tensions among European powers before World War I.
Second Moroccan Crisis
German-French confrontation that deepened prewar rivalries and solidified ententes in Europe.
Mutiny of the Nore
Major Royal Navy uprising protesting conditions and pay, revealing social strains during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Mormon migration
Mass relocation of Latter-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley, shaping settlement of the American West.
Mughal conquest of India
Series of campaigns establishing Mughal rule, profoundly influencing South Asian politics, culture, and architecture.
My Lai Massacre
U.S. forces’ massacre of Vietnamese civilians that shocked global public opinion and fueled antiwar sentiment.
May Fourth Movement
Student-led cultural and political movement rejecting imperialism and confucian traditions, catalyzing modern Chinese nationalism.
Marikana Massacre
Police shooting of striking miners exposing deep labor and economic inequalities in post-apartheid South Africa.
Miners’ Strike
Major industrial dispute that reshaped British labor politics and the decline of heavy industry.
Mountain Meadows Massacre
Mass killing of emigrant settlers during tensions between Mormon settlers and the U.S. government, controversial recall in U.S. history.
Mongol conquest of China
Gradual Mongol campaigns culminating in Yuan rule, transforming Chinese political and social structures.
Muslim conquest of Egypt
Rashidun Caliphate’s capture of Egypt from Byzantium, initiating Islamic dominance and Arabic culture in the region.
Midnight Ride
Iconic alert ride warning colonial militias of British troop movements on the eve of the American Revolution.
May Revolution
Popular uprising that initiated Argentina’s independence movement from Spanish colonial rule.
Macedonian conquest of Persia
Alexander’s campaigns toppled the Persian Empire, spreading Hellenistic culture across the Near East.
Moro Rebellion
Armed resistance by Moro peoples against U.S. rule, affecting colonial policy in the southern Philippines.
Moroccan Independence
End of French and Spanish protectorates, establishing Morocco as a sovereign modern nation-state.