This list includes 55 Historical events that start with B, from “Babylonian Captivity” to “Byzantine-Sasanian War”. It collects major and regionally significant incidents useful for study, teaching, and quick reference.
Historical events that start with B are named occurrences or turning points whose English names begin with the letter B. For example, “Babylonian Captivity” shaped Jewish history and shows how a single ‘B’ event can influence cultures.
Below you’ll find the table with Event, Year, Location, and Significance.
Event: The event name identifies the occurrence so you can quickly locate specific items by title or common historical label.
Year: Gives an exact year or range to help you place events chronologically and compare timelines easily.
Location: Notes a city, region, or country so you can map events geographically and trace regional patterns.
Significance: Provides a concise summary explaining why the event matters and its main political, social, or cultural impact.
Historical events that start with B
| Event | Year(s) | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Death | 1346–1353 | Afro-Eurasia | Pandemic |
| Bolshevik Revolution | 1917 | Russia | Revolution |
| Battle of Britain | 1940 | United Kingdom | Air campaign |
| Bretton Woods Conference | 1944 | New Hampshire, USA | Monetary conference |
| Berlin Conference | 1884–1885 | Berlin, Germany | Diplomatic conference |
| Boxer Rebellion | 1899–1901 | China | Anti-colonial uprising |
| Bronze Age Collapse | c. 1200–1150 BCE | Eastern Mediterranean | Societal collapse |
| Building of the Berlin Wall | 1961 | Berlin, Germany | Construction |
| Bay of Pigs Invasion | 1961 | Cuba | Failed military invasion |
| Balfour Declaration | 1917 | United Kingdom | Political statement |
| Battle of the Bulge | 1944–1945 | The Ardennes, Belgium/Luxembourg | Major military offensive |
| Bataan Death March | 1942 | Philippines | War crime |
| Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 | United States | Landmark court decision |
| Boston Tea Party | 1773 | Boston, USA | Political protest |
| Berlin Blockade | 1948–1949 | Berlin, Germany | Cold War crisis |
| Boer Wars | 1880–1881, 1899–1902 | South Africa | Colonial wars |
| Battle of Bannockburn | 1314 | Stirling, Scotland | Military battle |
| Battle of Bosworth Field | 1485 | Leicestershire, England | Military battle |
| Bartholomew’s Day Massacre | 1572 | Paris, France | Mass murder |
| Battle of Borodino | 1812 | Borodino, Russia | Napoleonic battle |
| Beer Hall Putsch | 1923 | Munich, Germany | Failed coup d’état |
| Babylonian Captivity | 597–538 BCE | Babylon (modern Iraq) | Forced exile |
| Bacon’s Rebellion | 1676 | Virginia, USA | Colonial rebellion |
| Battle of Badr | 624 | Badr, Saudi Arabia | Pivotal military battle |
| Breakup of the Soviet Union | 1991 | Eastern Europe/Asia | Political dissolution |
| Bloody Sunday (Russia) | 1905 | St. Petersburg, Russia | Massacre |
| Bloody Sunday (Northern Ireland) | 1972 | Derry, Northern Ireland | Massacre |
| Bhopal Disaster | 1984 | Bhopal, India | Industrial disaster |
| Battle of Bunker Hill | 1775 | Charlestown, USA | American Revolutionary War battle |
| Boston Massacre | 1770 | Boston, USA | Street fight and killings |
| Bleeding Kansas | 1854–1861 | Kansas Territory, USA | Violent political confrontations |
| Battle of Blenheim | 1704 | Blenheim, Germany | Military battle |
| Battle of the Boyne | 1690 | Drogheda, Ireland | Military battle |
| Bonfire of the Vanities | 1497 | Florence, Italy | Cultural destruction |
| Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy | 1309–1376 | Avignon, France | Papal relocation |
| Battle of Balaclava | 1854 | Balaclava, Crimea | Crimean War battle |
| Battle of Bouvines | 1214 | Bouvines, France | Medieval battle |
| Barbary Wars | 1801–1805, 1815 | North Africa | Naval wars |
| Breaking of the Enigma Code | 1941–1945 | Bletchley Park, UK | Cryptographic breakthrough |
| Belgian Revolution | 1830–1831 | Belgium | Secession and revolution |
| Birmingham campaign | 1963 | Alabama, USA | Civil rights campaign |
| Bombing of Guernica | 1937 | Guernica, Spain | Aerial bombing |
| Black Monday | 1987 | Global | Stock market crash |
| Boudica’s Revolt | 60–61 CE | Roman Britain | Tribal rebellion |
| Bristol Bus Boycott | 1963 | Bristol, England | Civil rights protest |
| Battle of Bull Run (First) | 1861 | Manassas, USA | American Civil War battle |
| Braddock Expedition | 1755 | Pennsylvania, USA | Military campaign |
| Battle of Breitenfeld | 1631 | Breitenfeld, Germany | Thirty Years’ War battle |
| Burr–Hamilton duel | 1804 | New Jersey, USA | Duel |
| Beslan School Siege | 2004 | Beslan, Russia | Terrorist attack and crisis |
| Brixton Riots | 1981 | London, England | Urban riot |
| Breda, Treaty of | 1667 | Breda, Netherlands | Peace treaty |
| Brest-Litovsk, Treaty of | 1918 | Brest-Litovsk (now Brest, Belarus) | Peace treaty |
| Burlingame Treaty | 1868 | Washington, D.C., USA | Diplomatic treaty |
| Byzantine-Sasanian War | 602–628 | Middle East/Anatolia | Major war |
Descriptions
Black Death
One of the most devastating pandemics in human history, it killed an estimated 75 to 200 million people and fundamentally reshaped European society.
Bolshevik Revolution
Led by Vladimir Lenin, this revolution overthrew the provisional government, establishing the world’s first socialist state and leading to the creation of the Soviet Union.
Battle of Britain
A pivotal World War II air campaign where the Royal Air Force defended the UK against large-scale attacks by the German Luftwaffe, preventing a German invasion.
Bretton Woods Conference
This gathering of 44 Allied nations established the post-WWII international economic order, creating the IMF and the World Bank to promote global financial stability.
Berlin Conference
European powers met to regulate colonization in Africa, formalizing the “Scramble for Africa” and carving up the continent without regard for ethnic or cultural boundaries.
Boxer Rebellion
A violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising in China, which was eventually suppressed by an eight-nation alliance, further weakening the Qing dynasty.
Bronze Age Collapse
A mysterious and rapid collapse of major civilizations in the Aegean, Near East, and North Africa, attributed to climate change, invasions, and systemic failures.
Building of the Berlin Wall
The German Democratic Republic (East Germany) began constructing a wall encircling West Berlin, creating a stark physical symbol of the Iron Curtain and Cold War division.
Bay of Pigs Invasion
A CIA-sponsored attempt by Cuban exiles to overthrow Fidel Castro’s government. Its disastrous failure was a major embarrassment for the United States.
Balfour Declaration
A public statement issued by the British government announcing support for the establishment of a “national home for the Jewish people” in Palestine.
Battle of the Bulge
Germany’s last major offensive on the Western Front during WWII. The Allied victory exhausted German resources, hastening the end of the war in Europe.
Bataan Death March
The forced march of approximately 75,000 American and Filipino prisoners of war by the Japanese military, during which thousands died from abuse, starvation, and murder.
Brown v. Board of Education
A Supreme Court case that declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional, serving as a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement.
Boston Tea Party
A protest against the British Tea Act in which American colonists dumped an entire shipment of tea into Boston Harbor, escalating tensions toward revolution.
Berlin Blockade
The Soviet Union blocked all land and water access to West Berlin, prompting the Western Allies to supply the city via a massive airlift for nearly a year.
Boer Wars
Conflicts fought between the British Empire and the two independent Boer republics. British victory led to the unification of South Africa under British rule.
Battle of Bannockburn
A decisive victory for Robert the Bruce’s Scottish army against the English, securing Scotland’s independence for a time and becoming a landmark in Scottish history.
Battle of Bosworth Field
The last significant battle of the Wars of the Roses, where Richard III was killed, ending the Plantagenet dynasty and ushering in the Tudor era with Henry VII.
Bartholomew’s Day Massacre
A targeted wave of assassinations and mob violence against French Huguenots (Protestants) during the French Wars of Religion, killing thousands across France.
Battle of Borodino
The deadliest single day of the Napoleonic Wars, this battle between Napoleon’s Grande Armée and the Russian army was a tactical victory for France but a strategic disaster.
Beer Hall Putsch
An unsuccessful attempt by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party to seize power in Bavaria. The failed coup and subsequent trial brought Hitler to national attention.
Babylonian Captivity
The period when thousands of Judeans were exiled to Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar II, a pivotal event that shaped Jewish religious and cultural identity.
Bacon’s Rebellion
An armed rebellion by Virginia settlers led by Nathaniel Bacon against the rule of Governor William Berkeley, highlighting colonial class and racial tensions.
Battle of Badr
The first major battle between the early Muslims led by the Prophet Muhammad and the Quraysh of Mecca, its victory was a crucial turning point for the nascent Islamic faith.
Breakup of the Soviet Union
The process of internal disintegration within the USSR, resulting in its end as a sovereign state and the independence of its 15 constituent republics.
Bloody Sunday (Russia)
Unarmed demonstrators led by a priest were fired upon by Imperial Guard soldiers as they marched to the Winter Palace, sparking the 1905 Russian Revolution.
Bloody Sunday (Northern Ireland)
British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civil rights protesters, killing 14. The event fueled Catholic and Irish nationalist hostility towards the British Army.
Bhopal Disaster
A gas leak at a Union Carbide pesticide plant exposed over 500,000 people to toxic gas, becoming the world’s worst industrial disaster in terms of death toll.
Battle of Bunker Hill
An early battle of the American Revolution where colonial forces inflicted heavy casualties on the British, boosting morale despite technically losing the position.
Boston Massacre
A deadly riot that began as a street brawl between American colonists and a lone British soldier, but quickly escalated, resulting in the deaths of five colonists.
Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent civil confrontations in the Kansas Territory over whether it would enter the Union as a free or slave state, presaging the Civil War.
Battle of Blenheim
A major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession where Allied forces under the Duke of Marlborough won a decisive victory, saving Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army.
Battle of the Boyne
A landmark battle where the Protestant William of Orange defeated the Catholic James II, securing the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland for centuries.
Bonfire of the Vanities
The burning of thousands of objects deemed sinful, such as art, books, and cosmetics, at the urging of Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola.
Babylonian Captivity of the Papacy
The period when seven successive popes resided in Avignon rather than Rome, leading to a decline in papal prestige and cries for church reform.
Battle of Balaclava
Famous for the disastrous “Charge of the Light Brigade,” this indecisive battle highlighted military and logistical failings on both sides of the conflict.
Battle of Bouvines
A decisive victory for French King Philip II over a coalition of English, Flemish, and Holy Roman Empire forces, confirming French sovereignty over Normandy.
Barbary Wars
Two wars fought by the United States against the Barbary States of North Africa to end the practice of piracy and tribute demands against American ships.
Breaking of the Enigma Code
The successful decryption of Germany’s Enigma cipher by Allied codebreakers, which provided vital intelligence that significantly shortened World War II.
Belgian Revolution
A conflict that led to the secession of the southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.
Birmingham campaign
A movement organized by the SCLC to bring attention to the integration efforts of African Americans in Birmingham. The widely publicized confrontations helped pave the way for the Civil Rights Act.
Bombing of Guernica
An aerial attack on the Basque town of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War by Nazi Germany’s Condor Legion. It was one of the first raids on a defenseless civilian population.
Black Monday
The largest one-day percentage drop in stock market history, where markets around the world crashed, starting in Hong Kong and spreading through Europe to the United States.
Boudica’s Revolt
A major uprising by the Iceni and other Brittonic tribes against the occupying forces of the Roman Empire, led by Queen Boudica.
Bristol Bus Boycott
A successful four-month boycott of the Bristol Omnibus Company over its racist hiring practices, which helped pave the way for the UK’s Race Relations Act.
Battle of Bull Run (First)
The first major battle of the American Civil War. The Confederate victory shattered Union hopes for a quick war and sent them retreating back to Washington, D.C.
Braddock Expedition
A failed British military expedition during the French and Indian War that attempted to capture Fort Duquesne, resulting in a disastrous ambush and the death of General Braddock.
Battle of Breitenfeld
A decisive victory for the Protestant forces of Sweden and Saxony over the Catholic League, marking the first major Protestant victory of the Thirty Years’ War.
Burr–Hamilton duel
A famous personal conflict where sitting Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shot his political rival, former Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, ending Hamilton’s life.
Beslan School Siege
A horrific terrorist attack where Chechen militants took over 1,100 people hostage at a school. The siege ended in a bloody shootout, with over 330 fatalities.
Brixton Riots
A major confrontation between mostly Black youths and the Metropolitan Police, sparked by tensions over racial profiling and social deprivation in the area.
Breda, Treaty of
This treaty ended the Second Anglo-Dutch War, with England ceding Suriname in exchange for New Amsterdam, which was then renamed New York.
Brest-Litovsk, Treaty of
A separate peace treaty signed by Bolshevik Russia and the Central Powers that ended Russia’s participation in World War I, ceding vast territories.
Burlingame Treaty
A landmark treaty between the United States and China that established friendly relations and encouraged Chinese immigration to the United States for labor.
Byzantine-Sasanian War
The last and most devastating of the wars between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires, which exhausted both powers and paved the way for the early Muslim conquests.