This collection presents 37 Historical events that start with G, spanning from “GI Bill” to “Gwangju Uprising”. They include legislation, revolts, treaties, and cultural milestones across many countries.
Historical events that start with G are named incidents, laws, battles, or movements beginning with the letter G. For example, the GI Bill reshaped postwar education and the Gwangju Uprising symbolized South Korea’s pro-democracy struggle.
Below you’ll find the table with Year, Location, and Significance.
Year: The year or range when the event occurred, letting you place each entry in clear chronological context.
Location: Concise city, region, or country that pinpoints where the event took place so you can filter geographically.
Significance: A 15–25 word summary explaining why the event matters and how it influenced politics, society, or culture.
Historical events that start with G
| Name | Year | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greco-Persian Wars | 499–449 BCE | Greece / Persian Empire | War |
| Gallic Wars | 58–50 BCE | Gaul (Modern France) | Military Campaign |
| Gracchan Reforms | 133–121 BCE | Roman Republic | Political Reform |
| Gothic War | 535–554 | Italian Peninsula | War |
| Gregorian Reform | c. 1050–1080 | Europe | Religious Reform |
| Golden Bull of 1356 | 1356 | Holy Roman Empire | Imperial Decree |
| Great Schism (Western) | 1378–1417 | Europe | Religious Conflict |
| Gutenberg’s Printing Press invention | c. 1440 | Mainz, Germany | Invention |
| Granada War | 1482–1491 | Emirate of Granada (Spain) | War |
| Gunpowder Plot | 1605 | London, England | Failed Assassination |
| Great Fire of London | 1666 | London, England | Disaster |
| Glorious Revolution | 1688–1689 | England | Revolution |
| Great Northern War | 1700–1721 | Northern Europe | War |
| Gin Craze | c. 1720–1757 | England | Social Phenomenon |
| Greek War of Independence | 1821–1829 | Greece | War of Independence |
| Great Famine | 1845–1852 | Ireland | Famine |
| Gadsden Purchase | 1854 | United States / Mexico | Land Purchase |
| Gettysburg Address | 1863 | Gettysburg, USA | Political Speech |
| Geneva Convention (First) | 1864 | Geneva, Switzerland | International Treaty |
| Gallipoli Campaign | 1915–1916 | Gallipoli Peninsula, Ottoman Empire | Military Campaign (WWI) |
| Great Migration | c. 1916–1970 | United States | Demographic Shift |
| General Strike of 1926 | 1926 | United Kingdom | Labor Strike |
| Great Depression | 1929–1939 | Worldwide | Economic Crisis |
| Great Purge | 1936–1938 | Soviet Union | Political Repression |
| Guernica, Bombing of | 1937 | Guernica, Spain | War Crime |
| GI Bill | 1944 | United States | Law |
| Green Revolution | 1950s–1960s | Worldwide | Agricultural Movement |
| Geneva Accords | 1954 | Geneva, Switzerland | Peace Agreement |
| Great Leap Forward | 1958–1962 | China | Social Campaign |
| Guatemalan Civil War | 1960–1996 | Guatemala | Civil War |
| Gulf of Tonkin incident | 1964 | Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam | Military Incident |
| Gwangju Uprising | 1980 | Gwangju, South Korea | Uprising |
| German Reunification | 1990 | Germany | Political Unification |
| Gulf War | 1990–1991 | Persian Gulf / Iraq / Kuwait | War |
| Good Friday Agreement | 1998 | Northern Ireland | Peace Treaty |
| Google’s IPO | 2004 | United States | Business Event |
| Great Recession | 2007–2009 | Worldwide | Economic Crisis |
Descriptions
Greco-Persian Wars
A series of conflicts between the Achaemenid Empire of Persia and Greek city-states that ensured the survival of Greek culture and political structures.
Gallic Wars
A series of campaigns by Julius Caesar against Gallic tribes, leading to Roman conquest of Gaul and expanding the Roman Republic’s territory.
Gracchan Reforms
A series of populist land reforms proposed by the Gracchi brothers, which challenged the senatorial elite and led to significant political turmoil.
Gothic War
A lengthy and devastating war between the Byzantine Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom for control of Italy, ultimately bankrupting the Byzantines.
Gregorian Reform
A series of papal reforms initiated by Pope Gregory VII to assert papal authority over secular rulers and reform the clergy.
Golden Bull of 1356
A decree that fixed the constitutional structure of the Holy Roman Empire, defining the process for electing the emperor for over 400 years.
Great Schism (Western)
A split within the Catholic Church where two, then three, men simultaneously claimed to be the true pope, severely damaging the Church’s authority.
Gutenberg’s Printing Press invention
Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of movable-type printing, which revolutionized communication by enabling the mass production of books and sparking the Renaissance.
Granada War
The final campaign of the Spanish Reconquista, resulting in the defeat of the last Muslim state in Iberia and the unification of Spain.
Gunpowder Plot
A failed conspiracy by English Catholics to assassinate Protestant King James I and blow up Parliament, leading to harsher anti-Catholic measures.
Great Fire of London
A massive fire that swept through central London, destroying most of the medieval city but also paving the way for major rebuilding and modernization.
Glorious Revolution
The overthrow of King James II, which established parliamentary supremacy over the monarch and planted the seeds of modern constitutional democracy.
Great Northern War
A conflict where Russia successfully challenged Swedish supremacy in the Baltic, establishing Russia as a major new European power under Peter the Great.
Gin Craze
A period of excessive gin consumption in Britain, leading to widespread social problems and prompting a series of parliamentary acts to control it.
Greek War of Independence
A successful rebellion by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire, which led to the establishment of the independent modern state of Greece.
Great Famine
A period of mass starvation and disease caused by potato blight, leading to over a million deaths and fundamentally changing Ireland’s demographics.
Gadsden Purchase
The U.S. acquisition of a 29,670-square-mile region from Mexico, finalizing the U.S.-Mexico border and enabling a southern transcontinental railroad.
Gettysburg Address
A seminal speech by President Abraham Lincoln during the American Civil War that redefined the war’s purpose and became a cornerstone of American ideals.
Geneva Convention (First)
The first of four treaties establishing the standards of international law for the humanitarian treatment of war, particularly for wounded soldiers.
Gallipoli Campaign
A costly failed attempt by the Allies to control the sea route to Russia during WWI, becoming a defining moment for Australian and New Zealand national identity.
Great Migration
The movement of over six million African Americans from the rural South to the urban North, profoundly reshaping American cities, culture, and politics.
General Strike of 1926
A nine-day nationwide strike by British workers to prevent wage reduction for coal miners; its failure was a major setback for trade unions.
Great Depression
The most severe economic downturn in modern history, which began in the United States and caused widespread unemployment and hardship across the globe.
Great Purge
A brutal campaign of political repression led by Joseph Stalin to eliminate dissent and consolidate his absolute power, resulting in millions of deaths.
Guernica, Bombing of
An aerial bombing of a defenseless Basque town during the Spanish Civil War, which shocked the world and inspired Picasso’s famous anti-war painting.
GI Bill
A U.S. law providing benefits for returning WWII veterans, which fueled post-war economic growth and expanded the American middle class.
Green Revolution
A period of technological initiatives that dramatically increased agricultural production, averting widespread famine and changing global food supply chains.
Geneva Accords
Agreements that temporarily separated Vietnam into two zones after the First Indochina War, but ultimately failed to secure a lasting peace.
Great Leap Forward
An economic and social campaign by Mao Zedong to rapidly industrialize China that ultimately failed and led to one of the deadliest famines in history.
Guatemalan Civil War
A long and brutal civil war, fueled by Cold War tensions, which resulted in the deaths of over 200,000 people, mostly indigenous Mayans.
Gulf of Tonkin incident
A pair of alleged naval confrontations that led the U.S. Congress to grant broad war powers to the President, escalating American involvement in Vietnam.
Gwangju Uprising
A popular uprising against the military dictatorship that was violently suppressed but became a pivotal moment in South Korea’s struggle for democracy.
German Reunification
The process in which East Germany joined West Germany to form a single German state, marking a key end to the Cold War.
Gulf War
A war waged by a U.S.-led coalition against Iraq in response to its invasion of Kuwait, which successfully liberated Kuwait.
Good Friday Agreement
A major political development in the Northern Ireland peace process that ended most of the violence of the decades-long Troubles conflict.
Google’s IPO
The initial public offering of Google, a landmark event in the history of the internet and technology, establishing the company as a global giant.
Great Recession
A severe global economic recession following the U.S. subprime mortgage crisis, causing the worst financial downturn since the Great Depression.