Here you’ll find 30 Historical events that start with K, from “K-T Extinction Event” to “Kōdōkan established”. The list highlights mass extinctions, conflicts, cultural foundations, and scientific milestones across global history.
Historical events that start with K are notable occurrences whose common English names begin with the letter K. They range from natural catastrophes like the K-T Extinction Event to cultural foundations such as Kōdōkan.
Below you’ll find the table with Year, Location, and Significance.
Year: Shows the year or range when the event occurred, helping you place it chronologically and compare timelines.
Location: Gives the city, region, or country where the event took place so you can assess geographic context quickly.
Significance: Provides a concise 15–25 word summary explaining why the event matters and what broader impact it had.
Historical events that start with K
| Event | Year(s) | Location | Significance (15 words max) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korean War | 1950–1953 | Korean Peninsula | First major armed clash of the Cold War, solidifying Korea’s division. |
| Kristallnacht | 1938 | Nazi Germany, Austria | A massive state-sanctioned pogrom against Jews, marking a major escalation of Nazi persecution. |
| Klondike Gold Rush | 1896–1899 | Klondike region, Yukon, Canada | A massive migration that spurred settlement and development in northwestern Canada and Alaska. |
| K-T Extinction Event | c. 66,000,000 BC | Global (Chicxulub Crater, Mexico) | Mass extinction that wiped out the dinosaurs, paving the way for mammals to dominate. |
| Khmer Rouge Regime | 1975–1979 | Cambodia | Genocidal rule under Pol Pot that caused the deaths of up to 2 million people. |
| Kosovo War | 1998–1999 | Kosovo, Yugoslavia | A brutal ethnic conflict that led to NATO intervention and Kosovo’s eventual independence. |
| Kapp Putsch | 1920 | Berlin, Germany | An attempted coup that revealed the weakness of the Weimar Republic and its military. |
| Katyn Massacre | 1940 | Katyn Forest, Russia | Mass execution of 22,000 Polish nationals by the Soviet secret police during WWII. |
| Kent State Shootings | 1970 | Kent, Ohio, USA | A pivotal moment in the US anti-Vietnam War movement, galvanizing widespread opposition. |
| Kargil War | 1999 | Kargil district, Kashmir | A high-altitude armed conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed Kashmir region. |
| Kyoto Protocol | 1997 | Kyoto, Japan | A landmark international treaty committing nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. |
| King Philip’s War | 1675–1678 | New England, USA | The deadliest conflict in 17th-century North America, devastating both colonists and Native Americans. |
| Kronstadt Rebellion | 1921 | Kronstadt, Soviet Russia | A major unsuccessful uprising against the early Bolshevik government, leading to key policy changes. |
| Kulturkampf | 1871–1878 | German Empire | A political conflict between the German state and the Roman Catholic Church. |
| Kalinga War | c. 261 BC | Kalinga (modern Odisha), India | A brutal war that led Mauryan Emperor Ashoka to embrace Buddhism and non-violence. |
| Kiel Mutiny | 1918 | Kiel, Germany | A naval mutiny that sparked the German Revolution and the end of the monarchy. |
| Kandyan Wars | 1796–1818 | Kingdom of Kandy, Sri Lanka | Led to the fall of the last independent native kingdom in Sri Lanka. |
| King William’s War | 1688–1697 | North America | The first of six colonial wars fought between New France and New England. |
| Korematsu v. United States | 1944 | Washington, D.C., USA | A controversial Supreme Court ruling upholding the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. |
| Khojaly Massacre | 1992 | Khojaly, Azerbaijan | The largest single massacre of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, a major humanitarian tragedy. |
| Kengir Uprising | 1954 | Kengir, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union | One of the largest and most significant rebellions in the Soviet Gulag system. |
| Komagata Maru incident | 1914 | Vancouver, Canada | Highlighted discriminatory immigration laws in Canada and fueled Indian nationalism. |
| Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down | 1983 | Near Sakhalin Island, USSR | A major Cold War flashpoint that severely escalated tensions between the US and USSR. |
| Kaifeng Flood | 1642 | Kaifeng, China | A catastrophic man-made disaster that killed an estimated 300,000 people. |
| Khobar Towers bombing | 1996 | Khobar, Saudi Arabia | A terrorist attack on a US military housing complex that prompted major security changes. |
| Knights’ Revolt | 1522–1523 | Holy Roman Empire (Germany) | An early conflict of the Protestant Reformation, showing its complex social and political dimensions. |
| Kyōhō Reforms | 1716–1745 | Japan | A series of economic and political policies that stabilized the Tokugawa shogunate. |
| Kongo Civil War | 1665–1709 | Kingdom of Kongo (modern Angola & DRC) | A devastating internal conflict that fragmented a major central African kingdom. |
| Kōdōkan established | 1882 | Tokyo, Japan | Marked the founding of judo, which became a globally practiced martial art and sport. |
| Kon-Tiki expedition | 1947 | Pacific Ocean | A famous experiment suggesting ancient peoples could make long sea voyages on primitive rafts. |
Descriptions
Korean War
A war between North Korea (supported by China and the USSR) and South Korea (supported by the UN). It ended in an armistice, creating the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that exists today.
Kristallnacht
Also known as the “Night of Broken Glass,” this wave of violent anti-Jewish attacks destroyed synagogues, businesses, and homes, serving as a horrifying precursor to the Holocaust.
Klondike Gold Rush
Triggered by the discovery of gold, an estimated 100,000 prospectors stampeded to the remote Klondike region. While few struck it rich, the rush permanently transformed the region’s economy and demographics.
K-T Extinction Event
The Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, most likely caused by a massive asteroid impact, eliminated about 75% of all plant and animal species on Earth, including all non-avian dinosaurs.
Khmer Rouge Regime
The regime imposed a brutal agrarian socialist agenda, forcing urban populations into the countryside. This led to widespread famine, forced labor, and mass executions in the notorious “Killing Fields.”
Kosovo War
Fought between ethnic Albanians and Yugoslav forces, the conflict involved ethnic cleansing, prompting a NATO bombing campaign against Yugoslavia to halt the humanitarian crisis.
Kapp Putsch
This right-wing coup aimed to overthrow the Weimar Republic but failed within days due to a general strike. It highlighted the deep political instability of post-WWI Germany.
Katyn Massacre
The Soviet NKVD executed Polish military officers, police, and intelligentsia. The USSR denied responsibility until 1990, making it a major point of contention in Polish-Russian relations.
Kent State Shootings
Ohio National Guard members fired on unarmed college students protesting the Vietnam War, killing four and wounding nine. The event sparked a nationwide student strike and polarized the country.
Kargil War
Pakistani forces infiltrated Indian-controlled territory, leading to a brief but intense war. India successfully recaptured its territory, but the conflict heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations.
Kyoto Protocol
This agreement operationalized the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change by setting binding emission reduction targets for developed countries. It was a foundational step in global climate policy.
King Philip’s War
An armed conflict between indigenous inhabitants and English colonists. The war, named for the Wampanoag leader Metacomet, drastically altered the region’s demographics and power dynamics.
Kronstadt Rebellion
Soviet sailors, soldiers, and civilians rebelled against the Bolsheviks, demanding greater freedoms. The rebellion was brutally crushed but prompted Lenin to introduce the more liberal New Economic Policy.
Kulturkampf
Chancellor Otto von Bismarck’s “cultural struggle” aimed to reduce the influence of the Catholic Church in the newly unified Germany. The policies ultimately backfired, strengthening Catholic political identity.
Kalinga War
The Mauryan Empire conquered Kalinga in an incredibly bloody war. Horrified by the carnage, Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism and promoted a policy of peace, a pivotal moment in Indian history.
Kiel Mutiny
German sailors refused to embark on a final, suicidal naval action at the end of WWI. Their mutiny quickly spread, triggering a revolution that led to the abdication of Kaiser Wilhelm II.
Kandyan Wars
A series of conflicts between the British Empire and the Kingdom of Kandy. The wars concluded with the British annexing the kingdom, bringing the entire island under colonial rule.
King William’s War
This North American theater of the Nine Years’ War saw English and French colonies, along with their Native American allies, battle for control of the continent, setting the stage for future conflicts.
Korematsu v. United States
Fred Korematsu challenged the executive order forcing Japanese Americans into camps. The Court ruled against him, citing military necessity, in a decision now widely condemned as a civil liberties failure.
Khojaly Massacre
During the war, Armenian forces killed hundreds of Azerbaijani civilians fleeing the town of Khojaly. The event remains a deeply traumatic point in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.
Kengir Uprising
Prisoners at the Kengir labor camp seized control for 40 days, demanding better conditions. The rebellion was brutally suppressed by Red Army tanks, but it exposed the Gulag system’s instability.
Komagata Maru incident
A ship carrying 376 passengers from British India was denied entry to Canada and forced to return. The incident exposed the racist nature of Canadian immigration policy.
Korean Air Lines Flight 007 shot down
A Soviet jet shot down a civilian South Korean airliner that had strayed into prohibited airspace, killing all 269 people aboard and leading to global outrage.
Kaifeng Flood
During a siege, Ming dynasty forces deliberately broke the Yellow River dikes to flood peasant rebels. The resulting flood destroyed the city, killing rebels and most of the city’s inhabitants.
Khobar Towers bombing
A truck bomb exploded adjacent to a housing complex, killing 19 US Air Force members. The attack led to major overhauls in how the US military protects its personnel stationed abroad.
Knights’ Revolt
A group of Protestant and humanist German knights rebelled against the Catholic Church and the Holy Roman Emperor. The revolt was quickly crushed but demonstrated the widespread discontent of the era.
Kyōhō Reforms
Implemented under Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, these reforms addressed financial issues, promoted agricultural development, and established a more formalized legal code, creating a period of relative stability.
Kongo Civil War
Following a disastrous defeat by the Portuguese, the Kingdom of Kongo descended into a brutal civil war between rival claimants to the throne, severely weakening the state.
Kōdōkan established
Jigoro Kano established the Kōdōkan dojo to teach his new martial art, judo (“gentle way”). His system synthesized traditional jujutsu styles into a discipline focused on physical and moral development.
Kon-Tiki expedition
Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl sailed a balsa wood raft from South America to Polynesia to prove that ancient South Americans could have settled the islands, capturing the world’s imagination.