Here you’ll find 42 Historical events that start with V, organized from “V-2 rocket attacks” to “Vukovar massacre”. These entries focus on notable, well-documented global incidents useful for study, teaching, and quick reference.
Historical events that start with V are notable occurrences whose common English names begin with the letter V. They range from ancient uprisings to modern conflicts, including the V-2 rocket attacks as a notable 20th-century example.
Below you’ll find the table with Year, Location, and Significance.
Year: Use this to place events in time; you can track chronology and compare related incidents quickly.
Location: Shows where each event occurred; you can connect events to regions and understand geographic patterns.
Significance: Briefly explains why the event matters, so you can assess impact and relevance for research or teaching.
Historical events that start with V
| Event | Year | Location | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam War | 1955–1975 | Vietnam/USA | war |
| Vatican II | 1962–1965 | Vatican City | council |
| Vatican I | 1869–1870 | Vatican City | council |
| Velvet Revolution | 1989 | Prague, Czechoslovakia | revolution |
| Velvet Divorce | 1993 | Czech Republic/Slovakia | political split |
| Vicksburg Campaign | 1863 | Mississippi, USA | campaign |
| Vistula–Oder Offensive | 1945 | Poland/Germany | offensive |
| Vichy Regime | 1940–1944 | France | regime |
| Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup | 1942 | Paris, France | mass arrest |
| Vajont Dam disaster | 1963 | Longarone, Italy | disaster |
| Valley Forge Encampment | 1777–1778 | Pennsylvania, USA | encampment |
| Vellore Mutiny | 1806 | Vellore, India | mutiny |
| Venezuelan War of Independence | 1810–1823 | Venezuela | war |
| Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903 | 1902–1903 | Venezuela | international crisis |
| Venezuelan presidential crisis | 2019–present | Venezuela | political crisis |
| Viking raid on Lindisfarne | 793 | Lindisfarne, England | raid |
| V-2 rocket attacks | 1944–1945 | Europe (UK, Belgium) | bombing campaign |
| Valentine’s Day Massacre | 1929 | Chicago, USA | massacre |
| Voyage of the Beagle | 1831–1836 | South America | scientific voyage |
| Vienna Summit | 1961 | Vienna, Austria | diplomatic summit |
| Vela Incident | 1979 | South Atlantic/Indian Ocean | suspected test |
| Voyage of Vasco da Gama | 1497–1499 | Atlantic–India | exploration |
| Vandal sack of Rome | 455 | Rome, Italy | sack |
| Vinland discovery | c.1000 | Newfoundland, Canada | exploration |
| Vostok 1 | 1961 | Earth/USSR | spaceflight |
| Vostok 6 | 1963 | Earth/USSR | spaceflight |
| VE Day | 1945 | Europe | celebration |
| VJ Day | 1945 | World | celebration |
| Vukovar massacre | 1991 | Vukovar, Croatia | massacre |
| Vladivostok Summit | 1974 | Vladivostok, USSR | summit |
| Vienna Uprising | 1848 | Vienna, Austria | uprising |
| Vienna Secession | 1897 | Vienna, Austria | art movement |
| Vasa sinking | 1628 | Stockholm, Sweden | shipwreck |
| Valdivia earthquake | 1960 | Valdivia, Chile | earthquake |
| Vendée uprising | 1793 | Vendée, France | uprising |
| Vandenberg Resolution | 1948 | Washington, USA | policy resolution |
| Vancouver Expedition | 1791–1795 | Pacific Northwest | exploration |
| Venezuelan coup d’état (1948) | 1948 | Caracas, Venezuela | coup d’état |
| Victorian Era reforms (Chartist aftermath) | 1830s–1860s | United Kingdom | reforms |
| Vajont inquiry and trials | 1963–1967 | Italy | investigation |
| Vanderbilt era railroad expansion | c.1850–1900 | United States | industrial expansion |
| Virgin Islands transfer | 1917 | United States Virgin Islands | territorial change |
Descriptions
Vietnam War
Protracted conflict that shaped Cold War geopolitics, caused millions of deaths, and transformed US domestic politics and foreign policy.
Vatican II
Major Catholic Church council that modernized liturgy, increased lay participation, and advanced ecumenical relations worldwide.
Vatican I
Council defining papal infallibility and shaping modern Catholic doctrine with long-lasting theological and political consequences.
Velvet Revolution
Peaceful mass protests that toppled communist rule in Czechoslovakia, paving the way for democratic reforms and free elections.
Velvet Divorce
Bloodless dissolution of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, setting an example of peaceful national separation.
Vicksburg Campaign
Union victory capturing Vicksburg gave control of the Mississippi River, splitting the Confederacy and altering Civil War momentum.
Vistula–Oder Offensive
Soviet breakthrough that drove Nazi forces westward, hastened Berlin’s fall, and decisively shifted the European balance in WWII.
Vichy Regime
Collaborationist French government under Pétain that cooperated with Nazi Germany, symbolizing wartime compromise and national trauma.
Vel’ d’Hiv Roundup
Mass arrest of thousands of Jews by French police, leading to deportations to Auschwitz and national reckoning over collaboration.
Vajont Dam disaster
Catastrophic landslide and flood killed around 2,000 people, exposing engineering failures and prompting safety reforms.
Valley Forge Encampment
Harsh winter encampment where Washington’s army endured, trained, and emerged more disciplined, shaping American Revolutionary success.
Vellore Mutiny
Early uprising by Indian soldiers against British East India Company rule, a precursor to later, larger anti-colonial rebellions.
Venezuelan War of Independence
Struggle that liberated Venezuela from Spanish control, contributing to the broader independence movements across Latin America.
Venezuelan crisis of 1902–1903
European naval blockade over debts challenged sovereignty and influenced the US Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.
Venezuelan presidential crisis
Contested presidency between Maduro and Guaidó triggered international recognition disputes, sanctions, and a severe humanitarian emergency.
Viking raid on Lindisfarne
Attack on a monastery that shocked medieval Europe and marks a commonly cited beginning of the Viking Age.
V-2 rocket attacks
Germany’s V‑2 ballistic missiles introduced modern rocket warfare, causing civilian casualties and technological precedents for spaceflight.
Valentine’s Day Massacre
Infamous Prohibition-era gangland murders that highlighted organized crime’s brutality and galvanized public demand for law enforcement action.
Voyage of the Beagle
Charles Darwin’s voyage produced observations that formed the foundation for his theory of evolution and modern biology.
Vienna Summit
High-stakes Cold War meeting between Kennedy and Khrushchev that intensified superpower tensions and shaped subsequent diplomacy.
Vela Incident
Mysterious satellite-detected double flash suggesting a clandestine nuclear test, sparking Cold War controversy still debated by historians.
Voyage of Vasco da Gama
First direct sea route from Europe to India opened maritime trade, initiating major economic and colonial shifts between Europe and Asia.
Vandal sack of Rome
Sack by the Vandals signaled Western Roman authority’s collapse and accelerated political fragmentation across former Roman territories.
Vinland discovery
Norse voyages to Vinland represent the earliest known European contact with North America, predating Columbus by centuries.
Vostok 1
Yuri Gagarin’s flight became the first human orbital spaceflight, a landmark in the space race and human exploration.
Vostok 6
Carried Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, marking a significant milestone for gender representation in space exploration.
VE Day
Victory in Europe Day marked Nazi Germany’s surrender, ending major European combat in WWII and prompting global celebration and rebuilding.
VJ Day
Victory over Japan Day marked Japan’s surrender, effectively ending World War II and initiating postwar geopolitical realignment.
Vukovar massacre
Mass killing and ethnic violence during the Yugoslav Wars symbolized brutalities of breakup and international humanitarian crises.
Vladivostok Summit
US–Soviet meeting where leaders reached preliminary SALT limits, shaping later détente and arms-control negotiations.
Vienna Uprising
Part of Europe’s 1848 revolutions, the Vienna uprising challenged imperial authority and pushed liberal and nationalist reforms across Europe.
Vienna Secession
Founding of a modern art movement that broke with academic traditions, influencing European modernism and design.
Vasa sinking
The Swedish warship Vasa sank on maiden voyage, later recovered as a cultural and archaeological treasure illuminating 17th-century naval life.
Valdivia earthquake
The most powerful recorded earthquake (magnitude ~9.5) caused massive destruction and reshaped Chilean coastal geography and disaster policy.
Vendée uprising
Royalist and peasant revolt against revolutionary Paris, leading to brutal counterinsurgency and debates over revolutionary violence.
Vandenberg Resolution
US Senate resolution enabling bipartisan support for collective security, key to American engagement with postwar alliances.
Vancouver Expedition
British expedition mapping Pacific Northwest coasts, influencing colonial claims and later settlement patterns in North America.
Venezuelan coup d’état (1948)
Military overthrow that established a military junta and shaped Venezuela’s mid‑20th century political trajectory.
Victorian Era reforms (Chartist aftermath)
Series of political and social reforms that expanded voting rights and modernized British governance and society.
Vajont inquiry and trials
Legal and technical investigations following the Vajont disaster exposed negligence and shaped engineering accountability laws.
Vanderbilt era railroad expansion
Railroad consolidation under Vanderbilt transformed US transport, industry, and economic integration during the Gilded Age.
Virgin Islands transfer
United States purchased Danish West Indies, marking strategic U.S. territorial expansion in the Caribbean prior to WWI.