A series of battles in France had an impact on modern day Europe and the fates of three countries down to our modern century. What might have happened if Richard the Lionheart had not been wounded? Or Philippe Auguste of France had fled the battlefield?

How did the events of his childhood shape the man who would become Genghis Khan? What impact did the Mongol invasions have on the history of Asia and on the psyche of Europe?

What if Alexander had not died at the age of 32? What if he had listened to advisors and returned to Macedonia instead of going on his worldwide conquest? How does the legacy of ideals and leadership left from Alexander's time resonate today?

The shape of Japan's internal politics and the country's response to external influences for centuries can be traced back to the choices of two warlords and a decisive battle. What was the Edo Period and how did it mold Japanese society?

Picture the last two hundred years without the publication of Darwin's "On The Origin of Species" -- how might the scientific conversation have developed? What were the influences in Victorian England during Darwin's youth and how tenuous was his opportunity for sailing on the Beagle's voyage?

The decisions of only a handful of individuals determined the course of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. What transpired over a few hours would have an impact on the local community Russia Europe and the globe.

What would the Civil Rights movement in the USA have been like if Martin Luther King Jr. had not been motivating change? How does the legacy of the American Civil War still affect the American democracy?

The choices that Kong Qui known in the West as Confucius made during his career as a civil servant and administrator influenced an entire civilization. What if Kong Qui had been as opportunistic and corrupt as other officials? How might the fate of China and its worldview be changed?

The untimely death of the Roman Emperor of the Western Empire and the poor decisions of the Roman Emperor of the Eastern Empire change the fortunes of the Roman Army in their battle with the Goths. And this changes the future of Europe.

A famous scientist wrote the President of the United States and the face of war and our world was changed forever. How and why did humanity develop a weapon capable of almost total destruction?

Elvis Presley paid $4 to record two songs for his mother and the rest as they say is history. But without Elvis would rock and roll have gone the same route? And how have the many iterations of rock and roll developed and changed our taste and culture since the 1950's?

What is the future of the human presence in space? How might things be different if there had not been a Cold War and a Space Race? What does humanity gain by venturing into our solar system...and beyond?

What if the source codes for the internet had remained with the US military rather than being released to the world? How did our lives of unfettered internet access become a reality?

The dramatic story of the defense of France against Hitler's invading army in order to enable the desperate evacuation of over 300K men of the British Expeditionary Force and Allied troops across the English Channel to safety in 1940.

The former Soviet Union collectivized many aspects of agricultural and industrial development in the 1950's. While some efforts were successful others like the cotton-growing around the Aral Sea have proven to be an ecological nightmare.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the defining moments of the mid-twentieth century and of the presidency of John Kennedy. How did the two Cold War powers of the USSR and the USA come to the point of threatening nuclear war?

Constantinople was a part of the Roman Empire then became the seat of the Byzantine Empire and then was the imperial city of the Ottoman Empire. Here is the story of the fabled city and its history of power and conflict through the ages.

The encounter between the conquistador and opportunist Hernan Cortés and the indigenous peoples of Central America is one of history's tragic tales of greed conflict imperial weakness and superior weaponry.

Timing is everything just look at what happened in 1848. How did the finding of gold in Sutter's Mill make an impact on the development of California and the history of the United States?

A disease that developed and killed within a few days decimates Europe and changes the course of history.

In the 17th century a long period of civil war in France and war across Europe rebellious members of the French Parliament dubbed The Fronde defy the monarchy and this defiance does not end well for them...and changes the history of France.

Unable to bring mob boss Al Capone to justice for many of the crimes ascribed to him the US Federal government took a new tack to end the rule of gangsters in the Depression.

How did one man succeed in relaunching the Olympic spirit and turn the Games into a global event?

In the 15th century an inventor in a workshop in Strasburg came up with a machine that would eventually change the history of the entire world and shake a religion to its core. The choice of the first work to be printed is an astute one: Saint Jerome’s Latin version of the Bible.

In late Victorian England women began to organize to gain the right to vote. The fight for women's suffrage lasted well into the early 20th Century.

The battle between the French and English for the French territory of New France hinges on the presence of the British navy. And the Battle on the Plains of Abraham is tipped to Great Britain by the solidly trained soldiers of the British army. This changed the landscape of North America.

In May 1893 a man is thrown out of a train on the platforms of the train station of Pietermaritzburg a little city of South Africa for daring to sit in a first-class compartment. This young Indian lawyer is named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

While the Viking raids have come one after another in the Occident for almost a century in November 885 hundreds of Scandinavian boats sailing towards Burgundy present themselves before the walls of Paris and besiege the city.

In July 1799 during the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria the French soldiers of lieutenant Bouchard discover by chance at Rosetta a large black stone. It is in fact the fragment of a stele engraved in honor of King Ptolemy V including three writing systems: Greek Demotic and hieroglyphs.

In the spring of 1943 after the successive failures of Moscow and Stalingrad the armies of the Reich go on the offensive again. Considered the greatest tank battle in History this event represents a real turning point of World War II on the Eastern Front.

1916 the Great War far away from the trenches in the sand of the Middle East war has a very different face. With a handful of intrepid men Thomas Edward Lawrence leads the revolt of the Arabs alongside Sharif Hussein against the Ottoman Empire.

At the end of a succession of civil wars which have weakened the Roman Republic Caesar proclaims himself dictator for life. However on March 14 44 BC he is assassinated by conspirators in the name of the Republic.

Rented by the BP oil company to drill an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explodes on April 20 2010 before sinking into the ocean and causing a gigantic oil spill. At issue: negligence in the maintenance and in the tests carried out.

August 5 1962 South Africa. After several months on the run the Black leader Nelson Mandela is arrested by the South African police and incarcerated on Robben Island a fortress-like jail off Cape Town. He doesn’t know it at that time but it is only the beginning of his penitential ordeal.

In 1415 the Portuguese launch an era of explorations that will lead to the European discovery of the world. The competition is intense between France and the United Kingdom for the possession of North America and the West Indies for the Indian colonies but also for Science.

Since the end of the 19th century Indochina has been a flourishing colony the gem of the French Empire. However the Second World War turns everything upside down. At the end of the war the Viet Minh movement announces its independence.

University of Glasgow Scotland 1763. A young engineer tries in vain to fix a steam engine before finally understanding what is wrong with it. James Watt still doesn’t know it but he will soon revolutionize the world of industry.

July 31 1784 Paris. Denis Diderot has just passed away and with him the memory of the biggest editorial epic of the Age of Enlightenment: Encyclopedia or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences Arts and Crafts.

In 814 BC the exiled Phoenician queen Dido founds the city of Carthage on the African Coast. The city develops and takes the lead of a maritime empire based on trade. Carthage dominates the Western Mediterranean. But in the third century BC she finds herself opposed to the Roman Republic.