The Battle of Marathon (490 BCE) was a pivotal conflict during the First Persian invasion of Greece. A vastly outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persian forces. This victory gave birth to the legend of Pheidippides, who ran approximately 26 miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the victory. This legendary run inspired the modern marathon race. Which city-state led the Greek forces to victory at Marathon?

The Battle of Hastings (1066) marked the Norman conquest of England. Duke William of Normandy defeated King Harold Godwinson's Anglo-Saxon army near Hastings, East Sussex. This battle forever changed English culture, language, and governance, introducing Norman French as the language of the nobility and feudalism to England. Who was the victorious Norman leader at Hastings?

The Battle of Agincourt (1415) was a major English victory during the Hundred Years' War. King Henry V's army, devastated by disease and outnumbered 5-to-1, used English longbowmen to devastating effect against French heavy cavalry. The muddy terrain bogged down French knights, making them easy targets. Approximately 6,000 French soldiers died compared to only 400 English. Which English king achieved this remarkable victory?

The Battle of Waterloo (1815) ended Napoleon Bonaparte's rule as Emperor of the French. Fought in present-day Belgium, a coalition led by the Duke of Wellington and Gebhard von Blücher defeated Napoleon's Army of the North. This battle marked the final chapter of the Napoleonic Wars, leading to Napoleon's second abdication and exile to Saint Helena, where he died in 1821. Who commanded the Anglo-Allied forces at Waterloo?

The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) is considered the turning point of the American Civil War. Fought in Pennsylvania from July 1-3, it was the war's bloodiest battle with approximately 51,000 casualties. General Robert E. Lee's Confederate invasion of the North was repulsed by Union forces under General George Meade. Pickett's Charge, a disastrous Confederate assault on the third day, broke the Confederate army and forced Lee to retreat. Which Union general commanded the victorious Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg?

The Battle of Stalingrad (1942-1943) was the deadliest battle in human history, with over 2 million casualties. The Soviet Union successfully defended the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) from Nazi Germany's Sixth Army. In a brilliant counter-offensive code-named Operation Uranus, Soviet forces surrounded and trapped the German army. The German commander Friedrich Paulus surrendered on February 2, 1943, marking a catastrophic defeat for Hitler and the turning point of World War II on the Eastern Front. Which Soviet general planned the Stalingrad counter-offensive?

The Battle of Midway (June 4-7, 1942) was the most decisive naval battle of World War II in the Pacific. American codebreakers had intercepted Japanese plans to attack Midway Atoll. Admiral Chester Nimitz ambushed the Japanese fleet, sinking four aircraft carriers—Akagi, Kaga, Sōryū, and Hiryū—while losing only one American carrier, USS Yorktown. This victory permanently crippled Japan's naval aviation capability and shifted the balance of power in the Pacific to the United States. Which American admiral commanded the US Pacific Fleet at Midway?

The Battle of Thermopylae (480 BCE) became a symbol of heroic resistance against overwhelming odds. King Leonidas led approximately 7,000 Greek soldiers (including 300 elite Spartans) against a massive Persian invasion force under Xerxes I. For three days, the Greeks held the narrow coastal pass of Thermopylae. A Greek traitor named Ephialtes revealed a mountain path, allowing Persians to surround the Greeks. Leonidas dismissed most troops but stayed with 300 Spartans and 700 Thespians, fighting to the last man. Who betrayed the Greeks at Thermopylae?

The Battle of Austerlitz (December 2, 1805), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was Napoleon Bonaparte's greatest victory. On the first anniversary of his coronation, Napoleon's 68,000 French troops defeated a combined Russian and Austrian army of 85,000. Napoleon famously feigned weakness on his right flank to lure the Allies into attacking, then broke through their weakened center. Austria sued for peace, and the Holy Roman Empire was dissolved shortly after. Which two empires faced Napoleon at Austerlitz?

The Battle of Dien Bien Phu (March 13 - May 7, 1954) was the decisive engagement of the First Indochina War. French Union forces established a fortified base in a valley in northern Vietnam, hoping to draw the Viet Minh into a conventional battle. General Võ Nguyên Giáp, the Viet Minh commander, surrounded the base and positioned artillery on the surrounding jungle-covered hills. French artillery could not fire back effectively. After a 56-day siege, the French surrendered, leading to the Geneva Accords and French withdrawal from Indochina. Which Vietnamese general masterminded the Viet Minh victory at Dien Bien Phu?