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Historical record: 2 ideas worth knowing

2 ideas from Historical record, each explained in a minute and credited to the original work. Free on Savvy.

• Twice, a typhoon wrecked a Mongol invasion fleet just as it threatened Japan

  In 1274 and again in 1281, Kublai Khan sent massive invasion fleets against Japan, and both times a storm destroyed the ships before the conquest could be completed. The Japanese c…

  — Historical record, compiled in later scholarship, Mongol invasions of Japan

• A trading alliance with no army or king ran Northern Europe's economy for 300 years

  From the 13th to 17th centuries, the Hanseatic League linked merchant guilds across dozens of cities from London to Novgorod, enforcing shared trading rights and collectively boyco…

  — Historical record, compiled in later scholarship, Hanseatic League

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