The Battle of Salamis
Sometime in September, in the year 480 BC, the Battle of Salamis was fought. It is considered the most crucial battle in Greek history. This battle, together with the Battle of Marathon and the battle of Platea were improbable victories that helped the city-states of Greece retain the Persian invasion against all odds. It was a turning point in Greco-Persian war which made Europe possible. The war wasn't quite over: intermittently the struggle between Greece and Persia continued, but these battles kickstarted the Golden Age of Greece and of Athenian democracy.
Source: Durant, Will, 1885-1981, The Life of Greece: A history of Greek government, industry, manners, morals, religion, philosophy, science, literature and art from the earliest times to the Roman conquest. Simon and Schuster, 1939.
Image by Milena Militonyan under license CC BY-SA 4.0
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Full disclosure, I may occasionally borrow a sentence from Will Durant's Story of Civilization. I absolutely love that collection!