Tutorial: Historical Events

Education

Data source: Curated dataset (Wikipedia, academic sources)

Overview

Historical Events wraps Curated dataset (Wikipedia, academic sources), handling authentication, pagination, and rate limits for you. This tutorial covers all 6 tools with working code examples you can copy and run.

Prerequisites

Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup for a free API key (100 calls/day).
Choose your integration method: MCP protocol or REST API.

Connect via MCP

Add to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.):

MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gnist-historical-events": {
      "url": "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
      "headers": {
        "Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools (6)

`get_historical_event`

Get a single historical event by its ID. Returns detailed information including title, date, era, category, region, description, and significance.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`event_id`	string	required	Event slug ID (e.g. 'moon-landing-1969', 'magna-carta').

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "get_historical_event", "arguments": {"event_id": "'moon-landing-1969'"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'event_id': "'moon-landing-1969'"},
            'name': 'get_historical_event'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`search_historical_events`

Search historical events by keyword. Searches across event titles and descriptions. Case-insensitive. Results are sorted chronologically.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`query`	string	required	Search keyword — matches event title and description.
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 20, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_historical_events", "arguments": {"query": "renewable energy"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'query': 'renewable energy'},
            'name': 'search_historical_events'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_events_by_era`

List historical events filtered by era. Valid eras: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern, Contemporary. Results are sorted chronologically.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`era`	string	required	Era name: Ancient, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern, or Contemporary.
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_events_by_era", "arguments": {"era": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'era': 'example'}, 'name': 'list_events_by_era'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_events_by_category`

List historical events filtered by category. Valid categories: War & Conflict, Science & Technology, Politics, Exploration, Culture, Economics, Religion, Natural Disaster. Results sorted chronologically.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`category`	string	required	Category: War & Conflict, Science & Technology, Politics, Exploration, Culture, Economics, Religion, or Natural Disaster.
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_events_by_category", "arguments": {"category": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'category': 'example'},
            'name': 'list_events_by_category'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`list_events_by_year_range`

List historical events within a year range (inclusive). Use negative years for BCE dates. Results sorted chronologically.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`start_year`	integer	required	Start year (use negative values for BCE, e.g. -500).
`end_year`	integer	required	End year (use negative values for BCE, e.g. -100).
`limit`	any	optional	Maximum number of results (default: 50, max: 100).

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "list_events_by_year_range", "arguments": {"start_year": -500, "end_year": -100}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'end_year': -100, 'start_year': -500},
            'name': 'list_events_by_year_range'}},
)
print(resp.json())

`report_feedback`

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source. Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement. Args: feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion. feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`feedback`	string	required
`feedback_type`	string	optional	(default: `general`)

curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "report_feedback", "arguments": {"feedback": "example"}}}'

import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/historical-events/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={'id': 1,
 'jsonrpc': '2.0',
 'method': 'tools/call',
 'params': {'arguments': {'feedback': 'example'}, 'name': 'report_feedback'}},
)
print(resp.json())

Common Patterns

Search then retrieve
Use search_historical_events to find items, then get_historical_event to get full details. This two-step pattern is common for exploring data before drilling down.

Pagination
Several tools support limit, offset, or page parameters. Start with small limits during development, then increase for production queries.

FAQ

What data does Historical Events provide?

Curated database of major historical events — wars, discoveries, revolutions, and milestones across all eras. It exposes 6 tools: get_historical_event, search_historical_events, list_events_by_era, list_events_by_category, list_events_by_year_range, report_feedback.

What do I need to get started?

A Gnist API key (free tier: 100 calls/day). Sign up at https://context.gnist.ai/signup.

What format does the Historical Events API return?

JSON, via either MCP protocol (JSON-RPC 2.0) or REST API.