A chronicle is a written record of events in the order they happened. Medieval monks kept chronicles of their kingdoms, writing down births of princes, battles fought, and treaties signed, year by year. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, started over a thousand years ago, recorded English history for centuries, helping us understand what life was like when Vikings invaded Britain.

Chronicles differ from stories because they focus on what happened when rather than building suspense or creating characters. If you kept a chronicle of your school year, you'd write: “September 5: First day of fifth grade. September 12: Field trip to the science museum. October 3: Class hamster escaped.” You wouldn't necessarily add exciting details or arrange events to build to a climax. You'd simply record them as they occurred.

The word can also be a verb. To chronicle something means to record it systematically. A newspaper chronicles current events. A scientist might chronicle the daily growth of plants in an experiment. When C.S. Lewis titled his books The Chronicles of Narnia, he suggested they were records of what happened in that magical world, written down in order. Chronicles help us remember the past and understand how one event led to another.