“The World Turned Upside Down” (apparently not by Billy Bragg but made famous by him) is about the Diggers and Levellers in 17th century England.
U2;
Pride (in the name of Love)
Mothers of the Disappeared
Just off the top of my head.
There’s Who’s Next by Tom Lehrer, about the arms race:
Public Enemy: Can’t Truss It - and a lot of other PE songs.
Ras Kass: The Nature of the Threat - it’s extremely racist and his interpretations of historical events and even simple word etymology is suspect at best, but it is certainly an attempt at a (misguided) history lesson.
My bad, those aren’t rock songs.
Manic Street Preachers - If you tolerate this
Paul Hardcastle - 19
Randy Newman - Louisiana 1827
Also Manic Street Preachers: Let Robeson Sing, though it may be more of a tribute song than historical.
I remember that one. Now that you mentioned it, that is. 
These songs probably don’t fit the rock or pop song category, but both artists/bands have been known to rock.
Frank Black & The Catholics - St. Francis Dam Disaster
Mojo Nixon & Jello Biafra - Hamlet Chicken Plant Disaster
A band called “Rasputina” wrote a song about 1816, the Year Without a Summer. It’s a very off-beat sound, But Pandora somehow hooked me up with it, that’s the only way I ever heard of the band or the song.
More about a person than an event, but definitely a history lesson: James K. Polk, by They Might Be Giants
The Kinks’ entire album Arthur, or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire is, in a way, a trip through British history, although it never really narrates any particular historical events in the way you may be looking for. Try Mr Churchill Says for an example.
I loved the bit about the peaceful Aztecs, where “war was never known”.
Might as well add his “Crucifixion” (about the assassination of JFK).
njtt mentioned Al Stewart’s “Road to Moscow,” but forgot his “Murmansk Run/Ellis Island,” “Constantinople,” “Nostradamus,” “Fields of France,” “Lost Admirals,” “Lord Grenville,” “A Man For All Seasons,” “Charlotte Corday,” “Last Day of June, 1934,” “The Palace of Versailles,” and about a dozen others.
I don’t know if it qualifies, but I’ll ad Crack The Sky’s Sea Epic to the list.
Judy Collins: Marat/Sade medley. The French Revolution.
Ballad of John and Yoko.
Johnny Horton also did
North to Alaska
Sink the Bismarck
there is also
Mr. Custer by Larry Verne,
Bruce Cockburn’s If I Had A Rocket Launcher was inspired by his reaction to visiting Guatemalan refugees in Mexico. The situation in Guatemala was terrible for over 30 years as a civil war pretty much continued unabated and tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of refugees sought shelter not just from the various revolutionary factions vying for power, but also from certain faction’s attempts at genocide, most notably during the 16 month rule of Efrain Rìos Montt as his forces targeted indigenous Mayas.
Anyway, it’s a terrific song, where the beauty of the guitar work underscores the seething hatred and powerlessness of the lyrics.
ETA: This has been one of my favorite songs since it was released.
Well, Public Enemy is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 