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World History

Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages.
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Accidents & Disasters Age of Revolutions The Ancient World Historians Historic Dynasties & Families Historic Nobility Global Exploration The Middle Ages Military Leaders The Modern World Prehistoric Age United States History Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

Featured content, November 21, 2024

The assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, Washington, D.C., April 14th, 1865; from a lithograph by Currier and Ives.
9 Infamous Assassins and the World Leaders They Dispatched
Meet the people behind the guns.
Duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, illustration after a painting by J. Mund.
10 Famous Duels
Let’s settle this once and for all!
U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy testifies before a Senate subcomittee on elections and rules in an effort to link fellow U.S. Senator William Benton to communism, 1950s.
Did Joseph McCarthy cause the Red Scare of the 1950s?
Did Joseph McCarthy cause the Red Scare of the 1950s?
Text Top Secret typed on retro typewriter
How Secret Is Top Secret?
It has been said that two can keep a secret if one of them is dead, so what happens to classified information when millions...
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was the principal Chinese Marxist theorist, soldier, and statesman who led his country’s communist revolution....
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan was a Mongolian warrior-ruler, one of the most famous conquerors of history, who consolidated tribes into a...
Vladimir Lenin
Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government...
World War I
World War I
World War I, an international conflict that in 1914–18 embroiled most of the nations of Europe along with Russia, the United...

World History Quizzes

A patriotic print after a painting by William Bauly, issued by New York art publisher William Schaus in Sept. 1861. "Fate of the Rebel Flag" has a militant Unionist theme. (Confederate flag, see notes) Fort Sumter, American Civil War initial engagement
Give Us Liberty
From Great Britain and the Easter Rising of 1916 to Texas’s struggle for independence with Mexico, test your knowledege of...
A British North Lancashire Regiment patrol a street in the southern part of Cambrai, France, October 9, 1918.
Weapons and Warfare
Who invented the revolver? At which battle did the iconic raising of the American flag by U.S. Marines occur? Unleash your...
Marco Polo. Contemporary illustration. Medieval Venetian merchant and traveler. Together with his father and uncle, Marco Polo set off from Venice for Asia in 1271, travelling Silk Road to court of Kublai Khan some (see notes)
Expedition Europe
What city was founded, according to legend, by twins named Romulus and Remus? From royal European families to ancient Roman...
Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11. Apollo 11 astronaut Edwin Aldrin, photographed July 20, 1969, during the first manned mission to the Moon's surface. Reflected in Aldrin's faceplate is the Lunar Module and astronaut Neil Armstrong, who took the picture.
Exploration and Discovery
Which spacecraft was first to land on the moon? Can you name the Viking who discovered Greenland? From Earth to outer-space,...
Union Jack, British flag, Flag of Great Britain, British Culture, British Empire, England, English Culture, English Flag
British Culture and Politics
In what year was King John forced to sign the first Magna Carta? Mercantile theory holds that colonies best serve their mother...
Betsy Ross showing George Ross and Robert Morris how she cut the stars for the American flag; George Washington sits in a chair on the left, 1777; by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris (published c. 1932).
USA Facts
How many stars are there in the American flag? From airlines to the Pony Express, count your stripes in this test of all...
German political theorist Karl Marx; communism
A Study of History: Who, What, Where, and When?
When was the world’s first detective bureau founded? Where was the 1939 World’s Fair held? From Karl Marx to penicillin,...
7:045 Gold: Gold Is Where You Find It, pirate with treasure chest full of gold on beach, ship sails away
Criminality and Famous Outlaws
How many prisoners escaped from Alcatraz? With what country is the outlaw Ned Kelly associated? From bandana-wearing pirates...
Three flint axes from the stone age. (prehistoric, tools, early humans, culture, archaeology, implements)
Ancient Civilizations
From ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians to the metal associated with the end of the Stone Age, test your knowledge of deities,...
Tutankhamen. Modern copy of Tutankhamun's sarcophagus aka funeral mask of king Tutankham. King Tut, Pharaoh, Egypt, mummy, Mummified, gold mask, Egyptian
Ancient Egypt: Fact or Fiction?
Aside from pyramids, a famous boy king, and hieroglyphics, how much about ancient Egypt do you really know? Travel deeper...

World History Videos

Track how UN Peacekeeping Forces helped end tension between the Turks and the Greeks in the civil war at Nicosia, capital of Cyprus
Track how UN Peacekeeping Forces helped end tension between the Turks and the Greeks in the civil war at Nicosia, capital of Cyprus
What artifacts teach us about the Vikings
What artifacts teach us about the Vikings
Learn how Abraham Lincoln defeated George McClellan before ending the American Civil War
Learn how Abraham Lincoln defeated George McClellan before ending the American Civil War
Konrad Adenauer's visit to Moscow: The return of German POWs
Konrad Adenauer's visit to Moscow: The return of German POWs
The unexpected fall of the Berlin Wall explained
The unexpected fall of the Berlin Wall explained
How families escaped the East German regime in the 1970s
How families escaped the East German regime in the 1970s
Learn how reading Shakespeare and the King James Bible helped Abraham Lincoln compose his best-remembered address in American history
Learn how reading Shakespeare and the King James Bible helped Abraham Lincoln compose his best-remembered address in American history
How Constantine the Great changed Rome forever
How Constantine the Great changed Rome forever
Observe mining methods used during the California Gold Rush
Observe mining methods used during the California Gold Rush
Image Gallery
World History
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World History Subcategories

Chile earthquake of 2010 Accidents & Disasters
Nature isn’t always peaceful and idyllic. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other powerful natural phenomena can have devastating consequences on communities and regions throughout the world. But nature is far from the only instigator of large-scale misfortune; human-made disasters and tragedies, both accidental and intentional, can cause significant misery, damage, and loss of life.
Articles
Louis XVI: execution by guillotine Age of Revolutions
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
ancient Middle East The Ancient World
The modern world may look very different from the world that existed in the time of ancient civilizations, but our modern-day life continues to show the influence of cultures, traditions, ideas, and innovations from hundreds of years ago. Learn more about important historical civilizations, sites, people, and events.
Articles
Livy Historians
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
branches of the Medici family Historic Dynasties & Families
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
subcategory placeholder Historic Nobility
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
David Livingstone. Global Exploration
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
subcategory placeholder The Middle Ages
The Middle Ages comprise the period in European history that began with the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century CE and lasted until the dawn of the Renaissance in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century. This interval of time saw the development of the Gothic style of art and architecture, flying buttresses and all. It was also the era of the Crusades and of papal monarchy, and it was during this period that the idea of Europe as a distinct cultural unit emerged.
Articles
Kemal Atatürk Military Leaders
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
Kindertransport The Modern World
This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.
Articles
Mississippian culture: Ocmulgee National Monument Prehistoric Age
The prehistoric age covers the millions of years that took place before human beings began to create written records of their life and of the world in which they lived. Archaeology and similar fields of study allow us to fill in the gaps and piece together an image of what life was like for our ancestors, including what kinds of flora and fauna they might have encountered.
Articles
Pearl Harbor attack United States History
As with most nations, the history of the United States contains a number of twists and turns throughout the centuries, from the time of the English colonization of North America up to the modern-day America that we're familiar with. Learn more about the people, events, and movements that left an indelible mark in history and shaped the development of the United States as a nation.
Articles
World War I Wars, Battles & Armed Conflicts
Wars, battles, and other domestic or international conflicts, whether armed or diplomatic, are often the outcome of a dispute over natural resources or a struggle for power, influence, and wealth. Major conflicts between nations, peoples, and political groups can end up shifting the cultural and political geography of the world and can also effect change, whether intentional or not, in societal values and the balance of power.
Articles
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