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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, May 05, 2024

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?
Photo shows captured German soldiers, their uniforms tattered from the battle, making their way in the bitter cold through the ruins of Stalingrad, January 1943. World War II Battle of Stalingrad Russia
Timeline of the Battle of Stalingrad
How the Battle of Stalingrad unfolded.
Christmas tree, holiday, pine
How Did the Tradition of Christmas Trees Start?
And how are toilet bowl brushes involved in the custom?
The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.
26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History
Which events were the most important in any given decade of U.S. history? This list tries to answer that question. See if...
Leonardo da Vinci: Last Supper
Renaissance
Renaissance, period in European civilization immediately following the Middle Ages and conventionally held to have been characterized...
Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire, empire created by Turkish tribes in Anatolia (Asia Minor) that grew to be one of the most powerful states...
Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries
Napoleon I
Napoleon I was a French general, first consul (1799–1804), and emperor of the French (1804–1814/15), one of the most celebrated...
Industrial Revolution: spinning room
Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution, in modern history, the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated...

World History Quizzes

Buffalo Bill. William Frederick Cody. Circus poster, I am coming, Col. W.F. Cody. Portrait of Buffalo Bill (1846-1917) on stampeding bison (buffalo). Folk hero of the American West. Chromolithograph, c1900
American Personalities
What was Buffalo Bill’s real name? Who was the first African American to be depicted on a postage stamp? Take a snapshot...
Statue of Thomas Jefferson, Capitol Building, Washington, D.C.
History of American Politics
Who wrote the American Declaration of Independence? Which political program is associated with Franklin Roosevelt? From presidents...
Warm water fuels Hurricane Katrina. This image depicts a 3-day average of actual dea surface temperatures for the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean, from August 25-27, 2005.
Disasters of Historic Proportion
You may have experienced the common cold, but do you know what illness caused 20 million deaths in 1918? From earthquakes...
Vikings. Viking warriors hold swords and shields. 9th c. AD seafaring warriors raided the coasts of Europe, burning, plundering and killing. Marauders or pirates came from Scandinavia, now Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. European History
European History
What was the name of Franz Ferdinand’s assassin? Who was known as the Iron Chancellor? From the Irish famine to Lady Godiva,...
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War
You may have heard of D-Day, the Battle of Hastings, and Waterloo, but do you know their historical significance? Embark...
McDonald's Corporation. Franchise organizations. McDonald's store #1, Des Plaines, Illinois. McDonald's Store Museum, replica of restaurant opened by Ray Kroc, April 15, 1955. Now largest fast food chain in the United States.
Journey Around the World
Although its golden arches attest to serving over one billion customers worldwide, do you know where the first McDonald’s...
American soldiers in the Ardennes during the Battle of the Bulge.
Germany and World War II
Obsessed with the preservation of a supposed "master race," what was Adolf Hitler’s regime called? From battle ships to ideology,...
President and Mrs. Kennedy at Love Field, Dallas, Texas, November 22, 1963. President John F. Kennedy, President Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Kennedy's assassination
Important Locations in U.S. History
From President Kennedy’s assasination to the Missouri Compromise and Louisiana Purchase, take a trip through American states...
Ottoman Empire. Wall hanging of a an Ottoman empire coat of arms. Sultans of the Ottoman Empire had their own monograms or tughras which served as a royal symbol. Turkey, Turkish Culture
The Ottoman Empire and the Middle East
What is the title of the former kings of Iran? What republic replaced the Ottoman Empire in its capital of Istanbul? Journey...
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...

World History Videos

See an animated map on the defeat of the Union army at the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War
See an animated map on the defeat of the Union army at the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War
Examine the failure of U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland's strategy against the Viet Cong's guerrilla warfare
Examine the failure of U.S. Gen. William Westmoreland's strategy against the Viet Cong's guerrilla warfare
Witness President Bill Clinton delivering his first inaugural address, January 20, 1993
Witness President Bill Clinton delivering his first inaugural address, January 20, 1993
Listen to a surgeon sharing his experiences of treating survivors of the Haiti earthquake of 2010
Listen to a surgeon sharing his experiences of treating survivors of the Haiti earthquake of 2010
View historical footage and photographs surrounding Gavrilo Princip's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
View historical footage and photographs surrounding Gavrilo Princip's assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
Learn how buffalo soldiers fought on the American frontier and protected Yosemite and Sequoia national parks
Learn how buffalo soldiers fought on the American frontier and protected Yosemite and Sequoia national parks
Find out how the 13 American colonies gained their political independence from Great Britain
Find out how the 13 American colonies gained their political independence from Great Britain
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Experience William of Normandy's conquest of the British Isles and decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings
Experience William of Normandy's conquest of the British Isles and decisive victory at the Battle of Hastings
Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War
Follow Abraham Lincoln from a frontier cabin to the White House where he guided America through the Civil War
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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