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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, February 25, 2024

Flags of the United Kingdom of Great Britain - England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Union Flag.
Acts of Union: Uniting the United Kingdom
How did the United Kingdom become united? Read more and learn how the Acts of Union did the job.
Still from the film Deliverance, 1919. The story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan. View shows Keller in the cockpit/front seat of an airplane.
How Did Helen Keller Fly a Plane?
In 1946 deaf-blind writer and activist Helen Keller piloted a plane over the Mediterranean. How?
Pirate lass and her booty. A suspicious costumed 17th century styled female pirate guards a treasure chest. Trunk full of stolen jewels and gold coins. tricornered hat steal greed
Swashbuckling Sisters: 6 Lady Pirates
Avast ye!
A soldier standing guard in a Washington, D.C. street with the ruins of buildings that were destroyed during the riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., April 8, 1968.
There’s a Riot Goin’ On: Riots in U.S. History (Part Two)
Unlawful assemblies to remember.
South African War: Boer troops
South African War
South African War, war fought from October 11, 1899, to May 31, 1902, between Great Britain and the two Boer (Afrikaner)...
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong principal Chinese Marxist theorist, soldier, and statesman who led his country’s communist revolution. Mao was...
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan Mongolian warrior-ruler, one of the most famous conquerors of history, who consolidated tribes into a unified...
Vladimir Lenin
Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution, two revolutions in 1917, the first of which, in February (March, New Style), overthrew the imperial government...

World History Quizzes

Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane), c. 1890. Head and shoulders portrait from a cabinet card by H.J. Myers.
Quick Quiz: Around The World With Nellie Bly
How much do you know about the journalist who traveled around the globe, investigated corruption, and fought sexism while...
Sojourner Truth, c. 1870, photograph by Randall Studio. To earn a living, Truth sold her autobiography and portraits like this one. Here, her inscription, "I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance," emphasizes her financial acumen.
Fast Facts About Abolitionism Quiz
When did France abolish the slave trade? Who founded the American Anti-Slavery Society? See how many of these fast facts...
Suffragettes with signs in London, possibly 1912 (based on Monday, Nov. 25). Woman suffrage movement, women's suffrage movement, suffragists, women's rights, feminism.
Quick Quiz: Women In The Voting Booth
You may know everything about the Seneca Falls Convention and the 19th Amendment. But do you know these lesser-known facts...
Cleopatra hieroglyphic carving the Ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra. Wall of the Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.
Cleopatra: Fact or Fiction?
Was Cleopatra a manipulative imperialist? A gifted scholar and ruler? A romantic heroine? Press “start” on this quiz to see...
Detail showing Alexander the Great from "Alexander and Porus" oil on canvas by Charles Le Brun; in the collection of the Louvre, Paris, France.
Alexander the Great: Fact or Fiction?
Alexander the Great’s reign marked a turning point in European and Asian history. But how much do you really know about him?...
Pirate Ship leaving the harbor at the milky way sunset for a long campaign against the loyal marines on the oceans
True or False: What Makes a Pirate?
Ahoy, matey! You know how to talk the pirate talk, but what about walking the pirate walk? See how much you know about what...
"Napoleon on the Battlefield", France. French Emporeror Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon I: Fact or Fiction?
You may think you know everything about Napoleon Bonaparte. But can you actually tell fact from fiction about this famous...
LOS ANGELES - FEB 08: Taylor Swift arrives to the Grammy Awards 2015 on February 8, 2015 in Los Angeles, CA
This Day in History Quiz: December 13
How much do you know about what happened in history on December 13? Take this quiz and find out.
Marble portrait bust of the emperor Gaius, known as Caligula. Roman Julio-Claudian period, 37-41 A.D.; 50.8 cm. In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Caligula: Fact or Fiction?
Did Caligula really make his horse consul? Was he as mad as they say? Find out in this true or false quiz.
Nero (Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus) (ad 50-54) the fifth Roman emperor (ad 54-68), stepson and heir of the emperor Claudius. Tyrannical, debauched and extravagant, he committed suicide in order to avoid being executed.
Nero: Fact or Fiction?
Did Nero start the great fire of Rome? Why did Nero start persecuting Christians? Find out with this quiz.

World History Videos

Track the shift in land ownership from Catholics to Protestants in Ireland during King William III's reign
Track the shift in land ownership from Catholics to Protestants in Ireland during King William III's reign
View footage of the first test of a hydrogen bomb carried out by the United States in the Marshall Islands
View footage of the first test of a hydrogen bomb carried out by the United States in the Marshall Islands
Learn how an anonymous letter foiled the Gunpowder Plot conspiracy
Learn how an anonymous letter foiled the Gunpowder Plot conspiracy
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
Bombings in World War II: The first war decided from the air
Bombings in World War II: The first war decided from the air
Learn about the culture of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Learn about the culture of Mesopotamia in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers
Examine how the U.S. Navy defeated Japan's fleet to check Japanese expansion in the Battle of Midway
Examine how the U.S. Navy defeated Japan's fleet to check Japanese expansion in the Battle of Midway
Hear Willy Brandt, West Berlin mayor on the future of West Germany, 1959
Hear Willy Brandt, West Berlin mayor on the future of West Germany, 1959
Examine Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the U.S. presidential election of 1860
Examine Abraham Lincoln's campaign for the U.S. presidential election of 1860
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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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