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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, April 28, 2025

Chinese cultural revolution era poster showing Chairman Mao above an adoring crowd of red guards soldiers and workers
A Brief Overview of China’s Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution began on May 16, 1966, under the direction of Mao Zedong.
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?
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC, USA. The memorial was opened in August 2011.
Attendees of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Funeral
Find out who was who at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s funeral.
Currier & Ives, the Bloomer costume influenced by Amelia Bloomer who began appearing in public wearing full-cut pantaloons, or "Turkish trousers," under a short skirt nicknamed "bloomers."
12 Influencers Throughout History
Style for the ages.
Europe after the Thirty Years' War, 1648
Thirty Years’ War
Thirty Years’ War, (1618–48), in European history, a series of wars fought by various nations for various reasons, including...
Louis XVI: execution by guillotine
French Revolution
French Revolution, revolutionary movement that shook France between 1787 and 1799 and reached its first climax there in 1789—hence...
Encyclopædia Britannica: first edition, map of Europe
history of Europe
History of Europe, history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous...
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)...

World History Quizzes

View of the ROV Hercules investigating the stern of Titanic during a 2004 expedition deployed from the NOAA ship, the Ronald H. Brown. (disasters, ships)
The Titanic
The Titanic was a marvel. How much do you know about this infamous ship? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Squadron of soldiers of the Ertugrul Cavalry Regiment of the Imperial Guard of Abdulhamid II of the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople, now Istanbul, Turkey.
The Ottoman Empire
What was a dragoman? What happened on June 15, 1826? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Mamluk (Mameluke) of Ottoman Imperial Guard. The Mamluk fought Napoleon when he invaded Egypt but lost power in massacre of 1811 instigated by Muhammad Ali Pasha (1769-1849). Aquatint c1820
Egypt Since the Pharaohs
You may have studied Ancient Egypt, but how much do you know about the time after the pharaohs? Test your knowledge with...
Temple of Artemis at Jerash, Jordan. (Jarash, Jordan)
Ancient Anatolia
Which Anatolian kingdom was the lengendary King Midas said to have ruled? Test your knowledge of Ancient Anatolia.
James Bowie fighting from his sick bed during the Battle of the Alamo, from the book, "The Lost Gold of Montezuma," 1898. (Whether Bowie was capable of fighting by then has been disputed.) Texas Revolution, Texas revolt, Texas independence, Texas history.
Texas Revolution
What was the deciding battle of the Texas Revolution? Where was the Texas Declaration of Independence signed? Test your knowledge...
Cowboy wrassling horses
This or That? Cowboy vs Ranger
Do you know the difference between a cowboy and a ranger? Match these famous men with their professions.
FBI mug shot of Baby Face Nelson aka Lester M. Gillis, Lester Gillis or George Nelson. Federal Bureau of Investigation historical photograph, 1931
Mobster Names
Were "Pretty Boy" and "Bugsy" actually people’s given names? Test your knowledge of mobsters’ names, nicknames, and epithets...
Customers walk out of a closing Borders Bookstore on July 22, 2011, in San Francisco, California. Economy, unemployment, Great Recession of 2008-09
Financial Crisis of 2007-08
What contributed to the financial crisis, and who was involved? Test your economic knowledge with this quiz.
Lucy Burns Speaking in from of a group of people. American Suffragist. Womens Rights. ca. 1910-1915
Women’s History: Nineteenth Amendment and Women’s Suffrage
Women in the United States were finally granted the right to vote with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. How much...
Fidel Castro arrives MATS Terminal, Washington, D.C.
U.S. and Cuba
Relations between the United States and Cuba have a storied history. How much do you know about the ties and feuds between...

World History Videos

Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society, and the Vietnam War
Lyndon B. Johnson, the Great Society, and the Vietnam War
Witness Polish and Soviet partisans, including Jewish resistance fighters, disrupting German war efforts during World War II
Witness Polish and Soviet partisans, including Jewish resistance fighters, disrupting German war efforts during World War II
Listen to Thomas Jefferson muse the differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution
Listen to Thomas Jefferson muse the differences between the American Revolution and the French Revolution
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
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
Follow Eisenhower's path to become the Republican nominee in the United States presidential election of 1952
Follow Eisenhower's path to become the Republican nominee in the United States presidential election of 1952
Learn about the rise of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the antisemitism they fomented in pre-WWII Germany
Learn about the rise of Adolf Hitler, the Nazi Party, and the antisemitism they fomented in pre-WWII Germany
Examine Abraham Lincoln's career in Springfield as a lawyer, politician, and woman's suffrage advocate
Examine Abraham Lincoln's career in Springfield as a lawyer, politician, and woman's suffrage advocate
Track the League of Nations' continual failure to check via diplomacy the Axis powers' pre-World War II rise
Track the League of Nations' continual failure to check via diplomacy the Axis powers' pre-World War II rise
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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
The Western Schism and the Roman Catholic Church 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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