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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 19, 2025

Title: Senate Square, St. Petersburg, December 14, 1825: repression of the troop mutiny - watercolor by Carl Ivanovitch Kollman, 1825 depicts Decembrist uprising clashing with cavalry, with spectators watching. (new style December 26, 1825) Europe. Saint
8 of the Largest Empires in History
Geopolitical giants
Anne Hutchinson. Illustration from 1916. (died 1643) One of the founders of Rhode Island. Banished by Puritans from Massachusetts Bay Colony. Believed in freedom of religion. Religious leader.
7 Massachusetts Bay Colonists to Know
You know about the Pilgrims and Plymouth colony. Learn about Massachusetts’s other colony and colonists.
Defenestration of Prague, this incident marks the beginning of the Thirty Years' War in 1618.
Defenestration: Prague's History of Literally Throwing Authority Out the Window
Learn about Prague’s surprisingly rich history of defenestration.
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia (1431-1476), oil on canvas painting from the second half of the 16th century; in the collection of the Ambras Castle, Innsbruck.
Was Dracula a Real Person?
What is the real story behind the prince who may have inspired the character Dracula?
Hagia Sophia: mosaic
Byzantine Empire
Byzantine Empire, the eastern half of the Roman Empire, which survived for a thousand years after the western half had crumbled...
combatant in the Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution
Mexican Revolution, (1910–20), a long and bloody struggle among several factions in constantly shifting alliances which resulted...
Seven Years' War: Battle of Zorndorf
Seven Years’ War
Seven Years’ War, (1756–63), the last major conflict before the French Revolution to involve all the great powers of Europe....
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...

World History Quizzes

Buffalo Bill. William Frederick Cody. Portrait of Buffalo Bill (1846-1917) in buckskin clothing, with rifle and handgun. Folk hero of the American West. lithograph, color, c1870
Famous American Faces: Fact or Fiction?
Was there a real person called Johnny Appleseed? Did Theodore Roosevelt inspire the teddy bear? Sort fact from fiction while...
Weathered stone sculpture of a king's head on the side of a Church in Somerset, England. English royalty
Faces of European History: Fact or Fiction?
You may have heard of "Robin Hood" and "Bloody Mary," but how much do you really know about these historical figures? Sort...
The White House in Washington, D.C., USA. The north portico which faces Pennsylvania Avenue.
President of the United States: Fact or Fiction?
Is former U.S. President Jimmy Carter associated with the New Deal? Has any U.S. president served more than two four-year...
1:054 Alexander the Great: The Boy Who Conquered a Horse, portrait of Alexander the Great
Ancient Greece: Fact or Fiction?
Did the Greeks and the Romans worship a goddess of love? Was Naples, Italy, founded by Greeks? Sort fact from fiction in...
Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon in Coronation Robes or Napoleon I Emperor of France, 1804 by Baron Francois Gerard or Baron Francois-Pascal-Simon Gerard, from the Musee National, Chateau de Versailles.
Emperors, Conquerors, and Men of War: Fact or Fiction?
Was Napoleon Bonaparte nicknamed the Sun King? Was Genghis Khan’s empire very small? Conquer these questions—and expand your...
Copan. Stucco and stone Maya sculpture in the reconstruction of Structure 8N-66 South, Museo de Escultura, Copan sculpture museum, Honduras. UNESCO World Heritage Site, ancient Maya city
Exploring Latin America: Fact or Fiction?
Did Chile gain its independence in 1818? Did the Incan people rule over ancient Mexico? Sort fact from fiction in this journey...
Navy. U.S. Navy markings near the cockpit of a restored vintage aircraft. airplane, aircraft carrier
Submarines, Ships, and other Watercraft: Fact or Fiction?
Has a naval vessel reached depths of more than 10,000 meters? Was the first nuclear submarine launched in 1945? Test the...
Viking Ship
European History: Fact or Fiction?
Was the euro introduced in 1999? Were the Normans descendants of Vikings? Sort fact from fiction—and euro from Nero—in this...
9:062-63 Liberty: When People Want to Be Free, Liberty Bell, battle scene from American Revolutionary War
Warfare: Fact or Fiction?
One may describe a feeling of sadness as being "blue" and cowardice as being "yellow," but did American revolutionaries refer...
Bombardment of Fort Sumter, Charleston, South Carolina April 12, 1861 as Confederate forces open fire on the nearly completed U.S. federal garrison on a man-made island in South Carolina's Charleston harbor. American Civil War initial engagement
Wars Throughout History: Fact or Fiction?
Was The American Civil War fought between East and West? Did the Normans conquer England in 1066? From Hessians to the use...

World History Videos

Follow the United States' path from isolationism toward joining the Allied powers in World War II
Follow the United States' path from isolationism toward joining the Allied powers in World War II
What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
What happened at the Battle of the Alamo?
Analyzing Joseph Goebbels's total war speech in Nazi Germany
Analyzing Joseph Goebbels's total war speech in Nazi Germany
This Week in History, December 1-7: Learn about when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, the first successful human heart transplant, and the Pearl Harbor attack
This Week in History, December 1-7: Learn about when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, the first successful human heart transplant, and the Pearl Harbor attack
Learn how George Washington and other commanders reconstituted the Continental Army while wintering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolution
Learn how George Washington and other commanders reconstituted the Continental Army while wintering at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, during the American Revolution
Discover how the United States worked with the communist Viet Minh against the Japanese in World War II
Discover how the United States worked with the communist Viet Minh against the Japanese in World War II
Learn how an anonymous letter foiled the Gunpowder Plot conspiracy
Learn how an anonymous letter foiled the Gunpowder Plot conspiracy
Examine how Stalin's Red Army defeated Hitler's Fourth and Sixth Armies in the Battle of Stalingrad
Examine how Stalin's Red Army defeated Hitler's Fourth and Sixth Armies in the Battle of Stalingrad
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
Listen to heart-wrenching stories of Kindertransport during WWII
Listen to heart-wrenching stories of Kindertransport during WWII
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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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