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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 & DisastersAge of RevolutionsThe Ancient WorldHistoriansHistoric Dynasties & FamiliesHistoric NobilityGlobal ExplorationThe Middle AgesMilitary LeadersThe Modern WorldPrehistoric AgeUnited States HistoryWars, Battles & Armed Conflicts

Featured content, July 16, 2025

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...
Louis XVI: Execution by guillotine
French Revolution
French Revolution, revolutionary movement that shook France between 1787 and 1799. It reached its first climax in 1789 when...
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)...
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong
Mao Zedong was the principal Chinese Marxist theorist, soldier, and statesman who led his country’s communist revolution....

World History Quizzes

Vintage image of students at desks in a classroom with a teacher standing in the background. (education, learning)
Are You Smarter Than a 1912 Middle Schooler? Quiz
The questions in this quiz are based an eighth-grade exam administered over a hundred years ago in Kentucky.
Aerial of Bridgetown, Barbados, West Indies (Caribbean island)
Around the Caribbean: Fact or Fiction?
Was Cuba once a colony of France? Is Jamaica the third largest island in the Caribbean Sea? Sort fact from fiction in this...
USA, California, San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge
Art & Architecture: Fact or Fiction?
What purpose do gargoyles serve? What is gesso used for? Sort fact from fiction in art and architecture.
Art Nouveau wall covering of poppies by Albert Ainsworth of machine printed on oatmeal paper made in Hackensack, New Jersey, c. 1905.
Art at Random Quiz
Test your knowledge of the deepest nooks and crannies of art history with this quiz.
"Future Expectations" by James Van der Zee, c. 1925. James VanDerZee.
Art of the Harlem Renaissance
Literature was not the only art that flourished during the Harlem Renaissance. Take this quiz to test your knowledge of the...
"Self-Portrait Etching at a Window" etching (drypoint and burin in black on ivory laid paper) by Rembrandt van Rijn, 1648; in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Artistic Styles and Techniques Quiz
Do you know how etching works? What was used in ancient China for drawing and lettering? Learn this and more in this quiz...
"Madonna and Child" tempera on panel by Sandro Botticelli, c. 1470; in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. (Florentine Renaissance)
Artists of the Italian Renaissance Quiz
Here’s a quick quiz about one of the most influential periods in the history of art. Learn how much you know about Renaissance...
Close-up of a palette held by a man. Mixing paint, painting, color mixing.
Artists, Painters, & Architects
Who picked up a paintbrush, chisel, or piece of clay to create the world’s most famous works of art? Draw on your knowledge...
Claude Monet. Claude Monet, Waterloo Bridge, Sunlight Effect, 1903. Oil on canvas, 25 7/8 x 39 3/4 in. (65.7 x 101 cm), Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1933.1163. River Thames
Artists & Painters: Fact or Fiction?
Do you think you know Fabergé, Monet, and Jackson Pollock? Discover how much you really know about their lives, inspirations,...
Skyscrapers in the business district of central Jakarta, Indonesia, around the Jalan Jenderal Sudirman thoroughfare.
Asian Capitals Quiz
How well do you know the capitals of Asia? This quiz will show you the name of a country on the continent of Asia, and you’ll...

World History Videos

What was the Battle of Britain?
What was the Battle of Britain?
Learn about the Normandy Invasion planned by Dwight Eisenhower to give Allied powers a foothold in France
Learn about the Normandy Invasion planned by Dwight Eisenhower to give Allied powers a foothold in France
Explore causes of the Texas Revolution
Explore causes of the Texas Revolution
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
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
Economic boom and disparity during Germany's founders' era
Economic boom and disparity during Germany's founders' era
Understand why the United States sought to overthrow Cuba's communist leader Fidel Castro
Understand why the United States sought to overthrow Cuba's communist leader Fidel Castro
What happened during the Iran-Iraq War?
What happened during the Iran-Iraq War?
Who were the Sons of Liberty?
Who were the Sons of Liberty?
How Frederick Douglass became an abolitionist
How Frederick Douglass became an abolitionist
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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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