Summaries
Entertainment & Pop CultureGeography & TravelHealth & MedicineLifestyles & Social IssuesLiteratureMoneyPhilosophy & ReligionPolitics, Law & GovernmentScienceSports & RecreationTechnologyVisual Arts
Jacob Zuma summary
Jacob Zuma, (born April 12, 1942, Nkandla, S.Af.), President...
Albert Luthuli summary
Albert Luthuli, Albert Lutuli , (born 1898, Rhodesia—died July...
Jair Bolsonaro summary
Jair Bolsonaro, in full Jair Messias Bolsonaro , (born March...
Cardinal Richelieu summary
Cardinal Richelieu, in full Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal...
Saint Petersburg summary
Saint Petersburg, Russian Sankt-Peterburg formerly (1914–24)...
crime summary
crime, the intentional commission of an act usually deemed socially...
Hong Kong summary
Hong Kong, Chinese Xianggang or Hsiang-kang , Special administrative...
Clarence Thomas summary
Clarence Thomas, (born June 23, 1948, Pin Point, near Savannah,...
Saddam Hussein summary
Saddam Hussein, also spelled Ṣaddām Ḥusayn , (born April 28,...
Arab-Israeli wars summary
Arab-Israeli wars, Military conflicts fought between various...
Yasser Arafat summary
Yasser Arafat, also spelled Yāsir ʿArafāt orig.
Golan Heights summary
Golan Heights, Arabic Al-Jawlān , Hilly area, southwestern Syria.
Battle of the Little Bighorn summary
Battle of the Little Bighorn, or Custer’s Last Stand , (June...
Franklin D. Roosevelt Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Achievements
List of some of the major achievements of Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
slavery summary
slavery, Condition in which one human being is owned by another.
Islam summary
Islam, Major world religion founded by Muhammad in Arabia in...
NATO summary
NATO, in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization , International...
Ukraine summary
Ukraine, Country, eastern Europe.
World War II summary
World War II, or Second World War , (1939–45) International...
Gaza Strip summary
Gaza Strip, Arabic Qiṭāʿ Ghazzah Hebrew Reẓuʿat ʿAzza , Territory,...
West Bank summary
West Bank, Territory west of the Jordan River and east of Jerusalem.
Israel summary
Israel, officially State of Israel , Country, Middle East, at...
Sandra Day O’Connor summary
Sandra Day O’Connor, orig.
Henry Kissinger summary
Henry Kissinger, (born May 27, 1923, Fürth, Ger.—died Nov. 29,...
Western colonialism summary
Western colonialism, a political-economic phenomenon whereby...
South Africa summary
South Africa, officially Republic of South Africa formerly Union...
ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī summary
ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī, (born 1094, Tāgrā [now in Algeria]—died...
North Carolina summary
North Carolina, State, southern Atlantic region, U.S.
John Locke Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of English philosopher...
John Locke’s Important Works
Descriptive list of some of the most important works of English...
January 6 U.S. Capitol attack summary
January 6 U.S.
Miranda v. Arizona summary
Miranda v.
anti-Semitism summary
anti-Semitism, Hostility toward or discrimination against Jews...
Hurricane Katrina summary
Hurricane Katrina, Tropical cyclone that struck the U.S.
Key Facts of the Mexican-American War
This list presents some of the key facts of the Mexican-American...
Mexican-American War Timeline
This timeline describes significant events during the Mexican-American...
Causes and Effects of the Mexican-American War
This is a list of the major causes and effects of the Mexican-American...
Mikhail Gorbachev summary
Mikhail Gorbachev, (born March 2, 1931, Privolye, Stavropol...
Barbados summary
Barbados, Island country, West Indies.
The Enlightenment Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the Enlightenment. This European...
The Enlightenment Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Enlightenment....
The Enlightenment Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Enlightenment....
French Revolution Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the French Revolution. This revolutionary...
French Revolution Timeline
Timeline of major events during the French Revolution, including...
Causes and Effects of the French Revolution
Lists of major causes and effects of the French Revolution, which...
Lewis and Clark Expedition Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the Lewis and Clark Expedition....
Lewis and Clark Expedition Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Lewis and Clark...
Lewis and Clark Expedition Causes and Effects
List of major causes and effects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition....
Leonardo da Vinci summary
Leonardo da Vinci, (born April 15, 1452, Anchiano, Republic...
Martin Luther King, Jr. summary
Martin Luther King, Jr., (born Jan. 15, 1929, Atlanta, Ga.,...
Desmond Tutu summary
Desmond Tutu, (born Oct. 7, 1931, Klerksdorp, S.Af.—died Dec....
imperialism summary
imperialism, State policy, practice, or advocacy of extending...
British Empire summary
British Empire, Worldwide system of dependencies—colonies, protectorates,...
Key Terms: Titanic
This list provides definitions of important terms that will help...
Comprehension Quiz: Titanic
Use this quiz to test how much you know about the Titanic disaster,...
Aztec summary
Aztec, Nahuatl-speaking people who in the 15th and early 16th...
Cleopatra summary
Cleopatra, in full Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator , (born 70/69...
Martin Luther summary
Martin Luther, (born Nov. 10, 1483, Eisleben, Saxony—died Feb....
Nazism summary
Nazism, or National Socialism , Totalitarian movement led by...
Chinese Civil War summary
Chinese Civil War, (1945–49) Military struggle for control of...
Anatolian art and architecture summary
Anatolian art and architecture, Art and architecture of ancient...
Ottoman Empire Timeline
Timeline of important events in the history of the Ottoman Empire....
Key People of the Ottoman Empire
List of some of the major figures of the Ottoman Empire, including...
Decline of the Ottoman Empire
List of some of the key factors in the decline of the Ottoman...
Key Facts of the American Revolution
Summary of important facts related to the American Revolution,...
American Revolution Timeline
Timeline of important events related to the American Revolution....
Causes and Effects of the American Revolution
List of some of the major causes and effects of the American...
Fukushima accident summary
Fukushima accident, also called Fukushima nuclear accident or...
Africa summary
Africa, Second largest continent on Earth.
Franco-Prussian War summary
Franco-Prussian War, or Franco-German War , (1870–71) War in...
Mahatma Gandhi summary
Mahatma Gandhi, byname of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , (born...
ancient Greek civilization summary
ancient Greek civilization, The period between the end of the...
Essex summary
Essex, U.S.
Battle of Atlanta summary
Battle of Atlanta, (July 22, 1864) American Civil War engagement...
Scottish Enlightenment summary
Scottish Enlightenment, Combination of minds, ideas, and publications...
James B. Eads summary
James B.
Reconstruction Key Facts
This is a list of key facts about the Reconstruction era. Reconstruction...
Reconstruction Timeline
This timeline lists significant events connected to Reconstruction,...
Comprehension Quiz: Reconstruction
Use this quiz to test how much you know about Reconstruction.
Titanic summary
Titanic, British luxury passenger liner that sank on April 15,...
Plains Wars summary
Plains Wars, Series of conflicts from the early 1850s through...
Crusades summary
Crusades, Military expeditions, beginning in the late 11th century,...
French and Indian War summary
French and Indian War, (1754–63) North American phase of a war...
Napoleon summary
Napoleon, French Napoléon Bonaparte orig.
nuclear strategy summary
nuclear strategy, Form of military strategy that relates to...
Ottoman Empire summary
Ottoman Empire, Former empire centred in Anatolia.
Russo-Polish War summary
Russo-Polish War, also called Polish-Soviet War , (1919–20)...
Socrates summary
Socrates, (born c. 470 bce, Athens—died 399 bce, Athens), ancient...
Aristotle summary
Aristotle, (born 384 bce, Stagira—died 322 bce, Chalcis), ancient...
Nigeria summary
Nigeria, officially Federal Republic of Nigeria , Country, western...
T4 Program summary
T4 Program, also called T4 Euthanasia Program , Nazi German...
American colonies summary
American colonies, also called thirteen colonies or colonial...
Calvinism summary
Calvinism, In Protestantism, the theology developed and advanced...
Lutheranism summary
Lutheranism, Protestant movement founded on the principles of...
Doolittle Raid summary
Doolittle Raid, Surprise attack on Tokyo by U.S.
aqueduct summary
aqueduct, Conduit built to carry water from its source to a...
Counter-Reformation summary
Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation , In Roman Catholicism,...
Donner party summary
Donner party, Group of U.S.
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki summary
atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, During World War...
Fred Hampton summary
Fred Hampton, in full Frederick Allen Hampton , (born Aug. 30,...
Caliphate summary
Caliphate, Political-religious state comprising the Muslim community...
assassination of Abraham Lincoln summary
assassination of Abraham Lincoln, (April 14, 1865) Murderous...
Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappearance summary
Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappearance, also called MH370...
ʿAbbās I summary
ʿAbbās I, known as ʿAbbās the Great , (born Jan. 27, 1571—died...
ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān summary
ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān, (born 646/647, Medina, Arabia—died...
Abu Simbel summary
Abu Simbel, Site of two temples built by Ramses II in the 13th...
Acheulean industry summary
Acheulean industry, Stone-tool industry of the Lower Paleolithic...
John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton summary
John Emerich Edward Dahlberg Acton, 1st Baron Acton, (born Jan.10,...
Charles Francis Adams summary
Charles Francis Adams, (born Aug. 18, 1807, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died...
Henry Adams summary
Henry Adams, (born Feb. 16, 1838, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died March...
Samuel Adams summary
Samuel Adams, (born Sept. 27, 1722, Boston, Mass.—died Oct....
Konrad Adenauer summary
Konrad Adenauer, (born Jan. 5, 1876, Cologne, German Empire—died...
adoption summary
adoption, Act of transferring parental rights and duties to...
Battle of Adwa summary
Battle of Adwa, or Battle of Adowa , (March 1, 1896) Military...
Africa summary
Africa, Proconsular Roman province.
African National Congress summary
African National Congress (ANC), South African political party...
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa summary
Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa,
(born 63 bc?
—died March, 12 bc
,...
Emilio Aguinaldo summary
Emilio Aguinaldo, (born March 23, 1869, near Cavite, Luzon,...
air warfare summary
air warfare, Military operations conducted by airplanes, helicopters,...
ʿĀʾishah (bint Abī Bakr) summary
ʿĀʾishah (bint Abī Bakr), (born 614, Mecca, Arabia—died July...
Akbar summary
Akbar, in full Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar , (born...
Akhenaton summary
Akhenaton, or Akhnaton orig.
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba summary
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba, (born Oct. 29,...
Albania summary
Albania, officially Republic of Albania , Country, Balkan Peninsula,...
Prince Albert summary
Prince Albert, orig.
Leon Battista Alberti summary
Leon Battista Alberti, (born Feb. 14, 1404, Genoa—died April...
Albigensian Crusade summary
Albigensian Crusade, (1209–29) Crusade called by Pope Innocent...
Afonso de Albuquerque summary
Afonso de Albuquerque, or Afonso the Great , (born 1453, Alhandra,...
Alcibiades summary
Alcibiades, (born c. 450 bc, Athens—died 404, Phrygia), Athenian...
Alexander I summary
Alexander I, Russian Aleksandr Pavlovich , (born Dec. 23, 1777,...
Alexander II summary
Alexander II, Russian Aleksandr Nikolayevich , (born April 29,...
Saint Alexander Nevsky summary
Saint Alexander Nevsky, (born c. 1220, Vladimir, Grand Principality...
Library of Alexandria summary
Library of Alexandria, Most famous library of classical antiquity.
Alexius I Comnenus summary
Alexius I Comnenus, (born 1048, Constantinople—died Aug. 15,...
Alfonso V summary
Alfonso V, known as Alfonso the Magnanimous , (born 1396—died...
Alfonso VI summary
Alfonso VI, known as Alfonso the Brave , (born before June 1040—died...
Alfred summary
Alfred, known as Alfred the Great , (born 849—died 899), King...
ʿAlī (ibn Abī Ṭālib) summary
ʿAlī (ibn Abī Ṭālib), (born c. 600, Mecca—died January 661,...
Muhammad Ali summary
Muhammad Ali, orig.
alliance summary
alliance, In international politics, a union for joint action...
Alp-Arslan summary
Alp-Arslan, (born c. 1030—died November? 1072/January 1073),...
Idi Amin summary
Idi Amin, (born 1924/25, Koboko, Ugan.—died Aug. 16, 2003, Jiddah,...
amphibious warfare summary
amphibious warfare, Military operations directed against hostile...
Roald Amundsen summary
Roald Amundsen, (born July 16, 1872, Borge, near Oslo, Nor.—disappeared...
An Lushan Rebellion summary
An Lushan Rebellion, Rebellion beginning in 755 in China led...
Anabaptist summary
Anabaptist, Member of a movement of the Protestant Reformation...
Ancestral Pueblo culture summary
Ancestral Pueblo culture, also called Anasazi , North American...
Andaman and Nicobar Islands summary
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Union territory, India.
Andrea del Sarto summary
Andrea del Sarto, orig.
Fra Angelico summary
Fra Angelico, orig.
Angkor summary
Angkor, Archaeological site, northwestern Cambodia.
Anguilla summary
Anguilla, Island (pop., 2006 est.: 14,254), West Indies, that...
Antigonid dynasty summary
Antigonid dynasty, (306–168) Ruling house of ancient Macedonia.
Antigonus I Monophthalmus summary
Antigonus I Monophthalmus, (Latin: “One-Eyed”) or Antigonus I...
Antigonus II Gonatas summary
Antigonus II Gonatas, (born c. 320—died 239 bc), King of Macedonia...
Antigua and Barbuda summary
Antigua and Barbuda, Island country, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean...
Antioch summary
Antioch, Turkish Antakya or Hitay , City (pop., 2000: 144,910),...
Antiochus I Soter summary
Antiochus I Soter, (born c. 324—died 261 bc), King of Seleucid...
Antiochus III summary
Antiochus III, known as Antiochus the Great , (born 242—died...
Antoninus Pius summary
Antoninus Pius, in full Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus...
Appian Way summary
Appian Way, Latin Via Appia. , First and most famous of the...
Appomattox Court House summary
Appomattox Court House, Former town, southern central Virginia,...
Aleksey, Count Arakcheyev summary
Aleksey, Count Arakcheyev, (born Oct. 4, 1769, Novgorod province,...
Aratus of Sicyon summary
Aratus of Sicyon, (born 271—died 213 bc), Hellenistic Greek...
archaeology summary
archaeology, Scientific study of material remains of past human...
Ares summary
Ares, Greek god of war.
Arkansas summary
Arkansas, State, south-central U.S.
Spanish Armada summary
Spanish Armada, Great fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in 1588...
Armenia summary
Armenia, officially Republic of Armenia , Country, Transcaucasia,...
Henry Arnold summary
Henry Arnold, known as Hap Arnold , (born June 25, 1886, Gladwyne,...
Arsacid dynasty summary
Arsacid dynasty, (247 bc–ad 224) Persian dynasty.
Chester A. Arthur summary
Chester A.
Ashurbanipal summary
Ashurbanipal, (flourished 7th century bc), Last great Assyrian...
Ḥāfiẓ al-Assad summary
Ḥāfiẓ al-Assad, (born Oct. 6, 1930, Qardāḥa, Syria—died June...
Assyria summary
Assyria, Ancient empire, southwestern Asia.
Astarte summary
Astarte, or Ashtart , Goddess of the ancient Middle East and...
Athens summary
Athens, Greek Athínai , City (pop., 2001: 745,514), capital...
Atlanta Campaign summary
Atlanta Campaign, Important series of battles in the American...
Attalus I Soter summary
Attalus I Soter, (born 269—died 197 bc), Ruler of Pergamum (241–197).
Attis summary
Attis, Mythical consort of the Great Mother of the Gods and...
Aung San summary
Aung San, (born 1914?, Natmauk, Burma—died July 19, 1947, Rangoon),...
Aurangzeb summary
Aurangzeb, orig.
Battle of Austerlitz summary
Battle of Austerlitz, (Dec. 2, 1805) First engagement of the...
Austrasia summary
Austrasia, or Ostrasia , Early medieval European kingdom.
Austria-Hungary summary
Austria-Hungary, or Austro-Hungarian Empire , Former monarchy,...
Azerbaijan summary
Azerbaijan, officially Republic of Azerbaijan , Country, Transcaucasia,...
B-17 summary
B-17, or Flying Fortress , U.S.
Baalbeck summary
Baalbeck, or Baalbek Arabic Baʿlabakk , Large archaeological...
House of Babenberg summary
House of Babenberg, Austrian ruling house in the 10th–13th century.
François-Noël Babeuf summary
François-Noël Babeuf, (born Nov. 23, 1760, Saint-Quentin, France—died...
Baby Yar summary
Baby Yar, Large ravine near Kiev, Ukraine, the site of a mass...
Babylon summary
Babylon, Ancient Middle Eastern city.
Robert Stephenson Smyth, 1st Baron Baden-Powell summary
Robert Stephenson Smyth, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, (born Feb....
Pietro Badoglio summary
Pietro Badoglio, (born Sept. 28, 1871, Grazzano Monferrato,...
Joan Baez summary
Joan Baez, (born Jan. 9, 1941, Staten Island, New York, N.Y.,...
ancient Egyptian religion summary
ancient Egyptian religion, Polytheistic belief system of ancient...
Tell el-Amarna summary
Tell el-Amarna, Ancient city, Egypt.
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. summary
Samuel A.
African National Congress summary
African National Congress (ANC), South African political party...
New Zealand summary
New Zealand, Island country, South Pacific Ocean.
Ronald W. Reagan summary
Ronald W.
Key Facts About the American Civil Rights Movement
This is a list of key facts about the American civil rights movement,...
Causes and Effects of the American Civil Rights Movement
This is a list of some of the causes and effects of the American...
John Adams summary
John Adams, (born Oct. 30, 1735, Braintree, Mass.—died July...
Aegean civilizations summary
Aegean civilizations, The Bronze Age civilizations that arose...
Afghan wars summary
Afghan wars, Series of wars in Afghanistan during the 19th,...
Afghanistan summary
Afghanistan, officially Islamic State of Afghanistan , Country,...
Battle of Agincourt summary
Battle of Agincourt, (October 25, 1415)Battle resulting in the...
Alexander the Great summary
Alexander the Great, or Alexander III , (born 356 bc, Pella,...
Algeria summary
Algeria, officially People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria ,...
Anatolia summary
Anatolia, or Asia Minor Turkish Anadolu , Peninsula forming...
Argentina summary
Argentina, officially Argentine Republic , Country, southern...
Armenian Genocide summary
Armenian Genocide, Campaign of murder and expulsion conducted...
Asia summary
Asia, Largest continent on Earth.
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk summary
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, orig.
Battle of the Atlantic summary
Battle of the Atlantic, Contest in World War II between Britain...
Caesar Augustus summary
Caesar Augustus, or Octavian orig.
Australia summary
Australia, officially Commonwealth of Australia , Smallest continent...
Austria summary
Austria, officially Republic of Austria , Country, south-central...
Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Albans summary
Francis Bacon, Viscount St.
Bataan Death March summary
Bataan Death March , (April 1942)Forced march of 70,000 U.S.
Beer Hall Putsch summary
Beer Hall Putsch, or Munich Putsch , (Nov. 8–9, 1923) Unsuccessful...
Belgium summary
Belgium, officially Kingdom of Belgium , Country, northwestern...
Otto, prince von Bismarck summary
Otto, prince von Bismarck, (born April 1, 1815, Schönhausen,...
Bolivia summary
Bolivia, officially Republic of Bolivia , Country, west-central...
Boston Massacre summary
Boston Massacre, Skirmish on March 5, 1770, between British...
Brazil summary
Brazil, officially Federative Republic of Brazil , Country,...
Battle of Britain summary
Battle of Britain, (June 1940–April 1941)Series of intense raids...
Bulgaria summary
Bulgaria, officially Republic of Bulgaria , Country, southeastern...
Battle of Bunker Hill summary
Battle of Bunker Hill, also known as Battle of Breed’s Hill ,...
George W. Bush summary
George W.
Byzantine Empire summary
Byzantine Empire, Empire, southeastern and southern Europe and...
Julius Caesar summary
Julius Caesar, (born July 12/13, 100 bce, Rome—died March 15,...
John Calvin summary
John Calvin, French Jean Cauvin , (born July 10, 1509, Noyon,...
Camp David Accords summary
Camp David Accords, (1978) Two agreements reached between Menachem...
Canada summary
Canada, Country, North America.
Battle of Carrhae summary
Battle of Carrhae, (53 bc) Battle that stopped the Roman invasion...
Charlemagne summary
Charlemagne , or Carolus Magnus (“Charles the Great”) , (born...
Children’s Crusade summary
Children’s Crusade, (1212) Religious movement in Europe in which...
Chile summary
Chile , officially Republic of Chile , Country, southwestern...
China summary
China, officially People’s Republic of China , Country, eastern...
Noam Chomsky summary
Noam Chomsky, (born Dec. 7, 1928, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.),...
Christianity summary
Christianity, Religion stemming from the teachings of Jesus...
Sir Winston Churchill summary
Sir Winston Churchill, (born Nov. 30, 1874, Blenheim Palace,...
Cold War summary
Cold War, Open yet restricted rivalry and hostility that developed...
Colombia summary
Colombia, officially Republic of Colombia , Country, northwestern...
Christopher Columbus summary
Christopher Columbus, Italian Cristoforo Colombo Spanish Cristóbal...
Confucianism summary
Confucianism, Scholarly tradition and way of life propagated...
Oliver Cromwell summary
Oliver Cromwell, (born April 25, 1599, Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire,...
Cuba summary
Cuba, officially Republic of Cuba , Island country, West Indies.
Cultural Revolution summary
Cultural Revolution, officially Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution...
Charles Darwin summary
Charles Darwin, (born Feb. 12, 1809, Shrewsbury, Shropshire,...
dating summary
dating, In geology and archaeology, the process of determining...
Denmark summary
Denmark, officially Kingdom of Denmark , Country, north-central...
Eastern Orthodoxy summary
Eastern Orthodoxy, officially Orthodox Catholic Church , One...
Ecuador summary
Ecuador, officially Republic of Ecuador , Country, northwestern...
Egypt summary
Egypt, officially Arab Republic of Egypt, formerly United Arab...
War of 1812 summary
War of 1812, U.S.-British conflict arising from U.S.
English Civil Wars summary
English Civil Wars, (1642–51)Armed conflict in the British Isles...
Ethiopia summary
Ethiopia , officially Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia...
Europe summary
Europe, Second smallest continent on Earth.
Falkland Islands War summary
Falkland Islands War, or Malvinas War , (1982) Brief but undeclared...
Battle of Fallen Timbers summary
Battle of Fallen Timbers, (Aug. 20, 1794) Decisive victory of...
Finland summary
Finland, officially Republic of Finland , Country, northern...
Jane Fonda summary
Jane Fonda, (born Dec. 21, 1937, New York, N.Y., U.S.), U.S.
France summary
France, officially French Republic , Country, northwestern Europe.
Benjamin Franklin summary
Benjamin Franklin, (born Jan. 17, 1706, Boston, Mass.—died April...
Frederick II summary
Frederick II, German Friedrich known as Frederick the Great ,...
Genghis Khan summary
Genghis Khan , or Chinggis Khan orig.
Germany summary
Germany, officially Federal Republic of Germany , Country, north-central...
Battle of Gettysburg summary
Battle of Gettysburg, (July 1–3, 1863) Major engagement in the...
government summary
government, Political system by which a body of people is administered...
Greece summary
Greece, officially Hellenic Republic , Country, Balkan Peninsula,...
Gunpowder Plot summary
Gunpowder Plot, (1605)Conspiracy by English Roman Catholic zealots...
Battle of Hastings summary
Battle of Hastings, (Oct. 14, 1066) Battle that ended in the...
Hellenistic Age summary
Hellenistic Age, In the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle...
Adolf Hitler summary
Adolf Hitler, (born April 20, 1889, Braunau am Inn, Austria—died...
Holocaust summary
Holocaust, Hebrew Shoʾah , Systematic state-sponsored killing...
human rights summary
human rights, Rights that belong to an individual as a consequence...
humanism summary
humanism, Any belief, method, or philosophy that has a central...
David Hume summary
David Hume, (born May 7, 1711, Edinburgh, Scot.—died Aug. 25,...
Hundred Years’ War summary
Hundred Years’ War, (1337–1453)Intermittent armed conflict between...
Hungary summary
Hungary, Country, central Europe.
India summary
India, officially Republic of India , Country, South Asia.
Indonesia summary
Indonesia, officially Republic of Indonesia, formerly Netherlands...
Investiture Controversy summary
Investiture Controversy, Struggle between the papacy and the...
Iran summary
Iran, officially Islamic Republic of Iran, formerly Persia ,...
Iraq summary
Iraq, officially Republic of Iraq , Country, Middle East, southwestern...
Ireland summary
Ireland, Country, western Europe, occupying the greater part...
Italy summary
Italy, officially Italian Republic , Country, south-central...
Japan summary
Japan, Island country, East Asia, western Pacific Ocean.
Thomas Jefferson summary
Thomas Jefferson, (born April 13, 1743, Shadwell, Va.—died July...
Saint Joan of Arc summary
Saint Joan of Arc, French Jeanne d’Arc , (born c. 1412 ce, Domrémy,...
Immanuel Kant summary
Immanuel Kant, (born April 22, 1724, Königsberg, Prussia—died...
Kenya summary
Kenya, officially Republic of Kenya , Country, eastern Africa.
King Philip’s War summary
King Philip’s War, (1675–76)Bloodiest conflict between American...
Korean War summary
Korean War, (1950–53) Conflict arising after the post-World...
Latin America summary
Latin America, Countries of South America and North America...
Lebanon summary
Lebanon, officially Lebanese Republic , Country, Middle East,...
Vladimir Lenin summary
Vladimir Lenin, orig.
Battle of Leyte Gulf summary
Battle of Leyte Gulf, (Oct. 23–26, 1944) Decisive air and sea...
Abraham Lincoln summary
Abraham Lincoln, (born Feb. 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Ky.,...
John Locke summary
John Locke, (born Aug. 29, 1632, Wrington, Somerset, Eng.—died...
logistics summary
logistics , In military science, all the activities of armed-force...
Louisiana Purchase summary
Louisiana Purchase, Territory purchased by the U.S.
Niccolò Machiavelli summary
Niccolò Machiavelli, (born May 3, 1469, Florence—died June 21,...
Malaysia summary
Malaysia, Country, Southeast Asia.
Manhattan Project summary
Manhattan Project, (1942–45) U.S.
Battle of Manila Bay summary
Battle of Manila Bay, (May 1, 1898) Naval engagement in the...
Mao Zedong summary
Mao Zedong , or Mao Tse-tung , (born Dec. 26, 1893, Shaoshan,...
Karl Marx summary
Karl Marx, (born May 5, 1818, Trier, Rhine province, Prussia...
Mesopotamia summary
Mesopotamia, Region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers...
Mexico summary
Mexico, officially United Mexican States , Country, southern...
Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti) summary
Michelangelo (di Lodovico Buonarroti), (born March 6, 1475,...
Battle of Midway summary
Battle of Midway, (June 3–6, 1942) Major World War II naval...
John Milton summary
John Milton, (born Dec. 9, 1608, London, Eng.—died Nov. 8?,...
Mongolia summary
Mongolia, or Outer Mongolia , Country, north-central Asia, between...
Morocco summary
Morocco, officially Kingdom of Morocco , Country, North Africa.
Muhammad summary
Muhammad, or Mohammed , (born c. 570, Mecca, Arabia—died June...
Myanmar summary
Myanmar, or Burma officially Republic of the Union of Myanmar...
Napoleonic Wars summary
Napoleonic Wars, (1799–1815) Series of wars that ranged France...
Netherlands summary
Netherlands, officially Kingdom of the Netherlands byname Holland...
Norman Conquest summary
Norman Conquest, (1066) Military conquest of England by William,...
Normandy Campaign summary
Normandy Campaign, Allied invasion of northern Europe in World...
North Africa campaigns summary
North Africa campaigns, (1940–43) Battles in World War II for...
North America summary
North America, Continent, Western Hemisphere.
Northern Ireland summary
Northern Ireland, Part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain...
Norway summary
Norway, officially Kingdom of Norway , Country, western Scandinavian...
Pakistan summary
Pakistan, officially Islamic Republic of Pakistan , Country,...
Palestine summary
Palestine, biblical Canaan , Region, at the eastern end of the...
Pearl Harbor attack summary
Pearl Harbor attack, (Dec. 7, 1941) Surprise aerial attack by...
Peru summary
Peru, officially Republic of Peru , Country, western South America.
Peter I summary
Peter I, Russian Pyotr Alekseyevich known as Peter the Great...
Battle of Pharsalus summary
Battle of Pharsalus, (48 bc)Decisive engagement in the Roman...
Philippines summary
Philippines, officially Republic of the Philippines , Island...
Plato summary
Plato , (born 428/427, Athens, Greece—died 348/347 bc, Athens),...
Plessy v. Ferguson summary
Plessy v.
Poland summary
Poland, officially Republic of Poland , Country, central Europe.
Portugal summary
Portugal, officially Portuguese Republic , Country, on the west...
Muammar al-Qaddafi summary
Muammar al-Qaddafi, or Muʿammar al-Qadhdhāfī , (born 1942, Surt,...
Battle of Quebec summary
Battle of Quebec, (Sept. 13, 1759) Decisive battle of the French...
Roman Catholicism summary
Roman Catholicism, Largest denomination of Christianity, with...
Romance languages summary
Romance languages, Group of related languages derived from Latin,...
Romania summary
Romania, or Rumania , Country, southeastern Europe.
Franklin D. Roosevelt summary
Franklin D.
Wars of the Roses summary
Wars of the Roses, (1455–85) Series of dynastic civil wars between...
Jean-Jacques Rousseau summary
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, (born June 28, 1712, Geneva, Switz.—died...
Russia summary
Russia, officially Russian Federation , Country, eastern Europe...
Russian Civil War summary
Russian Civil War, (1918–20) Conflict between the newly formed...
Russo-Japanese War summary
Russo-Japanese War, (1904–05) Conflict between Russia and Japan...
Saudi Arabia summary
Saudi Arabia, officially Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , Country,...
Schlieffen Plan summary
Schlieffen Plan , Plan of attack used by the German armies at...
Scotland summary
Scotland, Northernmost country of the United Kingdom.
Battle of the Somme summary
Battle of the Somme, (July 1–Nov. 13, 1916) Allied offensive...
South African War summary
South African War, or Boer War , War fought between Great Britain...
South America summary
South America, Continent, Western Hemisphere.
Spain summary
Spain, officially Kingdom of Spain , Country, southwestern Europe.
Spanish Civil War summary
Spanish Civil War, (1936–39) Military revolt against the government...
Sri Lanka summary
Sri Lanka , officially Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka...
Joseph Stalin summary
Joseph Stalin, orig.
Battle of Stalingrad summary
Battle of Stalingrad, (1942–43) Unsuccessful German assault...
Stone Age summary
Stone Age, First known period of prehistoric human culture,...
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks summary
Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START), Negotiations between...
strategy summary
strategy, In warfare, coordinated application of all the forces...
Sudan summary
Sudan , officially Republic of the Sudan , Country, northeastern...
Sweden summary
Sweden, officially Kingdom of Sweden , Country, eastern Scandinavian...
Switzerland summary
Switzerland, officially Swiss Confederation , Country, central...
Syria summary
Syria, officially Syrian Arab Republic , Country, Middle East,...
tactics summary
tactics, In warfare, the art and science of fighting battles.
Thailand summary
Thailand , officially Kingdom of Thailand formerly Siam , Country,...
Titian summary
Titian , orig.
Trail of Tears summary
Trail of Tears, Forced migration in the United States of the...
Turkey summary
Turkey, officially Republic of Turkey , Country, western Asia...
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics summary
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), or Soviet Union...
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland summary
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or United...
United Nations summary
United Nations (UN), International organization founded (1945)...
United States summary
United States, officially United States of America , Country,...
Venezuela summary
Venezuela, officially Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , Country,...
Battle of Verdun summary
Battle of Verdun, (Feb. 21–July 1916) Major engagement of World...
Victoria summary
Victoria, orig.
Congress of Vienna summary
Congress of Vienna, (1814–15) Assembly that reorganized Europe...
Vietnam summary
Vietnam, officially Socialist Republic of Vietnam , Country,...
Voltaire summary
Voltaire , orig.
Wales summary
Wales, Welsh Cymru , Principality, constituting an integral...
George Washington summary
George Washington, (born Feb. 22, 1732, Westmoreland county,...
Battle of Waterloo summary
Battle of Waterloo, (June 18, 1815) Final defeat of Napoleon...
Yemen summary
Yemen , officially Republic of Yemen , Country, Middle East,...
Serbia summary
Serbia , European country located in the west-central Balkans.
Battle of Zama summary
Battle of Zama, (202 bc)Engagement in which the Romans under...
Zambia summary
Zambia, officially Republic of Zambia formerly Northern Rhodesia...
England summary
England, Southern part of the island of Great Britain, excluding...
September 11 attacks summary
September 11 attacks, Series of airline hijackings and suicide...
Iraq War summary
Iraq War, or Second Persian Gulf War , (2003–11) War in Iraq...
My Lai Massacre summary
My Lai Massacre, (March 16, 1968) Mass killing of as many as...
Punic Wars summary
Punic Wars, or Carthaginian Wars , Three wars (264–241, 218–201,...
Dunkirk Evacuation summary
Dunkirk Evacuation, (1940)In World War II, the evacuation of...
Barack Obama summary
Barack Obama, in full Barack Hussein Obama II , (born Aug. 4,...
Bosnian conflict summary
Bosnian conflict, (1992–95) Ethnically rooted war in Bosnia...
Haiti earthquake of 2010 summary
Haiti earthquake of 2010, Earthquake that occurred in Haiti...
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011 summary
Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011, Natural disaster that...
Marbury v. Madison Key Facts
List of important facts regarding Marbury v. Madison. This landmark...
Marbury v. Madison Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the U.S. Supreme Court case...
Marbury v. Madison Causes and Effects
List of causes and effects of the landmark 1803 legal case Marbury...
Declaration of Independence Key Facts
List of key facts related to the Declaration of Independence....
Declaration of Independence Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Declaration of...
Declaration of Independence Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Declaration...
Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to Martin Luther King,...
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Achievements
List of major achievements by Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspired...
Napoleon I Timeline
Timeline of events in the life of Napoleon I, emperor of France...
Napoleon I’s Achievements
List of some of the most notable achievements of Napoleon I,...
Key Facts of the Vietnam War
A list of some of the key facts of the Vietnam War, from its...
Vietnam War Timeline
Timeline of the significant events of the Vietnam War. After...
Causes and Effects of the Vietnam War
Lists covering some of the major causes and effects of the Vietnam...
British Empire Timeline
Timeline of major events in the history of the British Empire....
Key People of the British Empire
List of some of the major figures in the history of the British...
Decline of the British Empire
At the height of the British Empire its colonies and other territories...
Christopher Columbus Timeline
A timeline of major events in the life of Italian-born navigator...
Christopher Columbus’s Achievements
Achievements of Christopher Columbus whose arrival in the Western...
Martin Luther Timeline
A timeline of the life of Martin Luther who inaugurated the Protestant...
Martin Luther’s Achievements
Summary of the achievements of Martin Luther, the German priest...
Magna Carta Key Facts
List of important facts related to the Magna Carta, which was...
Magna Carta Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Magna Carta, including...
Magna Carta Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the influential...
Spanish Inquisition Key Facts
List of important facts about the Spanish Inquisition, judicial...
Spanish Inquisition Timeline
Timeline of significant events pertaining to the Spanish Inquisition....
Spanish Inquisition Causes and Effects
Some of the major causes and effects of the Spanish Inquisition,...
Key Facts of the Opium Wars
List of important facts regarding the Opium Wars, two trading...
Opium Wars Timeline
Timeline of the Opium Wars, which arose following Chinese attempts...
Causes and Effects of the Opium Wars
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Opium Wars,...
Key Facts of the Seven Years’ War
List of important facts regarding the Seven Years’ War (1756–63)....
Timeline of the Seven Years’ War
Timeline of events pertaining to the Seven Years’ War, which...
Causes and Effects of the Seven Years’
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Seven Years’...
Key Facts of the American Civil War
List of some of the important facts of the American Civil War,...
American Civil War Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the American Civil...
Causes and Effects of the American Civil War
Lists covering some of the major causes and effects of the American...
Key Facts of the Spanish-American War
List of important facts pertaining to the Spanish-American War,...
Spanish-American War Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Spanish-American...
Causes and Effects of the Spanish-American War
List covering some of the major causes and effects of the Spanish-American...
Key Facts of World War I
Summary of important facts regarding World War I, major international...
World War I Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to World War I, from the...
Causes and Effects of World War I
Lists covering some of the major causes and effects of World...
Augustus Timeline
Timeline of major events in the life of Augustus, first emperor...
Augustus’s Achievements
List of some of the key achievements of Augustus, also known...
Mahatma Gandhi Timeline
Timeline of key events in the ‘life of Mahatma Gandhi, leader...
Mahatma Gandhi’s Achievements
List of some of the major achievements of Mahatma Gandhi who...
Abraham Lincoln Timeline
A timeline of events in the life of Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S....
Abraham Lincoln’s Achievements
A list of some of the most important achievements of Abraham...
Reformation Key Facts
List of important facts related to the Reformation, the religious...
Reformation Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Reformation, also...
Reformation Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Reformation,...
Umayyad Dynasty Timeline
Timeline of important events related to the Umayyad dynasty,...
Key People of the Umayyad Dynasty
List of some of the major leaders of the Umayyad dynasty, including...
Decline of the Umayyad Dynasty
List of key factors in the decline of the Umayyad dynasty. The...
Black Death Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the Black Death, pandemic that...
Black Death Timeline
Timeline of significant events during and after the Black Death...
Black Death Causes and Effects
List of causes and effects of the devastating pandemic known...
Zheng He Timeline
A timeline of major events in the life of Chinese admiral and...
Zheng He’s Achievements
Summary of the achievements of the great Chinese admiral Zheng...
Cleopatra Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the life of Cleopatra, Egyptian...
Cleopatra’s Achievements
List of major achievements of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and one...
Great Depression: Key Facts
Key facts about the Great Depression, worldwide economic downturn...
Great Depression: Timeline
Timeline of important events pertaining to the Great Depression,...
Great Depression: Causes and Effects
List of some of the causes and effects of the Great Depression....
Mughal Dynasty Timeline
A timeline of key events related to the Mughal dynasty whose...
Key People of the Mughal Dynasty
List of some of the key emperors of the Mughal dynasty, from...
Decline of the Mughal Dynasty
Some important facts regarding the legacy of the Mughal dynasty...
New Deal Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the New Deal, domestic program...
New Deal Timeline
Timeline of significant events pertaining to the New Deal. When...
New Deal Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the New Deal,...
Pullman Strike Key Facts
Collection of important facts concerning the Pullman Strike,...
Pullman Strike Timeline
Timeline of the significant events that led up to and occurred...
Pullman Strike Causes and Effects
List of major causes and effects of the 1894 Pullman Strike....
Renaissance Key Facts
Important facts regarding the Renaissance, period in European...
Renaissance Timeline
Timeline of significant events concerning the period of European...
Renaissance Causes and Effects
Some of the major causes and effects of the Renaissance, one...
George Washington Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of George Washington,...
George Washington’s Achievements
List of major achievements by George Washington who served as...
Mongol Empire Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the Mongol Empire,...
Key People of the Mongol Empire
List of key rulers and leaders of the Mongol Empire, one of...
Decline of the Mongol Empire
Summary of major factors in the decline of the Mongol Empire....
Dred Scott Decision Key Facts
Key facts related to the controversial 1857 ruling of the U.S....
Dred Scott Decision Timeline
Timeline of events related to the Dred Scott decision. In the...
Dred Scott Decision Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Dred Scott...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg summary
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, orig.
Harriet Tubman Timeline
A timeline of significant events in the life of Harriet Tubman,...
Harriet Tubman’s Achievements
A summary of Harriet Tubman’s many achievements, including her...
Alexander the Great Timeline
Timeline of events in the life of Alexander the Great, also...
Alexander the Great’s Achievements
List of some of the major achievements of Alexander the Great....
Aztec Empire Timeline
Timeline of key events in the history of the Aztec Empire. Beginning...
Key People of the Aztec Empire
List of some of the most important rulers and figures in the...
Decline of the Aztec Empire
List of some of the major factors in the decline and collapse...
Toussaint Louverture Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the life of Toussaint Louverture,...
Toussaint Louverture’s Achievements
List of some of the most important achievements of Toussaint...
Booker T. Washington Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of Booker T. Washington,...
Booker T. Washington’s Achievements
Descriptive summary of the many achievements of Booker T. Washington...
Leonardo da Vinci Timeline
A timeline of significant events in the life of Leonardo da Vinci....
Leonardo da Vinci’s Achievements
A descriptive list of some of the major achievements of Leonardo...
Theodore Roosevelt Timeline
A timeline of significant events in the life of Theodore Roosevelt,...
Theodore Roosevelt’s Achievements
Summary of the major achievements of Theodore Roosevelt who,...
Antiochus IV Epiphanes summary
Antiochus IV Epiphanes , (born c. 215—died 164 bc, Tabae, Iran),...
apartheid summary
apartheid , (Afrikaans: “apartness” or “separateness”) Policy...
Ashoka summary
Ashoka , or Asoka , (born c. 304—died c. 232 bc), Last major...
Attila summary
Attila , (died 453), King of the Huns (434–53, ruling jointly...
Auschwitz summary
Auschwitz , or Auschwitz-Birkenau , Nazi Germany’s largest concentration...
Baal summary
Baal , God worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities,...
Bābur summary
Bābur , orig. Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad , (born Feb. 15, 1483, principality...
Baden summary
Baden , Former German state, southern Germany.
Karl Ernst, knight von Baer summary
Karl Ernst, knight von Baer, (born Feb. 29, 1792, Piep, Est.,...
The Bahamas summary
The Bahamas, officially Commonwealth of The Bahamas , Archipelago...
Bahrain summary
Bahrain , officially Kingdom of Bahrain , Country, Middle East,...
Bangladesh summary
Bangladesh, officially People’s Republic of Bangladesh , Country,...
Barmakid summary
Barmakid , or Barmecide , Any member of the priestly family...
Basil I summary
Basil I, known as Basil the Macedonian , (born 826–835?, Thrace—died...
Basil II summary
Basil II, known as Basil Bulgaroctonus (“Slayer of the Bulgars”)...
Baybars I summary
Baybars I, or Baibars , (born c. 1223, north of the Black Sea—died...
Bayezid II summary
Bayezid II, (born December 1447/January 1448?, Demotika, Thrace,...
Saint Bede summary
Saint Bede, known as the Venerable Bede , (born 672/673, traditionally...
Belarus summary
Belarus, Country, eastern Europe.
Belize summary
Belize , formerly (1840–1973) British Honduras , Country, Central...
Benin summary
Benin , officially Republic of Benin formerly Dahomey , Country,...
Jeremy Bentham summary
Jeremy Bentham, (born Feb. 15, 1748, London, Eng.—died June...
Bermuda summary
Bermuda, British overseas territory, western Atlantic Ocean.
Friedrich Ferdinand, count von Beust summary
Friedrich Ferdinand, count von Beust, (born Jan. 13, 1809, Dresden,...
Bhutan summary
Bhutan , officially Kingdom of Bhutan , Country, south-central...
Galli Bibiena family summary
Galli Bibiena family, Eighteenth-century Italian architects...
al-Bīrūnī summary
al-Bīrūnī, (born September 973, Khwārezm, Khorāsān—died Dec....
blitzkrieg summary
blitzkrieg , (German: “lightning war”) Military tactic used...
Marc Bloch summary
Marc Bloch, (born July 6, 1886, Lyon, France—died June 16, 1944,...
Bohemond I summary
Bohemond I, orig.
Simón Bolívar summary
Simón Bolívar, known as The Liberator , (born July 24, 1783,...
Cesare Borgia summary
Cesare Borgia, later duc de Valentinois , (born c. 1475/76,...
Louis Botha summary
Louis Botha, (born Sept. 27, 1862, near Greytown, Natal [South...
Botswana summary
Botswana, officially Republic of Botswana formerly Bechuanaland...
Sandro Botticelli summary
Sandro Botticelli, orig.
House of Bourbon summary
House of Bourbon, One of the most important ruling houses of...
Margaret Bourke-White summary
Margaret Bourke-White, (born June 14, 1904, New York, N.Y.,...
Donato Bramante summary
Donato Bramante, (born 1444, probably at Monte Asdruvaldo, Duchy...
Louis Brandeis summary
Louis Brandeis, (born Nov. 13, 1856, Louisville, Ky., U.S.—died...
Fernand Braudel summary
Fernand Braudel, (born Aug. 24, 1902, Luméville, France—died...
Leonid Brezhnev summary
Leonid Brezhnev, (born Dec. 19, 1906, Kamenskoye, Ukraine, Russian...
Brunei summary
Brunei , officially State of Brunei Darussalam , Independent...
Filippo Brunelleschi summary
Filippo Brunelleschi, (born 1377, Florence [Italy]—died April...
James Buchanan summary
James Buchanan, (born April 23, 1791, near Mercersburg, Pa.,...
Buchenwald summary
Buchenwald , One of the first and biggest of the German Nazi...
Jacob Burckhardt summary
Jacob Burckhardt, (born May 25, 1818, Basel, Switz.—died Aug....
Mangosuthu G. Buthelezi summary
Mangosuthu G.
Caesarea summary
Caesarea , modern Ḥorbat Qesari , Ancient seaport, Palestine.
camouflage summary
camouflage , Art and practice of concealment and visual deception...
Battle of Cannae summary
Battle of Cannae, (216 bc) Major battle near the ancient village...
Caracalla summary
Caracalla , officially Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus...
Lazare Carnot summary
Lazare Carnot, (born May 13, 1753, Nolay, Burgundy, France—died...
Jacques Cartier summary
Jacques Cartier, (born 1491, Saint-Malo, Brittany, France—died...
Casimir IV summary
Casimir IV, known as Casimir Jagiellonian Polish Kazimierz Jagiellończyk...
Cetshwayo summary
Cetshwayo , (born c. 1826, near Eshowe, Zululand [S.Af.]—died...
Zhang Zhidong summary
Zhang Zhidong, or Chang Chih-tung , (born Sept. 2, 1837, Xingyi,...
Charles XIV John summary
Charles XIV John, Swedish Karl Johan orig.
Charles Martel summary
Charles Martel , Latin Carolus Martellus (“Charles the Hammer”)...
Zheng Chenggong summary
Zheng Chenggong, or Cheng Ch’eng-kung or Koxinga , (born Aug....
Zheng He summary
Zheng He, or Cheng Ho orig.
Chernobyl accident summary
Chernobyl accident, Accident at the Chernobyl (Ukraine) nuclear...
Chiang Kai-shek summary
Chiang Kai-shek , or Chiang Chieh-shih or Jiang Jieshi , (born...
Chichén Itzá summary
Chichén Itzá , Ancient ruined Mayan city in Mexico’s Yucatán...
Jin dynasty summary
Jin dynasty, or Chin dynasty , Period of Chinese history (ad...
Qin tomb summary
Qin tomb, or Ch’in tomb , Major Chinese archaeological site...
Chinese Communist Party summary
Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Political party founded in China...
Qing dynasty summary
Qing dynasty, or Ch’ing dynasty or Manchu dynasty , (1644–1911/12)...
Zhou dynasty summary
Zhou dynasty, or Chou dynasty , (1046–256 bc)Ancient Chinese...
Marcus Tullius Cicero summary
Marcus Tullius Cicero, (born 106 bc, Arpinum, Latium—died Dec....
the Cid summary
the Cid, Spanish El Cid orig.
Cimon summary
Cimon , (born c. 510—died c. 451 bc, Cyprus), Athenian statesman...
Carl von Clausewitz summary
Carl von Clausewitz, (born June 1, 1780, Burg, near Magdeburg,...
Georges Clemenceau summary
Georges Clemenceau, (born Sept. 28, 1841, Mouilleron-en-Pareds,...
Bill Clinton summary
Bill Clinton, in full William Jefferson Clinton orig.
Clovis I summary
Clovis I, German Chlodweg , (born c. 466—died Nov. 27, 511,...
Jean-Baptiste Colbert summary
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, (born Aug. 29, 1619, Reims, France—died...
commune summary
commune , In medieval European history, a town that acquired...
Communist Party of the Soviet Union summary
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), Major political...
Louis II de Bourbon, 4th prince de Condé summary
Louis II de Bourbon, 4th prince de Condé, known as the Great...
Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet summary
Marie-Jean-Antoine-Nicolas de Caritat, marquis de Condorcet,...
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus summary
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus , (born Sept. 905, Constantinople—died...
Correggio summary
Correggio , orig.
Hernán Cortés summary
Hernán Cortés, later marqués del Valle de Oaxaca , (born 1485,...
Costa Rica summary
Costa Rica, officially Republic of Costa Rica , Country, Central...
cuneiform writing summary
cuneiform writing, System of writing employed in ancient times...
Saint Cyprian summary
Saint Cyprian, Latin Thascius Caecilius Cyprianus , (born c....
Cyprus summary
Cyprus, officially Republic of Cyprus , Island and country,...
Czech Republic summary
Czech Republic, formerly (1918–92, with Slovakia) Czechoslovakia...
daimyo summary
daimyo , Any of the largest and most powerful landholding magnates...
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, marquess of Dalhousie summary
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, marquess of Dalhousie, (born April...
Dardanelles Campaign summary
Dardanelles Campaign, or Gallipoli Campaign , (1915–16) Unsuccessful...
Darius I summary
Darius I, known as Darius the Great , (born 550—died 486 bc),...
Jacques-Louis David summary
Jacques-Louis David, (born Aug. 30, 1748, Paris, France—died...
Delian League summary
Delian League , Confederacy of ancient Greek states led by Athens...
Deng Xiaoping summary
Deng Xiaoping , or Teng Hsiao-p’ing , (born Aug. 22, 1904, Guang’an,...
Bartolomeu Dias summary
Bartolomeu Dias, or Bartholomew Diaz , (born c. 1450—died May...
Porfirio Díaz summary
Porfirio Díaz, (born Sept. 15, 1830, Oaxaca, Mex.—died July...
Diocletian summary
Diocletian , Latin Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus orig.
Djibouti summary
Djibouti , officially Republic of Djibouti, formerly (1967–77)...
dolmen summary
dolmen , Prehistoric monument usually consisting of several...
Dominica summary
Dominica , officially Commonwealth of Dominica , Island country,...
Dominican Republic summary
Dominican Republic, Country in the West Indies, occupying the...
Domitian summary
Domitian , Latin Caesar Domitianus Augustus orig.
Donatello summary
Donatello , orig.
Dorgon summary
Dorgon , Chinese Chengzong or Ch’eng-tsung , (born Nov. 17,...
Andrea Doria summary
Andrea Doria, (born Nov. 30, 1466, Oneglia, Duchy of Milan—died...
Alfred Dreyfus summary
Alfred Dreyfus, (born Oct. 9, 1859, Mulhouse, France—died July...
Albrecht Dürer summary
Albrecht Dürer, (born , May 21, 1471, Imperial Free City of...
Ebla summary
Ebla, modern Tell Mardīkh , Ancient city, northwestern Syria.
Adolf Eichmann summary
Adolf Eichmann, (born March 19, 1906, Solingen, Ger.—died May...
Dwight D. Eisenhower summary
Dwight D.
El Salvador summary
El Salvador, officially Republic of El Salvador , Country, Central...
Epaminondas summary
Epaminondas , (born c. 410, Thebes—died 362 bc, Mantineia),...
Ephesus summary
Ephesus , Ancient Ionian Greek city; its ruins lie near the...
Epicurus summary
Epicurus , (born 341, Samos, Greece—died 270 bc, Athens), Greek...
Desiderius Erasmus summary
Desiderius Erasmus, (born Oct. 27, 1469, Rotterdam, Holland—died...
Este family summary
Este family , Princely family of Lombard origin prominent in...
Esterházy family summary
Esterházy family , Aristocratic Magyar family, dating from at...
Estonia summary
Estonia, officially Republic of Estonia , Country, northeastern...
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus summary
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus , byname Cunctator , (died...
Louis Faidherbe summary
Louis Faidherbe, (born June 3, 1818, Lille, Fr.—died Sept. 29,...
Falkland Islands summary
Falkland Islands, Spanish Islas Malvinas , British overseas...
Fatah summary
Fatah , inverted acronym of Ḥarakat al-Taḥrīr al-Waṭanī al-Filasṭīnī...
Fāṭimid dynasty summary
Fāṭimid dynasty, (909–1171) Ismāʿīli Shīʿite dynasty of North...
Fiji summary
Fiji, officially Republic of Fiji , Country and archipelago,...
Titus Quinctius Flamininus summary
Titus Quinctius Flamininus, (born c. 227 bc—died 174), Roman...
Ferdinand Foch summary
Ferdinand Foch, (born Oct. 2, 1851, Tarbes, France—died March...
Gerald R. Ford summary
Gerald R.
Joseph Fouché, duke d’Otrante summary
Joseph Fouché, duke d’Otrante, (born May 21, 1758?, Le Pellerin,...
Joseph, Baron Fourier summary
Joseph, Baron Fourier, (born March 21, 1768, Auxerre, France—died...
Francis I summary
Francis I, French François , (born Sept. 12, 1494, Cognac, France—died...
Francisco Franco summary
Francisco Franco, in full Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo...
Anne Frank summary
Anne Frank, (born June 12, 1929, Frankfurt am Main, Ger.—died...
Frederick Henry summary
Frederick Henry, Dutch Frederik Hendrik , (born Jan. 29, 1584,...
John C. Frémont summary
John C.
French Guiana summary
French Guiana , French Guyane Française , Overseas department...
the Fronde summary
the Fronde, (1648–53) Series of civil wars in France during...
Louis de Buade, count de Palluau and de Frontenac summary
Louis de Buade, count de Palluau and de Frontenac, (born May...
Fugger family summary
Fugger family, German mercantile and banking dynasty that dominated...
Fujiwara family summary
Fujiwara family, Dynastic family that dominated Japanese court...
Focke-Wulf 190 (Fw 190) summary
Focke-Wulf 190 (Fw 190) , Fighter aircraft of Nazi Germany,...
The Gambia summary
The Gambia, officially Republic of The Gambia , Country, western...
Ganges River summary
Ganges River, Hindi Ganga , River, northern India and Bangladesh.
Francis Garnier summary
Francis Garnier, French Marie-Joseph-François Garnier , (born...
Geneva summary
Geneva , French Genève German Genf Italian Ginevra , City (pop.,...
genocide summary
genocide , Deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial,...
Friedrich Gentz summary
Friedrich Gentz, (born May 2, 1764, Breslau, Silesia, Prussia—died...
Georgia summary
Georgia, Country, Transcaucasia, western Asia.
Ghana summary
Ghana , officially Republic of Ghana formerly Gold Coast , Country,...
Maḥmūd Ghāzān summary
Maḥmūd Ghāzān, (born Nov. 5, 1271, Abaskun, Iran—died May 11,...
Lorenzo Ghiberti summary
Lorenzo Ghiberti, (born c. 1378, Pelago—died Dec. 1, 1455, Florence),...
Domenico Ghirlandaio summary
Domenico Ghirlandaio, orig.
Edward Gibbon summary
Edward Gibbon, (born May 8, 1737, Putney, Surrey, Eng.—died...
Gibraltar summary
Gibraltar , British overseas territory, on the Mediterranean...
Giorgione summary
Giorgione , or Giorgio da Castelfranco , (born c. 1477/78, Castelfranco...
Giotto (di Bondone) summary
Giotto (di Bondone), (born 1266–67/1276, Vespignano, near Florence—died...
Girondin summary
Girondin , or Girondist , Label applied to a loose grouping...
Global Positioning System summary
Global Positioning System (GPS), Precise satellite-based navigation...
Joseph Goebbels summary
Joseph Goebbels, (born Oct. 29, 1897, Rheydt, Ger.—died May...
Gonzaga dynasty summary
Gonzaga dynasty , Italian dynasty that ruled Mantua 1328–1707...
Hermann Göring summary
Hermann Göring, or Hermann Goering , (born Jan. 12, 1893, Rosenheim,...
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus summary
Gaius Sempronius Gracchus, (born c. 160—died 121 bc, Grove of...
Great Wall of China summary
Great Wall of China, Chinese Wanli Changcheng , Defensive wall,...
Saint Gregory of Tours summary
Saint Gregory of Tours, orig.
Grenada summary
Grenada , Island country, Lesser Antilles, Caribbean Sea.
Hugo Grotius summary
Hugo Grotius, orig.
Guadeloupe summary
Guadeloupe , Overseas department and overseas region of France,...
the Guianas summary
the Guianas, Region, northern South America.
Gujarat summary
Gujarat , State and historic region, western India.
Guyana summary
Guyana , officially Co-operative Republic of Guyana formerly...
Habsburg dynasty summary
Habsburg dynasty, or Hapsburg dynasty , Royal German family,...
Hadrian summary
Hadrian , Latin Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus orig.
Haile Selassie summary
Haile Selassie , orig.
Haiti summary
Haiti , officially Republic of Haiti , Country in the West Indies,...
Richard Hakluyt summary
Richard Hakluyt, (born c. 1552, London, Eng.?—died Nov. 23,...
Edmond Halley summary
Edmond Halley, (born Nov. 8, 1656, Haggerston, Shoreditch, near...
Hammurabi summary
Hammurabi , (flourished 18th century bc), Sixth and best-known...
Han dynasty summary
Han dynasty , (206 bc–ad 220) Second great Chinese imperial...
Karl August, prince von Hardenberg summary
Karl August, prince von Hardenberg, (born May 31, 1750, Essenrode,...
Hārūn al-Rashīd summary
Hārūn al-Rashīd , (born March 763 or February 766, Rayy, Iran—died...
Henry II summary
Henry II, or St.
Herculaneum summary
Herculaneum , Ancient city, Campania, Italy.
Herodotus summary
Herodotus , (born 484?, Helicarnassus, Asia Minor—died 430/420...
Reinhard Heydrich summary
Reinhard Heydrich, (born March 7, 1904, Halle, Ger.—died June...
Hirohito summary
Hirohito , or Shōwa emperor , (born April 29, 1901, Tokyo, Japan—died...
Hittite summary
Hittite , Any member of an Indo-European people whose empire...
Hohokam culture summary
Hohokam culture, Complex of North American Indian peoples who...
Ludvig, Baron Holberg summary
Ludvig, Baron Holberg, (born Dec. 3, 1684, Bergen, Nor.—died...
Honduras summary
Honduras, officially Republic of Honduras , Country, Central...
Hebei summary
Hebei , or Ho-peh conventional Hopeh formerly Chihli , Province,...
Xuanzang summary
Xuanzang, or Hsüan-tsang , (born 600, Guoshi, China—died 664,...
Huitzilopochtli summary
Huitzilopochtli , Aztec sun and war god.
Hunyadi János summary
Hunyadi János, (born 1407?, Hunyad, Transylvania—died Aug....
Ibn Baṭṭūṭah summary
Ibn Baṭṭūṭah , orig.
Ibn Khaldūn summary
Ibn Khaldūn , orig.
Iceland summary
Iceland, officially Republic of Iceland , Island country, northern...
Ii Naosuke summary
Ii Naosuke , (born Nov. 29, 1815, Hikone, Japan—died March 24,...
Ikhwān summary
Ikhwān , (Arabic: “Brethren”) Religious and military brotherhood...
Institutional Revolutionary Party summary
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Political party that...
intifāḍah summary
intifāḍah , (Arabic: “shaking off”) Palestinian revolt (1987–93,...
Irish Republican Army summary
Irish Republican Army (IRA), Republican paramilitary organization,...
Isabella I summary
Isabella I, known as Isabella the Catholic Spanish Isabel la...
Ismāʿīl I summary
Ismāʿīl I, (born July 17, 1487, Ardabīl, Azer.—died May 23,...
Itō Hirobumi summary
Itō Hirobumi , (born Oct. 14, 1841, Suō province, Japan—died...
Ivan III summary
Ivan III, known as Ivan the Great , (born Jan. 22, 1440, Moscow—died...
Ivan IV summary
Ivan IV, Russian Ivan Vasilyevich known as Ivan the Terrible...
Jacobin Club summary
Jacobin Club, or Jacobins , Political group of the French Revolution,...
Jagiellon dynasty summary
Jagiellon dynasty, Family of monarchs of Poland-Lithuania, Bohemia,...
Jamaica summary
Jamaica, Island country, West Indies, located south of Cuba.
James I summary
James I, Spanish Jaime known as James the Conqueror , (born...
Java summary
Java , or Djawa or Jawa , Island (pop., 2005 prelim.: 127,679,800),...
Jiang Qing summary
Jiang Qing , or Chiang Ch’ing orig.
John I summary
John I, Portuguese João known as John of Aviz , (born April...
John III Sobieski summary
John III Sobieski , Polish Jan Sobieski , (born Aug. 17, 1629,...
Jordan summary
Jordan, officially Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Country, Middle...
Flavius Josephus summary
Flavius Josephus, orig.
Paul Kagame summary
Paul Kagame, (born October 1957, Rwanda), President of Rwanda...
Kalacuri dynasty summary
Kalacuri dynasty, or Kalachuri dynasty , Any of several dynasties...
Kangxi emperor summary
Kangxi emperor, or K’ang-hsi emperor , (born May 4, 1654, Beijing,...
Katyn Massacre summary
Katyn Massacre, Mass killing of Polish military officers by...
Kazakhstan summary
Kazakhstan, or Kazakstan officially Republic of Kazakhstan ,...
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton summary
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, (born June 5, 1883,...
Ruhollah Khomeini summary
Ruhollah Khomeini, orig.
Khosrow I summary
Khosrow I, or Khosrow Anūshīrvān , (died 579), Persian king...
Nikita Khrushchev summary
Nikita Khrushchev, (born April 17, 1894, Kalinovka, Ukraine,...
Kim Jong Il summary
Kim Jong Il , or Kim Chong Il , (born Feb. 16, 1941, Siberia,...
Kim Il-sung summary
Kim Il-sung , (born April 15, 1912, Man’gyŏndae, Korea—died...
Konoe Fumimaro summary
Konoe Fumimaro , (born Oct. 12, 1891, Tokyo, Japan—died Dec....
Fazıl Ahmed Pasha Köprülü summary
Fazıl Ahmed Pasha Köprülü, (born 1635, Vezirköprü, Anatolia,...
North Korea summary
North Korea, officially Democratic People’s Republic of Korea...
South Korea summary
South Korea, officially Republic of Korea , Country, East Asia,...
Tadeusz Kościuszko summary
Tadeusz Kościuszko, (born Feb. 4, 1746, Mereczowszczyzna, Pol.—died...
Kublai Khan summary
Kublai Khan , (born 1215—died 1294), Grandson of Genghis Khan...
Kurdistan Workers’ Party summary
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Militant Kurdish nationalist...
Kuwait summary
Kuwait, officially State of Kuwait , Country, Middle East, southwestern...
Kyrgyzstan summary
Kyrgyzstan , officially Kyrgyz Republic , Country, Central Asia.
Robert M. La Follette summary
Robert M.
René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle summary
René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, (born Nov. 22, 1643,...
Alphonse de Lamartine summary
Alphonse de Lamartine, (born Oct. 21, 1790, Mâcon, France—died...
Dorothea Lange summary
Dorothea Lange, (born May 26, 1895, Hoboken, N.J., U.S.—died...
Latvia summary
Latvia, officially Republic of Latvia , Country, northeastern...
Sir Wilfrid Laurier summary
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, (born Nov. 20, 1841, Saint-Lin, Canada...
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Freiherr von Leibniz summary
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Freiherr von Leibniz, (born July...
Leo III summary
Leo III, known as Leo the Isaurian , (born c. 675, Germanicia,...
Battle of Lepanto summary
Battle of Lepanto, (Oct. 7, 1571) Naval engagement between allied...
Li Hongzhang summary
Li Hongzhang, or Li Hung-chang , (born Feb. 15, 1823, Hefei,...
Liberia summary
Liberia, officially Republic of Liberia , Republic, western...
Libya summary
Libya, officially Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamāhīriyyah...
Lin Biao summary
Lin Biao , or Lin Piao , (born Dec. 5, 1907, Huanggang, Hubei...
Carolus Linnaeus summary
Carolus Linnaeus, Swedish Carl von Linné , (born May 23, 1707,...
Lithuania summary
Lithuania, officially Republic of Lithuania , Country, the largest...
Liu Shaoqi summary
Liu Shaoqi , or Liu Shao-ch’i , (born Nov. 24, 1898, Ningxiang...
Livy summary
Livy , orig.
Louis I summary
Louis I, known as Louis the Pious , (born April 16, 778, Chasseneuil,...
Louis IX summary
Louis IX, or St.
François-Michel Le Tellier, marquis de Louvois summary
François-Michel Le Tellier, marquis de Louvois, (baptized Jan....
Erich Ludendorff summary
Erich Ludendorff, (born April 9, 1865, Kruszewnia, near Poznań,...
Luxembourg summary
Luxembourg , officially Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , Country,...
Luxor summary
Luxor , Arabic Al-Uqṣur , City (pop., 2006: 202,232), Upper...
Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay of Rothley summary
Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay of Rothley, (born...
Maccabees summary
Maccabees , (fl. 2nd century bc) Priestly family of Jews who...
Alexander McGillivray summary
Alexander McGillivray, (born c. 1759—died Feb. 17, 1793, Pensacola,...
Francisco Madero summary
Francisco Madero, (born Oct. 30, 1873, Parras, Mex.—died Feb....
Gaius Maecenas summary
Gaius Maecenas, (born c. 70—died 8 bc), Roman diplomat and literary...
Ferdinand Magellan summary
Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese Fernão de Magalhães Spanish Fernando...
Maḥmūd of Ghazna summary
Maḥmūd of Ghazna, (born 971—died April 30?, 1030, Ghazna, Ghaznavid...
Daniel F. Malan summary
Daniel F.
Malawi summary
Malawi , officially Republic of Malawi formerly Nyasaland , ...
Malta summary
Malta, officially Republic of Malta , Island country, south...
Mamlūk dynasty summary
Mamlūk dynasty, or Mamluke dynasty , (1250–1517) Rulers of Syria...
al-Maʾmūn summary
al-Maʾmūn, (born 786, Baghdad, Iraq—died August 833, Tarsus,...
Manchuria summary
Manchuria , or Northeast Chinese Dongbei or Tung-pei , Historical...
Nelson Mandela summary
Nelson Mandela, (born July 18, 1918, Umtata, Cape of Good Hope,...
manorialism summary
manorialism, or seignorialism , Political, economic, and social...
Andrea Mantegna summary
Andrea Mantegna, (born 1431, Isola di Cartura, near Vicenza,...
Manuel I summary
Manuel I, known as Manuel the Fortunate , (born May 31, 1469,...
Maoism summary
Maoism , Variation of Marxism and Leninism developed by Mao...
Jean-Paul Marat summary
Jean-Paul Marat, (born , May 24, 1743, Boudry, near Neuchâtel,...
Marcus Aurelius summary
Marcus Aurelius , in full Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus...
Maria Theresa summary
Maria Theresa , German Maria Theresia , (born May 13, 1717,...
Gaius Marius summary
Gaius Marius, (born c. 157 bce, Cereatae, near Arpinum, Latium—died...
Martinique summary
Martinique , Island of the Windward Islands, West Indies, and...
Masaccio summary
Masaccio , orig.
Masada summary
Masada , Ancient mountain fortress, southeastern Israel.
Masolino summary
Masolino , orig.
Matthias I summary
Matthias I, or Matthias Corvinus Hungarian Mátyás Corvin orig.
Mauritania summary
Mauritania, officially Islamic Republic of Mauritania , Country,...
Mauritius summary
Mauritius , officially Republic of Mauritius , Island country,...
Maya summary
Maya , Group of Mesoamerican Indians who between ad 250 and...
Mehmed II summary
Mehmed II, byname Mehmed the Conqueror , (born March 30, 1432,...
Philipp Melanchthon summary
Philipp Melanchthon, orig.
Menninger family summary
Menninger family, U.S.
Menno Simonsz. summary
Menno Simonsz. , or Menno Simons , (born 1496, Witmarsum, Friesland—died...
Klemens, prince von Metternich summary
Klemens, prince von Metternich, (born May 15, 1773, Coblenz,...
Michael VIII Palaeologus summary
Michael VIII Palaeologus , (born 1224 or 1225—died Dec. 11,...
Jules Michelet summary
Jules Michelet, (born Aug. 21, 1798, Paris, France—died Feb....
Miltiades the Younger summary
Miltiades the Younger, (born c. 554, Athens—died probably 489...
Pavel Milyukov summary
Pavel Milyukov, (born Jan. 27, 1859, Moscow, Russia—died March...
Minamoto Yoritomo summary
Minamoto Yoritomo , (born 1147, Japan—died Feb. 9, 1199, Kamakura),...
Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, count de Mirabeau summary
Honoré-Gabriel Riqueti, count de Mirabeau, orig.
Mithradates VI Eupator summary
Mithradates VI Eupator , (Latin: Born of a Noble Father) known...
Moldova summary
Moldova , officially Republic of Moldova , Country, northeastern...
Helmuth, count von Moltke summary
Helmuth, count von Moltke, (born Oct. 26, 1800, Parchim, Mecklenburg—died...
Theodor Mommsen summary
Theodor Mommsen, (born Nov. 30, 1817, Garding, Schleswig—died...
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu summary
Charles-Louis de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, (born Jan....
Claudio Monteverdi summary
Claudio Monteverdi, (baptized May 15, 1567, Cremona, Duchy of...
Monticello summary
Monticello , Home of Thomas Jefferson, located southeast of...
Moshoeshoe summary
Moshoeshoe , or Mshweshwe , (born c. 1786, near the upper Caledon...
Muʿāwiyah I summary
Muʿāwiyah I, (born c. 602, Mecca, Arabian Peninsula—died April/May...
Ḥosnī Mubārak summary
Ḥosnī Mubārak, (born May 4, 1928, Al-Minūfiyyah governorate,...
Mughal dynasty summary
Mughal dynasty, or Mogul dynasty , Muslim dynasty that ruled...
Muhammad I Askia summary
Muhammad I Askia , or Muhammad Ture , (died March 2, 1538, Gao,...
Thomas Müntzer summary
Thomas Müntzer, or Thomas Munzer , (born sometime before 1490,...
Joachim Murat summary
Joachim Murat, (born March 25, 1767, La Bastide-Fortunière,...
Benito Mussolini summary
Benito Mussolini, known as Il Duce , (born July 29, 1883, Predappio,...
Nādir Shāh summary
Nādir Shāh
,
(born Oct. 22, 1688
, Kobhan, Ṣafavid Iran
—died...
Fridtjof Nansen summary
Fridtjof Nansen, (born Oct. 10, 1861, Store-Frøen, near Kristiania,...
John Napier summary
John Napier, (born 1550, Merchiston Castle, near Edinburgh,...
U Ne Win summary
U Ne Win, or Shu Maung , (born May 24, 1911, Paungdale, Burma—died...
Nebuchadrezzar II summary
Nebuchadrezzar II, or Nebuchadnezzar , (born c. 630—died c....
Nero summary
Nero, in full Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus (or Drusus) Germanicus...
Nicaragua summary
Nicaragua, officially Republic of Nicaragua , Country, Central...
Nicephorus II Phocas summary
Nicephorus II Phocas , (born 912, Cappadocia—died Dec. 10/11,...
Nile River summary
Nile River, Arabic Baḥr al-Nīl , River, eastern and northeastern...
Nineveh summary
Nineveh , Oldest and most populous city of ancient Assyria,...
Niẓām al-Mulk summary
Niẓām al-Mulk , orig.
Normandy summary
Normandy, French Normandie , Historic and cultural region, northwestern...
Numidia summary
Numidia , Ancient country, North Africa, approximately coextensive...
Nurhachi summary
Nurhachi , (born 1559, Manchuria—died Sept. 30, 1626), Chieftain...
Oda Nobunaga summary
Oda Nobunaga , (born 1534, Owari province, Japan—died June 21,...
Olduvai Gorge summary
Olduvai Gorge, Archaeological site on the eastern Serengeti...
Olmec summary
Olmec , First elaborate pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica.
Oman summary
Oman , officially Sultanate of Oman formerly Muscat and Oman...
Ouyang Xiu summary
Ouyang Xiu , or Ou-yang Hsiu , (born 1007, Mianyang, Sichuan...
Juho Kusti Paasikivi summary
Juho Kusti Paasikivi, (born Nov. 27, 1870, Tampere, Fin.—died...
Paleolithic Period summary
Paleolithic Period, or Old Stone Age , Ancient technological...
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina summary
Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, (born c. 1525, Palestrina,...
Panama summary
Panama, officially Republic of Panama , Country, Central America.
papacy summary
papacy , System of central government of the Roman Catholic...
Papua New Guinea summary
Papua New Guinea , officially Independent State of Papua New...
Paraguay summary
Paraguay , officially Republic of Paraguay , Country, south-central...
Parmigianino summary
Parmigianino , orig.
Pasargadae summary
Pasargadae , Ancient Persian city, near modern Shīrāz, Iran.
Nikola Pašić summary
Nikola Pašić, (born Dec. 31, 1845, Zaječar, Serbia—died Dec....
Friedrich Paulus summary
Friedrich Paulus, (born Sept. 23, 1890, Breitenau, Ger.—died...
Pippin III summary
Pippin III, or Pepin or Pippin the Short , (born c. 714—died...
Pericles summary
Pericles , (born c. 495, Athens—died 429 bc, Athens), Athenian...
Persepolis summary
Persepolis , Ancient Persian city, northeast of modern Shīrāz,...
John J. Pershing summary
John J.
Perugino summary
Perugino , orig.
Philippe Pétain summary
Philippe Pétain, (born April 24, 1856, Cauchy-à-la-Tour, France—died...
Petrarch summary
Petrarch , Italian Francesco Petrarca , (born July 20, 1304,...
Sir Flinders Petrie summary
Sir Flinders Petrie, (born June 3, 1853, Charlton, near Greenwich,...
phalanx summary
phalanx , Tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily...
Philip II summary
Philip II, Spanish Felipe , (born May 21, 1527, Valladolid,...
Phoenicia summary
Phoenicia , Ancient region, Middle East.
Piero della Francesca summary
Piero della Francesca , (born c. 1420, Sansepolcro?, Republic...
Józef Piłsudski summary
Józef Piłsudski, (born Dec. 5, 1867, Żułów, Pol., Russian Empire—died...
Augusto Pinochet summary
Augusto Pinochet, (born Nov. 25, 1915, Valparaiso, Chile—died...
Pius II summary
Pius II, orig.
Saint Pius V summary
Saint Pius V, orig.
Polybius summary
Polybius , (born c. 200, Megalopolis, Arcadia, Greece—died c....
Sebastião de Carvalho, marquess de Pombal summary
Sebastião de Carvalho, marquess de Pombal, (born May 13, 1699,...
Pompeii summary
Pompeii , Ancient city, southern Italy, southeast of Naples.
Pompey the Great summary
Pompey the Great, in full Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus , (born Sept....
Prussia summary
Prussia, German Preussen , In European history, any of three...
Ptolemy I Soter summary
Ptolemy I Soter , (born 367/366, Macedonia—died 283/282 bc,...
Samuel, baron von Pufendorf summary
Samuel, baron von Pufendorf, (born Jan. 8, 1632, Dorfchemnitz,...
Qatar summary
Qatar , officially State of Qatar , Country, Middle East, southwestern...
Yitzhak Rabin summary
Yitzhak Rabin, (born March 1, 1922, Jerusalem—died Nov. 4, 1995,...
Ramses II summary
Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great , (flourished 13th century...
Leopold von Ranke summary
Leopold von Ranke, orig.
Raphael summary
Raphael , orig.
William H. Rehnquist summary
William H.
Robert Guiscard summary
Robert Guiscard , (born c. 1015, Normandy—died July 17, 1085,...
Maximilien de Robespierre summary
Maximilien de Robespierre, (born May 6, 1758, Arras, France—died...
Erwin Rommel summary
Erwin Rommel, (born Nov. 15, 1891, Heidenheim an der Brentz,...
Sacagawea summary
Sacagawea , Shoshone Indian guide who led the Lewis and Clark...
Anwar el-Sādāt summary
Anwar el-Sādāt, (born Dec. 25, 1918, Mit Abū al-Kum, Egypt—died...
Ṣafavid dynasty summary
Ṣafavid dynasty, (1502–1736) Persian dynasty.
Saigō Takamori summary
Saigō Takamori , (born Jan. 23, 1828, Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan—died...
Saint Helena summary
Saint Helena , Island (pop., 2003 est.: 3,800), eastern South...
Louis de Saint-Just summary
Louis de Saint-Just, (born Aug. 25, 1767, Decize, France—died...
Saint Kitts and Nevis summary
Saint Kitts and Nevis, officially Federation of Saint Kitts and...
Saint Lucia summary
Saint Lucia , Island country, Windward Islands, in the eastern...
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines summary
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines , Island country, Windward...
Andrey Sakharov summary
Andrey Sakharov, (born May 21, 1921, Moscow, Russia—died Dec....
Saladin summary
Saladin , byname of Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , (born 1137/38,...
Sallust summary
Sallust , Latin Gaius Sallustius Crispus , (born c. 86 bc, Amiternum,...
José de San Martín summary
José de San Martín, (born Feb. 25, 1778, Yapeyú, Viceroyalty...
Sargon summary
Sargon , (flourished 23rd century bc), Ancient Mesopotamian...
Antonin Scalia summary
Antonin Scalia, (born March 11, 1936, Trenton, N.J., U.S.—died...
Heinrich Schliemann summary
Heinrich Schliemann, (born Jan. 6, 1822, Neubukow, Mecklenburg-Schwerin—died...
Scipio Africanus (the Elder) summary
Scipio Africanus (the Elder), in full Publius Cornelius Scipio...
Scipio Africanus (the Younger) summary
Scipio Africanus (the Younger), or Scipio Aemilianus in full...
Seleucid dynasty summary
Seleucid dynasty , Macedonian Greek dynasty (312–64 bc) founded...
Seleucus I Nicator summary
Seleucus I Nicator , (born c. 358, Europus, Macedonia—died August/September...
Seljūq dynasty summary
Seljūq dynasty, or Saljūq dynasty , (c. 11th–13th centuries)...
Sennacherib summary
Sennacherib , (died January 681 bc), King of Assyria (r. 705/704–681...
Shaka summary
Shaka , (born c. 1787—died Sept. 22, 1828), Zulu chief (1816–28),...
Ariel Sharon summary
Ariel Sharon, orig.
Shihuangdi summary
Shihuangdi, or Shih Huang-ti orig.
Sierra Leone summary
Sierra Leone , officially Republic of Sierra Leone , Country,...
Silesia summary
Silesia , Polish Śląsk German Schlesien , Historic region, east-central...
Sinai Peninsula summary
Sinai Peninsula, Peninsula, northeastern Egypt.
Singapore summary
Singapore, officially Republic of Singapore , Island country,...
Tobias Smollett summary
Tobias Smollett, (baptized March 19, 1721, Cardross, Dumbartonshire,...
Jan Smuts summary
Jan Smuts, (born May 24, 1870, Bovenplaats, near Riebeeck West,...
Solomon Islands summary
Solomon Islands, Island country, southwestern Pacific Ocean.
Somalia summary
Somalia, Country, eastern Africa.
Madame de Staël summary
Madame de Staël, orig.
Karl, imperial baron vom und zum Stein summary
Karl, imperial baron vom und zum Stein, (born Oct. 26, 1757,...
Strabo summary
Strabo , (born c. 64 bc, Amaseia, Pontus, Asia Minor—died after...
Gustav Stresemann summary
Gustav Stresemann, (born May 10, 1878, Berlin, Ger.—died Oct....
Süleyman I summary
Süleyman I, or Süleyman the Magnificent , (born November 1494–April...
Song dynasty summary
Song dynasty, or Sung dynasty , (960–1279) Chinese dynasty that...
Suriname summary
Suriname , officially Republic of Suriname formerly Dutch Guiana...
Aleksandr, Count Suvorov summary
Aleksandr, Count Suvorov, (born Nov. 24, 1729, Moscow, Russia—died...
al-Ṭabarī summary
al-Ṭabarī, in full Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī ,...
Tacitus summary
Tacitus , in full Publius Cornelius Tacitus , (born ad 56—died...
Hippolyte Taine summary
Hippolyte Taine, (born April 21, 1828, Vouziers, Ardennes, France—died...
Taiping Rebellion summary
Taiping Rebellion, (1850–64) Large-scale rebellion against the...
Tajikistan summary
Tajikistan , officially Republic of Tajikistan , Country, Central...
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand summary
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, (born Feb. 2, 1754, Paris, France—died...
Tammuz summary
Tammuz , Mesopotamian god of fertility.
Tang dynasty summary
Tang dynasty, or T’ang dynasty , (618–907) Chinese dynasty that...
Abel Janszoon Tasman summary
Abel Janszoon Tasman, (born 1603?, Lutjegast, Neth.—died probably...
Tecumseh summary
Tecumseh , (born 1768, Old Piqua, in modern Clark county, Ohio,...
Teutonic Order summary
Teutonic Order, or Teutonic Knights officially House of the Hospitallers...
Thebes summary
Thebes , biblical No , Ancient city, Egypt.
Thebes summary
Thebes, Greek Thívai , Ancient city, Boeotia, east-central Greece,...
Themistocles summary
Themistocles , (born c. 524—died c. 460 bc), Athenian politician...
Theodosius I summary
Theodosius I , or Theodosius the Great in full Flavius Theodosius...
Adolphe Thiers summary
Adolphe Thiers, (born April 18, 1797, Marseille, France—died...
Third Reich summary
Third Reich , Official designation for the Nazi Party’s regime...
Thucydides summary
Thucydides , (born c. 460—died c. 404 bc), Greatest of ancient...
Thutmose III summary
Thutmose III, (died 1426 bc), Egyptian king of the 18th dynasty...
Tiglath-pileser III summary
Tiglath-pileser III, (flourished 8th century bc), King of Assyria...
Timur summary
Timur , or Tamerlane or Tamburlaine , (born 1336, Kesh, near...
Alfred von Tirpitz summary
Alfred von Tirpitz, (born March 19, 1849, Küstrin, Prussia—died...
Josip Broz Tito summary
Josip Broz Tito, orig.
Alexis de Tocqueville summary
Alexis de Tocqueville, (born July 29, 1805, Paris, France—died...
Tokugawa Ieyasu summary
Tokugawa Ieyasu , (born Jan. 31, 1543, Okazaki, Japan—died June...
Tonga summary
Tonga, officially Kingdom of Tonga , Island country, South Pacific...
Toussaint Louverture summary
Toussaint Louverture , orig.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi summary
Toyotomi Hideyoshi , (born 1536/37, Nakamura, Owari province,...
Trajan summary
Trajan , in full Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus Optimus...
Trinidad and Tobago summary
Trinidad and Tobago , officially Republic of Trinidad and Tobago...
Zeng Guofan summary
Zeng Guofan, or Tseng Kuo-fan , (born Nov. 26, 1811, Xiangxiang,...
Tunisia summary
Tunisia , officially Tunisian Republic , Country, North Africa.
Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, viscount de Turenne summary
Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, viscount de Turenne, orig.
Alan Turing summary
Alan Turing, (born June 23, 1912, London, Eng.—died June 7,...
Turkmenistan summary
Turkmenistan, officially Türkmenistan , Country, Central Asia.
Turks and Caicos Islands summary
Turks and Caicos Islands, British dependency (pop., 2002 est.:...
Tutankhamen summary
Tutankhamen , orig.
Paolo Uccello summary
Paolo Uccello, orig.
Uganda summary
Uganda , officially Republic of Uganda , Country, eastern Africa.
ʿUmar Tal summary
ʿUmar Tal , in full al-Ḥājj ʿUmar ibn Saʿīd Tal , (born c. 1797,...
Umayyad dynasty summary
Umayyad dynasty, (661–750) First great Muslim dynasty.
United Arab Emirates summary
United Arab Emirates (UAE), formerly Trucial States , Country,...
Ur summary
Ur , Ancient city and district, Sumer, southern Mesopotamia.
Urartu summary
Urartu , Ancient country around Lake Van, southwestern Asia.
Uruguay summary
Uruguay , officially Oriental Republic of Uruguay , Country,...
Uxmal summary
Uxmal , Ancient city, Yucatán state, southeastern Mexico.
Uzbekistan summary
Uzbekistan , officially Republic of Uzbekistan , Country, Central...
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban summary
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, (born May 15, 1633, Saint-Léger-de-Foucherest,...
Eleuthérios Venizélos summary
Eleuthérios Venizélos, (born Aug. 23, 1864, Mourniés, Crete,...
Andrea del Verrocchio summary
Andrea del Verrocchio, (born 1435, Florence—died 1488, Venice),...
Vespasian summary
Vespasian , in full Caesar Vespasianus Augustus orig.
Amerigo Vespucci summary
Amerigo Vespucci, (born 1454?, Florence—died 1512, Sevilla),...
Vichy France summary
Vichy France, officially French State French État Français ,...
Rudolf Virchow summary
Rudolf Virchow, (born Oct. 13, 1821, Schivelbein, Pomerania,...
Waldenses summary
Waldenses , French Vaudois Italian Valdesi , Members of a Christian...
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, duke von Friedland summary
Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein, duke von Friedland,...
Welf dynasty summary
Welf dynasty , Dynasty of German nobles and rulers.
Elie Wiesel summary
Elie Wiesel, orig.
Johann Winckelmann summary
Johann Winckelmann, (born Dec. 9, 1717, Stendal, Prussia—died...
Władysław II Jagiełło summary
Władysław II Jagiełło , (born c. 1351—died May 31/June 1, 1434,...
Wudi summary
Wudi, or Wu-ti orig.
John Wycliffe summary
John Wycliffe, (c. 1330–1384)British theologian, philosopher,...
Xenophon summary
Xenophon , (born 431, Attica, Greece—died shortly before 350...
Xerxes I summary
Xerxes I , Persian Khshayarsha , (born c. 519 bc—died 465 bc,...
Yamagata Aritomo summary
Yamagata Aritomo , (born Aug. 3, 1838, Hagi, Japan—died Feb...
Yamamoto Isoroku summary
Yamamoto Isoroku , (born April 4, 1884, Nagaoka, Japan—died...
Yuan dynasty summary
Yuan dynasty, or Yüan dynasty or Mongol dynasty , (1206–1368)...
Emiliano Zapata summary
Emiliano Zapata, (born Aug. 8, 1879, Anenecuilco, Mex.—died...
Zhou Enlai summary
Zhou Enlai, or Chou En-lai , (born March 5, 1898, Huai’an, Jiangsu...
Georgy Zhukov summary
Georgy Zhukov, (born Dec. 1, 1896, Kaluga province, Russia—died...
Zimbabwe summary
Zimbabwe , officially Republic of Zimbabwe formerly Rhodesia...
Huldrych Zwingli summary
Huldrych Zwingli, (born Jan. 1, 1484, Wildhaus in the Toggenburg,...
Studs Terkel summary
Studs Terkel, orig.
Corinth summary
Corinth , Greek Kórinthos , Ancient city of the Peloponnese,...
Guatemala summary
Guatemala , officially Republic of Guatemala , Country, Central...
Taliban summary
Taliban , Political and religious faction and militia that came...
Wynton Marsalis summary
Wynton Marsalis, (born Oct. 18, 1961, New Orleans, La., U.S.),...
Nelson Mandela summary
Nelson Mandela, (born July 18, 1918, Umtata, Cape of Good Hope,...
Navarre summary
Navarre , Spanish Navarra , Ancient kingdom, northern Spain,...
John Paul Stevens summary
John Paul Stevens, (born April 20, 1920, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died...
Poliziano summary
Poliziano, byname of Angelo Ambrogini , (born July 14, 1454,...
George H.W. Bush summary
George H.W.
New Caledonia summary
New Caledonia, French unique collectivity, southwestern South...
John McCain summary
John McCain, in full John Sidney McCain III , (born Aug. 29,...
Anthony Kennedy summary
Anthony Kennedy, in full Anthony McLeod Kennedy , (born July...
Walter Reed summary
Walter Reed, (born Sept. 13, 1851, Belroi, Va., U.S.—died Nov....
Muḥammad ʿAlī summary
Muḥammad ʿAlī, (born 1769, Kavala, Macedonia, Ottoman Empire—died...
Henry VIII summary
Henry VIII, (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Eng.—died...
Babylonia summary
Babylonia, Ancient cultural region of the Tigris and Euphrates...
Hugo Chávez summary
Hugo Chávez, (born July 28, 1954, Sabaneta, Barinas, Venez.—died...
Nagasaki summary
Nagasaki, City (pop., 2010: 443,766), western Kyushu, Japan.
West Bengal summary
West Bengal, State, eastern India.
Egyptian art summary
Egyptian art, Ancient sculptures, paintings, and decorative...
Yukon summary
Yukon, formerly Yukon Territory , Territory, northwestern Canada.
Washington Conference summary
Washington Conference, officially International Conference on...
William II summary
William II, German Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert known as Kaiser...
William Bligh summary
William Bligh, (born Sept. 9, 1754, probably at Plymouth, county...
Cocos Islands summary
Cocos Islands, or Keeling Islands , Territory of Australia.
Norfolk Island summary
Norfolk Island, Island territory of Australia, southwestern...
Jefferson Davis summary
Jefferson Davis, (born June 3, 1808, Christian county, Ky.,...
New Jersey summary
New Jersey, State, eastern U.S.
Constantine I summary
Constantine I, known as Constantine the Great officially Flavius...
Nicholas II summary
Nicholas II, orig.
Colorado summary
Colorado, State, west-central U.S.
Connecticut summary
Connecticut, State, northeastern U.S.
Delaware summary
Delaware, State, middle Atlantic region, U.S.
Georgia summary
Georgia, State, southeastern U.S.
Iowa summary
Iowa, State, Midwestern U.S.
Kansas summary
Kansas, State, central U.S.
Leo X summary
Leo X, orig.
Louisiana summary
Louisiana, State, southern U.S.
Maine summary
Maine, State, northeastern U.S.
Maryland summary
Maryland, State, eastern U.S.
Massachusetts summary
Massachusetts, officially Commonwealth of Massachusetts , State,...
Minnesota summary
Minnesota, State, midwestern U.S.
Missouri summary
Missouri, State, Midwestern U.S.
Montana summary
Montana, State, northwestern U.S.
Nebraska summary
Nebraska, State, west-central U.S.
New Hampshire summary
New Hampshire, State, northeastern U.S.
New York summary
New York, State, eastern U.S.
North Dakota summary
North Dakota, State, north-central U.S.
Oklahoma summary
Oklahoma, State, southwest-central U.S.
Pennsylvania summary
Pennsylvania, officially Commonwealth of Pennsylvania , State,...
Rhode Island summary
Rhode Island, officially Rhode Island and Providence Plantations...
South Dakota summary
South Dakota, State, north-central U.S.
Texas summary
Texas, State, southwestern U.S.
Virginia summary
Virginia, State, southeastern U.S.
Wyoming summary
Wyoming, State, western U.S.
South Carolina summary
South Carolina, State, southeastern U.S.
Leopold I summary
Leopold I, (born June 9, 1640, Vienna, Austria—died May 5, 1705,...
submarine summary
submarine, Naval vessel capable of operating underwater for...
Troy summary
Troy, or Ilium , Ancient city in Troas, northwestern Anatolia.
Pacific Ocean summary
Pacific Ocean, Body of salt water extending from the Antarctic...
socialism summary
socialism, System of social organization in which private property...
nuclear weapon summary
nuclear weapon, or atomic weapon or thermonuclear weapon , Bomb...
navigation summary
navigation, Science of directing a craft by determining its...
Mediterranean Sea summary
Mediterranean Sea, Inland sea enclosed by Europe, Africa, and...
mining summary
mining, Excavation of materials from the Earth’s crust, including...
Montserrat summary
Montserrat, Island (pop., 2001 est.: 3,600) and British crown...
lacquerwork summary
lacquerwork, Any of a variety of decorative objects or surfaces,...
Jamestown Colony summary
Jamestown Colony, First permanent English settlement in North...
Columbia River summary
Columbia River, River, southwestern Canada and northwestern...
Holland summary
Holland, Historic region, the Netherlands, occupying the northwestern...
Tony Blair summary
Tony Blair, orig.
Irish Potato Famine summary
Irish Potato Famine, (1845–49)Famine that occurred in Ireland...
Iran-Iraq War summary
Iran-Iraq War, (1980–88) Protracted and indecisive conflict...
Walter Cronkite summary
Walter Cronkite, (born Nov. 4, 1916, St.
Sindh summary
Sindh, or Sind , Province (pop., 2006 est.: 35,864,000), southeastern...
Lebanese Civil War summary
Lebanese Civil War, (1975–90) Civil conflict resulting from...
Sir Richard Burton summary
Sir Richard Burton, (born March 19, 1821, Torquay, Devonshire,...
Dick Cheney summary
Dick Cheney, in full Richard Bruce Cheney , (born Jan. 30, 1941,...
Egyptian language summary
Egyptian language, Extinct Afro-Asiatic language of the Nile...
John Knox summary
John Knox, (born c. 1514, near Haddington, East Lothian, Scot.—died...
Andrew Jackson summary
Andrew Jackson, (born March 15, 1767, Waxhaws region, S.C.—died...
William III summary
William III, Dutch Willem Hendrik , (born Nov. 14, 1650, The...
Central America summary
Central America, Southern portion of North America (pop., 2006...
Edward I summary
Edward I, known as Edward Longshanks , (born June 17, 1239,...
Marco Polo summary
Marco Polo, (born c. 1254, Venice [Italy]—died Jan. 8, 1324,...
Carthage summary
Carthage, Ancient city and state, northern Africa.
Leptis Magna summary
Leptis Magna, modern Labdah , Largest city of ancient Tripolitania,...
Mohenjo Daro summary
Mohenjo Daro, Ancient city on the bank of the Indus River, in...
Leon Trotsky summary
Leon Trotsky, orig.
Boris Yeltsin summary
Boris Yeltsin, (born Feb. 1, 1931, Sverdlovsk, Russia, U.S.S.R.—died...
Cherokee summary
Cherokee, American Indian people of Iroquoian lineage living...
Persian Gulf War summary
Persian Gulf War, or Gulf War , (1990–91) International conflict...
Leninism summary
Leninism, Principles expounded by Vladimir Ilich Lenin to guide...
Louis XVI summary
Louis XVI, (born Aug. 23, 1754, Versailles, France—died Jan....
William Pitt, the Younger summary
William Pitt, the Younger, (born May 28, 1759, Hayes, Kent,...
concentration camp summary
concentration camp, Internment centre established by a government...
League of Nations summary
League of Nations, Organization for international cooperation...
Bernardo O’Higgins summary
Bernardo O’Higgins, (born probably Aug. 20, 1776/78, Chillán,...
United Nations Security Council summary
United Nations Security Council, Division of the United Nations...
Second Northern War summary
Second Northern War, or Great Northern War , (1700–21)
Military...
George Orwell summary
George Orwell, orig.
Spanish language summary
Spanish language, Romance language spoken in Spain and in large...
Sir William Wallace summary
Sir William Wallace, (born 1279, probably near Paisley, Renfrew,...
Olympic Games summary
Olympic Games, Sports festival.
terrorism summary
terrorism, Systematic use of violence to create a general climate...
Calvin Coolidge summary
Calvin Coolidge, (born July 4, 1872, Plymouth, Vt., U.S.—died...
Greek religion summary
Greek religion, Beliefs, rituals, and mythology of the ancient...
Holy Roman Empire summary
Holy Roman Empire, German Heiliges Römisches Reich , Realm of...
Valley of the Kings summary
Valley of the Kings, Narrow gorge, Upper Egypt, near the ancient...
National Party summary
National Party, in full National Party of South Africa , South...
World Heritage site summary
World Heritage site, Any of various areas or objects designated...
Sir Francis Drake summary
Sir Francis Drake, (born c. 1540–43, Devonshire, Eng.—died Jan....
Fort Sumter National Monument summary
Fort Sumter National Monument, Historic site, on a man-made...
Georges Duby summary
Georges Duby, (born Oct. 7, 1919, Paris, France—died Dec. 3,...
Great Zimbabwe summary
Great Zimbabwe, Extensive stone ruins in southeastern Zimbabwe.
Richard M. Nixon summary
Richard M.
stone tool industry summary
stone tool industry, Any of several assemblages of artifacts...
neoconservatism summary
neoconservatism, U.S.
John G. Roberts, Jr. summary
John G.
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty summary
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, officially Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons...
John Smith summary
John Smith, (baptized Jan. 6, 1580, Willoughby, Lincolnshire,...
Ultra summary
Ultra, Allied intelligence project that, in tapping the very...
Six Dynasties summary
Six Dynasties, (ad 220–589) In China, the period between the...
Grace Kelly summary
Grace Kelly, later Princess Grace of Monaco , (born Nov. 12,...
George S. Patton summary
George S.
family summary
family, Basic social unit consisting of persons united by ties...
Mark Antony summary
Mark Antony, Latin Marcus Antonius , (born c. 83—died August,...
War of the Austrian Succession summary
War of the Austrian Succession, (1740–48)Group of related wars...
Vasco Núñez de Balboa summary
Vasco Núñez de Balboa, (born 1475, Badajoz, Extremadura province,...
Battle of Bannockburn summary
Battle of Bannockburn, (June 23–24, 1314) Decisive battle in...
Charles A. Beard summary
Charles A.
William, Lord Bentinck summary
William, Lord Bentinck, (born Sept. 14, 1774, Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire,...
Hugo Black summary
Hugo Black, (born Feb. 27, 1886, Clay county, Ala., U.S.—died...
Sir Robert Borden summary
Sir Robert Borden, (born June 26, 1854, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia—died...
John Bright summary
John Bright, (born Nov. 16, 1811, Rochdale, Lancashire, Eng.—died...
John Brown summary
John Brown, (born May 9, 1800, Torrington, Conn., U.S.—died...
Giordano Bruno summary
Giordano Bruno, orig.
Battle of the Bulge summary
Battle of the Bulge, (Dec. 16, 1944–Jan. 16, 1945) In World...
Edmund Burke summary
Edmund Burke, (born January 12?, 1729, Dublin, Ire.—died July...
Aaron Burr summary
Aaron Burr, (born Feb. 6, 1756, Newark, N.J.—died Sept. 14,...
Richard E. Byrd summary
Richard E.
John Cabot summary
John Cabot, orig.
Pedro Álvares Cabral summary
Pedro Álvares Cabral, (born 1467/68, Belmonte, Port.—died 1520,...
George Canning summary
George Canning, (born April 11, 1770, London, Eng.—died Aug....
Thomas Carlyle summary
Thomas Carlyle, (born Dec. 4, 1795, Ecclefechan, Dumfriesshire,...
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh summary
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, (born June 18, 1769, Dublin,...
Battle of Chaeronea summary
Battle of Chaeronea, (338 bc)Battle in Boeotia, central Greece,...
Joseph Chamberlain summary
Joseph Chamberlain, (born July 8, 1836, London, Eng.—died July...
Whittaker Chambers summary
Whittaker Chambers, orig.
Samuel de Champlain summary
Samuel de Champlain, (born 1567, Brouage, France—died Dec. 25,...
Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon summary
Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon, (born Feb. 18, 1609, Dinton,...
William Clark summary
William Clark, (born Aug. 1, 1770, Caroline county, Va.—died...
Grover Cleveland summary
Grover Cleveland, (born March 18, 1837, Caldwell, N.J., U.S.—died...
Robert, 1st Baron Clive summary
Robert, 1st Baron Clive, (born Sept. 29, 1725, Styche, Shropshire,...
William F. Cody summary
William F.
James Cook summary
James Cook, known as Captain Cook , (born Oct. 27, 1728, Marton-in-Cleveland,...
Thomas Cranmer summary
Thomas Cranmer, (born July 2, 1489, Aslacton, Nottinghamshire,...
Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex summary
Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex, (born c. 1485, Putney, near...
George Armstrong Custer summary
George Armstrong Custer, (born Dec. 5, 1839, New Rumley, Ohio,...
James D. Dana summary
James D.
Princess Diana summary
Princess Diana, orig.
Charles Stark Draper summary
Charles Stark Draper, (born Oct. 2, 1901, Windsor, Mo., U.S.—died...
John Foster Dulles summary
John Foster Dulles, (born Feb. 25, 1888, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died...
Jubal A. Early summary
Jubal A.
Oliver Ellsworth summary
Oliver Ellsworth, (born April 29, 1745, Windsor, Conn.—died...
Walker Evans summary
Walker Evans, (born Nov. 3, 1903, St.
Alessandro Farnese, duke di Parma and Piacenza summary
Alessandro Farnese, duke di Parma and Piacenza, (born Aug. 27,...
Felix Frankfurter summary
Felix Frankfurter, (born Nov. 15, 1882, Vienna, Austria-Hungary—died...
Sir Francis Galton summary
Sir Francis Galton, (born Feb. 16, 1822, near Sparkbrook, Birmingham,...
Vasco da Gama, 1st count da Vidigueira summary
Vasco da Gama, 1st count da Vidigueira, (born c. 1460, Sines,...
James A. Garfield summary
James A.
William Lloyd Garrison summary
William Lloyd Garrison, (born Dec. 10/12, 1805, Newburyport,...
Charles de Gaulle summary
Charles de Gaulle, (born Nov. 22, 1890, Lille, France—died Nov....
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus summary
Tiberius Sempronius Gracchus, (born c. 169—died June 133 bc,...
War of the Grand Alliance summary
War of the Grand Alliance, (1689–97)Third major war of Louis...
Ulysses S. Grant summary
Ulysses S.
El Greco summary
El Greco, orig.
François de Lorraine, 2nd duke de Guise summary
François de Lorraine, 2nd duke de Guise, (born Feb. 24, 1519,...
Alexander Hamilton summary
Alexander Hamilton, (born Jan. 11, 1755/57, Nevis, British West...
Benjamin Harrison summary
Benjamin Harrison, (born Aug. 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio, U.S.—died...
William Henry Harrison summary
William Henry Harrison, (born Feb. 9, 1773, Charles City county,...
Warren Hastings summary
Warren Hastings, (born Dec. 6, 1732, Churchill, near Daylesford,...
Patrick Henry summary
Patrick Henry, (born May 29, 1736, Studley, Va.—died June 6,...
Heinrich Himmler summary
Heinrich Himmler, (born Oct. 7, 1900, Munich, Ger.—died May...
Paul von Hindenburg summary
Paul von Hindenburg, in full Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff...
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. summary
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., (born March 8, 1841, Boston, Mass.—died...
Herbert Hoover summary
Herbert Hoover, (born Aug. 10, 1874, West Branch, Iowa, U.S.—died...
Henry Hudson summary
Henry Hudson, (born c. 1565, England—died after June 22, 1611,...
Charles Evans Hughes summary
Charles Evans Hughes, (born April 11, 1862, Glens Falls, N.Y.,...
Alexander, Freiherr von Humboldt summary
Alexander, Freiherr von Humboldt, (born Sept. 14, 1769, Berlin,...
Jesse Jackson summary
Jesse Jackson, orig.
Stonewall Jackson summary
Stonewall Jackson, orig.
Andrew Johnson summary
Andrew Johnson, (born Dec. 29, 1808, Raleigh, N.C., U.S.—died...
Lyndon B. Johnson summary
Lyndon B.
John F. Kennedy summary
John F.
Paul Kruger summary
Paul Kruger, orig.
Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette summary
Marie-Joseph-Paul-Yves-Roch-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de Lafayette,...
Bartolomé de Las Casas summary
Bartolomé de Las Casas, (born August 1474, Sevilla?—died July...
Robert E. Lee summary
Robert E.
Meriwether Lewis summary
Meriwether Lewis, (born Aug. 18, 1774, near Charlottesville,...
Fra Filippo Lippi summary
Fra Filippo Lippi, (born c. 1406, Florence—died Oct. 8/10, 1469,...
David Livingstone summary
David Livingstone, (born March 19, 1813, Lanarkshire, Scot.—died...
David Lloyd George, Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor summary
David Lloyd George, Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, (born Jan....
Douglas MacArthur summary
Douglas MacArthur, (born Jan. 26, 1880, Little Rock, Ark., U.S.—died...
William McKinley summary
William McKinley, (born Jan. 29, 1843, Niles, Ohio, U.S.—died...
James Madison summary
James Madison, (born March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Va.—died June...
al-Mahdī summary
al-Mahdī, orig.
John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough summary
John Churchill, 1st duke of Marlborough, (born May 26, 1650,...
George C. Marshall summary
George C.
John Marshall summary
John Marshall, (born Sept. 24, 1755, near Germantown, Va.—died...
Thurgood Marshall summary
Thurgood Marshall, (born July 2, 1908, Baltimore, Md., U.S.—died...
Tomáš Masaryk summary
Tomáš Masaryk, (born March 7, 1850, near Gölding, Moravia, Austrian...
James Mill summary
James Mill, (born April 6, 1773, Northwater Bridge, Forfarshire,...
Alfred Milner summary
Alfred Milner, later Viscount Milner (of St.
Billy Mitchell summary
Billy Mitchell, orig.
James Monroe summary
James Monroe, (born April 28, 1758, Westmoreland county, Va.—died...
Simon de Montfort summary
Simon de Montfort, later Earl of Leicester , (born c. 1208,...
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery summary
Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery, (born Nov....
Kingdom of Naples summary
Kingdom of Naples, Former kingdom comprising the southern portion...
Gamal Abdel Nasser summary
Gamal Abdel Nasser, also spelled Jamāl ʿAbd al-Nāsir , (born...
Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson summary
Horatio Nelson, Viscount Nelson, known as Lord Nelson , (born...
Michel Ney, duke d’Elchingen summary
Michel Ney, duke d’Elchingen, (born Jan. 10, 1769, Sarrelouis,...
Florence Nightingale summary
Florence Nightingale, (born May 12, 1820, Florence, Italy—died...
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe summary
Alfred Charles William Harmsworth, Viscount Northcliffe, (born...
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis summary
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, orig.
Thomas Paine summary
Thomas Paine, (born Jan. 29, 1737, Thetford, Norfolk, Eng.—died...
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston summary
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, known as Lord Palmerston...
Francis Parkman summary
Francis Parkman, (born Sept. 16, 1823, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died...
William Penn summary
William Penn, (born Oct. 14, 1644, London, Eng.—died July 30,...
Juan Perón summary
Juan Perón, (born Oct. 8, 1895, Buenos Aires province, Arg.—died...
William Pitt, the Elder summary
William Pitt, the Elder, later 1st earl of Chatham , (born Nov....
Francisco Pizarro summary
Francisco Pizarro, (born c. 1475, Trujillo, Extremadura, Castile—died...
partitions of Poland summary
partitions of Poland, (1772, 1793, 1795) Territorial divisions...
James K. Polk summary
James K.
John Wesley Powell summary
John Wesley Powell, (born March 24, 1834, Mount Morris, N.Y.,...
William H. Prescott summary
William H.
George M. Pullman summary
George M.
Sir Stamford Raffles summary
Sir Stamford Raffles, (born July 6, 1781, at sea off Port Morant,...
Sir Walter Raleigh summary
Sir Walter Raleigh, (born 1554?, Hayes Barton, near Budleigh...
John Ray summary
John Ray, (born Nov. 29, 1627, Black Notley, Essex, Eng.—died...
Reza Shah Pahlavi summary
Reza Shah Pahlavi, (born March 16, 1878, Alasht, Qājār Iran—died...
Cecil Rhodes summary
Cecil Rhodes, (born July 5, 1853, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire,...
Faith Ringgold summary
Faith Ringgold, (born Oct. 8, 1930, New York, N.Y., U.S.), U.S.
Theodore Roosevelt summary
Theodore Roosevelt, known as Teddy Roosevelt , (born Oct. 27,...
Benjamin Rush summary
Benjamin Rush, (born Jan. 4, 1746, Byberry, near Philadelphia,...
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury summary
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury,...
house of Savoy summary
house of Savoy, Historic dynasty of Europe and the ruling house...
Ludovico Sforza summary
Ludovico Sforza, (born July 27, 1452, Vigevano, Pavia, duchy...
William Tecumseh Sherman summary
William Tecumseh Sherman, (born Feb. 8, 1820, Lancaster, Ohio,...
Hernando de Soto summary
Hernando de Soto, (born c. 1496/97, Jerez de los Caballeros,...
War of the Spanish Succession summary
War of the Spanish Succession, (1701–14) Conflict arising from...
Sir Henry Morton Stanley summary
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, orig.
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford summary
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford, (born April 13, 1593,...
Sulla summary
Sulla, (born c. 138—died 79 bc, Puteoli, near Naples), Victor...
William Howard Taft summary
William Howard Taft, (born Sept. 15, 1857, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
Roger B. Taney summary
Roger B.
Zachary Taylor summary
Zachary Taylor, (born Nov. 24, 1784, Montebello, Va., U.S.—died...
Time of Troubles summary
Time of Troubles, (1606–13)Period of political crisis in Russia.
Harry S. Truman summary
Harry S.
Frederick Jackson Turner summary
Frederick Jackson Turner, (born Nov. 14, 1861, Portage, Wis.,...
Treaty of Versailles summary
Treaty of Versailles, International agreement, signed in 1919...
Alfred Russel Wallace summary
Alfred Russel Wallace, (born Jan. 8, 1823, Usk, Monmouthshire,...
Lew Wallace summary
Lew Wallace, (born April 10, 1827, Brookville, Ind., U.S.—died...
Earl Warren summary
Earl Warren, (born March 19, 1891, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.—died...
Mercy Otis Warren summary
Mercy Otis Warren, orig.
Booker T. Washington summary
Booker T.
James Watt summary
James Watt, (born Jan. 19, 1736, Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scot.—died...
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington summary
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, (born May 1, 1769,...
Peace of Westphalia summary
Peace of Westphalia, (1648) European settlements that ended...
Woodrow Wilson summary
Woodrow Wilson, (born Dec. 28, 1856, Staunton, Va., U.S.—died...
John Winthrop summary
John Winthrop, (born Jan. 22, 1588, Edwardstone, Suffolk, Eng.—died...
house of York summary
house of York, Younger branch of the Plantagenet dynasty, descended...
Seymour Hersh summary
Seymour Hersh, (born April 8, 1937, Chicago, Ill., U.S.), U.S.
James Watt summary
James Watt, (born Jan. 19, 1736, Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scot.—died...
armour summary
armour, or body armour , Protective clothing that can shield...
Black Hawk summary
Black Hawk, (born 1767, Sauk Sautenuk, Va.—died Oct. 3, 1838,...
Edward IV summary
Edward IV, (born April 28, 1442, Rouen, France—died April 9,...
Justinian I summary
Justinian I, orig.
Marie-Antoinette (-Josèphe-Jeanne d’Autriche-Lorraine) summary
Marie-Antoinette (-Josèphe-Jeanne d’Autriche-Lorraine), (born...
Napoleon III summary
Napoleon III, or Louis-Napoléon orig.
Sargon II summary
Sargon II, (died 705 bc), Assyrian king (r. 721–705 bc).
sphinx summary
sphinx, Mythological creature with a lion’s body and a human’s...
Suharto summary
Suharto, (born June 8, 1921, Kemusu Argamulja, Java, Dutch East...
Tiberius summary
Tiberius, in full Tiberius (Julius) Caesar Augustus orig.
Byzantine art summary
Byzantine art, Art associated with the Byzantine Empire.
Greek mythology summary
Greek mythology, Oral and literary traditions of the ancient...
Ho Chi Minh summary
Ho Chi Minh, orig.
Indus civilization summary
Indus civilization, (c. 2500–c. 1700 bc) Earliest known urban...
Lusitania summary
Lusitania, British ocean liner sunk by a German submarine off...
Philippine-American War summary
Philippine-American War, or Philippine Insurrection , (1899–1902)...
Scholasticism summary
Scholasticism, Theological and philosophical movement, beginning...
Belisarius summary
Belisarius, (born c. 505, Germania, Illyria?—died March 565),...
Charles I summary
Charles I, (born Nov. 19, 1600, Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scot.—died...
Charles II summary
Charles II, (born May 29, 1630, London, Eng.—died Feb. 6, 1685,...
Charles V summary
Charles V, German Karl , (born Feb. 24, 1500, Ghent—died Sept....
Charles VII summary
Charles VII, (born Feb. 22, 1403, Paris, France—died July 22,...
Charles XII summary
Charles XII, Swedish Karl , (born June 17, 1682, Stockholm,...
Egyptology summary
Egyptology, Study of pharaonic Egypt from the putative beginnings...
Revolutions of 1848 summary
Revolutions of 1848, Series of republican revolts against European...
Eugene of Savoy summary
Eugene of Savoy, orig.
Ferdinand II summary
Ferdinand II, (born July 9, 1578, Graz, Styria—died Feb. 15,...
Francis Joseph summary
Francis Joseph, German Franz Josef , (born Aug. 18, 1830, Schloss...
Frederick William summary
Frederick William, German Friedrich Wilhelm known as the Great...
Frederick William IV summary
Frederick William IV, German Friedrich Wilhelm , (born Oct....
George II summary
George II, orig.
George III summary
George III, orig.
Gustav I Vasa summary
Gustav I Vasa, orig.
Gustav II Adolf summary
Gustav II Adolf, Latin Gustavus Adolphus , (born Dec. 9, 1594,...
Henry VI summary
Henry VI, German Heinrich , (born autumn 1165, Nijmegen, Neth.—died...
Khosrow II summary
Khosrow II, or Khosrow Parvīz , (died 628), King of the Sāsānian...
Louis-Philippe summary
Louis-Philippe, known as the Citizen King , (born Oct. 6, 1773,...
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) summary
Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), Arabic Munaẓẓamat al-Taḥrīr...
Philip of Hesse summary
Philip of Hesse, (born Nov. 13, 1504, Marburg, Hesse—died March...
purge trials summary
purge trials, Soviet trials of critics of Joseph Stalin.
Richard III summary
Richard III, (born Oct. 2, 1452, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire,...
Russian Revolution of 1917 summary
Russian Revolution of 1917, Revolution that overthrew the imperial...
Russo-Turkish Wars summary
Russo-Turkish Wars, Series of wars fought between Russia and...
Saul summary
Saul, Hebrew Shaul , (flourished 11th century bc, Israel), First...
Young Turks summary
Young Turks, Turkish Jöntürkler , Coalition of young dissidents...
Six-Day War summary
Six-Day War, or Arab-Israeli War of 1967 , War between Israel...
domestication summary
domestication, Process of hereditary reorganization of wild...
Henry IV summary
Henry IV, or Henry of Navarra French Henri de Navarre , (born...
Leopold II summary
Leopold II, orig.
Night of the Long Knives summary
Night of the Long Knives, (June 30, 1934) Purge of Nazi leaders...
Sitting Bull summary
Sitting Bull, (born c. 1831, near Grand River, Dakota Territory,...
Glorious Revolution summary
Glorious Revolution, or Bloodless Revolution or Revolution of...
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising summary
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, (April 19–May 16, 1943) Revolt by Polish...
Mayflower Compact summary
Mayflower Compact, (1620) Document signed by 41 male passengers...
Balkan Wars summary
Balkan Wars, (1912–13) Two military conflicts that deprived...
Charles III summary
Charles III, Spanish Carlos , (born Jan. 20, 1716, Madrid, Spain—died...
Cosimo I summary
Cosimo I, orig.
Gettysburg Address summary
Gettysburg Address, (Nov. 19, 1863) Speech by Pres.
James II summary
James II, (born Oct. 14, 1633, London, Eng.—died Sept. 16/17,...
Joseph II summary
Joseph II, (born March 13, 1741, Vienna—died Feb. 20, 1790,...
July Plot summary
July Plot, or Rastenburg Assassination Plot , Abortive attempt...
just war theory summary
just war theory, Set of conditions under which a resort to war...
Maurice of Nassau summary
Maurice of Nassau, Dutch in full Maurits, prince van Oranje,...
Maximilian I summary
Maximilian I, (born April 17, 1573, Munich—died Sept. 27, 1651,...
naval warfare summary
naval warfare, Military operations conducted on, under, or over...
Nicholas I summary
Nicholas I, Russian Nikolay Pavlovich , (born July 6, 1796,...
Nicholas II summary
Nicholas II, Russian Nikolay Aleksandrovich , (born May 18,...
Nürnberg trials summary
Nürnberg trials, (1945–46) Trials of former Nazi Party leaders...
Pentagon Papers summary
Pentagon Papers, Secret documents detailing the U.S.
prehistoric religion summary
prehistoric religion, Religious practices and beliefs of prehistoric...
Prester John summary
Prester John, Legendary Christian ruler of the East.
psychological warfare summary
psychological warfare, Use of propaganda against an enemy, supported...
Roman law summary
Roman law, Law of the Roman Republic and Empire.
Stonehenge summary
Stonehenge, Monumental circular arrangement of standing stones...
Supreme Court of the United States summary
Supreme Court of the United States, Final court of appeal in...
U-boat summary
U-boat, German Unterseeboot (“undersea boat”) , German submarine.
Supreme Court of the United States summary
Supreme Court of the United States, Final court of appeal in...
Constitution of the United States summary
Constitution of the United States, Fundamental law of the U.S.
embargo summary
embargo, Legal action by a government or group of governments...
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact summary
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, or Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression...
Medici family summary
Medici family, Italian bourgeois family that ruled Florence...
political party summary
political party, Group of persons organized to acquire and exercise...
Radical Republican summary
Radical Republican, Member of the Republican Party in the 1860s...
Red Army summary
Red Army, Army of the Soviet Union.
states’ rights summary
states’ rights, Rights or powers retained by the regional governments...
Stock Market Crash of 1929 summary
Stock Market Crash of 1929, Economic event in the U.S.
chemical warfare summary
chemical warfare, Use of lethal or incapacitating chemical weapons...
Mayo family summary
Mayo family, Family of U.S.
revolution summary
revolution, In politics, fundamental, rapid, and often irreversible...
trench warfare summary
trench warfare, Warfare in which the opposing sides attack,...
Yalta Conference summary
Yalta Conference, (Feb. 4–11, 1945) Conference of Allied leaders...
biological warfare summary
biological warfare, or germ warfare , Military use of disease-producing...
Shang dynasty summary
Shang dynasty, or Yin dynasty , Traditionally, the second of...
Northern Wei dynasty summary
Northern Wei dynasty, or Toba dynasty , (ad 386–534/35) Longest-lived...
Wendi summary
Wendi, or Wen-ti orig.
Boxer Rebellion summary
Boxer Rebellion, Officially supported peasant uprising in 1900...
Hōjō family summary
Hōjō family, Family of hereditary regents to the shogunate of...
Meiji Restoration summary
Meiji Restoration, Overthrow of Japan’s Tokugawa shogunate (see...
Ming dynasty summary
Ming dynasty, (1368–1644) Chinese dynasty that provided an interval...
theology summary
theology, Study of the nature of God and the relationship of...
Holocaust Remembrance days summary
Holocaust Remembrance days, International commemoration of the...
Baptist summary
Baptist, Member of a group of Protestant Christians who hold...
Commonwealth summary
Commonwealth, or Commonwealth of Nations , Free association...
Crimean War summary
Crimean War, (October 1853–February 1856)War fought mainly in...
Dome of the Rock summary
Dome of the Rock, or Mosque of Omar , Oldest existing Islamic...
Edward the Black Prince summary
Edward the Black Prince, (born June 15, 1330, Woodstock, Oxfordshire,...
Free French summary
Free French, French movement to continue warfare against Germany...
gold summary
gold, Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements,...
Thrace summary
Thrace, Ancient and modern region, southeastern Balkan Peninsula.
buccaneer summary
buccaneer, Any of the British, French, or Dutch sea adventurers...
Frank summary
Frank, Member of a Germanic-speaking people who invaded the...
Inca summary
Inca, Group of South American Indians who ruled an empire that...
Mesoamerican civilization summary
Mesoamerican civilization, Complex of aboriginal cultures that...
Monroe Doctrine summary
Monroe Doctrine, U.S.
Nazi Party summary
Nazi Party, German political party of National Socialism.
Peninsular War summary
Peninsular War, (1808–14)Part of the Napoleonic Wars, fought...
reparations summary
reparations, Payment in money or materials by a nation defeated...
Robert I summary
Robert I, known as Robert the Bruce , (born July 11, 1274—died...
Continental Congress summary
Continental Congress, Body of delegates that acted for the American...
Egyptian law summary
Egyptian law, Law that prevailed in Egypt from c. 3000 bc to...
Compromise of 1850 summary
Compromise of 1850, Series of measures passed by the U.S.
Embargo Act summary
Embargo Act, Legislation by the U.S.
Fourteen Points summary
Fourteen Points, Outline of proposals by Pres.
Greek law summary
Greek law, Legal systems of the ancient Greeks.
Greek pottery summary
Greek pottery, Pottery made in ancient Greece.
Axis Powers summary
Axis Powers, Coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that...
compass summary
compass, In navigation or surveying, the chief device for direction...
economic growth summary
economic growth, Process by which a nation’s wealth increases...
economic planning summary
economic planning, Use of government to make economic decisions...
iron summary
iron, Metallic chemical element, one of the transition elements,...
Roger II summary
Roger II, (born Dec. 22, 1095—died Feb. 26, 1154, Palermo),...
Theodoric summary
Theodoric, known as Theodoric the Great , (born 454—died Aug....
Urban II summary
Urban II, orig.
courtly love summary
courtly love, Late-medieval code that prescribed the highly...
gold standard summary
gold standard, Monetary system in which the standard unit of...
Louis IV summary
Louis IV, or Ludwig IV known as Louis the Bavarian , (born 1283,...
Maximilian I summary
Maximilian I, (born March 22, 1459, Wiener Neustadt, Austria—died...
Middle Ages summary
Middle Ages, Period in European history traditionally dated...
Philip III summary
Philip III, French Philippe known as Philip the Good , (born...
Rothschild family summary
Rothschild family, European banking dynasty.
Tintoretto summary
Tintoretto, orig.
Missouri River summary
Missouri River, River, central U.S.
Classicism and Neoclassicism summary
Classicism and Neoclassicism, Art-historical tradition or aesthetic...
communism summary
communism, Political theory advocating community ownership of...
macroeconomics summary
macroeconomics, Study of the entire economy in terms of the...
P-51 summary
P-51, or Mustang , Fighter aircraft of World War II.
Spitfire summary
Spitfire, or Supermarine Spitfire , British fighter aircraft...
United States Navy summary
United States Navy, Major branch of the U.S.
Belmont family summary
Belmont family, U.S.
Marshall Plan summary
Marshall Plan, (1948–51)U.S.-sponsored program to provide economic...
Missouri Compromise summary
Missouri Compromise, (1820)Act passed by the U.S.
Ninety-five Theses summary
Ninety-five Theses, Propositions for debate on the question...
Otto I summary
Otto I, known as Otto the Great , (born Nov. 23, 912—died May...
Richard I summary
Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart(ed) French Richard...
Proclamation of 1763 summary
Proclamation of 1763, Proclamation by Britain at the end of...
William I summary
William I, known as William the Conqueror , (born c. 1028, Falaise,...
blockade summary
blockade, Act of war whereby one party blocks entry to or departure...
Charles the Bold summary
Charles the Bold, (born Nov. 10, 1433, Dijon, Burgundy [France]—died...
Charles IV summary
Charles IV, orig.
city-state summary
city-state, Political system consisting of an independent city...
Conrad II summary
Conrad II, (born c. 990—died June 4, 1039, Utrecht, Ger.), German...
Edward III summary
Edward III, known as Edward of Windsor , (born Nov. 13, 1312,...
Ferdinand II summary
Ferdinand II, known as Ferdinand the Catholic Spanish Fernando...
feudalism summary
feudalism, Term that emerged in the 17th century that has been...
Frederick I summary
Frederick I, German Friedrich known as Frederick Barbarossa ...
Frederick II summary
Frederick II, German Friedrich , (born Dec. 26, 1194, Jesi,...
Gregory IX summary
Gregory IX, orig.
Harold II summary
Harold II, known as Harold Godwineson , (born c. 1020—died Oct....
Henry III summary
Henry III, German Heinrich , (born Oct. 28, 1017—died Oct. 5,...
Henry IV summary
Henry IV, German Heinrich , (born Nov. 11, 1050, Goslar?, Saxony—died...
Henry V summary
Henry V, (born Sept. 16?, 1387, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales—died...
Henry the Navigator summary
Henry the Navigator, Portuguese Henrique o Navegador orig.
Inquisition summary
Inquisition, In the Middle Ages, a judicial procedure that was...
international organization summary
international organization, Institution drawing membership from...
John summary
John, known as John Lackland , (born Dec. 24, 1167, Oxford,...
Mexican Revolution summary
Mexican Revolution, (1910–20) Lengthy struggle that began with...
treaty summary
treaty, Contract or other written instrument binding two or...
war summary
war, State of conflict, generally armed, between two or more...
Peloponnesian War summary
Peloponnesian War, (431–404 bc)War fought between Athens and...
Claudius summary
Claudius, in full Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus...
Cyrus II summary
Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great , (born c. 585, Media or...
ethnic cleansing summary
ethnic cleansing, The creation of an ethnically homogenous geographic...
Etruscan summary
Etruscan, Any member of an ancient people of Etruria, whose...
excavation summary
excavation, In archaeology, the exposure, recording, and recovery...
Persian Wars summary
Persian Wars, or Greco-Persian Wars , (492–449 bc) Series of...
Rom summary
Rom, or Gypsy plural Roma , Any member of a people originating...
Hannibal summary
Hannibal, (born 247 bc, North Africa—died c.183–181 bc, Libyssa,...
Julian summary
Julian, or Julian the Apostate Latin Julianus Apostata orig.
Philip II summary
Philip II, or Philip of Macedon , (born 382—died 336 bc, Asia...
pyramid summary
pyramid, Ancient monumental structure constructed of or faced...
Senate summary
Senate, In ancient Rome, the governing and advisory council...
surveying summary
surveying, Method of making relatively large-scale, accurate...
Viking summary
Viking, or Norseman , Member of the Scandinavian seafaring warriors...