World History Portal | Britannica (2025)

Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages.

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Nature isn’t always peaceful and idyllic. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and other powerful natural phenomena can have devastating consequences on communities and regions throughout the world. But nature is far from the only instigator of large-scale misfortune; human-made disasters and tragedies, both accidental and intentional, can cause significant misery, damage, and loss of life.

Articles

• influenza pandemic (H1N1) of 2009
• Titanic

  ship

• Eastland disaster

  maritime disaster, Chicago River, Chicago, Illinois,...

Age of Revolutions

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• French Revolution

  1787–1799

• Meiji Restoration

  Japanese history

• Haitian Revolution

  Haitian history

The Ancient World

The modern world may look very different from the world that existed in the time of ancient civilizations, but our modern-day life continues to show the influence of cultures, traditions, ideas, and innovations from hundreds of years ago. Learn more about important historical civilizations, sites, people, and events.

Articles

• Aegean civilizations
• ancient Egypt
• Cleopatra

  queen of Egypt

Historians

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Thomas Carlyle

  British essayist and historian

• Herodotus

  Greek historian

• Ibn Khaldūn

  Muslim historian

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Ming dynasty

  Chinese history

• Barmakids

  ʿAbbāsid viziers

• Wei dynasty

  Chinese history [386-534/535]

Historic Nobility

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Ivan III

  Russian prince

• Casimir IV

  king of Poland

• Simon de Montfort, earl of Leicester

  French noble

Global Exploration

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Alexander von Humboldt

  German explorer and naturalist

• René-Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle

  French explorer

• Baroque art and architecture

The Middle Ages

The Middle Ages comprise the period in European history that began with the collapse of Roman civilization in the 5th century CE and lasted until the dawn of the Renaissance in the 13th, 14th, or 15th century. This interval of time saw the development of the Gothic style of art and architecture, flying buttresses and all. It was also the era of the Crusades and of papal monarchy, and it was during this period that the idea of Europe as a distinct cultural unit emerged.

Articles

• Western Schism

  Roman Catholic history

• Fall of Constantinople

  Byzantine history [1453]

• Battle of Agincourt

  European history

Military Leaders

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Adolf Hitler

  dictator of Germany

• Frederick II

  king of Prussia

• George Washington

  1st president of the United States

The Modern World

This general category includes a selection of more specific topics.

Articles

• Nelson Mandela

  president of South Africa

• Mao Zedong

  Chinese leader

• Cold War

  international politics

Prehistoric Age

The prehistoric age covers the millions of years that took place before human beings began to create written records of their life and of the world in which they lived. Archaeology and similar fields of study allow us to fill in the gaps and piece together an image of what life was like for our ancestors, including what kinds of flora and fauna they might have encountered.

Articles

• Ancestral Pueblo culture

  North American Indian culture

• stone tool industry

  archaeology

• Acheulean industry

  prehistoric toolmaking

United States History

As with most nations, the history of the United States contains a number of twists and turns throughout the centuries, from the time of the English colonization of North America up to the modern-day America that we're familiar with. Learn more about the people, events, and movements that left an indelible mark in history and shaped the development of the United States as a nation.

Articles

• Burr-Hamilton duel

  duel, Weehawken, New Jersey, United States [1804]

• Battle of Gettysburg

  American Civil War [1863]

• United States presidential election of 1968

  United States government

Wars, battles, and other domestic or international conflicts, whether armed or diplomatic, are often the outcome of a dispute over natural resources or a struggle for power, influence, and wealth. Major conflicts between nations, peoples, and political groups can end up shifting the cultural and political geography of the world and can also effect change, whether intentional or not, in societal values and the balance of power.

Articles

• Vietnam War

  1954–1975

• Afghanistan War

  2001–2014

• French Revolutionary wars

  European history