World History Encyclopedia

Latest Content

Free for the World, Supported by You

World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. For only $5 per month you can become a member and support our mission to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

World History Encyclopedia is a non-profit organization. Please support free history education for millions of learners worldwide for only $5 per month by becoming a member. Thank you!

Become a Member  
Phoney War
Definition

Phoney War

The Phoney War was the period from the start of the Second World War (1939-45) when Britain and France declared war against Germany on 3 September until...
The Steps to World War Two
Collection

The Steps to World War Two

The causes of WWII (1939-45) were many and varied, but there was a chain of international crises in Europe, which finally degenerated into a conflict...
A Gallery of Ancient, Medieval, & Modern Warrior Women
Collection

A Gallery of Ancient, Medieval, & Modern Warrior Women

The first female warrior attested to historically is Queen Ahhotep I of Egypt (l. c. 1570-1530 BCE) who put down a rebellion by the Hyksos when her...
Gods & Goddesses of Rebirth & Renewal Around the World
Image Gallery

Gods & Goddesses of Rebirth & Renewal Around the World

Deities representing the concepts of rebirth and renewal have been a vital aspect of the human condition for thousands of years. Early animistic belief...
Battle of Lake Erie
Article

Battle of Lake Erie

The Battle of Lake Erie (10 September 1813), also known as the Battle of Put-in-Bay, was a decisive naval engagement in the War of 1812. It saw a squadron...
Interview: Medieval Christian Art in the Levant
Article

Interview: Medieval Christian Art in the Levant

Medievalists retain misconceptions and myths about Oriental Christians. Indeed, the fact that the Middle East is the birthplace of Christianity is an...
Paul's Journeys and the Mediterranean Trade
Article

Paul's Journeys and the Mediterranean Trade

Mediterranean trade increased exponentially at the turn of the first millennium. During Rome's zenith, goods of all sorts began to move in all directions...
How Christmas Was Shaped by 19th-Century Literature
Article

How Christmas Was Shaped by 19th-Century Literature

How we celebrate Christmas today is largely shaped by a small group of authors who recorded festive traditions in the 19th century. These authors include...
Siege of Fort Meigs
Article

Siege of Fort Meigs

The Siege of Fort Meigs (28 April to 9 May 1813) was a major engagement on the northwestern frontier of the War of 1812. It saw a US army under Major...
Reinhard Heydrich
Definition

Reinhard Heydrich

Reinhard Heydrich (1904-1942) was a lieutenant-general in the Nazi SS organisation, Gestapo chief, and head of Reich security. A favourite of Adolf...
Washington Irving
Definition

Washington Irving

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was an American author, essayist, and diplomat best known for his short stories The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van...
The History of Christmas Celebrations
Collection

The History of Christmas Celebrations

In this collection of resources we look at the origins of Christmas and the story of the Nativity, the pagan traditions that have influenced how the...
A Gallery of Norse Gods & Yule Traditions
Image Gallery

A Gallery of Norse Gods & Yule Traditions

The Norse tradition of celebrating Yule (Yuletide=Yule Time) influenced many of the later traditions now associated with Christmas. "Yuletide" appears...
Rabbit Tales of the Cherokee
Article

Rabbit Tales of the Cherokee

In the lore of the Cherokee nation, the rabbit is a trickster figure living by its wits, who sometimes outsmarts adversaries or predators and sometimes...
The Christmas Truce
Definition

The Christmas Truce

The Christmas Truce of 1914 occurred on the Western Front during the First World War (1914-18). On Christmas Eve soldiers in the trenches spontaneously...
Interview: Swiss Colonialism Exhibition
Article

Interview: Swiss Colonialism Exhibition

The National Museum Zurich recently opened a comprehensive and multi perspectival exhibition on Switzerland’s colonial past: Colonial – Switzerland’s...
Membership