Portal:History

The History Portal This is the Place Monument History (from Greek ἱστορία, historia, meaning "inquiry; knowledge acquired by investigation") is the study of the past. Events occurring before the invention of writing systems are considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of information about these events. Historians place the past in context using historical sources such as written documents, oral accounts, ecological markers, and material objects including art and artifacts. History also includes the academic discipline which uses narrative to describe, examine, question, and analyze a sequence of past events, investigate the patterns of cause and effect that are related to them. Historians seek to understand and represent the past through narratives. They often debate which narrative best explains an event, as well as the significance of different causes and effects. Historians also debate the nature of history and its usefulness by discussing the study of the discipline as an end in itself and as a way of providing "perspective" on the problems of the present. Stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources (such as the tales surrounding King Arthur), are usually classified as cultural heritage or legends. History differs from myth in that it is supported by evidence. However, ancient influences have helped spawn variant interpretations of the nature of history which have evolved over the centuries and continue to change today. The modern study of history is wide-ranging, and includes the study of specific regions and the study of certain topical or thematic elements of historical investigation. History is often taught as part of primary and secondary education, and the academic study of history is a major discipline in university studies. Herodotus, a 5th-century BC Greek historian is often considered (within the Western tradition) to be the "father of history," or, by some, the "father of lies." Along with his contemporary Thucydides, he helped form the foundations for the modern study of human history. Their works continue to be read today, and the gap between the culture-focused Herodotus and the military-focused Thucydides remains a point of contention or approach in modern historical writing. In East Asia, a state chronicle, the Spring and Autumn Annals, was known to be compiled from as early as 722 BC although only 2nd-century BC texts have survived. Featured article - This is a Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia.. Map 1: Mysore and Coorg (along with the Kanara Coast) shown in a 1908 map from the Imperial Gazetteer of India The political history of the region on the Deccan Plateau in west-central peninsular India (Map 1) that was later divided into Mysore state and Coorg province, saw many changes after the fall of the Hindu Vijayanagara Empire in 1565. The point before the rise of Sultan Haidar Ali in 1761 introduced a new period. At the height of the Vijayanagara Empire, the Mysore and Coorg region was ruled by motley chieftains, or rajas ("little kings"). Each raja had dominion over a small area and supplied soldiers and annual tribute for the empire's needs. After the empire's fall and the subsequent eastward move of the diminished ruling family, many chieftains tried to loosen their imperial bonds and expand their realms. Sensing opportunity amidst the new uncertainty, various powers from the north invaded the region. Among these were the Sultanate of Bijapur to the northwest, the Sultanate of Golconda to the northeast, the fledgeling Maratha empire farther northwest, and the Mughal empire, still farther north. For much of the 17th century the tussles between the little kings and the big powers, and amongst the little kings, culminated in shifting sovereignties, loyalties, and borders. By the turn of the 18th century, the political landscape had become better defined: the northwestern hills were being ruled by the Nayaka rulers of Ikkeri the southwestern, in the Western Ghats, by the Rajas of Coorg, the southern plains by the Wodeyar rulers of Mysore, all of which were Hindu dynasties; and the eastern and northeastern regions by the Muslim Nawabs of Arcot and Sira. Of these, Ikkeri and Coorg were independent, Mysore, although much-expanded, was formally a Mughal dependency, and Arcot and Sira, Mughal subahs (or provinces). Read more... 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The Khokhois had settled the region in the 5th century AD, and when Europeans first arrived there in 1652, they were still practicing traditional pastoral agriculture. Here, they are dismantling their huts in preparation for moving to more fertile grazing grounds. Did you know... ... that the Japanese aircraft carrier Amagi (wreck pictured) capsized on 29 July 1945 as a result of cumulative damage inflicted by American airstrikes on 24 and 28 July? ... that Scandinavian influence in Scotland, still evident today, was probably at its height during the time of Thorfinn the Mighty? ... that, after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Bassetki statue, which is more than 4,200 years old, was found in a cesspool? ... that in medieval art, angels were often depicted wearing feather tights? ... that 49% of German military losses happened in the last 10 months of the Second World War in Europe? ... that Joshua L. Goldberg, the first rabbi to serve as a World War II U.S. navy chaplain, was a Russian army deserter? ... that Richard Nixon chose the Wilson desk as his Oval Office desk because he believed it was used by Woodrow Wilson, but it was actually used by Henry Wilson, Vice President under Ulysses S. Grant? ... that some of the nominally silver Roman coins from the Bredon Hill Hoard only have a 1% silver content? Featured biography - This is a Featured article, which represents some of the best content on English Wikipedia.. Malcolm X in March 1964 Malcolm Little (May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965), better known as Malcolm X, was an African American Muslim minister, and human rights activist who was a popular figure during the civil rights movement. He is best known for his time spent as a vocal spokesman for the Nation of Islam. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Michigan, Malcolm X spent his teenage years living in a series of foster homes after his father's death and his mother's hospitalization. He engaged in several illicit activities there, eventually being sentenced to 10 years in prison in 1946 for larceny and breaking and entering. In prison, he joined the Nation of Islam, adopted the name Malcolm X, and quickly became one of the organization's most influential leaders after being paroled in 1952. Malcolm X then served as the public face of the organization for a dozen years, where he advocated for black supremacy, black empowerment, and the separation of black and white Americans, and publicly criticized the mainstream civil rights movement for its emphasis on nonviolence and racial integration. Malcolm X also expressed pride in some of the Nation's social welfare achievements, namely its free drug rehabilitation program. Throughout his life beginning in the 1950s, Malcolm X endured surveillance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for the Nation's supposed links to communism. Read more... List of featured biographies Alcibiades Blackbeard Ramón Emeterio Betances Harriet Arbuthnot Samuel Adams Nikita Zotov Pedro Álvares Cabral Isaac Brock Joel Brand Daniel Boone Phan Đình Phùng Jack Sheppard Witold Pilecki Wail al-Shehri John Treloar (museum administrator) Pericles George W. Romney Joan of Arc Jovan Vladimir Shen Kuo Cleopatra King Arthur Giovanni Villani Joan of Arc Phan Đình Phùng Malcolm X Ramón Emeterio Betances Jean Baptiste Point du Sable Tom Crean (explorer) Fridtjof Nansen Thomas the Slav Jean-François-Marie de Surville Hasekura Tsunenaga Harriet Tubman On this day October 4: Cinnamon Roll Day in Sweden Replica of Sputnik 1 1876 – Texas A&M University opened as the U.S. state's first public institution of higher education. 1917 – First World War: The Allies devastated the German defence at the Battle of Broodseinde, prompting a crisis among their commanders and causing a severe loss of morale in the 4th Army. 1957 – The Soviet spacecraft Sputnik 1 (replica pictured), the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. 2003 – A suicide bomber killed 21 people and injured 60 others inside a restaurant in Haifa, Israel. 2010 – A waste-reservoir dam in western Hungary collapsed, freeing 1 million m3 (35 million cu ft) of red mud, which flooded nearby communities and killed ten people. Anna of Tyrol (b. 1585) Townsend Harris (b. 1804) Graham Chapman (d. 1989) More anniversaries: October 3 October 4 October 5 Selected quote Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration. — Thomas Edison, scientist and inventor Subportals Ancient Egypt Ancient Greece Ancient Rome Middle Ages Anglo-Saxon England British Empire History of science Countries War Modern history General images The following are images from various History-related articles on Wikipedia. Largest expansion of Kingdom of Armenia under Tigranes the Great Overview map in the 15th century BC showing the core territory of Assyria with its two major cities Assur and Nineveh wedged between Babylonia downstream and the states of Mitanni and Hatti upstream. Nok sculpture of a sitted person Charlemagne's palace chapel at Aachen, completed in 805 Oracle bone script from the Shang Dynasty. Agricultural calendar, c. 1470, from a manuscript of Pietro de Crescenzi Francis of Assisi, depicted by Bonaventura Berlinghieri in 1235, founded the Franciscan Order. The Ezana Stone records negus Ezana's conversion to Christianity and conquests of his neighbors. "If there is something you know, communicate it. If there is something you don't know, search for it." An engraving from the 1772 edition of the Encyclopédie; Truth (center) is surrounded by light and unveiled by the figures to the right, Philosophy and Reason Measoamerica – Olmec A page from the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript created in the British Isles in the late 8th or early 9th century Execution of some of the ringleaders of the jacquerie, from a 14th-century manuscript of the Chroniques de France ou de St Denis A coin of the Ostrogothic leader Theoderic the Great, struck in Milan, Italy, circa AD 491–501 A possible representation of a "yogi" or "proto-Shiva", 2600–1900 BCE The ruins of Mesoamerican city Teotihuacan 15th century Hanging Houses in Cuenca, Spain from the Early Renaissance, and the Early modern period. Gold fueled European exploration of the Americas. Explorers reported Native Americans in Central America, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia were to have had large amounts. Barbarian kingdoms and tribes after the end of the Western Roman Empire Mesopotamia – Sumer The Persian Achaemenid Empire at its greatest extent, c. 500 BC Silver, valued as a precious metal, has been used to make expensive ornaments, fine jewelry, high-value tableware and utensils (silverware), and currency coins. The Cantino planisphere (1502), the oldest surviving Portuguese nautical chart showing the results of the explorations of Vasco da Gama to India, Columbus to Central America, Gaspar Corte-Real to Newfoundland and Pedro Álvares Cabral to Brazil. The meridian of Tordesillas, separating the Portuguese and Spanish halves of the world is also depicted 10th-century Ottonian ivory plaque depicting Christ receiving a church from Otto I Cishou Temple Pagoda, built in 1576: the Chinese believed that building pagodas on certain sites according to geomantic principles brought about auspicious events; merchant-funding for such projects was needed by the late Ming period. The Mughal ambassador Khan’Alam in 1618 negotiating with Shah Abbas the Great of Iran. Europe and the Mediterranean Sea in 1190 A mosaic showing Justinian with the bishop of Ravenna (Italy), bodyguards, and courtiers. Sénanque Abbey, Gordes, France Map of the late Bronze Age collapse, c. 1200 BC Model for the Three Superior Planets and Venus from Georg von Peuerbach, Theoricae novae planetarum. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, c. 1830 by Hokusai, an example of art flourishing in the Edo Period Map of the approximate political boundaries in Europe around 450 AD Clerics studying astronomy and geometry, French, early 15th century Europe in 814 Krak des Chevaliers was built during the Crusades for the Knights Hospitallers. February scene from the 15th-century illuminated manuscript Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry Ottoman Empire 1481–1683 The Age of Migrations in Europe was deeply detrimental to the late Roman Empire. The Bayeux Tapestry (detail) showing William the Conqueror (centre), his half-brothers Robert, Count of Mortain (right) and Odo, Bishop of Bayeux in the Duchy of Normandy (left) The early Muslim conquests   Expansion under Muhammad, 622–632   Expansion during the Patriarchal Caliphate, 632–661   Expansion during the Umayyad Caliphate, 661–750 Bronze Mirror, from the Yayoi period of Japan A political map of the Mauryan Empire, including notable cities, such as the capital Pataliputra, and site of the Buddha's enlightenment. Map of the Islamic Gunpowders, the Mughal Empire being the orange one. Portrait of Cardinal Hugh of Saint-Cher by Tommaso da Modena, 1352, the first known depiction of spectacles Painting of Murong Xianbei archer, in Late Antiquity, nomads across Eurasia, began to use the stirrup. Horse riding warriors could be devastating in combat. Waldseemüller map with joint sheets, 1507 Spices were among the most luxurious products, the most common being black pepper, cinnamon (and the cheaper alternative cassia), cumin, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. The Chinese Han Dynasty dominated the East Asia region at the beginning of the first millennium AD The Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis, built of marble and limestone between circa 460-406 BC, is a symbol not just of Ancient Greek architecture, but for Antiquity in general China – Erlitou Engraved world map (including magnetic declination lines) by Leonhard Euler from his school atlas "Geographischer Atlas bestehend in 44 Land-Charten" first published 1753 in Berlin Standing Greek-Buddha, Gandhara, 1st century AD. Ferdinand Pauwels – Martin Luther hammers his 95 theses to the door A late Roman sculpture depicting the four Tetrarchs, now in Venice, Italy The Parthenon, a temple dedicated to Athena, located on the Acropolis in Athens Medieval French manuscript illustration of the three classes of medieval society: those who prayed (the clergy) those who fought (the knights), and those who worked (the peasantry). The relationship between these classes was governed by feudalism and manorialism. (Li Livres dou Sante, 13th century) Reconstruction of an early medieval peasant village in Bavaria 13th-century illustration of a Jew (in pointed Jewish hat) and the Christian Petrus Alphonsi debating Roman cast terracotta of ram-horned Jupiter Ammon, a form of Zeus 1st century AD. Gods, could sometimes be transferred or adopted by many civilizations, and then adjusted for local conditions. Robert Clive and Mir Jafar after the Battle of Plassey, 1757 by Francis Hayman The Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct in France. Battle of Vienna, 12 September 1683 Andean – Norte Chico Gutenberg reviewing a press proof (a colored engraving created probably in the 19th century) A medieval scholar making precise measurements in a 14th-century manuscript illustration The Cross of Mathilde, a crux gemmata made for Mathilde, Abbess of Essen (973–1011), who is shown kneeling before the Virgin and Child in the enamel plaque. The figure of Christ is slightly later. Probably made in Cologne or Essen, the cross demonstrates several medieval techniques: cast figurative sculpture, filigree, enamelling, gem polishing and setting, and the reuse of Classical cameos and engraved gems. Medieval illustration of the spherical Earth in a 14th-century copy of L'Image du monde Roman Empire 117 AD. The Senatorial provinces were acquired first under the Roman Republic and were under the Roman Senate's control; the Imperial provinces were controlled directly by the Roman emperor. Egyptian soldiers from Hatshepsut's expedition to the Land of Punt as depicted from her temple at Deir el-Bahri. Joan of Arc in a 15th-century depiction Geographical extent of Iranian influence in the 1st century BC. The Parthian Empire (mostly Western Iranian) is shown in red, other areas, dominated by Scythia (mostly Eastern Iranian), in orange. Technical drawing of Roman Ballista mechanism. The Romanesque Church of Maria Laach, Germany Guy of Boulogne crowning Pope Gregory XI in a 15th-century miniature from Froissart's Chroniques Cossacks became the backbone of the early Russian Army. Gold stag with eagle's head, and ten further heads in the antlers. From a Xiongnu tomb. 4th–3rd century BC A painting depecting the Qing Chinese celebrating a victory over the Kingdom of Tungning in Taiwan. This work was a collaboration between Chinese and European painters. India – Indus Valley Civilization The Gothic interior of Laon Cathedral, France The Iron Age kingdom of Israel (blue) and kingdom of Judah (yellow) Pharaohs of Nubia Map showing growth of Frankish power from 481 to 814 John Trumbull's Declaration of Independence, showing the Committee of Five in charge of drafting the Declaration in 1776 as it presents its work to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia An 11th-century illustration of Gregory the Great dictating to a secretary Khafre's Pyramid (4th dynasty) and Great Sphinx of Giza (c. 2500 BC or perhaps earlier) Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People (1830). The French Revolution inspired a wave of revolutions across Europe. Liberalism and Nationalism were popular ideas that challenged Absolute Monarchies in the 19th century. The Territory of the Adal Sultanate and its vassal states circa 1500. Terracotta Warriors from the time of Qin Shi Huang Map of Europe in 1360 Byzantine Empire in 1265 World Colonization of 1492 (Early Modern World), 1550, 1660, 1754 (Age of Enlightenment), 1822 (Industrial revolution), 1885 (European Hegemony), 1914 (World War I era), 1938 (World War II era), 1959 (Cold War era) and 1974, 2008 (Recent history). Topics Categories Select [►] to view subcategories ▼ History ► Past ► History by ethnic group ► History by location ► History by period ► History by topic ► History-related lists ► Historical timelines ► Outlines of history and events ► Chronology ► Historians ► Fields of history ► History awards ► Historical controversies ► History in culture ► History education ► Historical eras ► Events ► Historically themed events ► Historical geography ► Geological history of Earth ► Historicity ► Historiography ► Legacies ► Historical objects ► Oral history ► History organizations ► Origins ► People in history occupations ► Philosophy of history ► Historic preservation ► Pseudohistory ► Theories of history ► Historic volcanic events ► Wikipedia books on history ► History images ► History stubs History • By period • By region • By topic • By ethnic group • Historiography • Archaeology • Books • Maps • Images • Magazines • Organizations • Fictional • Museums • Pseudohistory • Stubs • Timelines • Chronology • People • Wikipedia historians WikiProjects WikiProject History • Ancient Near East • Australian History • Classical Greece and Rome • Dacia • Former countries • History of Canada • Chinese history • European history • Heraldry and vexillology • Indian history • Jewish history • Medieval Scotland • Mesoamerica • Military history • Middle Ages • History of Science WikiProject Time • Days of the Year • Years WikiProject Biography • Composers • Political figures • Saints • United States Presidents Things you can do    Here are some Open Tasks : Copy/edit: Hongwu Emperor, Indian independence movement, Modern history, More... 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