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The Home Fronts in World War I - The Effects of Total War on Civilians
The First World War (1914-18) saw fighting on an unprecedented scale but also involved civilians as never before. For the first time, people hundreds of miles from the fighting front were vulnerable to air attacks. The war at sea dramatically...
Article
How Germany Lost World War I
Germany started the First World War (1914-18) with the belief its armed forces could win a quick and decisive victory over France and then Russia. The reality turned out to be much more complicated as more countries became involved in a global...
Article
Key British Weapons of World War I
The First World War (1914-18) witnessed an arsenal of new weapons as all sides were desperate to gain an advantage, particularly in the static trench warfare of the Western Front. There were some old tried-and-tested weapons like the Lee-Enfield...
Article
Ten Great Stupas from Around the World
A stupa is a reliquary containing the remains (relics) of an individual associated with great spiritual power and insight, most often (since the 3rd century BCE) with the Buddha (l. c. 563 - c. 483 BCE). The form, a hemisphere topped by a...
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Origins of World Agriculture
Agriculture arose independently at several locations across the world, beginning about 12,000 years ago. The first crops and livestock were domesticated in six rather diffuse areas including the Near East, China, Southeast Asia, and Africa...
Interview
Interview: King of the World by Matt Waters
In this interview, World History Encyclopedia sits down with author Matt Waters to chat about his new book King of the World: The Life of Cyrus the Great published by Oxford University Press. Kelly: Can you tell us a bit about your book...
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The Seven Sacks of Rome
An infographic of the seven times the city of Rome was sacked. Across more than 1,900 years (390 BCE–1527 CE), the sacks of Rome reveal not a single moment of collapse, but a recurring pattern of vulnerability shaped by shifting political...
Definition
Ancient Greek Literature
Greek literature has influenced not only its Roman neighbors to the west but also countless generations across the European continent. Greek writers are responsible for the introduction of such genres as poetry, tragedy, comedy, and western...
Article
Graf Zeppelin's Round the World Trip of 1929
The Graf Zeppelin was the most successful of all Zeppelin airships, making several hundred trips across the Atlantic between Europe and the Americas. In 1929, a new age of air travel dawned when the Graf Zeppelin flew around the world in...
Article
8 Innovative Weapons of World War I - How New Tech Transformed 20th-century Warfare
The First World War (1914-18) has a close association with static trench warfare dominated by heavy artillery and machine guns, but the conflict witnessed many entirely new developments in weaponry as all sides desperately sought to outdo...