World History Encyclopedia

By World History Encyclopedia

What's World History Encyclopedia about?

We are a non-profit organization publishing the world's most-read history encyclopedia. Our mission is to engage people with cultural heritage and to improve history education worldwide.

Subscribe to our Podcast:

SpotifyApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSoundcloud

Download our free app to listen on your phone

World History Encyclopedia episodes:

05.07.2024
Electrical Telegraph
The Electrical Telegraph was invented in 1837 by William Fothergill Cook (1806-1879) and Charles Wheatstone (1802-1875) in England with parallel innovations being made by Samuel Morse (1791-1872) in the United States. The telegraph, once wires and undersea cables had connected countries and continents, transformed communications so...
05.07.2024
Who's Who in a Pirate Crew
It was all very well pocketing other people’s valuables and roistering at rum parties, but life on a pirate ship involved a surprising amount of hard work. Pirates were first and foremost sailors and in the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1730), a...
04.25.2024
Effects of the Black Death on Europe
The outbreak of plague in Europe between 1347-1352 – known as the Black Death – completely changed the world of medieval Europe. Severe depopulation upset the socio-economic feudal system of the time but the experience of the plague itself affected...
04.25.2024
Paper in Ancient China
The widespread use of paper and printing were features of ancient China which distinguished it from other ancient cultures. Traditionally, paper was invented in the early 2nd century CE, but there is evidence it was much earlier. As a cheaper and more...
04.16.2024
Ancient India
India is a country in South Asia whose name comes from the Indus River. The name 'Bharata' is used as a designation for the country in their constitution referencing the ancient mythological emperor, Bharata, whose story is told, in part,...
04.16.2024
Feudalism
Feudalism was the system in 10th-13th century European medieval societies where a social hierarchy was established based on local administrative control and the distribution of land into units (fiefs). A landowner (lord) gave a fief, along with a promise of military...
03.14.2024
Food & Drink in the Elizabethan Era
Written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Lianne Walker. Support our work on Patreon: https://www.worldhistory.org/patreon/ Food and drink in the Elizabethan era was remarkably diverse with much more meat and many more varieties of it being eaten by those who could...
03.13.2024
Trial and Execution of Marie Antoinette
Written by Harrison W. Mark and read by Lianne Walker. Support our work on Patreon: https://www.worldhistory.org/patreon/ The trial and execution of Marie Antoinette (1755-1793), formerly the queen of France, was among the opening events of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution (1789-1799). Accused of a...
03.13.2024
Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution
Children were widely used as labour in factories, mines, and agriculture during the British Industrial Revolution (1760-1840). Very often working the same 12-hour shifts that adults did, children as young as five years old were paid a pittance to climb under dangerous weaving machines,...
02.26.2024
Anne, Queen of Great Britain
Anne reigned as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1702 and then, following the 1707 Act of Union, over a united kingdom as Queen of Great Britain until her death in 1714. The last of the Stuart monarchs, Anne's...
02.26.2024
Top 10 Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
The British Industrial Revolution transformed life at work and at home for practically everyone. Noise, pollution, social upheaval, and repetitive jobs were the price to pay for labour-saving machines, cheap and comfortable transportation, more affordable consumer goods, better lighting and...
05.11.2023
Twelve Great Women of Ancient Persia
Women in ancient Persia had more rights and greater freedom than any other ancient civilization including, according to some scholars, even ancient Egypt which is famous for its respect for the feminine principle in religion as well as daily life. Support...
05.11.2023
Women in Ancient Persia
Women in ancient Persia were not only highly respected but, in many cases, considered the equals of males. Women could own land, conduct business, received equal pay, could travel freely on their own, and in the case of royal women,...
05.11.2023
Egyptian Gods - The Complete List
The gods and goddesses of Ancient Egypt were an integral part of the people's everyday lives for over 3,000 years. There were over 2,000 deities in the Egyptianpantheon, many whose names are well known - Isis, Osiris, Horus, Amun, Ra,...
04.05.2023
Clothes in the Elizabethan Era
Clothes in the Elizabethan era (1558-1603 CE) became much more colourful, elaborate, and flamboyant than in previous periods. With Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE) herself being a dedicated follower of fashion, so, too, her court and nobles followed...
02.08.2023
Medieval Cures for the Black Death
The Black Death is the 19th-century CE term for the plague epidemic that ravaged Europe between 1347-1352 CE, killing an estimated 30 million people there and many more worldwide as it reached pandemic proportions. The name comes from the black...
02.02.2023
Black Death
The Black Death was a plague pandemic which devastated medieval Europe from 1347 to 1352 CE, killing an estimated 25-30 million people. The disease originated in central Asia and was taken to the Crimea by Mongol warriors and traders. The...
01.23.2023
Elizabethan Theatre
Elizabethan theatre, sometimes called English Renaissance theatre, refers to that style of performance plays which blossomed during the reign of Elizabeth I of England (r. 1558-1603 CE) and which continued under her Stuart successors. Elizabethan theatre witnessed the first professional actors who belonged...
01.17.2023
Egyptian Book of the Dead
The Egyptian Book of the Dead is a collection of spells which enable the soul of the deceased to navigate the afterlife. The famous title was given the work by western scholars; the actual title would translate as The Book of Coming Forth...
01.16.2023
Song of Everlasting Sorrow
The Song of Everlasting Sorrow is a narrative poem of the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) inspired by the love affair between Xuanzong (r. 712-756 CE), the seventh emperor of the dynasty, and his consort Lady Yang. It was written by the Chinese poet Bai Juyi (l. 772-846 CE) and...
01.16.2023
Foot-Binding
Foot-binding was a practice first carried out on young girls in Tang Dynasty China to restrict their normal growth and make their feet as small as possible. Considered an attractive quality, the effects of the process were painful and permanent. Widely used as a...
01.11.2023
World's Oldest Love Poem
The world's oldest love poem is The Love Song for Shu-Sin (c. 2000 BCE) composed in ancient Mesopotamia for use in part of the sacred rites of fertility. Prior to its discovery in the 19th century, and its translation in...
01.03.2023
Ancient Greek Medicine
In ancient Greek medicine illness was initially regarded as a divine punishment and healing as, quite literally, a gift from the gods. However, by the 5th century BCE, there were attempts to identify the material causes for illnesses rather than spiritual ones...
11.07.2022
Hadrian
Hadrian written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by Grace MacLachlan: https://www.worldhistory.org/hadrian/ Hadrian (l. 78-138 CE) was emperor of Rome (r. 117-138 CE) and is recognized as the third of the Five Good Emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and Marcus...
10.24.2022
Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Egyptian Hieroglyphs written by Priscila Scoville and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Hieroglyphs/ The Egyptian hieroglyphic script was one of the writing systems used by ancient Egyptians to represent their language. Because of their pictorial elegance, Herodotus and other important Greeks believed...
09.12.2022
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel written by James Blake Wiener and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/Mont-Saint-Michel/ Mont-Saint-Michel is the name of a tidal island located off the coasts of Normandy and Brittany, near the mouths of the Couesnon River and the town of Avranches in...
08.25.2022
Gutians
Gutians written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by DW Draffin: https://ww.worldhistory.org/Gutians/ Watch it on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnOoTTH8bco The Gutians were a West Asiatic people who are thought to have lived around the Zagros Mountains in a region referred to as Gutium....
08.01.2022
A Short History of the Buddhist Schools
A Short History of the Buddhist Schools written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/492/a-short-history-of-the-buddhist-schools/ The different Buddhist schools of thought, still operating in the present day, developed after the death of the Buddha (l. c. 563 -...
07.25.2022
Shang Dynasty
Shang Dynasty written by Emily Mark and narrated by Ethan Hu https://www.worldhistory.org/Shang_Dynasty/ The Shang Dynasty (c. 1600-1046 BCE) was the second dynasty of China, which succeeded the Xia Dynasty (c. 2700-1600 BCE) after the overthrow of the Xia tyrant Jie by...
05.29.2022
Ancient Chinese Philosophy
Ancient Chinese Philosophy written byJoshua J. Mark and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/Chinese_Philosophy/ The term Ancient Chinese Philosophy refers to the belief systems developed by various philosophers during the era known as the Hundred Schools of Thought when these thinkers formed their...
03.20.2022
Life in a Japanese Buddhist Monastery
Life in a Japanese Buddhist Monastery written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1423/life-in-a-japanese-buddhist-monastery/ Buddhist monasteries have been part of the Japanese cultural landscape ever since the 7th century CE, and they remained both powerful and socially important institutions right...
02.20.2022
Druid
Druid written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/druid/ Druids were a class of individuals in ancient Celtic cultures known for their great wisdom and knowledge of traditions. Not only priests who managed all religious rituals such as sacrifices...
01.24.2022
Ancient Egyptian Symbols
Ancient Egyptian Symbols written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1011/ancient-egyptian-symbols/ Religion in ancient Egypt was fully integrated into the people's daily lives. The gods were present at one's birth, throughout one's life, in the transition from earthly...
01.17.2022
Cleopatra VII
Cleopatra VII written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by Jonathan Bailey: https://www.worldhistory.org/Cleopatra_VII/ Cleopatra VII (l. c. 69-30 BCE, r. 51-30 BCE) was the last ruler of Egypt before it was annexed as a province of Rome. Although arguably the most...
01.11.2022
Medieval Knights: 12 of the Best
Medieval Knights: 12 of the Best written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1245/medieval-knights-12-of-the-best/ The knights of medieval Europe were meant to be the finest fighting men of their age, even more important, they were expected to be pure...
12.06.2021
Mitanni
Mitanni written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by Kelly Macquire: www.worldhistory.org/Mitanni/ The Kingdom of Mitanni, known to the people of the land, and the Assyrians, as Hanigalbat and to the Egyptians as Naharin and Metani, once stretched from present-day northern...
11.14.2021
How To Read A Maya Glyph
How To Read A Maya Glyph written by Lily Ball and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/789/how-to-read-a-maya-glyph/ For over three centuries, the ancient Maya flourished in Mesoamerica. They built giant stone pyramids surrounded by dense jungle, used a calendrical system that made...
11.07.2021
Aryan
Aryan written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by DW Draffin: www.worldhistory.org/Aryan/ Aryan is a designation originally meaning “civilized”, “noble”, or “free” without reference to any ethnicity. It was first applied as a self-identifying term by a migratory group of people from...
08.13.2021
Hermes
Hermes written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: https://www.worldhistory.org/Hermes/ Hermes was the ancient Greek god of trade, wealth, luck, fertility, animal husbandry, sleep, language, thieves, and travel. One of the cleverest and most mischievous of the Olympian gods, he...
07.23.2021
The Phoenician Alphabet & Language
The Phoenician Alphabet & Language written by Thamis and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/17/the-phoenician-alphabet--language/ Phoenician is a Canaanite language closely related to Hebrew. Very little is known about the Canaanite language, except what can be gathered from the El-Amarna letters written...
07.13.2021
Women in Ancient Greece
Women in Ancient Greece written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/927/women-in-ancient-greece/ Women in the Ancient Greek world had few rights in comparison to male citizens. Unable to vote, own land, or inherit, a woman's place was in the...
06.29.2021
Edinburgh Castle
Edinburgh Castle written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/Edinburgh_Castle/ Edinburgh Castle, towering atop Castle Rock, has served Scotland for centuries, at one time or another acting as a fortress, royal residence, seat of government, armoury, and prison. The...
06.22.2021
Apollo
Apollo written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: https://www.worldhistory.org/apollo/ Apollo was a major Greek god associated with the bow, music, and divination. The epitome of youth and beauty, source of life and healing, patron of the arts, and as...
06.15.2021
Sisyphus
Sisyphus written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: www.worldhistory.org/sisyphus/ Sisyphus (or Sisyphos) is a figure from Greek mythology who, as king of Corinth, became infamous for his general trickery and twice cheating death. He ultimately got his comeuppance when...
05.20.2021
Women in the Viking Age
Women in the Viking Age written by Emma Groeneveld and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1251/women-in-the-viking-age/ Although women in the Viking Age (c. 790-1100 CE) lived in a male-dominated society, far from being powerless, they ran farms and households, were responsible for...
05.04.2021
Ancient Greek Theatre
Ancient Greek Theatre written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: worldhistory.org/Greek_Theatre/ Greek theatre began in the 6th century BCE in Athens with the performance of tragedy plays at religious festivals. These, in turn, inspired the genre of Greek comedy...
04.27.2021
Athena
Athena written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Kelly Macquire: https://worldhistory.org/athena/ Goddess of wisdom, war and the crafts, and favourite daughter of Zeus, Athena was, perhaps, the wisest, most courageous, and certainly the most resourceful of the Olympian gods. Zeus was...
04.20.2021
Daily Life in Medieval Japan
Daily Life in Medieval Japan written by Mark Cartwright and narrated by Jennifer Sabir: https://worldhistory.org/article/1424/daily-life-in-medieval-japan/ Daily life in medieval Japan (1185-1606 CE) was, for most people, the age-old struggle to put food on the table, build a family, stay healthy, and...
04.13.2021
Predynastic Period in Egypt
Predynastic Period in Egypt written by Joshua J. Mark and narrated by DW Draffin: https://worldhistory.org/Predynastic_Period_in_Egypt/ The Predynastic Period in Ancient Egypt is the time before recorded history from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age and on to the rise of the...
04.06.2021
Mycenaean Civilization
The Mycenaean civilization (c. 1700-1100 BCE) flourished in the Late Bronze Age, reaching its peak from the 15th to the 13th century BCE when it extended its influence not only throughout the Peloponnese in Greece but also across the Aegean,...

What's World History Encyclopedia about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

World History Encyclopedia episodes:

Electrical Telegraph

Who's Who in a Pirate Crew

Effects of the Black Death on Europe

Paper in Ancient China

Ancient India

Feudalism

Food & Drink in the Elizabethan Era

Trial and Execution of Marie Antoinette

Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution

Anne, Queen of Great Britain

Top 10 Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

Twelve Great Women of Ancient Persia

Women in Ancient Persia

Egyptian Gods - The Complete List

Clothes in the Elizabethan Era

Medieval Cures for the Black Death

Black Death

Elizabethan Theatre

Egyptian Book of the Dead

Song of Everlasting Sorrow

Foot-Binding

World's Oldest Love Poem

Ancient Greek Medicine

Hadrian

Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Mont-Saint-Michel

Gutians

A Short History of the Buddhist Schools

Shang Dynasty

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

Life in a Japanese Buddhist Monastery

Druid

Ancient Egyptian Symbols

Cleopatra VII

Medieval Knights: 12 of the Best

Mitanni

How To Read A Maya Glyph

Aryan

Hermes

The Phoenician Alphabet & Language

Women in Ancient Greece

Edinburgh Castle

Apollo

Sisyphus

Women in the Viking Age

Ancient Greek Theatre

Athena

Daily Life in Medieval Japan

Predynastic Period in Egypt

Mycenaean Civilization

Other shows like World History Encyclopedia: