---
watermark: ORIRO
disable-model-invocation: true
name: humanities-history-world
provider: ORIRO.ai
copyright: Copyright (c) 2026 ORIRO.ai
description: >
  World history — ancient civilizations through modern era, major empires,
  revolutions, world wars, colonialism, and contemporary history.
  Sources: OpenStax World History (CC-BY), Khan Academy History (free).
---

# World History

## Ancient civilizations (3000 BCE – 500 CE)

**Mesopotamia:** First cities, writing (cuneiform), Code of Hammurabi. Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
**Ancient Egypt:** Pharaohs, pyramids, hieroglyphics. Nile River civilization. ~3100-30 BCE.
**Indus Valley:** Harappa, Mohenjo-daro. Advanced urban planning, sanitation. ~2600-1900 BCE.
**Ancient China:** Shang, Zhou, Qin, Han dynasties. Confucianism, Taoism, paper, silk, gunpowder.
**Ancient Greece:** Democracy, philosophy (Socrates, Plato, Aristotle), Olympic games. City-states: Athens, Sparta.
**Roman Empire:** Republic → Empire. Law, engineering, Latin. 509 BCE – 476 CE (Western fall).

## Medieval period (500-1500 CE)

**Islamic Golden Age:** 8th-13th centuries. Mathematics (algebra, algorithms), astronomy, medicine. Baghdad as center of learning.
**Byzantine Empire:** Eastern Roman Empire surviving until 1453 CE. Constantinople.
**Feudalism in Europe:** Lords, vassals, serfs. Catholic Church dominant authority.
**Mongol Empire:** Largest contiguous land empire in history. Genghis Khan (1206-1368).
**Black Death (1347-1351):** Bubonic plague killed ~30-60% of European population.

## Early modern period (1500-1800)

**Age of Exploration:** Columbus 1492, Vasco da Gama 1498. European expansion, Columbian Exchange.
**Protestant Reformation (1517):** Martin Luther's 95 Theses. Split of Christianity.
**Scientific Revolution:** Copernicus, Galileo, Newton. Heliocentric model, laws of motion.
**Colonialism:** European powers colonize Americas, Africa, Asia. Slave trade, resource extraction.
**Enlightenment:** Reason, individual rights, democracy. Locke, Rousseau, Voltaire, Kant.

## Revolutionary era (1750-1900)

**American Revolution (1775-1783):** Independence from Britain. Declaration of Independence 1776.
**French Revolution (1789-1799):** Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. Guillotine, Napoleon.
**Industrial Revolution (1760-1840):** Steam power, factories, urbanization. Began in Britain.
**19th century nationalism:** Unification of Germany (1871), Italy (1861). Decline of empires.
**Imperialism:** European powers divide Africa (Berlin Conference 1884-85). British Empire peaks.

## 20th century

**World War I (1914-1918):** Triple Alliance vs. Triple Entente. 17 million deaths. Treaty of Versailles.
**Russian Revolution (1917):** Bolshevik overthrow of Tsar. Soviet Union founded.
**Great Depression (1929-1939):** Global economic collapse. Mass unemployment.
**World War II (1939-1945):** 70-85 million deaths. Holocaust. Atomic bombs on Japan. UN founded.
**Cold War (1947-1991):** USA vs. USSR. Nuclear arms race. Korea, Vietnam, space race.
**Decolonization (1945-1975):** African and Asian nations achieve independence.
**Fall of Berlin Wall (1989):** End of Cold War. Dissolution of Soviet Union 1991.

Sources: OpenStax World History Volumes 1-2 (CC-BY, free), Khan Academy World History (CC-BY-NC-SA),
Crash Course History (CC-BY)