When did the Age of Reason begin?

Explore Leonardo da Vinci's biography and his impact on the Renaissance. Read about his childhood, date of birth, and family background. Learn more about Leonardo da Vinci's life and career and his significance today.

The 100 Years' War was a long war between English and French kings over France. Learn about the causes of the 100 Years' War, as well as the sources of wealth, Salic Law, and battle strategies that kept the conflict going.

Spain and Portugal funded many famous explorers, including Christopher Columbus, on expeditions to numerous countries in their global expansion efforts. Follow the travels of several explorers into South America, Central America, and, ultimately, North America, resulting in profitable discoveries like gold, and violent conquests, such as Cortez taking Mexico from the Aztecs for Spain.

Learn about The Pacific Theater in World War II primarily between the United States and Japan. Learn about the Allied strategies, major battles and casualties.

The collapse of the one mighty Ming and Qing dynasties in China came as the result of pressure from European trade and wars over opium, as well as a succession of weak rulers. Learn about the rise of the Qing and Ming, the impact of agriculture on the Chinese economy, the influence of explorations by admiral Zheng He, and the eventual fall of the dynasties.

Explore fascism in Germany. Determine if Hitler was a fascist or nationalist, discover the rise of fascism in Germany, and see how fascism led to the Holocaust.

Learn more about the Great Crusades timeline from the First Crusade to the Ninth Crusade. Explore the history of the Crusades, including successes and failures.

What was the Thirty Years' War? How did it end? See a timeline of the Thirty Years' War. Learn about the background of the war and about its significance.

View a Renaissance timeline, learn about important Renaissance events, and discover what happened in the Renaissance. Read about significant people and art styles.

The Brezhnev Doctrine had a large influence in Eastern Europe as it implied military intervention on any perceived weaknesses among the nations in the region. Discover more about the impact of the Brezhnev Doctrine on Eastern Europe, its background, and its downfall in the 1980s.

Rene Descartes' theoretical work on how knowledge comes from the mind, not from the senses, was seminal in shaping modern philosophy. Learn about Descartes' theory of perception and how its three arguments (deceiving God, evil demon, and dream) ultimately united religion and philosophy through science.

Review a summary of the Enlightenment to learn when it was and the main ideas of the Enlightenment. Explore Enlightenment views, concepts, and important individuals.

What was the Battle of Yorktown? Learn about the Siege of Yorktown and the British surrender at Yorktown along with the aftermath of the battle and Yorktown's legacy.

Who was Hernan Cortez? Learn about Hernan Cortez from his early life to his famous expeditions. Discover a Hernan Cortes facts timeline of his life events.

In the 18th century, Russia had two rulers -- Peter the Great and Catherine the Great -- who were enlightened despots, determined to help Russia advance to participate in the Early Modern period. Explore enlightened despotism in Russia, and learn about its reforms and goals.

Latin was spread around Europe under the Roman Empire, but interest in the language fell alongside the empire. Explore the rise of the vernacular and the decline of Latin, including Latin's place in the Dark Ages, the emergence of popular languages, the role of the printing press, and how Latin briefly survived.