Summaries
Entertainment & Pop CultureGeography & TravelHealth & MedicineLifestyles & Social IssuesLiteratureMoneyPhilosophy & ReligionScienceSports & RecreationTechnologyVisual ArtsWorld History
Democratic Party summary
Democratic Party, One of the two major political parties in...
electoral college summary
electoral college, Constitutionally mandated process for electing...
Republican Party summary
Republican Party, or GOP (Grand Old Party) , One of the two...
Donald Trump summary
Donald Trump, in full Donald John Trump , (born June 14, 1946,...
Joe Biden summary
Joe Biden, in full Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. , (born Nov....
Kamala Harris summary
Kamala Harris, in full Kamala Devi Harris , (born Oct. 20, 1964,...
Mitt Romney summary
Mitt Romney, (born March 12, 1947, Detroit, Mich., U.S.), U.S.
United States presidential election of 2020 summary
United States presidential election of 2020, U.S.
Jacob Zuma summary
Jacob Zuma, (born April 12, 1942, Nkandla, S.Af.), President...
Albert Luthuli summary
Albert Luthuli, Albert Lutuli , (born 1898, Rhodesia—died July...
Óscar Arias Sánchez summary
Óscar Arias Sánchez, (born Sept. 13, 1940, Heredia, C.Rica),...
Jair Bolsonaro summary
Jair Bolsonaro, in full Jair Messias Bolsonaro , (born March...
Cardinal Richelieu summary
Cardinal Richelieu, in full Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal...
Grigori Rasputin summary
Grigori Rasputin, orig.
Catherine de’ Medici summary
Catherine de’ Medici, orig.
Warner Bros. Inc. summary
Warner Bros.
crime summary
crime, the intentional commission of an act usually deemed socially...
Voting Rights Act summary
Voting Rights Act, Act passed by the U.S.
Nicolae Ceauşescu summary
Nicolae Ceauşescu, (born Jan. 26, 1918, Scorniceşti, Rom.—died...
Clarence Thomas summary
Clarence Thomas, (born June 23, 1948, Pin Point, near Savannah,...
Henry Ford summary
Henry Ford, (born July 30, 1863, Wayne county, Mich., U.S.—died...
George Soros summary
George Soros, (born Aug. 12, 1930, Budapest, Hung.), Hungarian-born...
Mahmoud Abbas summary
Mahmoud Abbas, also called Abu Mazen , (born 1935, Safed, Palestine...
Saddam Hussein summary
Saddam Hussein, also spelled Ṣaddām Ḥusayn , (born April 28,...
Yasser Arafat summary
Yasser Arafat, also spelled Yāsir ʿArafāt orig.
Ford Motor Co. summary
Ford Motor Co., U.S.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Achievements
List of some of the major achievements of Franklin D. Roosevelt,...
slavery summary
slavery, Condition in which one human being is owned by another.
NATO summary
NATO, in full North Atlantic Treaty Organization , International...
Shivaji summary
Shivaji, or Sivaji , (born Feb. 19, 1630, or April 1627, Shivner,...
Hamas summary
Hamas, also spelled Ḥamās acronym of Ḥarakat al-Muqāwamah al-Islāmiyyah...
OPEC summary
OPEC, in full Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries...
Sandra Day O’Connor summary
Sandra Day O’Connor, orig.
Henry Kissinger summary
Henry Kissinger, (born May 27, 1923, Fürth, Ger.—died Nov. 29,...
ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī summary
ʿAbd al-Muʾmin ibn ʿAlī, (born 1094, Tāgrā [now in Algeria]—died...
Silvio Berlusconi summary
Silvio Berlusconi, (born Sept. 29, 1936, Milan, Italy—died June...
Theodore Kaczynski summary
Theodore Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber , (born May 22, 1942,...
Disney Company summary
Disney Company, U.S.
Vladimir Putin summary
Vladimir Putin, (born Oct. 7, 1952, Leningrad, U.S.S.R.), Russian...
David summary
David, (flourished c. 1000 bce, ), Second of the Israelite...
Iran hostage crisis summary
Iran hostage crisis, (1979–81) Political crisis involving Iran’s...
Miranda v. Arizona summary
Miranda v.
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva summary
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula , (born Oct. 27, 1945,...
Elizabeth II summary
Elizabeth II, in full Elizabeth Alexandra Mary , (born April...
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner summary
Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, orig.
Mikhail Gorbachev summary
Mikhail Gorbachev, (born March 2, 1931, Privolye, Stavropol...
crucifixion summary
crucifixion, Method of capital punishment among the Persians,...
Pontius Pilate summary
Pontius Pilate, (died c. 36 ce), Roman prefect of Judaea (26–36...
Martin Luther King, Jr. summary
Martin Luther King, Jr., (born Jan. 15, 1929, Atlanta, Ga.,...
Desmond Tutu summary
Desmond Tutu, (born Oct. 7, 1931, Klerksdorp, S.Af.—died Dec....
imperialism summary
imperialism, State policy, practice, or advocacy of extending...
Cleopatra summary
Cleopatra, in full Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator , (born 70/69...
Ferdinand Marcos summary
Ferdinand Marcos, (born Sept. 11, 1917, Sarrat, Phil.—died Sept....
Nazism summary
Nazism, or National Socialism , Totalitarian movement led by...
United States presidential election of 1956 summary
United States presidential election of 1956, United States presidential...
school shooting summary
school shooting, In the typical case, an event in which a student...
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre summary
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, or Massacre of Amritsar , (1919)...
Elizabeth I summary
Elizabeth I, (born Sept. 7, 1533, Greenwich, near London, Eng.—died...
environmental law summary
environmental law, Principles, policies, directives, and regulations...
salutary neglect summary
salutary neglect, Policy of the British government regarding...
Nicolás Maduro summary
Nicolás Maduro , in full Nicolás Maduro Moros , (born Nov. 23,...
voter suppression summary
voter suppression, In U.S.
electronic voting summary
electronic voting, Form of computer-mediated voting in which...
Martha Stewart summary
Martha Stewart, née Martha Helen Kostyra , (born Aug. 3, 1941,...
constitutional law summary
constitutional law, Body of rules, doctrines, and practices...
Napoleon summary
Napoleon, French Napoléon Bonaparte orig.
nuclear strategy summary
nuclear strategy, Form of military strategy that relates to...
utopia summary
utopia, An ideal society whose inhabitants exist under seemingly...
warranty summary
warranty, Promise or guarantee made by a seller or lessor about...
war college summary
war college, Any of five U.S.
Beltway sniper attacks summary
Beltway sniper attacks, Shooting spree in the Washington, D.C.,...
Ursula von der Leyen summary
Ursula von der Leyen, née Ursula Albrecht , (born Oct. 8, 1958,...
Mir Hossein Mousavi summary
Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mousavi also spelled Moussavi , (born September...
T4 Program summary
T4 Program, also called T4 Euthanasia Program , Nazi German...
Mikheil Saakashvili summary
Mikheil Saakashvili, Mikheil also spelled Mikhail , (born December...
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad summary
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, also spelled Maḥmūd Aḥmadī-Nejād , (born...
Texas Tower shooting of 1966 summary
Texas Tower shooting of 1966, also called University of Texas...
Suga Yoshihide summary
Suga Yoshihide, (born December 6, 1948, Ogachi (now in Yuzawa),...
Council of Trent summary
Council of Trent, (1545–63) 19th ecumenical council of the Roman...
Counter-Reformation summary
Counter-Reformation, or Catholic Reformation , In Roman Catholicism,...
city summary
city, Relatively permanent and highly organized centre of population,...
assassination of Abraham Lincoln summary
assassination of Abraham Lincoln, (April 14, 1865) Murderous...
Abigail Adams summary
Abigail Adams, orig.
Ferhat (Mekki) Abbas summary
Ferhat (Mekki) Abbas, (born Aug. 24, 1899, Chahna, Alg.—died...
ʿAbbās I summary
ʿAbbās I, known as ʿAbbās the Great , (born Jan. 27, 1571—died...
ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān summary
ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Marwān, (born 646/647, Medina, Arabia—died...
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III summary
ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III, (born January 891—died Oct. 15, 961, Córdoba,...
Muḥammad ʿAbduh summary
Muḥammad ʿAbduh, Egyptian religious scholar, jurist, and liberal...
absolutism summary
absolutism, Political doctrine and practice of unlimited, centralized...
accounting summary
accounting, Systematic development and analysis of information...
rights of the accused summary
rights of the accused, In law, the rights and privileges of...
Charles Francis Adams summary
Charles Francis Adams, (born Aug. 18, 1807, Boston, Mass., U.S.—died...
Gerry Adams summary
Gerry Adams, orig.
John Quincy Adams summary
John Quincy Adams, (born July 11, 1767, Braintree, Mass.—died...
Samuel Adams summary
Samuel Adams, (born Sept. 27, 1722, Boston, Mass.—died Oct....
Jane Addams summary
Jane Addams, (born Sept. 6, 1860, Cedarville, Ill., U.S.—died...
Konrad Adenauer summary
Konrad Adenauer, (born Jan. 5, 1876, Cologne, German Empire—died...
administrative law summary
administrative law, Law regulating the powers, procedures, and...
advertising summary
advertising, Techniques and practices used to bring products,...
African National Congress summary
African National Congress (ANC), South African political party...
agency summary
agency, In law, a relationship in which one party (the agent)...
Emilio Aguinaldo summary
Emilio Aguinaldo, (born March 23, 1869, near Cavite, Luzon,...
Airbus S.A.S. summary
Airbus S.A.S., European aircraft manufacturer that is the world’s...
Akbar summary
Akbar, in full Abū al-Fatḥ Jalāl al-Dīn Muḥammad Akbar , (born...
Akhenaton summary
Akhenaton, or Akhnaton orig.
Akihito summary
Akihito, or Heisei emperor , (born Dec. 23, 1933, Tokyo, Japan),...
Alaska Purchase summary
Alaska Purchase, Acquisition in 1867 by the U.S.
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba summary
Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, 3rd duke de Alba, (born Oct. 29,...
Alexander I summary
Alexander I, Russian Aleksandr Pavlovich , (born Dec. 23, 1777,...
Alexander I summary
Alexander I, (born Dec. 4, 1888, Cetinje, Montenegro —died Oct....
Alexander II summary
Alexander II, Russian Aleksandr Nikolayevich , (born April 29,...
Alexander III summary
Alexander III, Russian Aleksandr Aleksandrovich , (born March...
Alexius I Comnenus summary
Alexius I Comnenus, (born 1048, Constantinople—died Aug. 15,...
Alfonso V summary
Alfonso V, known as Alfonso the Magnanimous , (born 1396—died...
Alfonso VI summary
Alfonso VI, known as Alfonso the Brave , (born before June 1040—died...
Alfonso X summary
Alfonso X, known as Alfonso the Wise , (born Nov. 23, 1221,...
Alfred summary
Alfred, known as Alfred the Great , (born 849—died 899), King...
Association of Algerian Reformist ʿUlamāʾ summary
Association of Algerian Reformist ʿUlamāʾ, Group of Muslim religious...
ʿAlī (ibn Abī Ṭālib) summary
ʿAlī (ibn Abī Ṭālib), (born c. 600, Mecca—died January 661,...
alien summary
alien, In law, one who resides in a country without becoming...
Salvador Allende summary
Salvador Allende, (born June 26, 1908, Valparaiso, Chile—died...
alliance summary
alliance, In international politics, a union for joint action...
Almoravid dynasty summary
Almoravid dynasty, Arabic al-Murābiṭūn , (1056–1147) Berber...
Alp-Arslan summary
Alp-Arslan, (born c. 1030—died November? 1072/January 1073),...
ABC summary
ABC, in full American Broadcasting Co. , Major U.S.
American Express Co. summary
American Express Co., U.S.
AFL-CIO summary
AFL-CIO, in full American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial...
Idi Amin summary
Idi Amin, (born 1924/25, Koboko, Ugan.—died Aug. 16, 2003, Jiddah,...
An Lushan Rebellion summary
An Lushan Rebellion, Rebellion beginning in 755 in China led...
anarchism summary
anarchism, Political theory holding all forms of government...
Anglo-Saxon law summary
Anglo-Saxon law, Body of legal principles that prevailed in...
Kofi Annan summary
Kofi Annan, (born April 8, 1938, Kumasi, Gold Coast [now Ghana]—died...
Anne summary
Anne, (born Feb. 6, 1665, London, Eng.—died Aug. 1, 1714, London),...
Antigonus I Monophthalmus summary
Antigonus I Monophthalmus, (Latin: “One-Eyed”) or Antigonus I...
Antigonus II Gonatas summary
Antigonus II Gonatas, (born c. 320—died 239 bc), King of Macedonia...
Antiochus I Soter summary
Antiochus I Soter, (born c. 324—died 261 bc), King of Seleucid...
Antiochus III summary
Antiochus III, known as Antiochus the Great , (born 242—died...
Antoninus Pius summary
Antoninus Pius, in full Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus...
appanage summary
appanage, In France, primarily from the 13th to the 16th century,...
Apple Inc. summary
Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc. , Microcomputer design...
Corazon Aquino summary
Corazon Aquino, orig.
arbitration summary
arbitration, Process of resolving a dispute or a grievance outside...
Jean-Bertrand Aristide summary
Jean-Bertrand Aristide, (born July 15, 1953, Port Salut, Haiti),...
Philip Danforth Armour summary
Philip Danforth Armour, (born May 16, 1832, Stockbridge, N.Y.,...
arms control summary
arms control, Limitation of the development, testing, production,...
army summary
army, Large, organized force armed and trained for war, especially...
Aroostook War summary
Aroostook War, (1838–39) Bloodless conflict over the disputed...
arrest summary
arrest, Restraint and seizure of a person by someone (e.g.,...
Chester A. Arthur summary
Chester A.
artillery summary
artillery, In modern military science, big guns such as cannons,...
Ashurbanipal summary
Ashurbanipal, (flourished 7th century bc), Last great Assyrian...
Ḥāfiẓ al-Assad summary
Ḥāfiẓ al-Assad, (born Oct. 6, 1930, Qardāḥa, Syria—died June...
assault and battery summary
assault and battery, Related but distinct crimes.
assize summary
assize, In law, a session, or sitting, of a court.
Miguel Ángel Asturias summary
Miguel Ángel Asturias, (born Oct. 19, 1899, Guatemala City,...
AT&T Inc. summary
AT&T Inc., formerly American Telephone and Telegraph Co. , U.S.
Atlantic Charter summary
Atlantic Charter, Joint declaration issued on Aug. 14, 1941,...
Charles Atlas summary
Charles Atlas, orig.
Attalus I Soter summary
Attalus I Soter, (born 269—died 197 bc), Ruler of Pergamum (241–197).
auction summary
auction, Buying and selling of property through open public...
Aung San Suu Kyi summary
Aung San Suu Kyi, (born June 19, 1945, Rangoon, Burma [now Yangon,...
Aurangzeb summary
Aurangzeb, orig.
Austrian school of economics summary
Austrian school of economics, Body of economic theory developed...
autopsy summary
autopsy, or necropsy or postmortem , Dissection and examination...
François-Noël Babeuf summary
François-Noël Babeuf, (born Nov. 23, 1760, Saint-Quentin, France—died...
Pietro Badoglio summary
Pietro Badoglio, (born Sept. 28, 1871, Grazzano Monferrato,...
Affair of the Diamond Necklace summary
Affair of the Diamond Necklace, (1785) Scandal at the court...
ASEAN summary
ASEAN, in full Association of Southeast Asian Nations , International...
Amitabh Bachchan summary
Amitabh Bachchan, (born Oct. 11, 1942, Allahabad, India), Indian...
BAE Systems summary
BAE Systems, British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics,...
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam summary
A.P.J.
Michelle Bachelet summary
Michelle Bachelet, in full Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria ,...
Samuel A. Alito, Jr. summary
Samuel A.
ASALA summary
ASALA, acronym for Armenian Secret Army to Liberate Armenia ,...
African National Congress summary
African National Congress (ANC), South African political party...
Ronald W. Reagan summary
Ronald W.
John Adams summary
John Adams, (born Oct. 30, 1735, Braintree, Mass.—died July...
Alexander the Great summary
Alexander the Great, or Alexander III , (born 356 bc, Pella,...
Armenian Genocide summary
Armenian Genocide, Campaign of murder and expulsion conducted...
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk summary
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, orig.
Caesar Augustus summary
Caesar Augustus, or Octavian orig.
Francis Bacon, Viscount St. Albans summary
Francis Bacon, Viscount St.
bank summary
bank, Institution that deals in money and its substitutes and...
Otto, prince von Bismarck summary
Otto, prince von Bismarck, (born April 1, 1815, Schönhausen,...
Boston Massacre summary
Boston Massacre, Skirmish on March 5, 1770, between British...
George W. Bush summary
George W.
Julius Caesar summary
Julius Caesar, (born July 12/13, 100 bce, Rome—died March 15,...
Camp David Accords summary
Camp David Accords, (1978) Two agreements reached between Menachem...
Charlemagne summary
Charlemagne , or Carolus Magnus (“Charles the Great”) , (born...
Sir Winston Churchill summary
Sir Winston Churchill, (born Nov. 30, 1874, Blenheim Palace,...
Cold War summary
Cold War, Open yet restricted rivalry and hostility that developed...
common law summary
common law, Body of law based on custom and general principles...
Confucius summary
Confucius, Chinese Kongfuzi or K’ung-fu-tzu , (born 551 bc,...
court summary
court, Official assembly with judicial authority to hear and...
Oliver Cromwell summary
Oliver Cromwell, (born April 25, 1599, Huntingdon, Huntingdonshire,...
Cultural Revolution summary
Cultural Revolution, officially Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution...
democracy summary
democracy, Form of government in which supreme power is vested...
diplomacy summary
diplomacy, Art of conducting relationships for gain without...
Clint Eastwood summary
Clint Eastwood, (born May 31, 1930, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.),...
economic system summary
economic system, Set of principles and techniques by which a...
economics summary
economics, Social science that analyzes and describes the consequences...
fascism summary
fascism , Philosophy of government that stresses the primacy...
Benjamin Franklin summary
Benjamin Franklin, (born Jan. 17, 1706, Boston, Mass.—died April...
Frederick II summary
Frederick II, German Friedrich known as Frederick the Great ,...
Genghis Khan summary
Genghis Khan , or Chinggis Khan orig.
government summary
government, Political system by which a body of people is administered...
government budget summary
government budget, Forecast of governmental expenditures and...
Gunpowder Plot summary
Gunpowder Plot, (1605)Conspiracy by English Roman Catholic zealots...
Adolf Hitler summary
Adolf Hitler, (born April 20, 1889, Braunau am Inn, Austria—died...
Holocaust summary
Holocaust, Hebrew Shoʾah , Systematic state-sponsored killing...
Homestead Strike summary
Homestead Strike, U.S.
human rights summary
human rights, Rights that belong to an individual as a consequence...
Hundred Years’ War summary
Hundred Years’ War, (1337–1453)Intermittent armed conflict between...
industrial relations summary
industrial relations, or organizational relations , Study of...
inheritance summary
inheritance, Devolution of property on an heir or heirs upon...
insurance summary
insurance, Contract that, by redistributing risk among a large...
international law summary
international law, Body of legal rules, norms, and standards...
Glenda Jackson summary
Glenda Jackson, (born May 9, 1936, Birkenhead, Cheshire, Eng.),...
Thomas Jefferson summary
Thomas Jefferson, (born April 13, 1743, Shadwell, Va.—died July...
Korean War summary
Korean War, (1950–53) Conflict arising after the post-World...
Vladimir Lenin summary
Vladimir Lenin, orig.
Abraham Lincoln summary
Abraham Lincoln, (born Feb. 12, 1809, near Hodgenville, Ky.,...
Louisiana Purchase summary
Louisiana Purchase, Territory purchased by the U.S.
Niccolò Machiavelli summary
Niccolò Machiavelli, (born May 3, 1469, Florence—died June 21,...
Mao Zedong summary
Mao Zedong , or Mao Tse-tung , (born Dec. 26, 1893, Shaoshan,...
marketing summary
marketing, Activities that direct the flow of goods and services...
Karl Marx summary
Karl Marx, (born May 5, 1818, Trier, Rhine province, Prussia...
money summary
money, Commodity accepted by general consent as a medium of...
Munich agreement summary
Munich agreement, (1938)Settlement reached by Germany, France,...
NAFTA summary
NAFTA, in full North American Free Trade Agreement , Trade pact...
Northwest Ordinances summary
Northwest Ordinances, (1784, 1785, 1787)Measures enacted by...
Peter I summary
Peter I, Russian Pyotr Alekseyevich known as Peter the Great...
Plessy v. Ferguson summary
Plessy v.
police summary
police, Body of agents organized to maintain civil order and...
political philosophy summary
political philosophy, Branch of philosophy that analyzes the...
procedural law summary
procedural law, Law that prescribes the procedures and methods...
Muammar al-Qaddafi summary
Muammar al-Qaddafi, or Muʿammar al-Qadhdhāfī , (born 1942, Surt,...
Franklin D. Roosevelt summary
Franklin D.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau summary
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, (born June 28, 1712, Geneva, Switz.—died...
Schlieffen Plan summary
Schlieffen Plan , Plan of attack used by the German armies at...
Adam Smith summary
Adam Smith, (baptized June 5, 1723, Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scot.—died...
Joseph Stalin summary
Joseph Stalin, orig.
strategy summary
strategy, In warfare, coordinated application of all the forces...
Trail of Tears summary
Trail of Tears, Forced migration in the United States of the...
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics summary
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (U.S.S.R.), or Soviet Union...
United Nations summary
United Nations (UN), International organization founded (1945)...
Victoria summary
Victoria, orig.
Congress of Vienna summary
Congress of Vienna, (1814–15) Assembly that reorganized Europe...
George Washington summary
George Washington, (born Feb. 22, 1732, Westmoreland county,...
Watergate scandal summary
Watergate scandal, (1972–74) Political scandal involving illegal...
Michael Eisner summary
Michael Eisner, (born March 7, 1942, Mount Kisco, N.Y., U.S.),...
September 11 attacks summary
September 11 attacks, Series of airline hijackings and suicide...
My Lai Massacre summary
My Lai Massacre, (March 16, 1968) Mass killing of as many as...
Barack Obama summary
Barack Obama, in full Barack Hussein Obama II , (born Aug. 4,...
David Cameron summary
David Cameron, (born Oct. 9, 1966, London, Eng.), British politician...
Arab Spring summary
Arab Spring, Series of protests and uprisings in late 2010 and...
international relations summary
international relations, Study of the relations of states with...
Arnold Schwarzenegger summary
Arnold Schwarzenegger, (born July 30, 1947, Thal, near Graz,...
Notable Figures of the Black Panther Party
Find out more about the people who founded the Black Panther...
Marbury v. Madison Key Facts
List of important facts regarding Marbury v. Madison. This landmark...
Marbury v. Madison Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the U.S. Supreme Court case...
Marbury v. Madison Causes and Effects
List of causes and effects of the landmark 1803 legal case Marbury...
Transatlantic Slave Trade Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the transatlantic slave trade....
Transatlantic Slave Trade Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to the transatlantic slave...
Transatlantic Slave Trade Causes and Effects
List of some of the causes and effects of the transatlantic slave...
Martin Luther King, Jr. Timeline
Timeline of significant events related to Martin Luther King,...
Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Achievements
List of major achievements by Martin Luther King, Jr. Inspired...
Napoleon I Timeline
Timeline of events in the life of Napoleon I, emperor of France...
Napoleon I’s Achievements
List of some of the most notable achievements of Napoleon I,...
Manifest Destiny Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the idea of Manifest Destiny....
Manifest Destiny Timeline
Timeline of events related to Manifest Destiny. As the United...
Causes and Effects of Manifest Destiny
List of major causes and effects of Manifest Destiny. The belief...
Jim Crow Laws Key Facts
A list of key facts about the set of laws known as Jim Crow laws,...
Jim Crow Laws Timeline
A timeline covering the origins and history of Jim Crow laws,...
Jim Crow Laws Causes and Effects
A list of some of the major causes and effects of the laws known...
Augustus Timeline
Timeline of major events in the life of Augustus, first emperor...
Augustus’s Achievements
List of some of the key achievements of Augustus, also known...
Industrial Revolution Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the Industrial Revolution,...
Industrial Revolution Timeline
Timeline of significant events of the Industrial Revolution,...
Industrial Revolution Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Industrial...
Abraham Lincoln Timeline
A timeline of events in the life of Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S....
Abraham Lincoln’s Achievements
A list of some of the most important achievements of Abraham...
John D. Rockefeller Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of American industrialist...
John D. Rockefeller’s Achievements
List of some of the significant achievements of John D. Rockefeller,...
Women’s Suffrage in the United States Key Facts
List of important facts regarding women’s suffrage in the United...
Women’s Suffrage in the United States Timeline
Timeline showing how the push for equal voting rights for women...
Causes and Effects of Women’s Suffrage in the United States
Lists of major causes and effects of women’s suffrage in United...
Cleopatra Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the life of Cleopatra, Egyptian...
Cleopatra’s Achievements
List of major achievements of Cleopatra, queen of Egypt and one...
Great Depression: Key Facts
Key facts about the Great Depression, worldwide economic downturn...
Great Depression: Timeline
Timeline of important events pertaining to the Great Depression,...
Great Depression: Causes and Effects
List of some of the causes and effects of the Great Depression....
New Deal Key Facts
List of important facts regarding the New Deal, domestic program...
New Deal Timeline
Timeline of significant events pertaining to the New Deal. When...
New Deal Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the New Deal,...
Pullman Strike Key Facts
Collection of important facts concerning the Pullman Strike,...
Pullman Strike Timeline
Timeline of the significant events that led up to and occurred...
Pullman Strike Causes and Effects
List of major causes and effects of the 1894 Pullman Strike....
George Washington Timeline
Timeline of important events in the life of George Washington,...
George Washington’s Achievements
List of major achievements by George Washington who served as...
Dred Scott Decision Key Facts
Key facts related to the controversial 1857 ruling of the U.S....
Dred Scott Decision Timeline
Timeline of events related to the Dred Scott decision. In the...
Dred Scott Decision Causes and Effects
List of some of the major causes and effects of the Dred Scott...
Ruth Bader Ginsburg summary
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, orig.
Alexander the Great Timeline
Timeline of events in the life of Alexander the Great, also...
Alexander the Great’s Achievements
List of some of the major achievements of Alexander the Great....
Toussaint Louverture Timeline
Timeline of significant events in the life of Toussaint Louverture,...
Toussaint Louverture’s Achievements
List of some of the most important achievements of Toussaint...
Elizabeth I Timeline
A timeline of significant events in the life of Elizabeth I of...
Elizabeth I’s Achievements
A summary of some of the most important achievements of Elizabeth...
Theodore Roosevelt Timeline
A timeline of significant events in the life of Theodore Roosevelt,...
Theodore Roosevelt’s Achievements
Summary of the major achievements of Theodore Roosevelt who,...
Organization of American States summary
Organization of American States (OAS), International organization...
Antiochus IV Epiphanes summary
Antiochus IV Epiphanes , (born c. 215—died 164 bc, Tabae, Iran),...
arbitrage summary
arbitrage , Business operation involving the purchase of foreign...
Hannah Arendt summary
Hannah Arendt, (born Oct. 14, 1906, Hannover, Ger.—died Dec....
Arsinoe II summary
Arsinoe II, (born c. 316—died July 270 bc), Queen of Thrace...
Ashoka summary
Ashoka , or Asoka , (born c. 304—died c. 232 bc), Last major...
Attila summary
Attila , (died 453), King of the Huns (434–53, ruling jointly...
Obafemi Awolowo summary
Obafemi Awolowo, (born March 6, 1909, Ikenne, Colony and Protectorate...
Bābur summary
Bābur , orig. Ẓahīr al-Dīn Muḥammad , (born Feb. 15, 1483, principality...
Walter Bagehot summary
Walter Bagehot, (born Feb. 3, 1826, Langport, Somerset, Eng.—died...
Mikhail Bakunin summary
Mikhail Bakunin, (born May 30, 1814, Premukhino, Russia—died...
Basil I summary
Basil I, known as Basil the Macedonian , (born 826–835?, Thrace—died...
Basil II summary
Basil II, known as Basil Bulgaroctonus (“Slayer of the Bulgars”)...
Baybars I summary
Baybars I, or Baibars , (born c. 1223, north of the Black Sea—died...
Bayezid II summary
Bayezid II, (born December 1447/January 1448?, Demotika, Thrace,...
August Bebel summary
August Bebel, (born Feb. 22, 1840, Deutz, near Cologne, Ger.—died...
Cesare Beccaria summary
Cesare Beccaria, (born March 15, 1738, Milan—died Nov. 28, 1794,...
Saint Thomas Becket summary
Saint Thomas Becket, or Thomas à Becket , (born c. 1118, Cheapside,...
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali summary
Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali, (born Sept. 3, 1938, near Sousse, Tun.),...
David Ben-Gurion summary
David Ben-Gurion, orig.
Edvard Beneš summary
Edvard Beneš, (born May 28, 1884, Kozlany, Bohemia, Austria-Hungary—died...
Jeremy Bentham summary
Jeremy Bentham, (born Feb. 15, 1748, London, Eng.—died June...
Eduard Bernstein summary
Eduard Bernstein, (born Jan. 6, 1850, Berlin, Prussia—died Dec....
Friedrich Ferdinand, count von Beust summary
Friedrich Ferdinand, count von Beust, (born Jan. 13, 1809, Dresden,...
Jeff Bezos summary
Jeff Bezos, (born Jan. 12, 1964, Albuquerque, N.M., U.S.), U.S.
Bharatiya Janata Party summary
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), English Indian People’s Party ,...
Benazir Bhutto summary
Benazir Bhutto, (born June 21, 1953, Karachi, Pak.—died Dec....
Bantustan summary
Bantustan , Any of the 10 former territories that the Republic...
Auguste Blanqui summary
Auguste Blanqui, (born Feb. 1, 1805, Puget-Théniers, France—died...
Léon Blum summary
Léon Blum, (born April 9, 1872, Paris, France—died March 30,...
Henry Saint John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke summary
Henry Saint John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke, (born Sept. 16,...
Simón Bolívar summary
Simón Bolívar, known as The Liberator , (born July 24, 1783,...
Subhas Chandra Bose summary
Subhas Chandra Bose, (born Jan. 23, 1897, Cuttack, Orissa, India—died...
Louis Botha summary
Louis Botha, (born Sept. 27, 1862, near Greytown, Natal [South...
Habib Bourguiba summary
Habib Bourguiba, (born Aug. 3, 1903, Monastir, Tun.—died April...
Louis Brandeis summary
Louis Brandeis, (born Nov. 13, 1856, Louisville, Ky., U.S.—died...
Leonid Brezhnev summary
Leonid Brezhnev, (born Dec. 19, 1906, Kamenskoye, Ukraine, Russian...
BP PLC summary
BP PLC, formerly Anglo-Persian Oil Co., Ltd., British Petroleum...
James Buchanan summary
James Buchanan, (born April 23, 1791, near Mercersburg, Pa.,...
Mangosuthu G. Buthelezi summary
Mangosuthu G.
John C. Calhoun summary
John C.
Canute the Great summary
Canute the Great, Danish Knut , (died Nov. 12, 1035), Danish...
Caracalla summary
Caracalla , officially Marcus Aurelius Severus Antoninus Augustus...
Lázaro Cárdenas summary
Lázaro Cárdenas, (born May 21, 1895, Jiquilpan, Mex.—died Oct....
Andrew Carnegie summary
Andrew Carnegie, (born Nov. 25, 1835, Dunfermline, Fife, Scot.—died...
Casimir III summary
Casimir III, known as Casimir the Great Polish Kazimierz Weilki...
Casimir IV summary
Casimir IV, known as Casimir Jagiellonian Polish Kazimierz Jagiellończyk...
Baldassare Castiglione summary
Baldassare Castiglione, (born Dec. 6, 1478, Casatico, near Mantua—died...
Camillo Benso, count di Cavour summary
Camillo Benso, count di Cavour, (born Aug. 10, 1810, Turin,...
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley summary
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley, (born Sept. 13, 1520, Bourne,...
Central Intelligence Agency summary
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Principal intelligence and...
CERN summary
CERN, in full Organisation Européenne pour la Recherche Nucléaire...
Cetshwayo summary
Cetshwayo , (born c. 1826, near Eshowe, Zululand [S.Af.]—died...
Zhang Zhidong summary
Zhang Zhidong, or Chang Chih-tung , (born Sept. 2, 1837, Xingyi,...
Charles XIV John summary
Charles XIV John, Swedish Karl Johan orig.
René Chateaubriand, viscount of summary
René Chateaubriand, viscount of, (born Sept. 4, 1768, Saint-Malo,...
Chen Duxiu summary
Chen Duxiu , or Ch’en Tu-hsiu , (born Oct. 8, 1879, Huaining...
Zheng Chenggong summary
Zheng Chenggong, or Cheng Ch’eng-kung or Koxinga , (born Aug....
Chiang Kai-shek summary
Chiang Kai-shek , or Chiang Chieh-shih or Jiang Jieshi , (born...
Qianlong emperor summary
Qianlong emperor, or Ch’ien-lung emperor orig.
Chinese Communist Party summary
Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Political party founded in China...
Jacques Chirac summary
Jacques Chirac, (born Nov. 29, 1932, Paris, France), President...
Christian Democratic Union summary
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), German political party advocating...
Marcus Tullius Cicero summary
Marcus Tullius Cicero, (born 106 bc, Arpinum, Latium—died Dec....
Cimon summary
Cimon , (born c. 510—died c. 451 bc, Cyprus), Athenian statesman...
Georges Clemenceau summary
Georges Clemenceau, (born Sept. 28, 1841, Mouilleron-en-Pareds,...
Bill Clinton summary
Bill Clinton, in full William Jefferson Clinton orig.
Clovis I summary
Clovis I, German Chlodweg , (born c. 466—died Nov. 27, 511,...
Jacques Coeur summary
Jacques Coeur, (born c. 1395, Bourges, Fr.—died Nov. 25, 1456,...
Sir Edward Coke summary
Sir Edward Coke, (born Feb. 1, 1552, Mileham, Norfolk, Eng.—died...
Jean-Baptiste Colbert summary
Jean-Baptiste Colbert, (born Aug. 29, 1619, Reims, France—died...
Communist Party of the Soviet Union summary
Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), Major political...
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus summary
Constantine VII Porphyrogenitus , (born Sept. 905, Constantinople—died...
consumer price index summary
consumer price index (CPI), Measure of living costs based on...
cuneiform law summary
cuneiform law , Body of laws revealed by documents written in...
George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess Curzon summary
George Nathaniel Curzon, Marquess Curzon, or Lord Curzon , (born...
Go-Daigo summary
Go-Daigo , (born Nov. 26, 1288, Kyōto, Japan—died Sept. 19,...
daimyo summary
daimyo , Any of the largest and most powerful landholding magnates...
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, marquess of Dalhousie summary
James Andrew Broun Ramsay, marquess of Dalhousie, (born April...
Enrico Dandolo summary
Enrico Dandolo, (born 1107?, Venice—died 1205, Constantinople),...
Darius I summary
Darius I, known as Darius the Great , (born 550—died 486 bc),...
Eamon de Valera summary
Eamon de Valera, orig.
Daniel Defoe summary
Daniel Defoe, orig.
Delian League summary
Delian League , Confederacy of ancient Greek states led by Athens...
Deng Xiaoping summary
Deng Xiaoping , or Teng Hsiao-p’ing , (born Aug. 22, 1904, Guang’an,...
Porfirio Díaz summary
Porfirio Díaz, (born Sept. 15, 1830, Oaxaca, Mex.—died July...
Diocletian summary
Diocletian , Latin Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus orig.
Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield summary
Benjamin Disraeli, earl of Beaconsfield, (born Dec. 21, 1804,...
Domitian summary
Domitian , Latin Caesar Domitianus Augustus orig.
Dorgon summary
Dorgon , Chinese Chengzong or Ch’eng-tsung , (born Nov. 17,...
Andrea Doria summary
Andrea Doria, (born Nov. 30, 1466, Oneglia, Duchy of Milan—died...
Alfred Dreyfus summary
Alfred Dreyfus, (born Oct. 9, 1859, Mulhouse, France—died July...
Wyatt Earp summary
Wyatt Earp, (born March 19, 1848, Monmouth, Ill., U.S.—died...
Friedrich Ebert summary
Friedrich Ebert, (born Feb. 4, 1871, Heidelberg, Ger.—died Feb....
Bülent Ecevit summary
Bülent Ecevit, (born May 28, 1925, Constantinople, Tur.—died...
Saint Edward the Confessor summary
Saint Edward the Confessor, (born c. 1003, Islip, Eng.—died...
Dwight D. Eisenhower summary
Dwight D.
e-commerce summary
e-commerce, in full electronic commerce , business-to-consumer...
Friedrich Engels summary
Friedrich Engels, (born Nov. 28, 1820, Barmen, Rhine Province,...
Epaminondas summary
Epaminondas , (born c. 410, Thebes—died 362 bc, Mantineia),...
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine summary
Thomas Erskine, 1st Baron Erskine, (born Jan. 10, 1750, Edinburgh,...
Esterházy family summary
Esterházy family , Aristocratic Magyar family, dating from at...
European Union summary
European Union (EU), Organization of European countries, formed...
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus summary
Quintus Fabius Maximus Verrucosus , byname Cunctator , (died...
Louis Faidherbe summary
Louis Faidherbe, (born June 3, 1818, Lille, Fr.—died Sept. 29,...
Fatah summary
Fatah , inverted acronym of Ḥarakat al-Taḥrīr al-Waṭanī al-Filasṭīnī...
Federal Bureau of Investigation summary
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Largest investigative...
Fianna Fáil summary
Fianna Fáil , (Irish: “Soldiers of Destiny”) Political party...
Fine Gael summary
Fine Gael , (Irish: “Irish Race” or “Gaelic Nation”) Major political...
Titus Quinctius Flamininus summary
Titus Quinctius Flamininus, (born c. 227 bc—died 174), Roman...
Gerald R. Ford summary
Gerald R.
Joseph Fouché, duke d’Otrante summary
Joseph Fouché, duke d’Otrante, (born May 21, 1758?, Le Pellerin,...
Francis I summary
Francis I, French François , (born Sept. 12, 1494, Cognac, France—died...
Francisco Franco summary
Francisco Franco, in full Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo...
Frederick Henry summary
Frederick Henry, Dutch Frederik Hendrik , (born Jan. 29, 1584,...
Free Democratic Party summary
Free Democratic Party (FDP), German centrist political party...
Milton Friedman summary
Milton Friedman, (born July 31, 1912, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died...
Louis de Buade, count de Palluau and de Frontenac summary
Louis de Buade, count de Palluau and de Frontenac, (born May...
Fugger family summary
Fugger family, German mercantile and banking dynasty that dominated...
Alberto Fujimori summary
Alberto Fujimori, (born July 28, 1938, Lima, Peru), President...
Gajah Mada summary
Gajah Mada , (died 1364), Prime minister of the Majapahit empire...
Léon Gambetta summary
Léon Gambetta, (born April 2, 1838, Cahors, France—died Dec....
Indira Gandhi summary
Indira Gandhi, orig.
General Motors Corp. summary
General Motors Corp. (GM), U.S.
genocide summary
genocide , Deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial,...
Friedrich Gentz summary
Friedrich Gentz, (born May 2, 1764, Breslau, Silesia, Prussia—died...
gerrymandering summary
gerrymandering , Drawing of electoral district lines in a way...
Girondin summary
Girondin , or Girondist , Label applied to a loose grouping...
Rudolph W. Giuliani summary
Rudolph W.
Joseph Goebbels summary
Joseph Goebbels, (born Oct. 29, 1897, Rheydt, Ger.—died May...
Władysław Gomułka summary
Władysław Gomułka, (born Feb. 6, 1905, Białobrzegi, near Krosno,...
Walter Gropius summary
Walter Gropius, (born May 18, 1883, Berlin, Ger.—died July 5,...
gross domestic product summary
gross domestic product (GDP), Total market value of the goods...
Hugo Grotius summary
Hugo Grotius, orig.
Che Guevara summary
Che Guevara, orig.
habeas corpus summary
habeas corpus , (Latin: “you should have the body”) In common...
Hadrian summary
Hadrian , Latin Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus orig.
Haile Selassie summary
Haile Selassie , orig.
Dag Hammarskjöld summary
Dag Hammarskjöld, (born July 29, 1905, Jönköping, Swed.—died...
Hammurabi summary
Hammurabi , (flourished 18th century bc), Sixth and best-known...
Hanfeizi summary
Hanfeizi , or Han-fei-tzu , (died 233 bc, China), Greatest of...
Hanseatic League summary
Hanseatic League , or Hansa , (from German Hanse, “association”)...
Karl August, prince von Hardenberg summary
Karl August, prince von Hardenberg, (born May 31, 1750, Essenrode,...
Hārūn al-Rashīd summary
Hārūn al-Rashīd , (born March 763 or February 766, Rayy, Iran—died...
Hatshepsut summary
Hatshepsut , Queen of Egypt (c. 1472–58 bc).
Friedrich von Hayek summary
Friedrich von Hayek, (born May 8, 1899, Vienna, Austria—died...
William Randolph Hearst summary
William Randolph Hearst, (born April 29, 1863, San Francisco,...
Henry I summary
Henry I, known as Henry Beauclerc (French: “Good Scholar”) ,...
Henry II summary
Henry II, known as Henry of Anjou or Henry Plantagenet , (born...
Henry II summary
Henry II, or St.
Édouard Herriot summary
Édouard Herriot, (born July 5, 1872, Troyes, France—died March...
Aleksandr Herzen summary
Aleksandr Herzen, (born April 6, 1812, Moscow, Russia—died Jan....
Hezbollah summary
Hezbollah , (Arabic: “Party of God”) or Ḥizbullāh or Ḥizb Allāh...
Hirohito summary
Hirohito , or Shōwa emperor , (born April 29, 1901, Tokyo, Japan—died...
Friedrich von Holstein summary
Friedrich von Holstein, (born April 24, 1837, Schwedt an der...
Xuanzong summary
Xuanzong, or Hsüan-tsung orig.
Hu Shih summary
Hu Shih , or Hu Shi , (born Dec. 17, 1891, Shanghai, China—died...
Hongwu emperor summary
Hongwu emperor, or Hung-wu emperor orig.
Hunyadi János summary
Hunyadi János, (born 1407?, Hunyad, Transylvania—died Aug....
Ḥussein summary
Ḥussein , in full Ḥussein ibn Ṭalāl , (born Nov. 14, 1935, Amman,...
Ibn Ḥazm summary
Ibn Ḥazm , in full Abū Muḥammad ʿAli ibn Aḥmad ibn Saʿīd ibn...
Ibn Saʿūd summary
Ibn Saʿūd , in full ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Fayṣal...
Ikhwān summary
Ikhwān , (Arabic: “Brethren”) Religious and military brotherhood...
Institutional Revolutionary Party summary
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Political party that...
International Court of Justice summary
International Court of Justice (ICJ), or World Court , Principal...
International Monetary Fund summary
International Monetary Fund (IMF), Specialized agency of the...
intifāḍah summary
intifāḍah , (Arabic: “shaking off”) Palestinian revolt (1987–93,...
Irish Republican Army summary
Irish Republican Army (IRA), Republican paramilitary organization,...
Isabella I summary
Isabella I, known as Isabella the Catholic Spanish Isabel la...
Itō Hirobumi summary
Itō Hirobumi , (born Oct. 14, 1841, Suō province, Japan—died...
Ivan III summary
Ivan III, known as Ivan the Great , (born Jan. 22, 1440, Moscow—died...
Ivan IV summary
Ivan IV, Russian Ivan Vasilyevich known as Ivan the Terrible...
Jacobin Club summary
Jacobin Club, or Jacobins , Political group of the French Revolution,...
Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī summary
Jamāl al-Dīn al-Afghānī , (born 1838, Asadābād, Persia—died...
James I summary
James I, Spanish Jaime known as James the Conqueror , (born...
Jean Jaurès summary
Jean Jaurès, (born Sept. 3, 1859, Castres, France—died July...
Jayavarman VII summary
Jayavarman VII, (born c. 1120/25—died c. 1215/19), King of...
Jiang Qing summary
Jiang Qing , or Chiang Ch’ing orig.
jizya summary
jizya, or jizyah , Poll tax that early Islamic rulers demanded...
John I summary
John I, Portuguese João known as John of Aviz , (born April...
John III Sobieski summary
John III Sobieski , Polish Jan Sobieski , (born Aug. 17, 1629,...
Saint John XXIII summary
Saint John XXIII, orig.
Benito Juárez summary
Benito Juárez, (born March 21, 1806, San Pablo Guelatao, Oaxaca,...
Paul Kagame summary
Paul Kagame, (born October 1957, Rwanda), President of Rwanda...
Kangxi emperor summary
Kangxi emperor, or K’ang-hsi emperor , (born May 4, 1654, Beijing,...
Radovan Karadžić summary
Radovan Karadžić, (born June 19, 1945, Petnijca, Yugos.), Bosnian...
Katyn Massacre summary
Katyn Massacre, Mass killing of Polish military officers by...
Kenneth Kaunda summary
Kenneth Kaunda, (born April 28, 1924, Lubwa, near Chinsali,...
Jomo Kenyatta summary
Jomo Kenyatta, (born c. 1894, Ichaweri, British East Africa—died...
Kertanagara summary
Kertanagara , (flourished 13th century, Java), Last king (1268–92)...
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton summary
John Maynard Keynes, Baron Keynes of Tilton, (born June 5, 1883,...
Khmer Rouge summary
Khmer Rouge , (French: “Red Khmer”) Radical communist movement...
Ruhollah Khomeini summary
Ruhollah Khomeini, orig.
Khosrow I summary
Khosrow I, or Khosrow Anūshīrvān , (died 579), Persian king...
Nikita Khrushchev summary
Nikita Khrushchev, (born April 17, 1894, Kalinovka, Ukraine,...
Kim Jong Il summary
Kim Jong Il , or Kim Chong Il , (born Feb. 16, 1941, Siberia,...
Kim Dae Jung summary
Kim Dae Jung , (born Jan. 8, 1924, Mokp’o, Haeui Island, Korea...
Kim Il-sung summary
Kim Il-sung , (born April 15, 1912, Man’gyŏndae, Korea—died...
knight summary
knight, French chevalier German Ritter , In the European Middle...
Helmut Kohl summary
Helmut Kohl, (born April 3, 1930, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Ger.—died...
Konoe Fumimaro summary
Konoe Fumimaro , (born Oct. 12, 1891, Tokyo, Japan—died Dec....
Fazıl Ahmed Pasha Köprülü summary
Fazıl Ahmed Pasha Köprülü, (born 1635, Vezirköprü, Anatolia,...
Lajos Kossuth summary
Lajos Kossuth, (born Sept. 19, 1802, Monok, Hung.—died March...
Ku Klux Klan summary
Ku Klux Klan (KKK), Either of two racist terrorist organizations...
Kublai Khan summary
Kublai Khan , (born 1215—died 1294), Grandson of Genghis Khan...
Kurdistan Workers’ Party summary
Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Militant Kurdish nationalist...
Robert M. La Follette summary
Robert M.
Ferdinand Lassalle summary
Ferdinand Lassalle, orig.
Sir Wilfrid Laurier summary
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, (born Nov. 20, 1841, Saint-Lin, Canada...
Leo III summary
Leo III, known as Leo the Isaurian , (born c. 675, Germanicia,...
Ferdinand, viscount de Lesseps summary
Ferdinand, viscount de Lesseps, (born Nov. 19, 1805, Versailles,...
Li Hongzhang summary
Li Hongzhang, or Li Hung-chang , (born Feb. 15, 1823, Hefei,...
Liberal-Democratic Party summary
Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP), Major Japanese political party,...
Karl Liebknecht summary
Karl Liebknecht, (born Aug. 13, 1871, Leipzig, Ger.—died Jan....
Likud summary
Likud , Coalition of Israeli right-wing political parties.
Liliuokalani summary
Liliuokalani , orig.
Lin Biao summary
Lin Biao , or Lin Piao , (born Dec. 5, 1907, Huanggang, Hubei...
Liu Shaoqi summary
Liu Shaoqi , or Liu Shao-ch’i , (born Nov. 24, 1898, Ningxiang...
Louis I summary
Louis I, known as Louis the Pious , (born April 16, 778, Chasseneuil,...
Louis IX summary
Louis IX, or St.
Sir Bernard Lovell summary
Sir Bernard Lovell, (born Aug. 31, 1913, Oldland Common, Gloucestershire,...
Patrice Lumumba summary
Patrice Lumumba, (born July 2, 1925, Onalua, Belgian Congo—died...
Rosa Luxemburg summary
Rosa Luxemburg, (born March 5, 1871, Zamość, Pol., Russian Empire—died...
Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay of Rothley summary
Thomas Babington Macaulay, Baron Macaulay of Rothley, (born...
Alexander McGillivray summary
Alexander McGillivray, (born c. 1759—died Feb. 17, 1793, Pensacola,...
Francisco Madero summary
Francisco Madero, (born Oct. 30, 1873, Parras, Mex.—died Feb....
Gaius Maecenas summary
Gaius Maecenas, (born c. 70—died 8 bc), Roman diplomat and literary...
Mahathir bin Mohamad summary
Mahathir bin Mohamad , in full Datuk Seri Mahathir bin Mohamad...
Maḥmūd of Ghazna summary
Maḥmūd of Ghazna, (born 971—died April 30?, 1030, Ghazna, Ghaznavid...
Françoise d’Aubigné, marchioness de Maintenon summary
Françoise d’Aubigné, marchioness de Maintenon, known as Madame...
Daniel F. Malan summary
Daniel F.
Thomas Robert Malthus summary
Thomas Robert Malthus, (born Feb. 13/14, 1766, Rookery, near...
al-Maʾmūn summary
al-Maʾmūn, (born 786, Baghdad, Iraq—died August 833, Tarsus,...
Nelson Mandela summary
Nelson Mandela, (born July 18, 1918, Umtata, Cape of Good Hope,...
manorialism summary
manorialism, or seignorialism , Political, economic, and social...
Manuel I summary
Manuel I, known as Manuel the Fortunate , (born May 31, 1469,...
Maoism summary
Maoism , Variation of Marxism and Leninism developed by Mao...
Jean-Paul Marat summary
Jean-Paul Marat, (born , May 24, 1743, Boudry, near Neuchâtel,...
Marcus Aurelius summary
Marcus Aurelius , in full Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus...
Maria Theresa summary
Maria Theresa , German Maria Theresia , (born May 13, 1717,...
Matthias I summary
Matthias I, or Matthias Corvinus Hungarian Mátyás Corvin orig.
Jules Cardinal Mazarin summary
Jules Cardinal Mazarin, orig.
Cosimo de’ Medici summary
Cosimo de’ Medici, known as Cosimo the Elder , (born Sept. 27,...
Mehmed II summary
Mehmed II, byname Mehmed the Conqueror , (born March 30, 1432,...
Melchizedek summary
Melchizedek , Canaanite king and priest revered by Abraham.
Carlos Menem summary
Carlos Menem, (born July 2, 1930, Anillaco, Arg.), President...
Menilek II summary
Menilek II , orig.
Klemens, prince von Metternich summary
Klemens, prince von Metternich, (born May 15, 1773, Coblenz,...
Michael VIII Palaeologus summary
Michael VIII Palaeologus , (born 1224 or 1225—died Dec. 11,...
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe summary
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, orig.
Slobodan Milošević summary
Slobodan Milošević, (born Aug. 29, 1941, Požarevac, Serbia,...
Pavel Milyukov summary
Pavel Milyukov, (born Jan. 27, 1859, Moscow, Russia—died March...
Mithradates VI Eupator summary
Mithradates VI Eupator , (Latin: Born of a Noble Father) known...
Mobutu Sese Seko summary
Mobutu Sese Seko , orig.
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi summary
Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, (born Oct. 26, 1919, Tehrān, Iran—died...
Theodor Mommsen summary
Theodor Mommsen, (born Nov. 30, 1817, Garding, Schleswig—died...
Saint Thomas More summary
Saint Thomas More, (born Feb. 7, 1478, London, Eng.—died July...
Akio Morita summary
Akio Morita, (born Jan. 26, 1921, Nagoya, Japan—died Oct. 3,...
Moshoeshoe summary
Moshoeshoe , or Mshweshwe , (born c. 1786, near the upper Caledon...
Muʿāwiyah I summary
Muʿāwiyah I, (born c. 602, Mecca, Arabian Peninsula—died April/May...
Ḥosnī Mubārak summary
Ḥosnī Mubārak, (born May 4, 1928, Al-Minūfiyyah governorate,...
Robert Mugabe summary
Robert Mugabe, (born Feb. 21, 1924, Kutama, Southern Rhodesia...
Muhammad I Askia summary
Muhammad I Askia , or Muhammad Ture , (died March 2, 1538, Gao,...
Muḥammad ibn Tughluq summary
Muḥammad ibn Tughluq , (born c. 1290, Delhi, India—died March...
Joachim Murat summary
Joachim Murat, (born March 25, 1767, La Bastide-Fortunière,...
Mūsā summary
Mūsā , or Mousa , (died 1332/37?), Emperor (mansa) of the West...
Yoweri Museveni summary
Yoweri Museveni, (born 1944, Mbarra district, Uganda), President...
Benito Mussolini summary
Benito Mussolini, known as Il Duce , (born July 29, 1883, Predappio,...
Nādir Shāh summary
Nādir Shāh
,
(born Oct. 22, 1688
, Kobhan, Ṣafavid Iran
—died...
Fridtjof Nansen summary
Fridtjof Nansen, (born Oct. 10, 1861, Store-Frøen, near Kristiania,...
U Ne Win summary
U Ne Win, or Shu Maung , (born May 24, 1911, Paungdale, Burma—died...
Nebuchadrezzar II summary
Nebuchadrezzar II, or Nebuchadnezzar , (born c. 630—died c....
Nefertiti summary
Nefertiti , (flourished 14th century bc), Queen of Egypt and...
Jawaharlal Nehru summary
Jawaharlal Nehru, (born Nov. 14, 1889, Allahabad, India—died...
Nero summary
Nero, in full Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus (or Drusus) Germanicus...
Pablo Neruda summary
Pablo Neruda, orig.
Nicephorus II Phocas summary
Nicephorus II Phocas , (born 912, Cappadocia—died Dec. 10/11,...
Reinhold Niebuhr summary
Reinhold Niebuhr, (born June 21, 1892, Wright City, Mo., U.S.—died...
Martin Niemöller summary
Martin Niemöller, (born Jan. 14, 1892, Lippstadt, Ger.—died...
Niẓām al-Mulk summary
Niẓām al-Mulk , orig.
Kwame Nkrumah summary
Kwame Nkrumah, (born September 1909, Nkroful, Gold Coast—died...
Nurhachi summary
Nurhachi , (born 1559, Manchuria—died Sept. 30, 1626), Chieftain...
Julius Nyerere summary
Julius Nyerere, (born March 1922, Butiama, Tanganyika—died Oct....
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt summary
Johan van Oldenbarnevelt, (born Sept. 14, 1547, Amersfoort,...
oligarchy summary
oligarchy , Rule by the few, often seen as having self-serving...
Daniel Ortega summary
Daniel Ortega, (born Nov. 11, 1945, La Libertad, Nic.), President...
Axel, Count Oxenstierna summary
Axel, Count Oxenstierna, (born June 16, 1583, Fånö, near Uppsala,...
Juho Kusti Paasikivi summary
Juho Kusti Paasikivi, (born Nov. 27, 1870, Tampere, Fin.—died...
pacifism summary
pacifism , The doctrine that war and violence as a means of...
Parlement summary
Parlement , Supreme court under the ancien régime in France.
Charles Stewart Parnell summary
Charles Stewart Parnell, (born June 27, 1846, Avondale, County...
Nikola Pašić summary
Nikola Pašić, (born Dec. 31, 1845, Zaječar, Serbia—died Dec....
Octavio Paz summary
Octavio Paz, (born March 31, 1914, Mexico City, Mex.—died April...
Peisistratus summary
Peisistratus , or Pisistratus , (died 527 bc), Tyrant of Athens...
penology summary
penology , Branch of criminology dealing with prison management...
Pippin III summary
Pippin III, or Pepin or Pippin the Short , (born c. 714—died...
Pericles summary
Pericles , (born c. 495, Athens—died 429 bc, Athens), Athenian...
Peronist summary
Peronist , Member of Argentina’s Justicialist Nationalist Movement,...
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi summary
Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi, (born , Jan. 12, 1746, Zürich, Switz.—died...
Philippe Pétain summary
Philippe Pétain, (born April 24, 1856, Cauchy-à-la-Tour, France—died...
phalanx summary
phalanx , Tactical formation consisting of a block of heavily...
Philip II summary
Philip II, Spanish Felipe , (born May 21, 1527, Valladolid,...
Philips Electronics NV summary
Philips Electronics NV, in full Royal Philips Electronics NV...
Józef Piłsudski summary
Józef Piłsudski, (born Dec. 5, 1867, Żułów, Pol., Russian Empire—died...
Augusto Pinochet summary
Augusto Pinochet, (born Nov. 25, 1915, Valparaiso, Chile—died...
Konstantin Pobedonostsev summary
Konstantin Pobedonostsev, (born May 21, 1827, Moscow, Russia—died...
Pocahontas summary
Pocahontas , (born c. 1596, near present-day Jamestown, Va....
Sebastião de Carvalho, marquess de Pombal summary
Sebastião de Carvalho, marquess de Pombal, (born May 13, 1699,...
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, marchioness de Pompadour summary
Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, marchioness de Pompadour, known as...
Georges Pompidou summary
Georges Pompidou, (born July 5, 1911, Montboudif, France—died...
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon summary
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, (born Jan. 15, 1809, Besançon, France—died...
Ptolemy I Soter summary
Ptolemy I Soter , (born 367/366, Macedonia—died 283/282 bc,...
Yitzhak Rabin summary
Yitzhak Rabin, (born March 1, 1922, Jerusalem—died Nov. 4, 1995,...
Ramses II summary
Ramses II, known as Ramses the Great , (flourished 13th century...
Ranjit Singh summary
Ranjit Singh , (born Nov. 13, 1780, Budrukhan or Gujranwala,...
William H. Rehnquist summary
William H.
Eleanor Roosevelt summary
Eleanor Roosevelt, (born Oct. 11, 1884, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died...
Royal Air Force summary
Royal Air Force (RAF), Armed service charged with the air defense...
Anwar el-Sādāt summary
Anwar el-Sādāt, (born Dec. 25, 1918, Mit Abū al-Kum, Egypt—died...
Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān summary
Saʿīd ibn Sulṭān , or Saʿīd Sayyid , (born 1791, Oman—died Oct....
Henri de summary
Henri de, (born Oct. 17, 1760, Paris, France—died May 19, 1825,...
Andrey Sakharov summary
Andrey Sakharov, (born May 21, 1921, Moscow, Russia—died Dec....
Saladin summary
Saladin , byname of Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , (born 1137/38,...
Sallust summary
Sallust , Latin Gaius Sallustius Crispus , (born c. 86 bc, Amiternum,...
Sargon summary
Sargon , (flourished 23rd century bc), Ancient Mesopotamian...
Friedrich Karl von Savigny summary
Friedrich Karl von Savigny, (born Feb. 21, 1779, Frankfurt am...
Antonin Scalia summary
Antonin Scalia, (born March 11, 1936, Trenton, N.J., U.S.—died...
Seleucus I Nicator summary
Seleucus I Nicator , (born c. 358, Europus, Macedonia—died August/September...
Léopold Senghor summary
Léopold Senghor, (born Oct. 9, 1906, Joal, Senegal, French West...
Sennacherib summary
Sennacherib , (died January 681 bc), King of Assyria (r. 705/704–681...
Shaka summary
Shaka , (born c. 1787—died Sept. 22, 1828), Zulu chief (1816–28),...
Ariel Sharon summary
Ariel Sharon, orig.
Shihuangdi summary
Shihuangdi, or Shih Huang-ti orig.
Sinn Féin summary
Sinn Féin , (Irish: “We Ourselves”) Nationalist political party...
Jan Smuts summary
Jan Smuts, (born May 24, 1870, Bovenplaats, near Riebeeck West,...
Social Democratic Party of Germany summary
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), German political party.
Solon summary
Solon , (born c. 630—died c. 560 bc), Athenian statesman, reformer,...
Mikhail, Count Speransky summary
Mikhail, Count Speransky, (born Jan. 12, 1772, Cherkutino, Russia—died...
Stasi summary
Stasi , officially Staatssicherheit (“State Security”) , Secret...
Stefan Dušan summary
Stefan Dušan , or Stefan Uroš IV , (born 1308—died Dec. 20,...
Karl, imperial baron vom und zum Stein summary
Karl, imperial baron vom und zum Stein, (born Oct. 26, 1757,...
Gustav Stresemann summary
Gustav Stresemann, (born May 10, 1878, Berlin, Ger.—died Oct....
Suger summary
Suger , (born 1081, near Paris—died Jan. 13, 1151), Abbot of...
Süleyman I summary
Süleyman I, or Süleyman the Magnificent , (born November 1494–April...
Sun Yat-sen summary
Sun Yat-sen , or Sun Yixian , (born Nov. 12, 1866, Xiangshan,...
syndicalism summary
syndicalism , Movement advocating direct action by the working...
Tacitus summary
Tacitus , in full Publius Cornelius Tacitus , (born ad 56—died...
Taizu summary
Taizu, or T’ai-tsu , (born 927, Luoyang, China—died Nov. 14,...
Taizong summary
Taizong, or T’ai-tsung orig.
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand summary
Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand, (born Feb. 2, 1754, Paris, France—died...
Tammany Hall summary
Tammany Hall, Executive committee of the Democratic Party in...
Tecumseh summary
Tecumseh , (born 1768, Old Piqua, in modern Clark county, Ohio,...
Templar summary
Templar , or Knight Templar , Member of a religious military...
Tennessee Valley Authority summary
Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), U.S.
Blessed Mother Teresa summary
Blessed Mother Teresa, orig.
Teutonic Order summary
Teutonic Order, or Teutonic Knights officially House of the Hospitallers...
Texas Instruments, Inc. summary
Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI), U.S.
Theodosius I summary
Theodosius I , or Theodosius the Great in full Flavius Theodosius...
Adolphe Thiers summary
Adolphe Thiers, (born April 18, 1797, Marseille, France—died...
Thutmose III summary
Thutmose III, (died 1426 bc), Egyptian king of the 18th dynasty...
Tiglath-pileser III summary
Tiglath-pileser III, (flourished 8th century bc), King of Assyria...
Timur summary
Timur , or Tamerlane or Tamburlaine , (born 1336, Kesh, near...
Josip Broz Tito summary
Josip Broz Tito, orig.
Alexis de Tocqueville summary
Alexis de Tocqueville, (born July 29, 1805, Paris, France—died...
Toussaint Louverture summary
Toussaint Louverture , orig.
Trajan summary
Trajan , in full Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus Optimus...
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, baron de l’Aulne summary
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, baron de l’Aulne, (born , May 10,...
Tutankhamen summary
Tutankhamen , orig.
Cixi summary
Cixi , or Tz’u-hsi known as the Empress Dowager , (born Nov....
United States Air Force summary
United States Air Force (USAF), Major component of the U.S.
Getúlio Vargas summary
Getúlio Vargas, (born April 19, 1882, São Borja, Braz.—died...
Thorstein Veblen summary
Thorstein Veblen, (born July 30, 1857, Manitowoc county, Wis.,...
Eleuthérios Venizélos summary
Eleuthérios Venizélos, (born Aug. 23, 1864, Mourniés, Crete,...
Vespasian summary
Vespasian , in full Caesar Vespasianus Augustus orig.
Volkswagen AG summary
Volkswagen AG (VW), Major German automobile manufacturer.
Lech Wałęsa summary
Lech Wałęsa, (born Sept. 29, 1943, Popowo, near Włocławek, Pol.),...
Wang Mang summary
Wang Mang , (born 45 bc, China—died Oct. 6, ad 23, Chang’an),...
Wang Yangming summary
Wang Yangming, or Wang Yang-ming , (born 1472, Yuyao, Zhejiang...
Max Weber summary
Max Weber, (born April 21, 1864, Erfurt, Prussia—died June 14,...
Chaim Weizmann summary
Chaim Weizmann, (born Nov. 27, 1874, Motol, Pol., Russian Empire—died...
Elie Wiesel summary
Elie Wiesel, orig.
Sergey, Count Witte summary
Sergey, Count Witte, (born June 29, 1849, Tiflis, Georgia, Russian...
Władysław II Jagiełło summary
Władysław II Jagiełło , (born c. 1351—died May 31/June 1, 1434,...
Cardinal Wolsey summary
Cardinal Wolsey, (born c. 1475, Ipswich, Suffolk, Eng.—died...
World Health Organization summary
World Health Organization (WHO), Public-health agency of the...
World Trade Organization summary
World Trade Organization (WTO), International organization based...
Wuhou summary
Wuhou, or Wu-hou or Wu Zetian , (born 624, Wenshui, Shanxi province,...
Wudi summary
Wudi, or Wu-ti orig.
Xerxes I summary
Xerxes I , Persian Khshayarsha , (born c. 519 bc—died 465 bc,...
yakuza summary
yakuza , Japanese gangsters.
Yamagata Aritomo summary
Yamagata Aritomo , (born Aug. 3, 1838, Hagi, Japan—died Feb...
Yongle emperor summary
Yongle emperor, or Yung-lo emperor orig.
Saʿd Zaghlūl summary
Saʿd Zaghlūl, (born July 1857, Ibyānah, Egypt—died Aug. 23,...
Zhou Enlai summary
Zhou Enlai, or Chou En-lai , (born March 5, 1898, Huai’an, Jiangsu...
Taliban summary
Taliban , Political and religious faction and militia that came...
Energia summary
Energia, also called RKK Energia formerly OKB-1 , Russian aerospace...
MiG summary
MiG, officially ANPK imeni A.I.
Sukhoy summary
Sukhoy, officially OKB imeni P.O.
Tupolev summary
Tupolev, officially ANTK imeni A.N.
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. summary
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. (EADS), European aerospace...
Uhuru Kenyatta summary
Uhuru Kenyatta, (born Oct. 26, 1961, Nairobi, Kenya), President...
Morgan Tsvangirai summary
Morgan Tsvangirai, (born March 10, 1952, Gutu, Southern Rhodesia...
Rachid al-Ghannouchi summary
Rachid al-Ghannouchi, also spelled Rāshid al-Ghannūshī , (born...
Congress of the People summary
Congress of the People (COPE), South African political party...
Eleanor Roosevelt summary
Eleanor Roosevelt, (born Oct. 11, 1884, New York, N.Y., U.S.—died...
Indira Gandhi summary
Indira Gandhi, orig.
Paul Volcker summary
Paul Volcker, (born Sept. 5, 1927, Cape May, N.J., U.S.—died...
John Paul Stevens summary
John Paul Stevens, (born April 20, 1920, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died...
George H.W. Bush summary
George H.W.
John McCain summary
John McCain, in full John Sidney McCain III , (born Aug. 29,...
Anthony Kennedy summary
Anthony Kennedy, in full Anthony McLeod Kennedy , (born July...
Kim Jong-Un summary
Kim Jong-Un, or Kim Jong-Eun , (born Jan. 8, 1983?, North Korea),...
John H. Glenn, Jr. summary
John H.
Fidel Castro summary
Fidel Castro, (born Aug. 13, 1926, near Birán, Cuba—died Nov....
Hillary Clinton summary
Hillary Clinton, orig.
constitution summary
constitution, Set of doctrines and practices that form the fundamental...
Henry IV summary
Henry IV, orig.
Stephen Harper summary
Stephen Harper, in full Stephen Joseph Harper , (born April...
Stonewall riots summary
Stonewall riots, (June 28, 1969) Series of violent confrontations...
Lee Kuan Yew summary
Lee Kuan Yew, (born Sept. 16, 1923, Singapore—died March 23,...
Ian Paisley summary
Ian Paisley, (born April 6, 1926, Armagh, County Armagh, N.Ire.—died...
Juan Carlos I summary
Juan Carlos I, (born Jan. 5, 1938, Rome, Italy), King of Spain...
Muḥammad ʿAlī summary
Muḥammad ʿAlī, (born 1769, Kavala, Macedonia, Ottoman Empire—died...
Henry VIII summary
Henry VIII, (born June 28, 1491, Greenwich, near London, Eng.—died...
Shirley Temple summary
Shirley Temple, later Shirley Temple Black , (born April 23,...
Bill Gates summary
Bill Gates, in full William Henry Gates III , (born Oct. 28,...
Chrysler summary
Chrysler, U.S.
euro summary
euro, Single currency of 18 countries of the European Union...
civil religion summary
civil religion, Set of quasi-religious attitudes, beliefs, rituals,...
Philip II summary
Philip II, French Philippe known as Philip Augustus , (born...
Julia Gillard summary
Julia Gillard, (born Sept. 29, 1961, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan,...
Lorenzo de’ Medici summary
Lorenzo de’ Medici, known as Lorenzo the Magnificent , (born...
Mario Monti summary
Mario Monti, (born March 19, 1943, Varese, Italy), Prime minister...
Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven summary
Margaret Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, orig.
Jack Kemp summary
Jack Kemp, (born July 13, 1935, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.—died...
Hugo Chávez summary
Hugo Chávez, (born July 28, 1954, Sabaneta, Barinas, Venez.—died...
Enrique Peña Nieto summary
Enrique Peña Nieto, (born July 20, 1966, Atlacomulco, Mex.),...
Dmitry Medvedev summary
Dmitry Medvedev, (born Sept. 14, 1965, Leningrad, U.S.S.R. [now...
Facebook summary
Facebook, American company offering online social networking...
Facebook summary
Facebook, American company offering online social networking...
François Hollande summary
François Hollande, (born Aug. 12, 1954, Rouen, France), President...
Nicolas Sarkozy summary
Nicolas Sarkozy, (born Jan. 28, 1955, Paris, France), President...
Ahmed Ben Bella summary
Ahmed Ben Bella, (born Dec. 25, 1918?, Maghnia, Alg.—died April...
Abdoulaye Wade summary
Abdoulaye Wade, (born May 29, 1926, Kébémer, Seneg.), President...
Steve Jobs summary
Steve Jobs, (born Feb. 24, 1955, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.—died...
marriage law summary
marriage law, Body of legal specifications and requirements...
prostitution summary
prostitution, Practice of engaging in sexual activity, usually...
Washington Conference summary
Washington Conference, officially International Conference on...
William II summary
William II, German Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert known as Kaiser...
William Bligh summary
William Bligh, (born Sept. 9, 1754, probably at Plymouth, county...
Jefferson Davis summary
Jefferson Davis, (born June 3, 1808, Christian county, Ky.,...
Constantine I summary
Constantine I, known as Constantine the Great officially Flavius...
defense economics summary
defense economics, Field of national economic management concerned...
economic development summary
economic development, Process whereby simple, low-income national...
military law summary
military law, Law prescribed by statute for governing the armed...
security summary
security, In finance, written evidence of ownership conferring...
Osama bin Laden summary
Osama bin Laden, (born 1957, Riyadh, Saud.Ar.—died May 2, 2011,...
Leopold I summary
Leopold I, (born June 9, 1640, Vienna, Austria—died May 5, 1705,...
Henry VII summary
Henry VII, orig.
election summary
election, Formal process by which voters make their political...
tank summary
tank, Heavily armed and armoured combat vehicle that moves on...
liberalism summary
liberalism, Political and economic doctrine that emphasizes...
health law summary
health law, Branch of law dealing with various aspects of health...
socialism summary
socialism, System of social organization in which private property...
Marxism summary
Marxism, Ideology and socioeconomic theory developed by Karl...
money market summary
money market, Set of institutions, conventions, and practices...
ideology summary
ideology, Form of social or political philosophy in which practical...
conservatism summary
conservatism, Political attitude or ideology denoting a preference...
French Foreign Legion summary
French Foreign Legion, French Légion étrangère , French military...
censorship summary
censorship, Act of changing or suppressing speech or writing...
Mary Robinson summary
Mary Robinson, orig.
civil law summary
civil law, Body of law developed from Roman law and used in...
primary election summary
primary election, Electoral device for choosing candidates for...
Tony Blair summary
Tony Blair, orig.
Gordon Brown summary
Gordon Brown, (born Feb. 20, 1951, Glasgow, Scot.), Scottish-born...
Labour Party summary
Labour Party, British political party whose historic links with...
George E. Hale summary
George E.
Intel Corp. summary
Intel Corp., U.S.
Angela Merkel summary
Angela Merkel, orig.
Charles James Fox summary
Charles James Fox, (born Jan. 24, 1749, London, Eng.—died Sept....
canon law summary
canon law, Body of laws established within Roman Catholicism,...
jury summary
jury, In law, a body of individuals selected and sworn to inquire...
Dick Cheney summary
Dick Cheney, in full Richard Bruce Cheney , (born Jan. 30, 1941,...
John Winston Howard summary
John Winston Howard, (born July 26, 1939, Sydney, N.S.W., Austl.),...
Motorola, Inc. summary
Motorola, Inc., U.S.
Andrew Jackson summary
Andrew Jackson, (born March 15, 1767, Waxhaws region, S.C.—died...
Raúl Castro summary
Raúl Castro, (born June 3, 1931, Holguín province, Cuba), head...
William III summary
William III, Dutch Willem Hendrik , (born Nov. 14, 1650, The...
Iroquois Confederacy summary
Iroquois Confederacy, or League of the Iroquois , Confederation...
Edward I summary
Edward I, known as Edward Longshanks , (born June 17, 1239,...
capital punishment summary
capital punishment, or death penalty , Execution of an offender...
De Beers S.A. summary
De Beers S.A., World’s largest producer and distributor of diamonds.
Ian Smith summary
Ian Smith, (born April 8, 1919, Selukwe, Rhodesia—died Nov....
monetary policy summary
monetary policy, Measures employed by governments to influence...
Daimler AG summary
Daimler AG, German automotive manufacturer.
Jean-Marie Le Pen summary
Jean-Marie Le Pen, (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité, France),...
Al Gore summary
Al Gore, in full Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. , (born March 31, 1948,...
interest group summary
interest group, or pressure group , any association of individuals...
Leon Trotsky summary
Leon Trotsky, orig.
Boris Yeltsin summary
Boris Yeltsin, (born Feb. 1, 1931, Sverdlovsk, Russia, U.S.S.R.—died...
David Baltimore summary
David Baltimore, (born March 7, 1938, New York, N.Y., U.S.),...
Persian Gulf War summary
Persian Gulf War, or Gulf War , (1990–91) International conflict...
Leninism summary
Leninism, Principles expounded by Vladimir Ilich Lenin to guide...
Vicente Fox summary
Vicente Fox, (born July 2, 1942, Mexico City, Mex.), President...
Louis XVI summary
Louis XVI, (born Aug. 23, 1754, Versailles, France—died Jan....
William Pitt, the Younger summary
William Pitt, the Younger, (born May 28, 1759, Hayes, Kent,...
lord chancellor summary
lord chancellor, also called Lord High Chancellor or Lord Keeper...
Chinese law summary
Chinese law, Law that evolved in China from the earliest times...
individualism summary
individualism, Political and social philosophy that emphasizes...
land reform summary
land reform, Deliberate change in the way agricultural land...
League of Nations summary
League of Nations, Organization for international cooperation...
Bernardo O’Higgins summary
Bernardo O’Higgins, (born probably Aug. 20, 1776/78, Chillán,...
United Nations Security Council summary
United Nations Security Council, Division of the United Nations...
John L. Lewis summary
John L.
Motown summary
Motown, U.S.
George Orwell summary
George Orwell, orig.
Peter Paul Rubens summary
Peter Paul Rubens, (born June 28, 1577
, Siegen, Westphalia
—died...
Interpol summary
Interpol, officially International Criminal Police Organization...
terrorism summary
terrorism, Systematic use of violence to create a general climate...
Jimmy Carter summary
Jimmy Carter, orig.
Citigroup summary
Citigroup, U.S.
Calvin Coolidge summary
Calvin Coolidge, (born July 4, 1872, Plymouth, Vt., U.S.—died...
National Party summary
National Party, in full National Party of South Africa , South...
Nobel Prize summary
Nobel Prize, Any of the prizes awarded annually by four institutions...
Richard M. Nixon summary
Richard M.
Sony Corp. summary
Sony Corp., Major Japanese manufacturer of consumer electronics.
Alan Greenspan summary
Alan Greenspan, (born March 6, 1926, New York, N.Y., U.S.),...
neoconservatism summary
neoconservatism, U.S.
Al Capone summary
Al Capone, (born Jan. 17, 1899, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.—died Jan....
John G. Roberts, Jr. summary
John G.
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty summary
Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, officially Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapons...
Ultra summary
Ultra, Allied intelligence project that, in tapping the very...
Sears, Roebuck and Company summary
Sears, Roebuck and Company, U.S.
House of Commons summary
House of Commons, Popularly elected lower house of the bicameral...
Indian National Congress summary
Indian National Congress, or Congress Party , Broadly based...
Canadian Alliance summary
Canadian Alliance, French Alliance Canadienne , Former conservative...
John D. Rockefeller summary
John D.
Horace Mann summary
Horace Mann, (born May 4, 1796, Franklin, Mass., U.S.—died Aug....
tariff summary
tariff, or customs duty , Tax levied upon goods as they cross...
cybercrime summary
cybercrime, also known as computer crime , Any use of a computer...
UNESCO summary
UNESCO, in full United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural...
Clement Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow summary
Clement Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow, (born Jan. 3,...
John Austin summary
John Austin, (born March 3, 1790, Creeting Mill, Suffolk, Eng.—died...
Vasco Núñez de Balboa summary
Vasco Núñez de Balboa, (born 1475, Badajoz, Extremadura province,...
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin summary
Stanley Baldwin, 1st Earl Baldwin, (born Aug. 3, 1867, Bewdley,...
Arthur James, 1st Earl Balfour summary
Arthur James, 1st Earl Balfour, (born July 25, 1848, Whittinghame,...
William, Lord Bentinck summary
William, Lord Bentinck, (born Sept. 14, 1774, Bulstrode, Buckinghamshire,...
William Benton summary
William Benton, (born April 1, 1900, Minneapolis, Minn., U.S.—died...
Hugo Black summary
Hugo Black, (born Feb. 27, 1886, Clay county, Ala., U.S.—died...
Sir William Blackstone summary
Sir William Blackstone, (born July 10, 1723, London, Eng.—died...
John Wilkes Booth summary
John Wilkes Booth, (born May 10, 1838, near Bel Air, Md., U.S.—died...
Sir Robert Borden summary
Sir Robert Borden, (born June 26, 1854, Grand Pré, Nova Scotia—died...
Willy Brandt summary
Willy Brandt, orig.
John Bright summary
John Bright, (born Nov. 16, 1811, Rochdale, Lancashire, Eng.—died...
William Jennings Bryan summary
William Jennings Bryan, (born March 19, 1860, Salem, Ill., U.S.—died...
Aaron Burr summary
Aaron Burr, (born Feb. 6, 1756, Newark, N.J.—died Sept. 14,...
George Canning summary
George Canning, (born April 11, 1770, London, Eng.—died Aug....
Edward Henry, Baron Carson summary
Edward Henry, Baron Carson, (born Feb. 9, 1854, Dublin, Ire.—died...
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh summary
Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, (born June 18, 1769, Dublin,...
Joseph Chamberlain summary
Joseph Chamberlain, (born July 8, 1836, London, Eng.—died July...
Whittaker Chambers summary
Whittaker Chambers, orig.
Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford summary
Frederic John Napier Thesiger, 1st Viscount Chelmsford, (born...
Lord Randolph Churchill summary
Lord Randolph Churchill, (born Feb. 13, 1849, Blenheim Palace,...
Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon summary
Edward Hyde, 1st earl of Clarendon, (born Feb. 18, 1609, Dinton,...
William Clark summary
William Clark, (born Aug. 1, 1770, Caroline county, Va.—died...
Henry Clay summary
Henry Clay, (born April 12, 1777, Hanover county, Va., U.S.—died...
Grover Cleveland summary
Grover Cleveland, (born March 18, 1837, Caldwell, N.J., U.S.—died...
Robert, 1st Baron Clive summary
Robert, 1st Baron Clive, (born Sept. 29, 1725, Styche, Shropshire,...
William Cobbett summary
William Cobbett, (born March 9, 1763, Farnham, Surrey, Eng.—died...
Richard Cobden summary
Richard Cobden, (born June 3, 1804, Dunford Farm, near Midhurst,...
Thomas Cranmer summary
Thomas Cranmer, (born July 2, 1489, Aslacton, Nottinghamshire,...
Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex summary
Thomas Cromwell, earl of Essex, (born c. 1485, Putney, near...
Stephen A. Douglas summary
Stephen A.
John Foster Dulles summary
John Foster Dulles, (born Feb. 25, 1888, Washington, D.C., U.S.—died...
Oliver Ellsworth summary
Oliver Ellsworth, (born April 29, 1745, Windsor, Conn.—died...
Council of Europe summary
Council of Europe, Organization of more than 40 European states...
Alessandro Farnese, duke di Parma and Piacenza summary
Alessandro Farnese, duke di Parma and Piacenza, (born Aug. 27,...
Millard Fillmore summary
Millard Fillmore, (born Jan. 7, 1800, Locke Township, N.Y.,...
Felix Frankfurter summary
Felix Frankfurter, (born Nov. 15, 1882, Vienna, Austria-Hungary—died...
James A. Garfield summary
James A.
David Garrick summary
David Garrick, (born Feb. 19, 1717, Hereford, Herefordshire,...
Charles de Gaulle summary
Charles de Gaulle, (born Nov. 22, 1890, Lille, France—died Nov....
Henry George summary
Henry George, (born Sept. 2, 1839, Philadelphia, Pa., U.S.—died...
William E. Gladstone summary
William E.
Ulysses S. Grant summary
Ulysses S.
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey summary
Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey, (born March 13, 1764, Falloden,...
Sir Matthew Hale summary
Sir Matthew Hale, (born Nov. 1, 1609, Alderley, Gloucestershire,...
Alexander Hamilton summary
Alexander Hamilton, (born Jan. 11, 1755/57, Nevis, British West...
Warren G. Harding summary
Warren G.
Benjamin Harrison summary
Benjamin Harrison, (born Aug. 20, 1833, North Bend, Ohio, U.S.—died...
William Henry Harrison summary
William Henry Harrison, (born Feb. 9, 1773, Charles City county,...
Warren Hastings summary
Warren Hastings, (born Dec. 6, 1732, Churchill, near Daylesford,...
Rutherford B. Hayes summary
Rutherford B.
Patrick Henry summary
Patrick Henry, (born May 29, 1736, Studley, Va.—died June 6,...
Wild Bill Hickok summary
Wild Bill Hickok, orig.
Paul von Hindenburg summary
Paul von Hindenburg, in full Paul Ludwig Hans Anton von Beneckendorff...
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. summary
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., (born March 8, 1841, Boston, Mass.—died...
Herbert Hoover summary
Herbert Hoover, (born Aug. 10, 1874, West Branch, Iowa, U.S.—died...
Charles Evans Hughes summary
Charles Evans Hughes, (born April 11, 1862, Glens Falls, N.Y.,...
Howard Hughes summary
Howard Hughes, (born Dec. 24, 1905, Houston, Texas, U.S.—died...
Hubert H. Humphrey summary
Hubert H.
Mohammed Ali Jinnah summary
Mohammed Ali Jinnah, (born Dec. 25, 1876, Karachi, India—died...
Andrew Johnson summary
Andrew Johnson, (born Dec. 29, 1808, Raleigh, N.C., U.S.—died...
Lyndon B. Johnson summary
Lyndon B.
John F. Kennedy summary
John F.
Joseph P. Kennedy summary
Joseph P.
Robert F. Kennedy summary
Robert F.
Francis Scott Key summary
Francis Scott Key, (born Aug. 1, 1779, Frederick county, Md.,...
Paul Kruger summary
Paul Kruger, orig.
William Laud summary
William Laud, (born Oct. 7, 1573, Reading, Berkshire, Eng.—died...
conflict of laws summary
conflict of laws, Opposition or contradiction in the applicable...
Meriwether Lewis summary
Meriwether Lewis, (born Aug. 18, 1774, near Charlottesville,...
Wilhelm Liebknecht summary
Wilhelm Liebknecht, (born March 29, 1826, Giessen, Hesse—died...
statute of limitations summary
statute of limitations, Legislative act restricting the time...
David Lloyd George, Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor summary
David Lloyd George, Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor, (born Jan....
House of Lords summary
House of Lords, Upper house of Britain’s bicameral Parliament.
Douglas MacArthur summary
Douglas MacArthur, (born Jan. 26, 1880, Little Rock, Ark., U.S.—died...
William McKinley summary
William McKinley, (born Jan. 29, 1843, Niles, Ohio, U.S.—died...
James Madison summary
James Madison, (born March 16, 1751, Port Conway, Va.—died June...
William Murray, 1st earl of Mansfield summary
William Murray, 1st earl of Mansfield, (born March 2, 1705,...
George C. Marshall summary
George C.
John Marshall summary
John Marshall, (born Sept. 24, 1755, near Germantown, Va.—died...
Thurgood Marshall summary
Thurgood Marshall, (born July 2, 1908, Baltimore, Md., U.S.—died...
Mary, Queen of Scots summary
Mary, Queen of Scots, orig.
Tomáš Masaryk summary
Tomáš Masaryk, (born March 7, 1850, near Gölding, Moravia, Austrian...
Michael R. Milken summary
Michael R.
James Mill summary
James Mill, (born April 6, 1773, Northwater Bridge, Forfarshire,...
Alfred Milner summary
Alfred Milner, later Viscount Milner (of St.
James Monroe summary
James Monroe, (born April 28, 1758, Westmoreland county, Va.—died...
Simon de Montfort summary
Simon de Montfort, later Earl of Leicester , (born c. 1208,...
William Morris summary
William Morris, (born March 24, 1834, Walthamstow, near London,...
Gamal Abdel Nasser summary
Gamal Abdel Nasser, also spelled Jamāl ʿAbd al-Nāsir , (born...
Michel Ney, duke d’Elchingen summary
Michel Ney, duke d’Elchingen, (born Jan. 10, 1769, Sarrelouis,...
Florence Nightingale summary
Florence Nightingale, (born May 12, 1820, Florence, Italy—died...
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis summary
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, orig.
Robert Owen summary
Robert Owen, (born May 14, 1771, Newtown, Montgomeryshire, Wales—died...
Robert Harley, 1st earl of Oxford summary
Robert Harley, 1st earl of Oxford, (born Dec. 5, 1661, London,...
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston summary
Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, known as Lord Palmerston...
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet summary
Sir Robert Peel, 2nd Baronet, (born Feb. 5, 1788, Bury, Lancashire,...
William Penn summary
William Penn, (born Oct. 14, 1644, London, Eng.—died July 30,...
Juan Perón summary
Juan Perón, (born Oct. 8, 1895, Buenos Aires province, Arg.—died...
Franklin Pierce summary
Franklin Pierce, (born Nov. 23, 1804, Hillsboro, N.H., U.S.—died...
William Pitt, the Elder summary
William Pitt, the Elder, later 1st earl of Chatham , (born Nov....
partitions of Poland summary
partitions of Poland, (1772, 1793, 1795) Territorial divisions...
James K. Polk summary
James K.
George M. Pullman summary
George M.
Sir Stamford Raffles summary
Sir Stamford Raffles, (born July 6, 1781, at sea off Port Morant,...
Sam Rayburn summary
Sam Rayburn, (born Jan. 6, 1882, Roane county, Tenn., U.S.—died...
Max Reinhardt summary
Max Reinhardt, orig.
Reza Shah Pahlavi summary
Reza Shah Pahlavi, (born March 16, 1878, Alasht, Qājār Iran—died...
Cecil Rhodes summary
Cecil Rhodes, (born July 5, 1853, Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire,...
David Ricardo summary
David Ricardo, (born , April 18/19, 1772, London, Eng.—died...
Nelson Rockefeller summary
Nelson Rockefeller, (born July 8, 1908, Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.—died...
Theodore Roosevelt summary
Theodore Roosevelt, known as Teddy Roosevelt , (born Oct. 27,...
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell summary
John Russell, 1st Earl Russell, (born Aug. 18, 1792, London,...
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury summary
Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoyne-Cecil, 3rd marquess of Salisbury,...
David Sarnoff summary
David Sarnoff, (born Feb. 27, 1891, Minsk, Russia—died Dec....
Law of the Sea summary
Law of the Sea, International law codified in a treaty signed...
Amartya Sen summary
Amartya Sen, (born Nov. 3, 1933, Santiniketan, India), Indian...
Ludovico Sforza summary
Ludovico Sforza, (born July 27, 1452, Vigevano, Pavia, duchy...
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st earl of Shaftesbury summary
Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st earl of Shaftesbury, (born July 22,...
Richard Brinsley Sheridan summary
Richard Brinsley Sheridan, (baptized Nov. 4, 1751, Dublin, Ire.—died...
Upton Sinclair summary
Upton Sinclair, (born Sept. 20, 1878, Baltimore, Md., U.S.—died...
Sir Richard Steele summary
Sir Richard Steele, (born 1672, Dublin, Ire.—died Sept. 1, 1729,...
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford summary
Thomas Wentworth, 1st earl of Strafford, (born April 13, 1593,...
Sulla summary
Sulla, (born c. 138—died 79 bc, Puteoli, near Naples), Victor...
Jonathan Swift summary
Jonathan Swift, (born Nov. 30, 1667, Dublin, Ire.—died Oct....
William Howard Taft summary
William Howard Taft, (born Sept. 15, 1857, Cincinnati, Ohio,...
Roger B. Taney summary
Roger B.
Zachary Taylor summary
Zachary Taylor, (born Nov. 24, 1784, Montebello, Va., U.S.—died...
Time of Troubles summary
Time of Troubles, (1606–13)Period of political crisis in Russia.
Pierre Trudeau summary
Pierre Trudeau, (born Oct. 18, 1919, Montreal, Que., Can.—died...
Harry S. Truman summary
Harry S.
Ted Turner summary
Ted Turner, orig.
John Tyler summary
John Tyler, (born March 29, 1790, Charles City county, Va.,...
Mike Tyson summary
Mike Tyson, in full Michael Gerald Tyson , (born June 30, 1966,...
Martin Van Buren summary
Martin Van Buren, (born Dec. 5, 1782, Kinderhook, N.Y., U.S.—died...
Treaty of Versailles summary
Treaty of Versailles, International agreement, signed in 1919...
Lew Wallace summary
Lew Wallace, (born April 10, 1827, Brookville, Ind., U.S.—died...
Robert Walpole, 1st earl of Orford summary
Robert Walpole, 1st earl of Orford, (born Aug. 26, 1676, Houghton...
Sir Francis Walsingham summary
Sir Francis Walsingham, (born c. 1532, probably Footscray, Kent,...
Earl Warren summary
Earl Warren, (born March 19, 1891, Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.—died...
Daniel Webster summary
Daniel Webster, (born Jan. 18, 1782, Salisbury, N.H., U.S.—died...
Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley summary
Richard Colley Wellesley, Marquess Wellesley, (born June 20,...
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington summary
Arthur Wellesley, 1st duke of Wellington, (born May 1, 1769,...
Peace of Westphalia summary
Peace of Westphalia, (1648) European settlements that ended...
William Wilberforce summary
William Wilberforce, (born Aug. 24, 1759, Hull, Yorkshire, Eng.—died...
John Wilkes summary
John Wilkes, (born Oct. 17, 1725, London, Eng.—died Dec. 26,...
Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson summary
Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson, (born March 11, 1916, Huddersfield,...
Woodrow Wilson summary
Woodrow Wilson, (born Dec. 28, 1856, Staunton, Va., U.S.—died...
John Winthrop summary
John Winthrop, (born Jan. 22, 1588, Edwardstone, Suffolk, Eng.—died...
Canadian Parliament summary
Canadian Parliament, Legislature of Canada, created by the British...
Alan Dershowitz summary
Alan Dershowitz, (born Sept. 1, 1938, Brooklyn, N.Y., U.S.),...
Black Hawk summary
Black Hawk, (born 1767, Sauk Sautenuk, Va.—died Oct. 3, 1838,...
Edward IV summary
Edward IV, (born April 28, 1442, Rouen, France—died April 9,...
Edward VII summary
Edward VII, orig.
Justinian I summary
Justinian I, orig.
Marie-Antoinette (-Josèphe-Jeanne d’Autriche-Lorraine) summary
Marie-Antoinette (-Josèphe-Jeanne d’Autriche-Lorraine), (born...
medal summary
medal, Piece of metal struck with a design to commemorate a...
Napoleon III summary
Napoleon III, or Louis-Napoléon orig.
Sargon II summary
Sargon II, (died 705 bc), Assyrian king (r. 721–705 bc).
Suharto summary
Suharto, (born June 8, 1921, Kemusu Argamulja, Java, Dutch East...
Tiberius summary
Tiberius, in full Tiberius (Julius) Caesar Augustus orig.
Ho Chi Minh summary
Ho Chi Minh, orig.
Jacobite summary
Jacobite, In British history, a supporter of the exiled Stuart...
Solidarity summary
Solidarity, Polish Solidarność , Polish trade union.
Sukarno summary
Sukarno, (born June 6, 1901, Surabaja, Java, Dutch East Indies—died...
William I summary
William I, Dutch Willem known as William the Silent , (born...
Catherine II summary
Catherine II, Russian Yekaterina Alekseyevna orig.
Charles I summary
Charles I, (born Nov. 19, 1600, Dunfermline Palace, Fife, Scot.—died...
Charles II summary
Charles II, (born May 29, 1630, London, Eng.—died Feb. 6, 1685,...
Charles V summary
Charles V, German Karl , (born Feb. 24, 1500, Ghent—died Sept....
Charles VII summary
Charles VII, (born Feb. 22, 1403, Paris, France—died July 22,...
Charles XII summary
Charles XII, Swedish Karl , (born June 17, 1682, Stockholm,...
Christian IV summary
Christian IV, (born April 12, 1577, Frederiksborg Castle, Hillerød,...
Christina summary
Christina, Swedish Kristina , (born Dec. 8, 1626, Stockholm,...
Edward VIII summary
Edward VIII, (born June 23, 1894, Richmond, Surrey, Eng.—died...
Ferdinand II summary
Ferdinand II, (born July 9, 1578, Graz, Styria—died Feb. 15,...
Francis Joseph summary
Francis Joseph, German Franz Josef , (born Aug. 18, 1830, Schloss...
Frederick William summary
Frederick William, German Friedrich Wilhelm known as the Great...
Frederick William IV summary
Frederick William IV, German Friedrich Wilhelm , (born Oct....
George II summary
George II, orig.
George III summary
George III, orig.
George IV summary
George IV, orig.
Gulf Cooperation Council summary
Gulf Cooperation Council, Persian Gulf international organization...
Gustav I Vasa summary
Gustav I Vasa, orig.
Gustav II Adolf summary
Gustav II Adolf, Latin Gustavus Adolphus , (born Dec. 9, 1594,...
Henry VI summary
Henry VI, German Heinrich , (born autumn 1165, Nijmegen, Neth.—died...
intelligence summary
intelligence, In government and military operations, evaluated...
Israel Labour Party summary
Israel Labour Party, Israeli political party founded in 1968...
Khosrow II summary
Khosrow II, or Khosrow Parvīz , (died 628), King of the Sāsānian...
Louis XII summary
Louis XII, (born June 27, 1462, Blois, France—died Jan. 1, 1515,...
Louis XIV summary
Louis XIV, known as the Sun King , (born Sept. 5, 1638, Saint-Germain-en-Laye,...
Louis XV summary
Louis XV, (born Feb. 15, 1710, Versailles, France—died May 10,...
Louis-Philippe summary
Louis-Philippe, known as the Citizen King , (born Oct. 6, 1773,...
pornography summary
pornography, Depiction of erotic behaviour intended to cause...
purge trials summary
purge trials, Soviet trials of critics of Joseph Stalin.
Richard II summary
Richard II, (born Jan. 6, 1367, Bordeaux—died February 1400,...
Richard III summary
Richard III, (born Oct. 2, 1452, Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire,...
Saul summary
Saul, Hebrew Shaul , (flourished 11th century bc, Israel), First...
Young Turks summary
Young Turks, Turkish Jöntürkler , Coalition of young dissidents...
Mafia summary
Mafia, Society of criminals of primarily Italian or Sicilian...
bureaucracy summary
bureaucracy, Professional corps of officials organized in a...
Canada Act summary
Canada Act, or Constitution Act , Measure formally ending British...
chartered company summary
chartered company, Type of corporation that evolved in the 16th...
Henry IV summary
Henry IV, or Henry of Navarra French Henri de Navarre , (born...
Second International summary
Second International, or Socialist International , (1889–1914)...
Leopold II summary
Leopold II, orig.
Liberal Party summary
Liberal Party, British political party that emerged in the mid-19th...
Mary I summary
Mary I, or Mary Tudor , (born Feb. 18, 1516, Greenwich, near...
Night of the Long Knives summary
Night of the Long Knives, (June 30, 1934) Purge of Nazi leaders...
Sitting Bull summary
Sitting Bull, (born c. 1831, near Grand River, Dakota Territory,...
Glorious Revolution summary
Glorious Revolution, or Bloodless Revolution or Revolution of...
urban planning summary
urban planning, Programs pursued as a means of improving the...
Black Panther Party (for Self-Defense) summary
Black Panther Party (for Self-Defense), U.S.
Liberal Party of Canada summary
Liberal Party of Canada, One of the two major Canadian political...
Mayflower Compact summary
Mayflower Compact, (1620) Document signed by 41 male passengers...
New Democratic Party summary
New Democratic Party, Canadian democratic socialist political...
Charles III summary
Charles III, Spanish Carlos , (born Jan. 20, 1716, Madrid, Spain—died...
Gettysburg Address summary
Gettysburg Address, (Nov. 19, 1863) Speech by Pres.
Haymarket Riot summary
Haymarket Riot, (May 4, 1886) Violent confrontation between...
Israeli law summary
Israeli law, Legal practices and institutions of modern Israel.
James I summary
James I, (born June 19, 1566, Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scot.—died...
James II summary
James II, (born Oct. 14, 1633, London, Eng.—died Sept. 16/17,...
Joseph II summary
Joseph II, (born March 13, 1741, Vienna—died Feb. 20, 1790,...
judgment summary
judgment, In law, a formal decision or determination on a matter...
judicial review summary
judicial review, Examination by a country’s courts of the actions...
judiciary summary
judiciary, Branch of government in which judicial power is vested.
July Plot summary
July Plot, or Rastenburg Assassination Plot , Abortive attempt...
just war theory summary
just war theory, Set of conditions under which a resort to war...
labour law summary
labour law, Body of law that applies to matters such as employment,...
lawyer summary
lawyer, or attorney , Person trained and licensed to prepare,...
maritime law summary
maritime law, or admiralty law or admiralty , Body of legal...
Maurice of Nassau summary
Maurice of Nassau, Dutch in full Maurits, prince van Oranje,...
Maximilian I summary
Maximilian I, (born April 17, 1573, Munich—died Sept. 27, 1651,...
Nicholas I summary
Nicholas I, Russian Nikolay Pavlovich , (born July 6, 1796,...
Nicholas II summary
Nicholas II, Russian Nikolay Aleksandrovich , (born May 18,...
Nürnberg trials summary
Nürnberg trials, (1945–46) Trials of former Nazi Party leaders...
obscenity summary
obscenity, Act, utterance, writing, or illustration that is...
Open Door policy summary
Open Door policy, Statement of U.S.
patent summary
patent, Government grant to an inventor of the exclusive right...
Pentagon Papers summary
Pentagon Papers, Secret documents detailing the U.S.
property summary
property, In law, something that is owned or possessed.
rape summary
rape, Unlawful sexual activity, usually sexual intercourse,...
Roman law summary
Roman law, Law of the Roman Republic and Empire.
servitude summary
servitude, In property law, a right by which property owned...
sheriff summary
sheriff, In the U.S., the chief law-enforcement officer for...
Supreme Court of the United States summary
Supreme Court of the United States, Final court of appeal in...
theft summary
theft, In law, the crime of taking the property or services...
tort summary
tort, Wrongful act, other than a breach of contract, that injures...
trademark summary
trademark, Mark used by a manufacturer or merchant to identify...
communitarianism summary
communitarianism, Political and social philosophy that emphasizes...
political economy summary
political economy, Academic discipline that explores the relationship...
appeal summary
appeal, Resort to a higher court to review the decision of a...
business law summary
business law, or commercial law or mercantile law , Legal rules...
child abuse summary
child abuse, Crime of inflicting physical or emotional injury...
citizenship summary
citizenship, Relationship between an individual and a state...
civil service summary
civil service, Body of government officials employed in civil...
commerce clause summary
commerce clause, In the Constitution of the United States (Article...
conscientious objector summary
conscientious objector, One who opposes participation in military...
Constitution of the United States summary
Constitution of the United States, Fundamental law of the U.S.
contract summary
contract, Agreement between two or more parties that creates...
criminal law summary
criminal law, Body of law that defines criminal offenses, regulates...
duel summary
duel, Formal combat with weapons fought between two persons...
embargo summary
embargo, Legal action by a government or group of governments...
Federalist papers summary
Federalist papers, formally The Federalist , Eighty-five essays...
fingerprinting summary
fingerprinting, Act of taking an impression of a person’s fingerprint.
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact summary
German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact, or Nazi-Soviet Nonaggression...
grand jury summary
grand jury, Jury that examines accusations against persons suspected...
hijacking summary
hijacking, Crime of seizing possession or control of a vehicle...
homicide summary
homicide, Killing of one human being by another.
impeachment summary
impeachment, Criminal proceeding instituted against a public...
Indian law summary
Indian law, Legal practices and institutions of India.
World Bank summary
World Bank, Specialized agency of the United Nations system,...
libertarianism summary
libertarianism, Political philosophy that stresses personal...
NBC summary
NBC, in full National Broadcasting Co. , Major U.S.
natural law summary
natural law, In jurisprudence and political philosophy, a system...
parliamentary procedure summary
parliamentary procedure, or rules of order , Generally accepted...
political convention summary
political convention, or party conference , In politics, a meeting...
political party summary
political party, Group of persons organized to acquire and exercise...
political science summary
political science, Academic discipline concerned with the empirical...
popular front summary
popular front, In European politics, any coalition of working-class...
prison summary
prison, Institution for the confinement of people convicted...
proportional representation summary
proportional representation, Electoral system in which the share...
Radical Republican summary
Radical Republican, Member of the Republican Party in the 1860s...
Red Army summary
Red Army, Army of the Soviet Union.
refugee summary
refugee, Person involuntarily displaced from his or her homeland.
Regulators of North Carolina summary
Regulators of North Carolina, (1764–71) Vigilance group formed...
Bill of Rights summary
Bill of Rights, First 10 amendments to the Constitution of the...
welfare summary
welfare, or social welfare , Any of a variety of governmental...
states’ rights summary
states’ rights, Rights or powers retained by the regional governments...
Bank of the United States summary
Bank of the United States, Bank chartered in 1791 by the U.S.
utilitarianism summary
utilitarianism, Ethical principle according to which an action...
conscription summary
conscription, or draft , Compulsory enrollment for service in...
nationalism summary
nationalism, Loyalty and devotion to one’s nation or country,...
organized crime summary
organized crime, Crime committed on a national or international...
revolution summary
revolution, In politics, fundamental, rapid, and often irreversible...
serfdom summary
serfdom, In medieval Europe, condition of a tenant farmer who...
torture summary
torture, Infliction of intolerable physical or psychological...
tyrant summary
tyrant, In ancient Greece, a cruel and oppressive absolute ruler.
war crime summary
war crime, Any violation of the laws of war, as laid down by...
Sherman Antitrust Act summary
Sherman Antitrust Act, (1890)First U.S.
consumerism summary
consumerism, Movement or policies aimed at regulating the products,...
checks and balances summary
checks and balances, Principle of government under which separate...
Congress of the United States summary
Congress of the United States, Legislature of the U.S., separated...
Geneva Conventions summary
Geneva Conventions, Series of four international agreements...
Hewlett-Packard Co. summary
Hewlett-Packard Co., U.S.
Novartis AG summary
Novartis AG, Swiss pharmaceutical company.
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. summary
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp., U.S.
Wendi summary
Wendi, or Wen-ti orig.
Canton system summary
Canton system, System of trade that developed between Chinese...
Leo XIII summary
Leo XIII, orig.
Oneida Community summary
Oneida Community, Utopian religious community founded by John...
Carlism summary
Carlism, Spanish political movement of traditionalist character...
Commonwealth summary
Commonwealth, or Commonwealth of Nations , Free association...
Conservative Party summary
Conservative Party, officially National Union of Conservative...
Comintern summary
Comintern, or Communist International or Third International...
evidence summary
evidence, In law, something (e.g., testimony, documents, or...
Monroe Doctrine summary
Monroe Doctrine, U.S.
Nazi Party summary
Nazi Party, German political party of National Socialism.
Philip IV summary
Philip IV, French Philippe known as Philip the Fair , (born...
regulatory agency summary
regulatory agency, Independent government commission charged...
reparations summary
reparations, Payment in money or materials by a nation defeated...
Robert I summary
Robert I, known as Robert the Bruce , (born July 11, 1274—died...
world’s fair summary
world’s fair, Specially constructed attraction showcasing the...
attainder summary
attainder, In English law, the extinction of civil and political...
bailiff summary
bailiff, Officer of some U.S.
bankruptcy summary
bankruptcy, Status of a debtor who has been declared by judicial...
conspiracy summary
conspiracy, Agreement between two or more persons to commit...
Continental Congress summary
Continental Congress, Body of delegates that acted for the American...
corporation summary
corporation, Specific legal form of organization of persons...
damages summary
damages, In law, the money awarded to a party in a civil suit...
Egyptian law summary
Egyptian law, Law that prevailed in Egypt from c. 3000 bc to...
Compromise of 1850 summary
Compromise of 1850, Series of measures passed by the U.S.
Electoral Commission summary
Electoral Commission, (1877)Commission created to resolve the...
Embargo Act summary
Embargo Act, Legislation by the U.S.
equity summary
equity, Justice according to fairness, especially as distinguished...
extradition summary
extradition, Process by which one state, at the request of another,...
Fourteen Points summary
Fourteen Points, Outline of proposals by Pres.
Germanic law summary
Germanic law, Law of the various Germanic peoples from ancient...
Greek law summary
Greek law, Legal systems of the ancient Greeks.
Hudson’s Bay Co. summary
Hudson’s Bay Co., Corporation prominent in Canadian economic...
indictment summary
indictment, In criminal law, a formal written accusation of...
sign summary
sign, In marketing and advertising, a device placed on or before...
TRW Inc. summary
TRW Inc., U.S.
apprenticeship summary
apprenticeship, Training in an art, trade, or craft under a...
Axis Powers summary
Axis Powers, Coalition headed by Germany, Italy, and Japan that...
Boeing Co. summary
Boeing Co., Major U.S.
chamber of commerce summary
chamber of commerce, or commercial association , Any of various...
economic growth summary
economic growth, Process by which a nation’s wealth increases...
economic planning summary
economic planning, Use of government to make economic decisions...
economic stabilizer summary
economic stabilizer, Any of the institutions and practices in...
fiscal policy summary
fiscal policy, Measures employed by governments to stabilize...
futures summary
futures, Commercial contracts calling for the purchase or sale...
inflation summary
inflation, In economics, increases in the level of prices.
Lockheed Martin Corp. summary
Lockheed Martin Corp., U.S.
market summary
market, Means by which buyers and sellers are brought into contact...
price index summary
price index, Measure of change in a set of prices, consisting...
Roger II summary
Roger II, (born Dec. 22, 1095—died Feb. 26, 1154, Palermo),...
Rolls-Royce PLC summary
Rolls-Royce PLC, British manufacturer of aircraft engines and...
Solomon summary
Solomon, (flourished 10th century bc), Son and successor of...
supply and demand summary
supply and demand, Relationship between the quantity of a commodity...
Theodoric summary
Theodoric, known as Theodoric the Great , (born 454—died Aug....
foreign exchange summary
foreign exchange, Purchase or sale of one national currency...
gold standard summary
gold standard, Monetary system in which the standard unit of...
Louis IV summary
Louis IV, or Ludwig IV known as Louis the Bavarian , (born 1283,...
Louis XI summary
Louis XI, (born July 3, 1423, Bourges, France—died Aug. 30,...
Maximilian I summary
Maximilian I, (born March 22, 1459, Wiener Neustadt, Austria—died...
Nestlé SA summary
Nestlé SA, Multinational manufacturer of food products.
Philip III summary
Philip III, French Philippe known as Philip the Good , (born...
poster summary
poster, Eye-catching printed paper announcement or advertisement...
rent summary
rent, In common usage, payment made in return for the right...
Rothschild family summary
Rothschild family, European banking dynasty.
NEC Corp. summary
NEC Corp., Major Japanese computer, electronics, and telecommunications...
communism summary
communism, Political theory advocating community ownership of...
totalitarianism summary
totalitarianism, Form of government that subordinates all aspects...
CBS Television Network summary
CBS Television Network, Major U.S.
Federal Reserve System summary
Federal Reserve System, U.S.
income tax summary
income tax, Levy imposed by public authority on the incomes...
IBM Corp. summary
IBM Corp., in full International Business Machines Corporation...
labour economics summary
labour economics, Study of how workers are allocated among jobs,...
legion summary
legion, Military organization, originally the largest permanent...
macroeconomics summary
macroeconomics, Study of the entire economy in terms of the...
migrant labour summary
migrant labour, Semiskilled or unskilled workers who move from...
navy summary
navy, Warships and craft of every kind maintained by a nation...
physiocrat summary
physiocrat, Member of a school of economics, founded in 18th-century...
production management summary
production management, or operations management , Planning,...
productivity summary
productivity, In economics, a measure of productive efficiency...
property tax summary
property tax, Levy imposed on real estate (land and buildings)...
sales tax summary
sales tax, Levy imposed on the sale of goods and services.
Toyota Motor Corp. summary
Toyota Motor Corp., Largest Japanese automobile manufacturer...
United States Army summary
United States Army, Major branch of the U.S.
United States Navy summary
United States Navy, Major branch of the U.S.
Wells Fargo & Co. summary
Wells Fargo & Co., Leading U.S.
work summary
work, In economics and sociology, the activities and labour...
Xerox Corp. summary
Xerox Corp., Major U.S.
audit summary
audit, Examination of the records and reports of an enterprise...
Belmont family summary
Belmont family, U.S.
business cycle summary
business cycle, Periodic fluctuation in the rate of economic...
business finance summary
business finance, Raising and managing of funds by business...
capitalism summary
capitalism, or free-market economy or free-enterprise system...
central bank summary
central bank, Institution, such as the U.S.
Coca-Cola Co. summary
Coca-Cola Co., U.S.
consumption summary
consumption, In economics, the final using up of goods and services.
credit card summary
credit card, Small card that authorizes the person named on...
DuPont Co. summary
DuPont Co., in full E.I.
econometrics summary
econometrics, Statistical and mathematical analysis of economic...
economic forecasting summary
economic forecasting, Prediction of future economic activity...
Ptolemy II Philadelphus summary
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, (born 308, Cos—died 246 bc), King of...
criminology summary
criminology, Scientific study of nonlegal aspects of crime,...
Jack the Ripper summary
Jack the Ripper, Pseudonymous murderer of at least five women,...
judge summary
judge, Public official vested with the authority to hear, determine,...
Missouri Compromise summary
Missouri Compromise, (1820)Act passed by the U.S.
mortgage summary
mortgage, In Anglo-American law, the method by which a debtor...
Napoleonic Code summary
Napoleonic Code, French Code Civil , French civil code enacted...
Otto I summary
Otto I, known as Otto the Great , (born Nov. 23, 912—died May...
parole summary
parole, Supervised conditional liberty from prison granted prior...
plea bargaining summary
plea bargaining, Negotiation of an agreement between the prosecution...
prosecutor summary
prosecutor, Government attorney who presents the state’s case...
Richard I summary
Richard I, known as Richard the Lionheart(ed) French Richard...
Scottish law summary
Scottish law, Legal practices and institutions of Scotland.
Proclamation of 1763 summary
Proclamation of 1763, Proclamation by Britain at the end of...
Soviet law summary
Soviet law, Law that developed in the Soviet Union after the...
territorial waters summary
territorial waters, Waters under the sovereign jurisdiction...
trust summary
trust, In law, a relationship between parties in which one,...
William I summary
William I, known as William the Conqueror , (born c. 1028, Falaise,...
cabinet summary
cabinet, Body of senior ministers or, in the U.S., advisers...
Charles the Bold summary
Charles the Bold, (born Nov. 10, 1433, Dijon, Burgundy [France]—died...
Charles IV summary
Charles IV, orig.
Christian socialism summary
Christian socialism, Social and political movement originating...
church and state summary
church and state, Relationship between religious and secular...
city-state summary
city-state, Political system consisting of an independent city...
Conrad II summary
Conrad II, (born c. 990—died June 4, 1039, Utrecht, Ger.), German...
corporatism summary
corporatism, Theory and practice of organizing the whole of...
dictatorship summary
dictatorship, Form of government in which one person or an oligarchy...
Diet summary
Diet, Japanese national legislature.
Edward III summary
Edward III, known as Edward of Windsor , (born Nov. 13, 1312,...
Eleanor of Aquitaine summary
Eleanor of Aquitaine, (born c. 1122—died April 1, 1204, Fontevrault,...
employee training summary
employee training, or job training or occupational training...
Estates General summary
Estates General, or States General French États-Généraux. ,...
federalism summary
federalism, Political system that binds a group of states into...
Ferdinand II summary
Ferdinand II, known as Ferdinand the Catholic Spanish Fernando...
feudalism summary
feudalism, Term that emerged in the 17th century that has been...
foreign aid summary
foreign aid, Transfer of capital, goods, or services from one...
Frederick I summary
Frederick I, German Friedrich known as Frederick Barbarossa ...
Frederick II summary
Frederick II, German Friedrich , (born Dec. 26, 1194, Jesi,...
geopolitics summary
geopolitics, The study of geographic influences on power relationships...
guild summary
guild, Association of craftsmen or merchants formed for mutual...
Harold II summary
Harold II, known as Harold Godwineson , (born c. 1020—died Oct....
Henry III summary
Henry III, German Heinrich , (born Oct. 28, 1017—died Oct. 5,...
Henry IV summary
Henry IV, German Heinrich , (born Nov. 11, 1050, Goslar?, Saxony—died...
Henry V summary
Henry V, (born Sept. 16?, 1387, Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales—died...
international agreement summary
international agreement, Instrument by which nation-states and...
international organization summary
international organization, Institution drawing membership from...
John summary
John, known as John Lackland , (born Dec. 24, 1167, Oxford,...
KGB summary
KGB, Russian Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti , (“Committee...
legislative apportionment summary
legislative apportionment, or legislative delimitation , Process...
Parliament summary
Parliament, Legislative assembly of Britain and of other governments...
balance of power summary
balance of power, In international relations, an equilibrium...
restaurant summary
restaurant, Establishment where refreshments or meals are served...
sovereignty summary
sovereignty, In political theory, the ultimate authority in...
Stalinism summary
Stalinism, Method of rule, or policies, of Joseph Stalin in...
state summary
state, Political organization of society, or the body politic,...
treaty summary
treaty, Contract or other written instrument binding two or...
war summary
war, State of conflict, generally armed, between two or more...
Claudius summary
Claudius, in full Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus...
copyright summary
copyright, Exclusive right to reproduce, publish, or sell an...
Cyrus II summary
Cyrus II, known as Cyrus the Great , (born c. 585, Media or...
delinquency summary
delinquency, Criminal behaviour carried out by a juvenile.
ethnic cleansing summary
ethnic cleansing, The creation of an ethnically homogenous geographic...
Herod summary
Herod, known as Herod the Great , (born 73 bc—died March/April,...
Julian summary
Julian, or Julian the Apostate Latin Julianus Apostata orig.
Microsoft Corp. summary
Microsoft Corp., U.S.
Pentagon summary
Pentagon, Huge five-sided building (1941–43) in Arlington, Va.,...
Philip II summary
Philip II, or Philip of Macedon , (born 382—died 336 bc, Asia...
piracy summary
piracy, Illegal act of violence, detention, or plunder committed...
Senate summary
Senate, In ancient Rome, the governing and advisory council...
White House summary
White House, Official residence of the U.S.
serial murder summary
serial murder, Unlawful homicide of at least two people, carried...