Catalog Search Results
1) The Diadochi: The History of Alexander the Great's Successors and the Wars that Divided His Empire
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On his deathbed, some historians claim that when he was pressed to name a successor, Alexander muttered that his empire should go "to the strongest". Other sources claim that he passed his signet ring to his general Perdiccas, thereby naming him successor, but whatever his choices were or may have been, they were ignored. Alexander's generals, all of them with the loyalty of their own corps at their backs, would tear each other apart in a vicious...
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Spanish accounts and Mesoamerican ruins have ensured that 500 years later, people remain fascinated by civilizations like the Maya and Aztec, as well as sites such as Chichen Itza and Tikal. What is often overlooked is that the Maya and Aztec established kingdoms on lands that had been inhabited for millennia before them, and ancient cultures had not only left ruins but also influenced the civilizations that came after them. Thus, while sites like...
3) Shays' Rebellion and the Whiskey Rebellion: The History and Legacy of Early America's Domestic In
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Even as the young United States successfully secured its independence, the new nation was beset by problems. The drafters of the Articles of Confederation had deliberately avoided giving the national legislature the power to tax, because Parliament had so abused that authority against the colonies, but this proved to be a severe limitation on the national government. Besides hampering the Continental Army, the inability of the national government...
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Most scientists believe the evolution of humans has a history nearly as long as life itself. Anatomically modern humans and all other life that has existed on the planet first came about from the single-celled microorganisms that emerged approximately 4 billion years ago. Through the processes of mutation and natural selection, all forms of life developed, and this continuous lineage of life makes it difficult to say precisely when one species completely...
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The Third Reich's Luftwaffe began World War II with significant advantages over other European air forces, playing a critical role in the German war machine's swift, powerful advance. By war's end, however, the Luftwaffe had been decimated by combat losses and crippled by poor decisions at the highest levels of military decision-making, and it proved unable to challenge Allied air superiority despite a last-minute upsurge in German aircraft production.
When...
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On July 12, 1588, the legendary Spanish Armada headed for the English Channel. The Spanish plan was to take this invasion, led by the Duke of Parma, to the coast of southeast England, where they would be unleashed to conquer Elizabethan England for Spain's King Philip II and Catholic Christendom. The Armada included over 150 ships, 8,000 sailors, and 18,000 soldiers, and it boasted a firepower of 1,500 brass guns and 1,000 iron guns. Just leaving...
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In the wake of taking Constantinople, the Ottoman Empire would spend the next few centuries expanding its size, power, and influence on the way to becoming one of the world's most important geopolitical players. It was a rise that would not truly start to wane until the 19th century, and while its most memorable conflicts were fought against the Europeans, the course of Ottoman history was greatly impacted by events against the other major Muslim...
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Long before it was known as Afghanistan, and even longer before it acquired its current reputation, Afghanistan's modern borders were fairly congruent with the ancient country known as Bactria. Bactria was the seat of several different kingdoms during the course of many centuries, but none were as successful as the Kushan Empire, the dominant political entity in Central Asia from the early 2nd century BCE until the early 3rd century CE, during which...
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"I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me, but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch." - Ty Cobb "Cobb is a prick. But he sure can hit. God Almighty that man can hit." - Babe Ruth As one of America's oldest and most beloved sports, baseball has long been touted as the national pastime, but of all the millions of people who have played it over the last few centuries, few have influenced Major League Baseball like Ty...
10) British Intelligence in the World Wars: The History and Legacy of Britain's Covert Activities During
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Many members of British society viewed war as a sport, a lethal one admittedly, but one played by gentlemen in the spirit of amateurism and fair play as it had been throughout the British Empire in the preceding decades. The bloody stalemate on the Western Front caught them unprepared for the dark arts of covert warfare which would be needed to avert defeat, gain the initiative, win the war and, ultimately, shape the peace. Those operations would...
11) Montenegro in the Late Middle Ages: The History of the Different States and Dynasties that Contro
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Much has been written about Western intervention during the breakup of Yugoslavia, and whether it made matters worse, prevented worse atrocities, or was simply ineffective. In early 1992, however, what was clear was that Europe was hopelessly divided over the best course of action to take towards Yugoslavia, and after several years of fighting, the Bosnian War was one of the most violent conflagrations in Europe since the end of World War II.
That...
12) Operation Pastorius: The History of the Nazi Intelligence Operation to Commit Sabotage in the Uni
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Four days after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hitler declared war on America, almost casually and without seeming to consider the consequences. There was no diplomatic necessity for him to have done this and no obvious strategic reason. Germany's military successes were so complete at that point that Hitler seemed to believe declaring war on one more country was a trifling matter.
In some ways, he was right, because, in December 1941, the US Army was...
13) Roman Empire and the Plague, The: The History of the Worst Pandemics to Strike Rome and the Byzan
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Public speaking can be terrifying, so learn what it takes to give powerful and passionate speeches that inspire and motivate people to action. Don't end up making typical rookie mistakes when performing a speech. Learn from Brad Worthley, an internationally acclaimed expert, who is always the highest rated speaker at any event he speaks at. You will be able to understand why President Obama, Bill Clinton, John F. Kennedy and Ronald Regan will go down...
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Finland is a Nordic country today bordering Sweden, Norway, and Russia. Its population of 5.5 million are mainly concentrated towards the southern end of the country, notably in its capital Helsinki. Yet, Finland's geography played a major part in its twentieth-century history, in particular, its territory within the Arctic Circle and waters including the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Finland, and the Gulf of Bothnia. In essence, Finland was on the front line...
15) Start of the French Revolution: The History and Legacy of the Seminal Events that Began the Uprising
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*Includes pictures
*Includes a bibliography for further reading
*Includes a table of contents
As one of the seminal social revolutions in human history, the French Revolution holds a unique legacy, especially in the West. The early years of the Revolution were fueled by Enlightenment ideals, seeking the social overthrow of the caste system that gave the royalty and aristocracy decisive advantages over the lower classes. But history remembers the...
16) The Weird Middle Ages: A Collection of Mysterious Stories, Odd Customs, and Strange Superstition
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In the time period between the fall of Rome and the spread of the Renaissance across the European continent, many of today's European nations were formed, the Catholic Church rose to great prominence, some of history's most famous wars occurred, and a social class system was instituted that lasted over 1,000 years. A lot of activity took place during a period frequently labeled derogatively as the "Dark Ages," and while that period of time is mostly...
17) Ancient Mediterranean Trade: The History of the Trade Routes Throughout the Region and the Birth
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The concept of international trade was born in the ancient Mediterranean, which provided the perfect set of circumstances needed to produce an intricate trading system whose influence can still be seen in present-day economic practices. The ancient Mediterranean was home to a diverse range of cultures and landscapes, encompassing deserts, forests, islands and fertile plains. Different natural resources were available in different geographical areas,...
18) Gastronomy in Mesoamerica: The History of Indigenous People's Diets Before and After European Contac
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Indigenous groups settling in Mesoamerica had different languages, political and social organizations, traditions, and beliefs; however, there were a series of traits that included the use and consumption of many food sources present throughout the entire territory. The domestication of important plants like maize, beans, squash, and chili peppers eventually led to full-scale agricultural societies supporting large populations through intensified...
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Shortly after Emperor Hadrian came to power in the early 2nd century CE, he decided to seal off Scotland from Roman Britain with an ambitious wall stretching from sea to sea. To accomplish this, the wall had to be built from the mouth of the River Tyne — where Newcastle stands today — 80 Roman miles (76 miles or 122 kilometers) west to Bowness-on-Solway. The sheer scale of Hadrian's Wall still impresses people today, but as the Western Roman Empire...
20) Wars that Forged Imperial Japan: The History of the Conflicts that Established the Japanese Empire
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Completing the Meiji Restoration that heralded the dawn of a new era for both Japan and Asia, the island nation found itself thrust into the modern world, a world of industry and conquest. Flexing its new muscles, the burgeoning power soon came to blows with the regional power that for centuries dominated the area politically and culturally: China. In its first modern war, the modernized Japanese empire went to war against the dominant power in the...