Weave together the many narratives of world history with our highly curated and expanding selection of diverse, fascinating resources designed to showcase the breadth and richness of Earth's story, from the earliest traces of human civilization to the dramatic developments of contemporary cultures.
Hours of research by our editors, distilled into minutes of clarity.
Egypt's ancient marvel, the 66-foot, 4,500-year-old Great Sphinx, is believed to stand as a guard to the great Giza pyramids—or tombs—of pharaohs Khafre and Khufu. Archaeologists have long debated which of the two leaders' faces is on the great monument, the father (Khufu) or the son (Khafre).
This feature explores Oppenheimer’s early life, the traits that made him central to the development of the atomic bomb, and how his later years were marked by tension between pride in his work and opposition to weapons of mass destruction.
At the 1980 Winter Olympics, a team of American college players defeated the heavily favored Soviet hockey team—shocking the world. The victory became a defining moment of Cold War sports rivalry and American national pride.
This extensive gallery curated by Ben Perry features nearly 1,500 Socialist Realist posters. The images celebrate agriculture, industry, and cultural life, condemn fascism and capitalism, and glorify leaders like Lenin and Stalin through bold colors, striking typography, and classic Soviet design.
This podcast examines the Enlightenment thinkers and earlier political texts that influenced the Declaration, demonstrating how Jefferson built upon existing ideas rather than inventing them wholesale.
From Olympic medal counts to hockey showdowns, the US and USSR used sports to showcase ideological superiority. Athletic victories were framed as proof that each system—capitalist or communist—produced stronger, more disciplined citizens.
After a fire killed three astronauts on the launchpad of Apollo 1, the public became ambivalent about funding the multibillion-dollar program until the successful moon landing in 1969. The landers alone cost $388M, while each spacesuit cost $100,000.
Recently removed President Yoon Suk Yeol isn’t the first South Korean leader to face turmoil at home. As this Voice of America piece shows, at least seven of the country’s 20th-century heads of state saw their political careers (and, in some cases, their lives) come to an abrupt and sometimes violent end.
Cancer has existed as long as humans have, with some of the earliest evidence found among fossilized bone tumors, human mummies in ancient Egypt, and ancient manuscripts. The oldest example was uncovered in a toe—millions of years old—from an ancestor of modern-day humans.
John Adams urged Congress to choose Thomas Jefferson to draft the Declaration because of his literary skill and low-profile reputation. Read Jefferson’s initial draft, which included passages later removed, including a forceful denunciation of slavery.