The History Portal

History is the interpretation of past events, societies and civilisations. The term history comes from the Greek historia (ἱστορία), "an account of one's inquiries," and shares that etymology with the English word story. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica stated that "history in the wider sense is all that has happened, not merely all the phenomena of human life, but those of the natural world as well. It is everything that undergoes change; and as modern science has shown that there is nothing absolutely static, therefore, the whole universe, and every part of it, has its history."

  

This month's featured article

Pilgrims, or Pilgrim Fathers, is a name commonly applied to the early settlers of the Plymouth Colony in present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their leadership came from a religious congregation who had fled a volatile political environment in the East Midlands of England for the relative calm of the Netherlands to preserve their religion. Concerned with losing their cultural identity, the group later arranged with English investors to establish a new colony in North America. The colonists faced a lengthy series of challenges, from bureaucracy, impatient investors and internal conflicts to sabotage, storms, disease, and uncertain relations with the indigenous people. The colony, established in 1620, became the second successful English settlement in what was to become the United States of America, the first being Jamestown, Virginia, which was founded in 1607. Their story has become a central theme of the history and culture of the US.

  

This month's featured picture

  

Did you know...

...that Horatia N. Thompson (pictured) was christened with Lord Nelson and Mrs Hamilton as godparents and was later adopted by them as an orphan, even though they were her biological parents?

...that the 1609 Treaty of Antwerp was influenced by the writings of Benjamin Garcia in the Mare Liberum, which was published at the insistence of the Dutch East India Company during the course of the treaty negotiations?

...that Grand Duke Nicholas Mikhailovich of Russia let a soldier tasked with his execution take care of a cat?

...that, after driving the French Republicans from Italy, Russian Field-Marshal Alexander Suvorov managed to conduct a masterful flight across the snow-capped Alps?

...that George Rogers Clark was called the "Conqueror of the Northwest" because of his victorious Illinois campaign in the American Revolutionary War?

...that the crown-cardinals of Austria, France, and Spain could exercise the jus exclusivae during papal conclaves from the 16th to 20th centuries?

...that some accounts regarding the fighting during the Battle of Bonchurch states that some of the female population of the Isle of Wight participated by firing arrows at the French troops?

...that the Mongol Empire, also known as the Mongolian Empire (Mongolian: Монголын Эзэнт Гүрэн, Mongolyn Ezent Güren; 1206–1405) was the largest contiguous empire in world history and for some time was the most feared in Eurasia?

  

History subportals

Archaeology	Classical Civilisation
Egyptology	Ancient Germanic culture
History of science	War
Roman military	Heraldry and vexillology
Ancient Rome	Byzantine Empire
British Empire	American Revolutionary War
Middle Ages	Crusades

  

WikiProjects

History

Ancient Near East • Arab-Israeli conflict • Australian History • Aztec • Former countries • Canada • Chinese History • Geologic Timescale • Heraldry and vexillology • History of India • History of Poland • Jewish history • History of Russia • Medieval Scotland • History of Mesopotamia • Mesoamerica • Military history • Timelines • United Nations • Leaders by year • Middle Ages • History of Science • United States Congress • Iran •

Time

Days of the Year • Years • Years in science

Biography

Authors • Composers • Political figures • Saints • United States Presidents

  

Things you can do

Here are some Open Tasks : Copy/edit: Hongwu Emperor, Indian independence movement, Modern history, More... Wikify: Merge: More... Requests: Tragedy of Plostina, More... Stubs: Greco-Roman, Java War, Leopold II of Austria, Panhellenic Liberation Movement, Rio Protocol, Social history, Golden Age of Piracy, More... Are you an historian, i.e. one who studies and writes history, and who has a keen interest in writing outstanding articles? Join our fine group by adding [Category:Wikipedian historians] to the bottom of your user page.

  

Associated Wikimedia

History on Wikiquote Quotes

History on Commons Images

History on Wikisource Texts

History on Wikibooks Manuals & Texts