The Advent of Early Modern Warfare: The History of the Transition From Medieval Military Tactics to the Age of Gunpowder Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes accounts of medieval battlesIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents 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 referred to as the “Middle Ages” instead of the Dark Ages today, it has still retained the stigma of being a sort of lost period of time in which Western civilization made no worthwhile progress aft...
The Apollo 1 Disaster: The Controversial History and Legacy of the Fire That Caused One of NASA’s Greatest Tragedies Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Explains the design of the Apollo program and investigations into what went wrong Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Includes a table of contents “There's always a possibility that you can have a catastrophic failure, of course; this can happen on any flight; it can happen on the last one as well as the first one. So, you just plan as best you can to take care of all these eventualities, and you get a well-trained crew and you go fly.” - Gus Grissom, December 1966 The Apollo space program is the most famous and celebrated in American history, but the first successful landing of men on the Moon during Apollo 11 had complicated roots dating back over a decade, and it also involved one of NASA’s most infamous tragedies. Landing on the Moon prese...
The Battle of Aleppo: The History of the Ongoing Siege at the Center of the Syrian Civil War Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes footnotes, online resources and a bibliography for further reading “I'm not a puppet. I wasn't made by the west to go to the west or any other country. I'm Syrian. I'm made in Syria. I have to live in Syria and die in Syria." – Bashar al-Assad, 2012 In December 2010, a 26-year-old Tunisian street vendor’s self immolation triggered protests that spread from his hometown in Sidi Bouzid to cities across the country. The next month, on January 14, the country’s autocratic president, Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, fled the country. This would be the start of what became known as the “Arab Spring,” which ultimately saw anti-government protests responded to with violence, reform, or both in countries across the Middle East. In Syria, the protests that began as early as Januar...
Bethlehem & Nazareth: The History and Legacy of Jesus Christ’s Birthplace and Hometown Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes accounts about the two sitesIncludes a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents Bethlehem is amongst the oldest cities in the world, one that has been conquered and ruled by Caananites, Jews, Romans, Arabs, Crusaders, the Mamluks of Egypt, and the Ottomans. In the last century alone, it has been controlled by various different parties. The British took Bethlehem during World War I and controlled the city from 1920-1948, and in the wake of the 1948 war between Israel and its neighbors, Jordan annexed Bethlehem and controlled it until the Six Day War in 1967. It was during the Six Day War that Israel took control of Bethlehem, remaining in power over the city until 1995, when, in compliance with the Oslo Peace Accords, control of the city and of...
Colonizing and Decolonizing Africa: The History and Legacy of European Imperialism Across the African Continent Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes accounts Includes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents The modern history of Africa was, until very recently, written on behalf of the indigenous races by the white man, who had forcefully entered the continent during a particularly hubristic and dynamic phase of European history. In 1884, Prince Otto von Bismark, the German chancellor, brought the plenipotentiaries of all major powers of Europe together, to deal with Africa's colonization in such a manner as to avoid provocation of war. This event—known as the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885—galvanized a phenomenon that came to be known as the Scramble for Africa. The conference established two fundamental rules for European seizure of Africa. The first of these was ...
The Dynasties of Ancient Egypt: The History and Legacy of the Pharaohs From the Beginning of Egyptian Civilization to the Rise of Rome Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes ancient accounts*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later. From the Library and Lighthouse of Alexandria to the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Ancient Egyptians produced several wonders of the world, revolutionized architecture and construction, created some of the world’s first systems of mathematics and medicine, and established language and art that spread across the known world. With world-famous leaders like King Tut and Cleopatra, it’s no wonder that today’s world has so many Egyptologists. What makes the accomplishments of the Ancient...
The Empires of Ancient Persia: The History and Legacy of the Achaemenids, Parthians, and Sassanids in Antiquity Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes ancient accounts *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading Lying in the middle of a plain in modern day Iran is a forgotten ancient city: Persepolis. Built two and a half thousand years ago, it was known in its day as the richest city under the sun. Persepolis was the capital of Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest empire the world had ever seen, but after its destruction, it was largely forgotten for nearly 2,000 years, and the lives and achievements of those who built it were almost entirely erased from history. Alexander the Great’s troops razed the city to the ground in a drunken riot to celebrate the conquest of the capital, after which time and sand buried it for centuries. It was not until the excavations of the 1930s that many of...
The Enemies of the Ancient Israelites: The History of the Canaanites, Philistines, Babylonians, and Assyrians Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes ancient accounts of each group*Includes a bibliography for further reading Individuals who decide to take up learning about the Old Testament of the Bible are immediately faced with the difficult proposition of identifying the various peoples that the Hebrews met and sometimes came into conflict with when they entered the territory that eventually became Israel. The Moabites and Edomites were just two of the many Canaanite groups that the Hebrews dealt with, often violently, but there were dozens of other Canaanite groups, which were all for the most part identified through the names of their respective cities. In fact, before the Hebrews established a kingdom and before the Phoenicians colonized much of the Mediterranean, the Canaanites were the most important g...
Florence: The History and Legacy of the Birthplace of the Renaissance Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes contemporary accounts of FlorenceIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents When historians are asked to pick a point in history when Western civilization was transformed and guided down the path to modernity, most of them point to the Renaissance. Indeed, the Renaissance revolutionized art, philosophy, religion, sciences and math, with individuals like Galileo, Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Dante, and Petrarch bridging the past and modern society. Most historians credit the city-state of Florence as the place that started and developed the Italian Renaissance, a process carried out through the patronage and commission of artists during the late 12th century. If Florence is receiving its due credit, much of i...
The Formation of Saudi Arabia: The History of the Arabian Peninsula’s Unification and the Discovery of Oil Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents At the conclusion of World War I, a once promised unified Arab state, which was to include the modern Hejaz, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine/Israel, Jordan and Iraq, did not materialize. Instead, the territories were divided between the French and British, but the British did reward the Hashemites by putting local leaders on the thrones of Iraq and Jordan. In 1924, when the revolutionary government of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk declared Turkey a secular state and abolished the Caliphate, the Sharif (now King) declared himself Caliph, and it appeared that a new Arab-based Caliphate centered on Mecca would emerge . However, this was also not to be, because the Saudis had reformed their power...
Inheriting the Ancient Near East After Alexander the Great: The Rise and Fall of the Seleucid Empire and the Ptolemaic Kingdom Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes ancient accountsIncludes a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents In 323 BCE, Alexander the Great was on top of the world. Never a man to sit on his hands or rest upon his laurels, Alexander began planning his future campaigns, which may have included attempts to subdue the Arabian Peninsula or make another incursion into India. But fate had other plans for the young Macedonian king. One night, while feasting with his admiral Nearchus, he drank too much and took to bed with a fever. At first, it seemed like the fever was merely a consequence of his excess, and there was not much concern for his health, but when a week had elapsed and there was still no sign of his getting better, his friends and generals began to grow concerned. The fever gr...
Kristallnacht: The History and Legacy of Nazi Germany’s Most Notorious Pogrom Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes accounts of Kristallnacht written by eyewitnesses Includes footnotes and a bibliography for further reading Includes a table of contents “It did not take long before the first heavy grey stones came tumbling down, and the children of the village amused themselves as they flung stones into the many coloured windows. When the first rays of a cold and pale November sun penetrated the heavy dark clouds, the little synagogue was but a heap of stone, broken glass and smashed-up woodwork.” – Eric Lucas’ description of the destruction of a synagogue during Kristallnacht On the 40th anniversary of Kristallnacht, Germany’s night of broken glass, then chancellor of Germany Helmut Schmidt spoke of its legacy, “The German night, whose observance after the passage of forty yea...
The Library of Alexandria: The History and Legacy of the Ancient World’s Most Famous Library Charles River Editors
Includes pictures depicting important people, places, and events.Includes ancient accounts about the Library of Alexandria and its destruction.*Includes a bibliography for further reading. “When I wrote 'The Alexandria Link,' I discovered that we are only aware of about 10 percent of the knowledge of the ancient world. In the ancient world, most of the knowledge was destroyed.” – Steve Berry In the modern world, libraries are taken for granted by most people, perhaps because their presence is ubiquitous. Every school has a library, large libraries can be found in every major city, and even most small towns have public libraries. However, the omnipresent nature of libraries is a fairly recent historical phenomenon, because libraries were still few and far between before the 19th century. F...
Los Asirios: Historia del más prominente imperio del antiguo cercano oriente Charles River Editors
“Yo peleé diariamente, sin interrupción, contra Tajarqa, rey de Egipto y Etiopía, el maldito de todos los dioses. Cinco veces lo impacté con la punta de mis flechas infligiéndole heridas de las que no se recuperaría, y entonces entablé sitio contra Menfis, su residencia real, y la conquisté en medio día con minas, brechas y escaleras de asalto.” Esarhadón “Capturé 46 ciudades…fusionando rampas para subir arietes…con ataques de infantería, minas, brechas y máquinas de sitio.” –Senaquerib Cuando los eruditos estudian la historia del antiguo Cercano Oriente a menudo se destacan varias guerras que tuvieron consecuencias extremadamente brutales (al menos de acuerdo con los estándares modernos). Remoción forzada de poblaciones enteras, sitios que diezmaron ciudades por completo y destrucción sin...
New Amsterdam and British New York: The History of New York City as a Colonial Possession Before the Revolutionary War Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes contemporary accounts of colonial New York *Includes a bibliography for further reading “One belongs to New York instantly; one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years.” – Tom Wolfe New York City. The Big Apple. The city of dreams. The city so nice they named it twice. These are just some of the monikers given to not only the most highly populated city in North America, but perhaps the most culturally diverse region in all the world. Modern age New York is stamped on the map for its breathtaking skylines and iconic financial centers, as well as being the quintessential melting pot, where people go to “make it big” and take a chance on long-awaited dreams. What is less known is the rich tapestry of history behind this one-of-a-kind city. It is one t...
The Night of the Long Knives: The History and Legacy of Adolf Hitler's Notorious Purge of the SA Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Explains Hitler's rise to power and the roles played by the SA and other paramilitary groups like the SS Includes eyewitness accounts of the purge Includes a bibliography for further reading *Includes a table of contents Germany's Nazi Party was remarkably implacable in the hostility it showed to the outside world, staunchly opposing both Communism and liberal democracy from the moment of its inception to that of its violent dissolution. The Nazis likewise showed steely, unwavering resolve in their lethal hatred of the Jews, the Slavs, and many others whom they labeled as "untermenschen," subhumans unworthy of rights, cultural standing, or life itself. They pursued their dark vision of "Aryan" superiority with a terrifying clarity and zeal, and they were willing to incur ...
Nínive: la historia y el legado de la antigua capital asiria Charles River Editors
"Capturé 46 ciudades ... mediante la consolidación de rampas para levantar carneros, ataques de infantería, minas, brechas y motores de asedio." - Senaquerib Cuando los estudiosos estudian la historia del antiguo Cercano Oriente, a menudo se destacan varias guerras que tuvieron consecuencias extremadamente brutales (al menos para los estándares modernos). La eliminación forzada de poblaciones enteras, los asedios que diezmaron ciudades enteras y la destrucción ilícita de propiedades fueron tácticas utilizadas por los diversos pueblos del antiguo Cercano Oriente unos contra otros, pero los asirios fueron los primeros en hacer de la guerra una ciencia. Cuando se menciona a los asirios, las imágenes de guerra y brutalidad son las primeras que vienen a la mente, a pesar de que su cultura prosp...
The Order of the Holy Sepulchre: The History of the Catholic Order Established During the Crusades for the Promised Land Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes contemporary accounts of the orderIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents “But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.” – Luke 19:27 For centuries, Christians and Muslims were embroiled in one of the most infamous territorial disputes of all time, viciously and relentlessly battling one another for the Holy Land. In the heart of Jerusalem sat one of the shining jewels of the Christian faith, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Legend has it that this was where their Savior had been buried before his fabled resurrection. What was more, it was said to house the very cross Jesus Christ had died upon. It was for precisely these reasons that ...
Otto Von Bismarck: The Life and Legacy of the German Empire’s First Chancellor Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes Bismarck's quotes about his life and careerIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents In 1832, 17 year old Otto von Bismarck had just entered university and was already rejecting the republican indoctrination of his grade school years. Unlike so many of his day who had championed representative government, Bismarck longed for the glory of a nation he believed would only be found under a single, strong leader. Though his early university days showed him he would be isolated by this thinking, he strongly believed not only in the ideal of a national German state, but in its possibility. In his memoirs, Bismarck recalls that at this young age, he “retained [his] own private National sentiments, and [his] belief that i...
The Quakers and the Amish: The History and Legacy of the Two Unique Religious Communities Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes contemporary accounts *Includes a bibliography for further reading Since its fruition, Christianity has faced an unremitting string of conflicts, critics, and challenges. As the number of Christian converts grew, the growth in clashes on ideologies and control was only natural. In the same vein, more and more of those who called themselves Christians seemed to be straying further and further away from God's light. Drunkenness, heresy, and immorality were on the rise. The Middle Ages was especially rife with rape, incest, adultery, and other obscene sexual behaviors, which were well-recorded by medieval chroniclers. The English scholar, Alcuin, lamented that civilization had become “absolutely submerged under flood of fornication, adultery, and incest, so that the...
The Rise of the Ottoman Empire: The History of the Turkish Empire’s Establishment Across the Middle East and Eastern Europe Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents In terms of geopolitics, perhaps the most seminal event of the Middle Ages was the successful Ottoman siege of Constantinople in 1453. The city had been an imperial capital as far back as the 4th century, when Constantine the Great shifted the power center of the Roman Empire there, effectively establishing two almost equally powerful halves of antiquity’s greatest empire. Constantinople would continue to serve as the capital of the Byzantine Empire even after the Western half of the Roman Empire collapsed in the late 5th century. Naturally, the Ottoman Empire would also use Constantinople as the capital of its empire after their conquest effectively ended the Byzantine Empire, a...
Samarkand: The History and Legacy of One of Asia's Oldest Cities Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes ancient and medieval descriptions of Samarkand*Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading“The almond groves of Samarqand, Bokhara, where red lilies blow. And Oxus, by whose yellow sand The grave white-turbaned merchants go.” - Oscar Wilde, “Ave Imperatrix" Samarkand is one of the oldest cities of Central Asia, founded nearly 3,000 years ago. The legendary city was the capital of the Sogdians, a trading people who facilitated the spread of commodities, religions, technologies, and ideas across the Silk Road between China and the rest of Eurasia. Samarkand was a key site along the ancient Silk Road, a place where a number of world cultures from the East and the West met and assimilated. As well as being a commercial center, it was a key religio...
The Samurai: The History and Legacy of Japan’s Military Elite Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further reading*Includes a table of contents The samurai are among the most iconic warriors in history. The fighting elite of feudal Japan, they have played a dominant role in the country's life for over a thousand years. Even today, a century and a half after the rule of the samurai has formally ended, they remain a powerful symbol of martial might, and the embodiment of the stoic warrior. Like the knights who fought in Europe during the same era, the samurai were a feudal aristocracy. Militarily, politically, socially, and economically, they were the most powerful, the most influential, and the most privileged members of society. Though not all samurai were equal in power and status, they were almost always better off th...
The Sassanid Empire: The History and Legacy of the Neo-Persian Empire Before the Arab Conquest and Rise of Islam Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes ancient accountsIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents During the first half of the 1st millennium CE, an empire arose in Persia that extended its power and influence to Mesopotamia in the east, Arabia in the south, the Caucasus Mountains in the north, and as far east as India. This empire, known alternatively as the Sasanian Empire or Sassanid Empire, was the last of three great dynasties in Persia—the Achaemenid and the Parthian being the first two dynasties—before the rise of Islam. In fact, many scholars consider the Sasanian Empire to be the last great empire of the ancient Near East because once it had been obliterated, Islam became the standard religion of the region, ushering in the Middle Ages. The ...
Sharia Law: The History and Legacy of the Religious Laws That Governed Islamic Societies Charles River Editors
Includes picturesIncludes quotes from the Qur'an, Hadith, and descriptions of sharia lawIncludes online resources and a bibliography for further readingIncludes a table of contents With the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and its affiliated “lone wolf” attackers garnering much media coverage, there is a concern that attempts by radical Muslims to attack Westerners is one stage in a longer process to spread Islam and Sharia law. The term sharia is used quite a bit, but is generally used in a vague manner, particularly by media outlets and political pundits. In essence, Sharia law refers to the body of laws and culture surrounding religious prescriptions in Islam. It encompasses the Qur’an, the Hadith, as well as legal opinions developed since Islam’s inception in the 7th century CE....
Sidón: Historia y legado de la Antigua ciudad fenicia Charles River Editors
De todos los pueblos del antiguo cercano oriente, los fenicios están entre los más reconocidos, pero quizás también entre los menos comprendidos. Los fenicios nunca construyeron un imperio como los egipcios y los asirios; de hecho, los fenicios nunca crearon un estado fenicio único, en cambio existieron como ciudades-estados que eran reinos independientes, dispersos por toda la región del Mediterráneo. Sin embargo, a pesar del hecho de que nunca hubo un “imperio fenicio’, los fenicios se mostraron más prolíficos en su exploración y colonización que ningún otro pueblo en la historia universal hasta los españoles en la época del descubrimiento. Los fenicios fueron bien conocidos a lo largo de muchas civilizaciones en todo el mundo antiguo y su influencia se puede apreciar en muchos lugares ...
Tyre, Byblos, and Sidon: The History of the Three Most Important Ancient Phoenician Cities in the Levant Charles River Editors
Includes pictures Includes ancient accounts describing the cities *Includes a bibliography for further reading Of all the peoples of the ancient Near East, the Phoenicians are among the most recognizable but also perhaps the least understood. The Phoenicians never built an empire like the Egyptians and Assyrians; in fact, the Phoenicians never created a unified Phoenician state but instead existed as independent city-state kingdoms scattered throughout the Mediterranean region. However, despite the fact there was never a “Phoenician Empire,” the Phoenicians proved to be more prolific in their exploration and colonization than any other peoples in world history until the Spanish during the Age of Discovery. The Phoenicians were well-known across different civilizations throughout the ancien...
Ur: La Historia y el Legado de la Antigua Capital Sumeria Charles River Editors
Cuando los arqueólogos americanos descubrieron la colección de tablas cuneiformes en Iraq a finales del siglo XIX, se encontraron con una lengua y un pueblo que en aquel tiempo eran apenas conocidos incluso por los escolares más expertos en la antigua Mesopotamia: los sumerios. Las hazañas y logros de los otros pueblos mesopotámicos, como los asirios y los babilonios, ya eran conocidos por un gran segmento de la población a través del Antiguo Testamento; y el campo emergente de los estudios del Oriente Próximo ya había descifrado el enigma de la lengua acadia, la cual era usada ampliamente en toda la región en tiempos antiguos. Pero el descubrimiento de las tablas sumerias dieron luz la existencia de la cultura tura sumeria, la más antigua de todas las culturas mesopotámicas. Mucho antes d...
