The Handy History Answer Book: From the Stone Age to the Digital Age takes a riveting walk through the ages, looking at the most important events of the past 5,000 years, including wars, disasters, pandemics, births, lives, and more.

Table of Contents

• INTRODUCTION
• HISTORY BASICS
• Why Study History?
• Interesting Ways to Study History
• Human Origins
• THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN TO MIDDLE AGES EUROPE
• Stone, Bronze, and Iron Ages
• Ancient Egyptian Culture
• Ancient Greek Culture
• Ancient Roman Culture
• The Tribal Peoples of Europe
• The Rise of Islam
• THE MIDDLE AGES AND THE RENAISSANCE IN EUROPE
• Setting the Stage for the Middle Ages
• The Middle Ages
• Monasticism
• Medieval Literature and Architecture
• The Crusades
• England
• Religious Struggles in the Middle Ages
• The Renaissance
• EMPIRES, KINGDOMS, DYNASTIES, AND NATIONS
• The Ottoman Empire
• The Habsburgs
• England
• France
• French Revolution
• Other Important Developments
• The House of Windsor
• The European Union
• THE FIRST AMERICANS
• The First North Americans
• Empires of Mesoamerica and South America
• The Maya Empire
• The Aztec Empire
• The Inca Empire
• Discovery of the New World
• Colonial America
• EUROPEAN COLONIES AND THE EARLY UNITED STATES
• Colonialism
• American Revolution
• The U.S. Constitution
• War of 1812
• The American Party System
• The American Presidency
• American Immigration
• THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR
• The Antislavery Movement
• The Civil War
• Reconstruction
• AMERICA FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO WORLD WAR I
• The Sioux Uprising
• President Andrew Johnson
• The Battle of Little Bighorn
• The Spanish–American War
• Assassinations
• Immigration
• The Eary Twentieth Century
• THE WORLD WARS
• World War I
• The Era between the World Wars
• The Spanish Civil War
• The Rise of Nazi Germany
• American Forces in Europe
• The War in the Pacific
• World War II Ends
• The Holocaust
• AMERICA AFTER WORLD WAR II
• The Korean War
• The Vietnam War
• Richard Nixon
• Jimmy Carter
• Grenada
• Persian Gulf War
• THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
• Early Twenty-first Century
• The Great Recession
• The 44th and 45th Presidents of the United States
• RUSSIA AND THE SOVIET UNION
• The Romanovs
• The Russian Revolution
• The Soviet Union
• The Cold War
• The Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan
• Vladimir Putin
• ASIAN HISTORY AND CULTURE
• Famous Asian Rulers
• History of China
• Ancient Chinese Religion
• Philosophical Taoism
• Confucianism
• Religion in China Today
• Conflict in China in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries
• The Independence of India
• PHILOSOPHY
• What is Philosophy?
• Ancient Philosophy
• Medieval Philosophy
• Modern Philosophy
• Philosophy and Government
• RELIGION
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Judaism
• Christianity
• Basic Christian Beliefs
• Islam
• Other Important Religions
• THE LAW
• Ancient Law
• International Law
• U.S. Law and Justice
• Famous U.S. Trials
• ECONOMICS AND BUSINESS
• Economics
• Money
• Trade and Commerce
• Natural Resources
• The Industrial Revolution: 1700s to 1800s
• Mail Order and Stores
• Business Corruption and Failures
• HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES
• Civil Rights
• Women’s Rights
• The Birth Control Movement
• Roe v. Wade
• POLITICAL AND SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
• Nationalism
• The Solidarity Movement in Poland
• Apartheid in South Africa
• U.S. Populism, Progressivism, and the Labor Movement
• Counterculture, Consumerism, and the Environment
• The Antislavery Movement Today
• LGBTQIA Rights
• Other Recent Movements
• WESTERN ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, AND ARCHITECTURE
• Fine Art
• Renaissance Art
• Michelangelo
• Other Important Renaissance Artists
• Baroque Art
• Rococo and Romantic Painting
• Impressionism
• Van Gogh, Cezanne, and Matisse
• Modern Art
• Photography
• Architecture
• MUSIC, DANCE, AND THEATER
• Music
• Dance
• Theater
• EXPRESSIONS OF HUMAN CULTURE
• Written Language
• Education
• Folktales
• Literature
• The Early Days of Movies
• Early Radio and Television
• EXPLORATION
• Famous Ancient Explorers
• Circumnavigation of the Globe
• Exploration in the Twentieth Century
• Space: The Final Frontier
• Modern Explorers of a Different Type
• DISASTERS
• Natural Disasters
• Volcanic Eruptions
• Earthquakes
• Tropical Storms and Hurricanes
• Tornadoes
• Floods
• Blizzards
• Fires
• Accidents and Technological Failures
• Disasters on Ships
• Aircraft Disasters
• Space Disasters
• Industrial Accidents
• Global Warming and Climate Changes
• Mass Extinction
• MEDICINE AND DISEASE
• Early Medicine
• The Roots of Modern Medicine
• Fighting Germs
• Women Leaders in Medicine
• New Discoveries in Medicine
• Epidemics
• Psychology and Mental Health
• Issues in Medicine Today
• SCIENCE AND INVENTION
• Science
• Natural History
• Invention
• Transportation
• Communication
• FURTHER READING