History Movies

-13.800.000.000

The Universe began 13.8 billion years ago in an event called the Big Bang. The Big Bang was not an explosion of matter in space, but the sudden appearance and expansion of space itself. The expansion has continued ever since, creating a cosmos of unimaginable vastness. Although light travels extremely quickly, it still takes it billions of years to cross the Universe. This means that peering into deep space allows us to look back in time and study the Universe’s early years.

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Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey

TV Show

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Wonders of the Solar System

TV Show

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The Planets

TV Show

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How the Earth Was Made

TV Show

How the Earth Was Made

Movie

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Earth

TV Show

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Journey of the Universe

Movie

The Life of Earth

Movie

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The Man Who Unlocked the Universe

Movie

Birth of the Solar System

Movie

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-4.300.000.000

After oceans first formed on Earth, it didn’t take long for life to appear on the planet. How life began remains one of the great mysteries of science, but most scientists believe the first living things developed from carbon-based chemicals in water. No trace of these remains, but the animals and plants that evolved from them left numerous fossils behind. The fossil record shows that the story of life on Earth has had twists and turns, with occasional mass extinctions wiping out the dominant species and allowing new forms of life to emerge.

Prehistoric Planet

TV Show

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Walking with Dinosaurs

TV Show

Life on Our Planet

TV Show

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Dinosaur 13

Movie

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Walking with Prehistoric Beasts

TV Show

Our Universe

TV Show

Voyage of Time

Movie

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Planet Dinosaur

TV Show

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Rise of Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates

TV Show

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How the Earth Was Made

TV Show

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-230.000.000

Dinosaurs become the dominant animals on land, birds evolve from small feathered dinosaurs, and the first small mammals evolve from synapsids.

Prehistoric Planet

TV Show

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Walking with Dinosaurs

TV Show

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Dinosaur 13

Movie

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Planet Dinosaur

TV Show

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Dinotasia

Movie

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Amazing Dinoworld

TV Show

The Real Jurassic Park

S20E15 - Nova

Arctic Dinosaurs

S35E11 - Nova

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-6.000.000

Humans originated as African apes and are related to chimps and gorillas. Around 6 million years ago, our closest ape ancestors, called hominins, began to walk on two legs. Over time, they developed bigger brains and learned to make tools and control fire. As hominins evolved, they left Africa to settle all over the world.

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Alpha

Movie

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Quest for Fire

Movie

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Cave of Forgotten Dreams

Movie

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Out of Darkness

Movie

Secrets of the Neanderthals

Movie

Walking with Cavemen

TV Show

Out of the Cradle

Movie

Journey to 10, 000 BC

Movie

First Peoples

TV Show

Becoming Human: First Steps

S36E13 - Nova

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-63.000

Australian Aboriginal people have one of the oldest continuous cultures on Earth. They were relatively undisturbed by outsiders until Europeans landed in the 17th century.

-50.000

Many thousands of years ago, European ships never sailed far from land. But skilful sailors in the Pacific Ocean made voyages of up to 3,000 miles (4,800 km) to settle on tiny islands.

-25.000

The first people to arrive in North America no doubt did so without realizing it. Like their ancestors, they were hunting mammoths and other animals, following them along the Siberian coast and across the land bridge between Asia and North America. Once in Alaska, over the following thousands of years, these people gradually spread across what is now North America. By 10,000 bce, life was well established there.

-10.000

The origins of agriculture and livestock marked a turning point in human history, transforming how societies lived and thrived. Moving away from a nomadic lifestyle of hunting and gathering, early humans began to cultivate crops and domesticate animals, creating stable food sources. This shift allowed communities to settle in one place, leading to the growth of villages and the development of more complex social structures. Agriculture and livestock not only provided food, but also shaped trade, technology, and culture, laying the foundation for modern civilization.

How Dogs Got Their Shapes

Movie

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The History of Food

TV Show

Dogs and More Dogs

S31E3 - Nova

Cat Tales

S47E3 - Nova

Dog Tales

S47E2 - Nova

Cats And Dogs

S1E18 - History by the Numbers

Inside Animal Minds: Dogs & Super Senses

S41E9 - Nova

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-9000

The use of metals was one of the greatest technological leaps in history. Unlike stone tools, metal ones can be molded or beaten into any shape, and metal blades are easy to resharpen. The first metal tools were made mostly with copper, a soft metal that was easy to find. Later, people discovered how to work iron—a much harder metal that had to be extracted from rock in a furnace.

Treasures of the Earth: Metals

S43E19 - Nova

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-6000

Mesopotamia means “the land between the two rivers,” referring to the Tigris and the Euphrates in western Asia. It was here, more than 5,000 years ago, that the world’s first cities were built. The Mesopotamians invented organized religion, royalty, armies, law, and many other fundamental features of civilization as we know it.

Akkadian Empire

S1E4 - Ancient Apocalypse

Sumerian Pyramid of Death

S5E8 - Blowing Up History

Cities

S1E3 - First Civilizations

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-3300

Spoken language has existed since prehistoric times. The need to keep records of trade led civilizations around the world to invent ways of writing language down. This allowed knowledge to be collected and passed on from person to person both reliably and over great distances. It’s thanks to the written word that we know the thoughts and ideas of people who lived thousands of years ago.Thanks to technological advances such as the inventions of paper, ink, and printing, more and more people have become literate. Today, 86 percent of adults worldwide can read and write.

Decoding Hieroglyphics

S20E4 - Secrets of the Dead

A to Z: How Writing Changed the World

S47E12 - Nova

The Mystery of the Rosetta Stone

S1E5 - Egypt

The Secrets of the Hieroglyphs

S1E6 - Egypt

A to Z: The First Alphabet

S47E11 - Nova

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-3100

Around 3000 bce, the people of Egypt created the world’s first united state. It was governed by a king known as a pharaoh, who was believed to be the representative of the gods on Earth. For 3,000 years, Egyptians wore similar white linen clothing, spoke the same language, and followed a regular cycle of work, governed by the annual flooding of the River Nile.

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Tut

TV Show

Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb

Movie

Unknown: The Lost Pyramid

Movie

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Tutankhamun

TV Show

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Queen of the Nile

Movie

Tut's Treasures: Hidden Secrets

TV Show

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Immortal Egypt

TV Show

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The Nile: Egypt's Great River with Bettany Hughes

TV Show

Building the Great Pyramid

Movie

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Kingdom of the Mummies

TV Show

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-3000

The first humans arrived in Central and South America many thousands of years ago. Crossing an ice bridge from Siberia, they traveled south. There they built thriving civilizations on strong foundations of religious beliefs and artistic crafts. These great empires eventually fell at the hands of European conquerors.

Lost Pyramids of the Americas

S3E3 - Blowing Up History

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-2000

Religious ideas have existed since prehistoric times, when our ancestors began to bury their dead with precious items—a sign they believed in an afterlife. Since then, hundreds of religions have developed, many growing from older ones. Nearly all religions teach belief in life after death, but not all religions involve a supernatural being such as a god or goddess.

The Story of the Jews

TV Show

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-1300

The Celts were a diverse group of ancient tribal societies that inhabited large parts of Europe. Known for their warrior culture, distinctive art, and intricate social structures, they left a lasting impact on the regions they occupied, including present-day Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and parts of France and Spain. While often depicted as fierce warriors, the Celts were also skilled in metalworking, trade, and agriculture, with a rich mythology that has influenced European culture to this day.

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Britannia

TV Show

Druids

Movie

Roar

TV Show

The Celts: Blood, Iron and Sacrifice

TV Show

A History of Celtic Britain

TV Show

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The Celts

TV Show

The Celts

TV Show

Secrets of the Celtic Grave

Movie

Celts - The Untold Story

Movie

Celtics

TV Show

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-1100

The first great civilization in Europe began in ancient Greece. During the high point of Greek culture (800–300 bce), the Greeks invented science, philosophy, theater, and democracy. They introduced the alphabet to Europe, and their art, architecture, and literature left a lasting legacy.

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The Odyssey

TV Show

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Troy: Fall of a City

TV Show

Empires: The Greeks - Crucible of Civilization

TV Show

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The Greeks

TV Show

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Greece: Secrets of the Past

Movie

Joanna Lumley's Greek Odyssey

TV Show

Legacy of Ancient Civilizations

TV Show

Greece

S1E3 - Engineering an Empire

The Greeks

S1E2 - Empire Games

Socrates

S1E2 - Genius of the Ancient World

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-1000

Sub-Saharan Africa has seen a series of powerful kingdoms and empires rise and fall. While ordinary Africans were mostly farmers, the wealth of the kingdoms was based on trade, mostly of gold, ivory, salt, and slaves. Trade was conducted across the Sahara by camel caravans, and by boat along the great rivers such as the Niger and the Congo.

-753

The ancient Romans created one of the largest and best organized empires in history. At its height, the empire stretched 2,500 miles (4,000 km) from east to west and 2,300 miles (3,700 km) from north to south. For the only time in history, all the lands around the Mediterranean Sea belonged to a single state, ruled from Rome. By the 1st century ce, the city had more than a million inhabitants.

-750

The Germanic peoples lived in many different tribes east of the River Rhine and north of the River Danube. From the 4th century, they began a mass migration into the Western Roman Empire, hoping to find land to settle on and to share in its wealth. They eventually brought down the Western Roman Empire, replacing it with new Germanic kingdoms.

-600

From 321 bce, a series of great empires arose in the Indian subcontinent (modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh). The era also saw the rise of a new world religion, Buddhism, promoted by Mauryan emperors. The religion continued to thrive under the later Guptas, though they were Hindus. The Gupta period is considered to be India’s Classical Age, when the arts and sciences flourished.

-592

The Persian Empire was one of the largest and most powerful empires of the ancient world, known for its vast territory and cultural diversity. Founded by Cyrus the Great, it spanned from modern-day Iran to parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The empire was admired for its advanced infrastructure, including roads and postal systems, as well as its tolerance of different cultures and religions

-508

Democracy had its origins in the where citizens met in assemblies important decisions. Democracy declined in the different form: Voters could now choose representatives to make in the West ancient city of Athens, to cast their votes directly about Middle Ages, and when it reappeared it took a decisions on their behalf in gatherings called parliaments.

-356

Alexander the Great was a legendary king and military genius who built one of the largest empires in history. From Greece to Egypt, Persia, and India, his conquests spread Greek culture and influence across vast regions. Known for his bold strategies and fearless leadership, his legacy of cultural fusion and military brilliance endures to this day.

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Alexander

Movie

Alexander: The Making of a God

TV Show

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Alexander the Great

Movie

In the Footsteps of Alexander the Great

TV Show

The Lost Tomb of Alexander the Great

Movie

Alexander's Lost World

TV Show

The Search for Alexander the Great

TV Show

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Secret Life of...

TV Show

Greece: Age of Alexander

S1E4 - Engineering an Empire

Alexander The Great

S1E1 - Ancient Empires

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-350

Southeast Asia lies at one of the world’s great crossroads, in the middle of a trade and pilgrimage Khmer Empire King Jayavarman II, who is traditionally seen as the founder of the Khmer Empire in modern-day Cambodia, unites the region under his rule. The state religion is Hinduism, based on worship of Vishnu and Shiva. 802 Kingdoms of Southeast Asia route be tween India and China and the Spice Islands. From th emerge e 1st century ce, wealthy kingdoms d here. Rulers took Indian names, and adopted both Hinduism and Buddhism. Later, Muslim traders brought Islam to the region.

-246

In 221 bce, China, previously divided into warring kingdoms, was united by the king of Qin, who became the First Emperor. He used force to impose the same way of life throughout China, but his rule was so harsh that the Qin Dynasty quickly collapsed after his death in 210 bce. It was followed by the Han Dynasty, which ruled more leniently and created the First Golden Age of China.

500

In Europe, the Medieval period, or Middle Ages, lasted four Christian states in the Middle East. Seven more crusades follow. from the 5th to the 15th centuries. It followed the fall of the Western Roman Empire (see pages 84–85). Medieval Europe was dominated by the Catholic Church (headed by the pope in Rome), and by ruling classes of warriors. The majority of the population was made up of peasant farmers.

600

The religion of Islam began early in the 7th century in Arabia in southwest Asia. According to its teachings, the archangel Jibril (Gabriel) first revealed God’s Word to the Prophet Muhammad. Within a hundred years, Arab armies had carried their religion to other parts of Asia, North Africa, and Spain, creating powerful Islamic empires. Meanwhile, Arab scholars began to further the study of science and medicine, influenced by the civilizations they conquered.

618

China went through two Golden Ages during the Tang and Song dynasties. Under the Tang (618–907), China was a great imperial power, with a sophisticated culture open to foreign ideas. In the 8th century, the Tang capital, Chang’an, was the largest city in the world. The Song Dynasty (960–1269) was a time of economic transformation, when the population doubled from 50 to 100 million. Religious persecution Emperor Wuzong, who reigns during this time, is a devout Daoist who wants to rid China of foreign influences. He persecutes several religious groups, including Buddhists and Christians, and destroys 4,600 Buddhist temples. –

793

Originally from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the Vikings were farmers and traders. From the 8th century onward, they left their homelands to invade territories far and wide, raiding and ransacking their way around Europe. They were master craftspeople, building huge wooden longships to travel, and making fine jewelry to trade with other populations. By the 11th century, they had established themselves in settlements across the continent.

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Vikings

TV Show

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The Northman

Movie

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The Last Kingdom

TV Show

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Vinland Saga

TV Show

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Vikings: Valhalla

TV Show

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The Vikings

Movie

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Northmen: A Viking Saga

Movie

Vikings: Athelstan's Journal

TV Show

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The Viking Sagas

Movie

Vikings

TV Show

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1095

In the 11th century, a Christian army set off to regain Jerusalem, a sacred site in both Christianity and Islam, from Muslim control in a military expedition known as a crusade. This was the first of eight crusades that would take place over the next 200 years. The Christians were ultimately unsuccessful.

1185

According to legend, the first emperor of Japan, Jimmu, came to power in the 7th century bce. His descendants controlled the country for more than 1,800 years. But in the late 12th century, the elite warrior class known as the samurai became the real power behind the throne. This began a time of conflict between warlords that would only end with the unification of Japan in 1603.

1206

The nomadic tribes known as the Mongols joined together to build the largest land empire in history, stretching across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The founder of the empire was the invincible Genghis Khan. He was skilled in military strategy and led his army, which consisted almost entirely of horsemen armed with bows and arrows, to many victories.

1299

The Ottoman Empire began in the late 13th century when Osman, a Muslim warrior, founded a small state in Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). The powerful empire that later emerged lasted for 600 years. At its height, it stretched from Eastern Europe and the Black Sea to Arabia and North Africa. The rulers of the Ottoman Empire were known as sultans.

1300

By 1300 ce, Polynesians had settled a vast area of the Pacific, from the Hawaiian Islands to New Zealand and Easter Island. When Europeans arrived later, they were amazed to find such widespread islands inhabited by Polynesians.

1301

In 14th-century northern Italy, a number of artists, architects, and scholars became interested in the styles and ideas of Ancient Greece and Rome. This revival of classical knowledge became known as the “Renaissance” (French for “rebirth”). Painting moved away from the stiff forms of medieval Christian art to a more realistic style. Renaissance ideas spread throughout Europe, starting a revolution in thought.

1368

Following the fall of Mongol rule (see pages 120– 121) in the 1360s, a new Chinese dynasty, the Ming, took over. Under the Ming (1368–1644), China became a superpower, and there was a global demand for Chinese porcelain and tea. During the Qing Dynasty that followed (1644–1912), the population increased from 160 to 450 million, but China was still technologically undeveloped and couldn’t compete with Western powers.

1400

In the 15th and 16th centuries, many explorers set sail from Europe in the hope of finding new lands, great riches, and exotic goods. The arrival of Europeans in the Americas, Asia, and Africa, helped by new navigational techniques and ship design, opened up trade between the continents for the first time. This exciting era was considered to be the golden age of exploration.

1492

As soon as Europeans became aware of the existence of the Americas, many were eager to visit what they called the “New World.” Lots of people imagined a land of untold riches, others saw an opportunity for a new life away from religious persecution. The lands were already home to communities of native peoples who suffered displacement and destruction at the hands of European colonists.

1492

Following the exploration of the Americas in the 15th century, Spanish conquistadors (meaning “conquerors”) began to arrive to seek their fortune. Conflicts resulted as these settlers and American Indians battled over land, leadership, and local resources. Almost two million Spaniards moved to the Americas in the 300 years that followed, and Spanish influences are still present in North, Central, and South America today.

1500

The beginnings of slavery trace back to the earliest human civilizations, where it emerged as a common practice in many parts of the world. As societies grew and developed, the need for labor to build cities, cultivate land, and sustain large populations led to the enslavement of individuals, often through warfare, debt, or as a result of conquest.

1517

After hundreds of years, the Catholic Church was very powerful, both within the community and in political life. In 15th-century Europe, this power led to corrupt practices, such as the sale of “indulgences” (forgiveness for sins) to increase the Church’s wealth. German priest and professor Martin Luther, angry at this greed, started a movement to change the Church. The Reformation spread across Europe, but brought with it war and religious persecution.

1526

The Mughals were rulers of an Islamic empire in what is now modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The empire lasted for more than 300 years and saw the construction of some of South Asia's finest monuments. The Mughals were originally from Central Asia and claimed to be descended from the Mongol leaders Genghis Khan and Timur the Great.

1600

The origins of the British Empire were in trade with the East, but its ambition soon spread to other areas of the world. Over time, its mission expanded beyond commerce to total political control, eventually making it the largest empire in history. But the empire went into decline after World War I, when it became clear that people were no longer willing to accept British rule.

1603

After a long period of war (see pages 110–111), in 1603, Japan was finally unified under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu. A golden age of peace, prosperity, and production followed, known as the Edo period, which saw new forms of Japanese art flourish. During this time, Japan cut contact with the rest of the world, and it would remain isolated from the West for most of the next three centuries.

1620

During the 16th century, the ports and the seas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas teemed with ships, many of them loaded up with valuable treasures. The rise in seafaring trade led to an increase in piracy. Ships and towns were raided for bountiful booty, and cutthroats, swashbucklers, and criminals sailed the seas in a Golden Age of Piracy. The Pirate Round

1682

Under the Romanov family, Russia gained a vast empire, stretching from Alaska in the west to Poland in the east. But compared to nations in western Europe, Russia was stuck in the past—its economy was based on peasant farmers, and there was little industry. Although some czars tu d rie to modernizeRussia,fail re to reform led to revolutionary movements that eventually toppled the dynasty.

1685

In the 17th and 18th centuries, European thinkers began to question traditional religious and political teachings, believing that individuals should draw their own conclusions about society and nature. They conducted scientific experiments and wrote many books and essays, and their ideas directly inspired the American and French Revolutions.

1739

Huge numbers of Americans and Europeans pushed westward in North America looking for opportunity, adventure, and land. They were explorers, trappers, traders, and ordinary people. The frontier ideas of individualism and self-reliance are still influential today.

1760

One of the most important periods of change in human history was the Industrial Revolution. This was an exciting time of machines and manufacturing that transformed the way people lived and worked. It brought developments in technology that revolutionized farming, factories, and travel. These changes began in Britain in the 1760s and rapidly swept across the globe.

1770

The American Revolution (1775–1783) came from growing tensions between the residents of the 13 colonies (see pages 160–161) and their British rulers. The colonists were unhappy about British taxes and felt that the government didn’t respect their rights.

1788

The first Europeans turned Australia into a jail— a place for British convicts to serve time. In the process, Aboriginal inhabitants of the land were mistreated, a legacy that is still felt today.

1789

France experienced troubled times during the 18th century, as the divide between the rich rulers and poor peasants grew wider and wider. King Louis XVI was the target of national anger, with riots and marches on the streets. This eventually led to a bloody revolution that saw the country move from more than 1,000 years of royal rule to the formation of a new republic.

1796

Having become Commander of the French army in 1796, ambitious officer Napoleon Bonaparte led his nation into the French Revolutionary Wars and sought to take control of Europe. Britain and France signed the Peace of Amiens treaty to end the conflict. When France failed to keep the agreement, Britain declared war in 1803, marking the start of the bloody Napoleonic Wars.

1808

In 1800, almost all of South America was ruled by Spain and Portugal. However, when those two nations were invaded by the French emperor Napoleon I in the early 1800s, their rule in South America was weakened. Demands for independence increased, and by 1825, most formerly Spanish countries in South America had become independent nations, and Brazil was no longer part of Portugal

1848

In 1848, a wave of revolutions spread across the cities of Europe. Demands varied. In France, protestors called for economic reform and the right to vote. In Prussia and Germany, they wanted a democratic constitution (set of laws) and German unification. In parts of the Austrian Habsburg Empire, they demanded independence. Their governments promised reforms, but very little changed

1861

The American Civil War was a defining conflict in U.S. history, fought between the northern Union states and the southern Confederate states. The war erupted over deep divisions, primarily centered around slavery and states' rights. Lasting from 1861 to 1865, it was marked by intense battles, immense loss of life, and the eventual preservation of the Union. The war ended slavery in the United States, but its legacy of conflict, division, and the struggle for civil rights continues to shape the nation today.

1881

In 1870, although the slave trade (see pages 164–165) had ravaged Africa for centuries, European powers controlled just 10 percent of the continent. The next 30 years saw European nations compete for control of Africa. By 1900, they had seized 90 percent of African land from local communities. It would take more than half a century for these countries to gain their independence.

1882

Britain had controlled India since the 1820s, but by the late 19th century, Indians began demanding the ability to make their own way in the world, free from British rule.

1900

1900

1900

1900

1900

1900

1912

1914

At the turn of the 20th century in Europe, nations competed for land and power, with each country forming both military alliances and hostile rivalries. The stage was set for war. Between 1914 and 1918, Russia, France, and Britain fought against Austria-Hungary and Germany, with both sides using devastating new weaponry and tactics. World War I became one of the bloodiest conflicts in history.

1922

1924

n the early 20th century, Russia transformed—its monarchy ended, and there were two revolutions and a civil war. Reborn as the Soviet Union (or the USSR), it became the world’s first communist state, believing that the government should take control of resources such as land and farms and share wealth created by these resources among the people. From the 1940s, the SovietUniono to dm ey ccupie an countries in Europe, forcing them becom communist, too.

1933

Adolf Hitler comes to power in Germany with promises to fix the country’s economic woes. Hitler and his Nazi party are fascists: an extreme right-wing ideology that emphasizes nationalism and has contempt for democracy and minorities.

1933

From 1933 to 1945, Germany was ruled by the Nazi Party, an anti-Semitic (anti-Jewish) political organization that blamed Jewish people for the country’s misfortunes. The Nazis built thousands of concentration camps, where they imprisoned and killed 6 million Jews, and 5 million homosexuals, disabled people, Romanies, and political prisoners.

1939

Fought between 1939 and 1945, World War II was the most costly and destructive war in history—many millions of people were killed and injured. One by one, countries joined the conflict and the world divided into the Axis powers (led by Germany, Italy, and Japan) and the Allies (made up of Britain, France, the Soviet Union, and, later, the USA).

1941

Although World War II began in Europe, by 1941, conflict had erupted worldwide. Much of the fighting took place in Asia and the Pacific between the Allied forces and Japan, supported by the Axis powers Germany and Italy. Hitler’s invasion of France and the Netherlands in 1940 had left European-controlled territories in Southeast Asia vulnerable as Japan attempted to expand its empire in the region.

1945

One of the major conflicts of the late 20th century, the Vietnam War raged for almost 20 years. It destroyed large swathes of the country and led to the deaths of millions of soldiers and civilians. As the conflict dragged on, an international antiwar movement protested what seemed to be a senseless, bloody war.

1945

1947

1947

After World War II, the capitalist US and communist Soviet Union (the USSR) were the most powerful countries in the world. A period of great tension began, as each side tried to prevent the other from gaining too much power. The invention of nuclear weapons created an additional threat. This is known as the Cold War, because conflict was fought through political ideas rather than military force.

1948

Although the Middle East is home to many identities, Muslim Arabs make up the majority of its people. After World War I, European empires that had power in the region collapsed, and the Arabs regained control. But soon after World War II, Jews were granted the state of Israel in Palestine. Age-old tensions, Arab–Israeli conflict, and intervention by the West, have combined to make the Middle East a volatile region.

1950

In the 1950s and 1960s, African nations gained independence from colonial rule with varying degrees of success. Although there was freedom in many places, there was also corruption, military coups, civil war, and division among different ethnic groups. However, in the 21st century, optimism is growing, with greater wealth and improving political stability.

1950

In 1950, conflict between North and South Korea threatened to explode into a much wider war. It became an international concern when the US supported the South Koreans, and the communist countries of China and the Soviet Union championed the North Koreans.

1952

After World War II, the European colonial powers found it increasingly difficult to hold on to their colonies. Some African countries fought for freedom, but others were granted it democratically.

1954

The Civil War brought an end to slavery, but the African American struggle for equal rights was only just beginning. In many parts of the country, racism and unequal treatment for black people were supported by law. During the 1950s and 1960s, people joined together as the Civil Rights Movement to fight for equality.

1957

The desire to explore space has led to many incredible developments. In 1969, humans first landed on the Moon. Twenty years later, all the planets in the solar system had been explored by spacecraft. Now, the next era of space exploration is beginning, with ambitious plans to expand space tourism and send humans to Mars.

1960

The 1960s saw great change take place. The Cold War (see pages 282–283) took hold, with continuing conflict in Vietnam, and nuclear war was a constant threat. But there was also a fresh optimism. New attitudes about freedom of expression and equality were reflected in music, fashion, and politics, and anything and everything seemed possible.