Portal:History

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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."

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This month's featured article

Ziad Jarrah (Arabic: زياد سمير جراح; (May 11, 1975—September 11, 2001), was the hijacker who acted as pilot of United Airlines Flight 93, part of the September 11, 2001 attacks. He is believed to have taken over as the of the aircraft and made an unsuccessful attempt to crash the plane into the U.S. Capitol.

There are many variations on his name, including Ziad Samir Al-Jarrah, Zaid Jarrahi, Ziad Jarrah Jarrat, and Ziyad Samir Jarrah. After a wealthy and secular upbringing, Jarrah became involved in the planning for the September 11 attacks in college. Unique among the hijackers, he had a German girlfriend and was close to his family. There have been some questions as to whether or not Jarrah was actually on Flight 93 and whether he was a hijacker; the 9/11 Commission concluded that his was not a case of mistaken identity and that he piloted the plane. In October 2006, an al-Qaeda video was released showing Jarrah and Mohammed Atta recording their wills in January 2000 in Osama Bin Laden's Tarnak Farms base near Kandahar.

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This month's featured picture

The Defenestration of Prague (1618), Prague Castle, Bohemia. Photo credit: Woodcut by Matthäus Merian the Elder (1633).

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Did you know...

...that Horatia N. Thompson (pictured) was christened with Lord Nelson and Mrs Emma 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 Hugo Grotius 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?

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History subportals

Archaeology	Classical Civilisation
Egyptology	Ancient Germanic culture
History of science	War
Roman military	Heraldry and vexillology

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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

Time

Days of the Year • Years • Years in science

Biography

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

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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.

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Associated Wikimedia

History on Wikiquote Quotes

History on Commons Images

History on Wikisource Texts

History on Wikibooks Manuals & Texts