Comprehensive History

Osama bin Laden was the founder and chief of the Muslim militant organization al-Qaeda. He was the son of a Saudi billionaire but chose to adopt militancy after taking part in the Soviet-Afghan War (1980s). Due to his motives and activities of his organized, Saudi Arabia canceled his citizenship in 1994. The most famous terror activity of his organization was the September 11 attacks, which initiated the global War on Terror. Later,  US Special Forces killed him on 2 nd May 2011 in a Pakistani city, Abbottabad. Early Life Osama bin Laden was born on 10 th March 1957 in Riyadh ( Saudi Arabia ). His father, Mohammad bin Awad bin Laden, was a billionaire and founder of the construction company Saudi Binladin Group. His mother’s name was Hamida Ibrahim. In his childhood, Osama bin Laden attended Al-Thager Model School in Jeddah and earned a degree in Civil Engineering  in 1979. In 1974, Osama married his first cousin Najwa Ghanem in Latakia (Syria). Osama bin Laden was a...

The first division of the Roman Empire took place in 285 AD when Maximian became the ruler of the western part of the empire under the Tetrarchy system. After this division,  different emperors attempted to reunite the empire, but the efforts were marginally successful. Theodosius I was the last Roman Emperor to rule (392 to 395 AD) the whole Roman Empire. In 395 AD, the Roman Empire divided  permanently, and Honorius became the sole ruler of the Western Roman Empire. In 476 AD, the Western Roman Empire collapsed after the Fall of Ravenna at the hands of Germanic leader Odoacer, who became the first King of Italy. Events Leading to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire The  Goths fought their first battle against the Eastern Roman Empire in 376 after crossing the Danube. These Germanic warriors remained successful in the Battle of Marcianople (376). The battle of Adrianople is known as the first major event for the fall of the Western Roman Empire. The ...

September 11 attacks (also 9/11 attacks) were suicide bombings attacks by 19 terrorists who hijacked 4 passenger airline planes from the eastern coast of the USA and blew them in their respective targets. Two of the planes hit the Twin Towers of the  World Trade Center in New York, the third plane destroyed the west wall of the  Pentagon in Virginia and the fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania while its possible target was the  White House or Capitol . Almost 3,000 people were killed during these attacks including 19 hijackers, 72 security personnel, and 343 firefighters. Events During Attacks A Boeing 767 aircraft of American Airlines Flight 11 took off from Boston’s Logan Airport at 7:59 am (local time) on 11 th September 2001. After around 15 minutes, hijackers took control of the plane after overpowering the pilot and the crew members. Muhammad Atta was leading the hijack while there were a total of five hijackers in the airliner. At 8:46 am, the plane h...

Kaiser William (or Wilhelm) II was the third and last emperor of the German Empire and the last king of the Kingdom of Prussia . He remained the emperor for 30 years (1888-1918). The German defeat in  World War I (1914-18) ended his reign and abolished the monarchy. Early Life Kaiser William II William was born on 27 th January 1859 in Berlin to the 2 nd German Emperor Frederick III. Her mother,  Victoria,  was the eldest child of Queen Victoria of the U.K. Wilhelm finished high school in 1877 while he studied law and politics at the  University of Bonn. Under the influence of his German tutors, William became an extreme antagonist of the British form of democracy while he was much interested in autocratic rule according to Prussian thought.  William II as Emperor On 9 th March 1888, Emperor Wilhelm I died and was replaced by Wilhelm II’s father,  Frederick III . He also passed away  in June 1888 due to throat cancer , and Wil...

Russian Revolution of 1905 was a political event in Russia that included strikes from workers, soldiers’ mutiny, and general unrest among the people. The main objective of this revolution was the demand by peasants and factory workers for a reduction in their working hours and an increase in wages. This revolution led Russia to become a constitutional monarchy by replacing absolute monarchy. The Russian Revolution of 1905 is also known as the rehearsal for the Russian Revolution of 1917 . Causes The conditions of peasants and factory workers were quite miserable due to difficult situations at their farms and factories. The peasants were getting deeper into debt due to two main reasons. They had insufficient land, which prevented them from earning according to their necessities. It was also impossible for them to sell or mortgage their land. On the other hand, the factory workers were paid very little compared to their working hours. Russia’s humiliating defeat against Japan...

George Washington was the First President of the United States of America and the Military Chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War . He was given the title of Father of his country due to his role in the American Revolutionary War and as the first President of the USA. Early Life George Washington was born in Virginia on 22 nd February 1732. His great-grandfather migrated from England to Virginia in 1657. His father, Augustine Washington , was a tobacco planter. George Washington acquired his elementary school education from an Anglican school in Fredericksburg.  Role During the French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754-1763) was the first military expedition of George Washington, where he fought for the British. It was not a very successful experience. Washington remained victorious during his first small-scale Battle of Jumonville Glen but badly failed in the following two battles. In the Battle of Fort Necessity (1754)...

Roman Empire was one of the greatest empires of the ancient world and the greatest in ancient European history. Roman Empire was founded in 27 BC when Augustus became an emperor and replaced the Roman Republic with the Roman Empire. In 117 AD, the Roman Empire reached its zenith when many parts of western and southern Europe, North Africa, and western Asia came under the control of the Empire.  However, due to  its  expansion in the far-flung areas, it became much more difficult for the emperors to control the areas away from the center. The Crisis of the Third Century (235-284 AD) made it impossible for the emperor to rule the entire Roman Empire. Consequently, it disintegrated into the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantine Empire) and Western Roman Empire in 285 AD.  Reasons Roman Empire faced threats from both its eastern and western sides. Germanic Tribes were their main enemy on the western side while they fought against the  Parthian Empire (and S...

Philip II of Macedon was the king of Macedon (an Ancient Greek kingdom) who remained the king from 359 BC to 336 BC till his death. He was the first Greek ruler who defeated all the opposing Greek city-states and founded a united Greek kingdom to fight against the Persian Empire. Later, his son Alexander III ( Alexander the Great ) defeated the Persians with the help of the united Greek troops and founded the Hellenistic civilization.  Early Life Philip II was born in 383 BC in Pella (Macedon). He was the youngest son of Amyntas III, the king of Macedon. From 368 to 365 BC, Philip remained a prisoner in Thebes, during which he received a diplomatic and military education. He returned to Macedon in 364 BC. By 359 BC, Philip’s elder brothers (Alexander II and Perdiccas III) had died. After their deaths, Philip was able to take the throne in 359.  Philip II as King At the time of the accession of Philip II, the situation in Macedon was very miserable. His broth...