Terrorism has existed for over 2000 years, with the term being coined during the French Revolution. The UN defines terrorism as acts intended to cause death or harm to civilians to intimidate a population or government. Terrorism uses violence and fear to achieve political goals such as gaining attention, support, and coercing policy changes. Various terrorist groups have different ideological motivations such as nationalism, religion, politics, and anarchism. Major terrorist attacks over the years have caused thousands of deaths and injuries. Prevention of terrorism is important and requires education, surveillance, protection of citizens, and addressing root causes.