This document provides a table of contents for the ABC Book of World History. It lists various topics from A to Z that will be covered in the book, including the Aztecs, Blitzkrieg, Cortes, the Dark Ages, Egypt, the French Revolution, Greece, the Hellenistic Period, Islam, Judaism, kamikaze pilots, Lafayette, the Maya, the Nazca, the Ottoman Empire, the phalanx, the Quran, Roman soldiers, Sparta, the triangular trade, the U.S. Constitution, Vespucci, and Zeus. The document then provides a sample entry for the topics of Aztecs, Blitzkrieg, and Cort

1. ABC Book of World History
By: Emmanuel Deen

2. Table of Contents
Title Page W for War of 1812
Table of contents X for xerxes
A for Aztec Y for yoga
B for blitzkrieg Z for Zeus
C for Cortes
D for dark ages
E for Egypt
F for French revolution
G for Greece
H for Hellenistic
I for Islam
J for Judaism
K for kamikaze
L for Lafayette
M for Maya
N for Nazca
O for Ottoman Empire
P for phalanx
Q for Quran
R for Roman Empire
S for Sparta
T for triangular trade
U for US constitution
V for Vespucci

3. A for Aztec
The Aztecs, who were a nomadic tribe from northern México, arrived in Central
America at the beginning of the 13th
century and built their city on a lake. Their capital,
Tenochtitlan, was the high point where they rose to power. They rose to power by developing a
social, religious, and commercial organization that brought many states under their control
around the 15th
century until, Invaders, Spanish Conquistadors, led by Hernan Cortés finally
brought the Aztec empire down. Their prominent language was Nahuatl which was still spoken
in central México around the mid-1350. Historians also, believe that they chose the lake for their
civilization because an oracle predicted that the area they witnessed an eagle on a cactus eating a
snake will be their settlement. This is represented the Mexican flag.

4. B for Blitzkrieg
Also know as lightning war. Germany sought to avoid a long war in the first phase of
WWII in Europe. Germany strategy was to defeat its enemy in short campaigns. Blitzkrieg
tactics needed for offensive weapons (tanks, planes, and artillery) along the narrow front. These
forces would breach enemy defenses, allowing the tanks to roll in, causing disorganization
among enemy defenses. German air power stop enemy from resupplying and redeploying. This
tactic was not only short and effective but it limited the loss of lives on the battlefield. This tactic
was first used on Poland; it was also used by the German commander by the name of Erwin
Rommel during the North Africa campaign. United States general George Patton also adopted
this tactic (where?).

5. C for Cortes, Hernan
Cortes was a Spanish conquistador (soldier and explorer) who finally brought down the
Aztec empire in Central America. Hernan Cortés was born in Medellin, western Spain. He
studied law, but quit to earn a fortune in the Americas. In 1504 he sailed for Santa Domingo
(Dominic Republic), moving to Cuba in 1511 where he helped Diego Velazquez in his conquest
of the island and made his reputation for courage and daring. In 1518 he convinced Velazquez to
make him commander of an expedition to México. There had been a rumor that this newly
discovered land had riches, Velazquez suspicious of Cortes motives canceled the expedition.
Ignoring Velazquez, he set out and founded the establishment known as Veracruz and made local
allies. (need to add if that is what help him bring down the Aztec).

6. D for Dark ages
The Dark Ages is a time in Europe between the fall of Rome in 476 CE and the beginning
of the renaissance which is around the 14th
century. Many historians call it the “medieval period”
instead of the “middle ages.” The plague was a sickness going around at that time which was
carried by rats. The Knights of Templar rose at this time and had a holy ground in Jerusalem.
The crusades were holy wars waged by western Christians against Muslims in the East from
1095 to 1291. Starting around this century artist, writers, and thinkers began to look at the ideas
of the ancient Greece and Rome. This period is described as a “barbarism and religion” period by
18th century historian Edward gibbon.

7. E for Egypt
For almost 30 centuries ancient Egypt was the most successful in the Mediterranean
world. From the building of the pyramids in the old world to their rise in military power through
the new kingdom. Egypt is so big in culture it has brought its own field of study Egyptology.
Egypt was ruled by kings know as pharaoh who were believed to be gods themselves or related
to the gods. The way we know so much about Egypt is through their monuments, objects, and
artifacts. One of these important artifacts helped us decipher hieroglyphics it’s know as the
“Rosetta stone” written in different language of the same glyphs we were able to understand
what was written. One fascinating thing about Egypt is their care of their dead they mummified
their dead but also gave their dead everything they would need in the afterlife.

8. F for French Revolution
The French Revolution began in 1789 and ended in the late 1790s with Napoleon
Bonaparte. One of the causes of the causes of the French revolution was their support of the
American Revolution. Also one of the causes were the aristocrats were basically spending the
money however they wanted to. Crop failures that year weren’t helping the population to survive
any better. During this period citizens redesigned and took down things like absolute monarchy
and the feudal system. This period for France was a chaotic bloodbath for also the reign of terror
was going on. Despite this, this and the American revolution shaped an idea of showing what the
will of the people could do, not only end the reign of terror but appoint also one of the most
sought after leader of an army, Napoleon Bonaparte.

9. G for Greece
Greece is a part of the Balkan Peninsula, which extends outward into the eastern Mediterranean
Sea. Mountains divide the peninsula into isolated valleys, this lead to the rise of the self
governing city states, which they called polis. Different types of government evolve around
Greece the earliest was monarchy, then slowly it went to aristocracy, and then shifted again to
oligarchy. One of the factors that shape Greece was also advance in military warfare, bronze
weapons were changed to iron weapons which were cheaper, this help ordinary citizens purchase
iron swords, helmets, and shields. However what really propelled was the new method of
fighting called a phalanx, the massive tactical formation of heavily armed soldiers with spears.
These advances lead to the rise of two influential city states know as Sparta and Athens. They
stressed two opposite ideas while Sparta was a warrior society, Athens put more emphasis on
education.

10. H for Hellenistic
In 336 B.C., Alexander became ruler of the kingdom of Macedonia 13 years later after his death
he had an empire that stretched from Greece all the way to India. He encourage mixing of culture
during this period Greek culture was mixed; even the root word of Hellenistic derives from
Hellazein which means to speak Greek or identity of Greek. This period lasted from 323 B.C. to
31 B.C., until the Romans conquered all the lands of the once great Macedonian ruler Alexander.
Many new inventions set forth the glory of the age, Pythagoras coming up with an equation to
calculate right triangles; Hippocrates studied causes of illness and looked for cures, also the
Hippocratic Oath Greek physicians swore to “help the sick according to their abilities and
judgments but never with a view to injury and wrong.” Archimedes mastered the use of a lever
and the pulley system. All of these great thinkers gathered in one place the city of Alexandria,
Egypt.

11. I for Islam
The founder of Islam is Muhammad he was born in Mecca, he was a merchant and at 25 he
married a wealthy widow. In 610, in cave in mount Hira north of Mecca, he had a vision of God
speaking through the angel Gabriel to become the prophet of “the true religion.” He regarded
himself as the last prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition, and added his own theology to it. His
teachings united the Bedouins tribesmen of Arabia; by 622 Muhammad had gain a big number of
converts in Mecca. This angered the city authorities who planned on preserving the pagan
religion; in answer to this they planned his assassination. Muhammad fearing his life fled to
Medina, a city north of Mecca. He was given an authorities power here and return to Mecca as an
emperor soon most Arab tribe converted to Islam which is a monotheistic religion that believes
in Abraham, and Jesus as one of the prophets. However, they believe Christians and Jews are
“people of the book.”

12. J for Judaism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion which means believe in only one God. Judaism founder is
Abraham which all Jews believe to be related from. Jews prophet Moses is believed to have been
the one to free Jews from slavery in Egypt. He also is believed to have split the Red Sea for the
Jews to get away from the Egyptians chasing after them. He then gave them the 10
commandments as laws to follow. While Christianity believes Jesus to be the messiah, Jews
think of him as a prophet and are still waiting for their messiah to free them. Judaism is one of
the world oldest monotheistic religions still surviving; Judaism has many celebrations including
Hanukkah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Passover.

13. K for kamikaze
Kamikazes meaning “divine wind” were pilots who undertook suicide missions, crashing their
explosive-laden planes into American warships. This showed to us that Japan would fight to
death rather than surrender in World War II. Kamikaze pilots were often university students, they
were often blinded for the gratitude and honor it brought to the family. Kamikaze pilots
destroyed about 300 U.S. ships and a casualty of 15,000. Several thousand had been set aside for
the invasion of Japan which never came. One of the reason president Truman decided to drop
atomic bombs was because of sacrificial meaning behind the kamikazes sacrifice. The
anticipation of kamikaze attack drove some American sailors crazy. On the eve of Japanese
surrender, Onishi Takijiro committed suicide and left a letter to his dead pilots apologizing that
their death had been in vain.

14. L for Lafayette, Marquis de
Marquis de Lafayette was born September 6, 1757, to a wealthy French family. His father was
killed by the British in the battle of Minden 1759. The family is one of France oldest, its
generation was filled with soldiers who took up arm in legendary battles, in the crusades and
even alongside Joan of Arc. Marquis de Lafayette was admitted into the Masonic Military Lodge
where he heard about the American Revolution fueled by not only revenge and hatred for the
British he purchased the ship “La Victoire”. During those 54 days he learned his first English
words. When he presented himself to congress at Philadelphia, they rejected him, but he still
earned the rank of major general. His will to fight earned him a place in Washington army they
bonded so well Washington thought of him as his son. His bravery saved the American
Revolution many times and the support of the French.

15. M for Maya
The Mayan empire was center around where Guatemala is today, they reached their peak in
power around sixth century A.D. They were prominent in agriculture, pottery, hieroglyphics,
mathematics, and left a lot of astronomical and calendar making skills also. They were also
builders of pyramids, not as big as the Egyptians but also monumental. The Mayan empire was
divided into city states like the Greeks; each region had different environmental and cultural
aspects. The Mayans were deeply religious they believed in nature gods such as the god of sun,
moon, rain and corn. At the top of their society was the “Kuhul Ajaw” or the “Holy Lords” who
were thought to be mediators between the gods and the people. Following their rise 250 A.D.
they mysteriously declined many historians believed either over use of the land, war, or “Holy
Lords” losing power caused their decline.

16. N for Nazca
The Nazca culture flourished around ca. 1-750 A.D. beside the dry southern coast of Peru in the
river valleys of Rio de Nazca. They were heavily influenced by the Paracas culture which was
for their creativity, under this influence Nazca Empire flourished by making beautiful crafts and
technology such as ceramics. They also dug irrigation and drainage sites helping them have
access to water. Due to the environment around them Nazca beliefs were based on agriculture
and fertility. They worship powerful nature gods such as the mythical killer whale, the
harvesters, the mythical spotted cat, and the most worshiped of all was the anthropomorphic
mythical being. They are most known for their lasting geoglyphs, some area mile long some as
big as a football field. Many belief they were the gods they worshipped

17. O for Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire was the one of the largest and longest lasting Empires in history. It
replaced the Byzantine Empire as the major power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Ottoman
Empire was founded and sustain by the belief in Islam. The Ottoman Empire reached its peak
under the ruler Suleiman the magnificent (reigned from 1520-66), it extended from Hungary and
the Balkans to Vienna, Italy. The empire began to decline after the Battle of Lepanto (1571) and
almost lost its entire navy. What finally toppled the Ottoman Empire were the First World War
and the Balkans war. At its full extend it included: Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria,
Macedonia, Hungary, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, parts of Arabia, and most coastal strip
of north Africa, it is today what we call Turkey.

18. P for phalanx
The phalanx was a massive tactical formation of heavily armed foot soldiers. It required long
hours of drill to master. Shared training created a strong sense of unity among the citizen
soldiers. The idea of putting Greek city-states defenses in the hand of normal citizens, and
creating the phalanx reduced hatred between classes of different statures. This new type of
warfare helped develop two city states, Athens and Sparta. The strength of the phalanx lay in the
endurance and discipline of the soldiers who made the rectangular pack of shields and spears.
The phalanx changed the outcome of the battle of Marathon who advanced in phalanx formation
at a ‘run’ and killed the lightly armed Persian infantry. The phalanx changed the outcome of
most of Greeks battles.

19. Q for Quran
The Quran, the sacred text of Islam, teaches that there is only one god and he is compassionate.
The Quran tells us we are responsible for our own actions. The Quran is believed to be the sacred
text as revealed to Muhammad. It is the last resort to all important matters, its words are law. The
Quran is for Muslims is a guide to life and how to understand god’s will. Its moral standards
include honesty, generosity, and social justice. The Quran’s punishments are strict on such things
as stealing and murdering. Like Christianity and Judaism, they believe in a final judgment day
when you either enjoy eternal bliss or eternal punishment in hell. Muslims believe that the Quran
is the direct and unchangeable words of the one God “Allah”. All Muslims, including new
converts to the faith of Islam must learn Arabic; this brings a sense of unity.

20. R for Roman soldiers
Only men could join the roman army. Every roman soldier had to be a citizen of Rome. Most
roman soldiers had to be at least 20 years of age and were not suppose to get married. A lot of
the roman soldiers were actually soldiers from their colonies such as the Balkans, Africa, France,
Germany, Spain, and the Middle East not from Italy itself. Roman soldiers had to serve the
Roman Empire for at least 25 years before they could retire. They usually had a pension as a
retirement fee like land to farm. Old soldiers often settled down to old age together, in military
towns also known as Colonia.

21. S for Sparta
Dorian invaders from the north conquered Laconia, in the southern part of the Peloponnesus. The
Dorians who settled here built the city-state of Sparta. The invaders turned the natives of Laconia
into state-owned slaves, called helots, and forced labor upon them. Helots had an abundant
population, in order to combat this Spartan leaders came up with strict system to control them.
The government of Sparta was consisted of two kings and a council of elders who advised the
monarchs. The assembly of the common people approved major decision made by the monarchs.
Citizens were male born, native-born Spartans over the age of 30. The assembly also appointed
five ephors, or officials who ran daily affairs.

22. T for triangular trade
Trade involving Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas developed between the A.D. 1400s and
1700s. To obtain valued spices such as pepper, nutmeg, and cloves, European powers established
routes to the east. Merchants sailed around southernmost Africa and across the Indian Ocean to
India, China, and Japan. During the same period, a triangular trade developed in the Atlantic.
Europeans trade manufactured goods to Africans for enslaved persons and gold. The enslaved
Africans were transported to colonies in the Americas to work on plantations. The sugar, cotton,
and tobacco that they produced were shipped to Europe to complete the triangle.

23. U for U.S. constitution
A convention was held to revise the articles of confederation in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787.
The U.S. constitution itself was signed on September17, 1787; the U.S. constitution gave
America its fundamental rules, and guaranteed basic rights for all citizens. Under the Articles of
Confederation, the national government was weak and each state acted like an individual
country. At the 1787 convention, delegates met up and devised a plan for a stronger national
government with three branches -executive, legislative, and judicial, and to make sure none of
these branches gain too much power they came up with a system called the checks and balances.
The Constitution also added the bill of rights which were the first 10 amendments guaranteeing
basic individual protections. There are exactly 27 constitutional amendments.

24. V for Vespucci, Amerigo
Amerigo Vespucci was an Italian sea captain that wrote a journal describing his voyage to Brazil.
In 1507, a German cartographer named Martin Waldseemüller used Vespucci descriptions of his
voyage to publish a map of the region, which he labeled “America” after Amerigo. Overtime the
name “Americas” began to be used for both continents on the western hemisphere. The islands
Columbus had explored in the Caribbean became known as the West Indies. Though Amerigo
didn’t directly contribute his name to the new continents discover on the western hemisphere, his
name stuck on.

25. W for War of 1812
In the war of 1812, America took on the best naval power in the world, Britain; this war would
have an impact on today’s world. One of the many causes of the war is British attempts to stop
US trade, the royal navy impressed sailors from American merchant ships and also America
wanted to expand, into Canada . Even though America suffered many defeat at the hand of the
British, they persevered by repulsing on the city’s of New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans.
One of the greatest general and also one of our famous president won fame around this time his
name was Andrew Jackson. He formed an army of free slaves, military troops, and pirates to
defend the city of New Orleans; this battle was a mistake for it happened after the signing of the
treaty of Ghent. However, news did not travel fast enough to the British and American troops
who end up in a battle. The outcome of the battle favored the Americans who massacred the
British and coined the phrase “don’t fire till you see the whites of their eyes” (Andrew Jackson).

26. X for Xerxes
During Xerxes time the Greek City-States were at war with the Persians. The Persians had
already seen what the Greek could do. The Greeks at a run during phalanx position scared the
Persians back to their ships. Darius the king of Persia died before could send another attack
against the Greeks. However, in 480 B.C. his son Xerxes sent a much larger force to conquer
Greece. But the Athenians had already convinced the other Greek states to help them in the fight
against Persia. Among them Sparta volunteered and fought the Persians in a mountain pass led
by the Spartan king Leonidas. The Spartans put up a good fight however in the end they were
defeated and the Persians walked to Athens and burned it to the ground. Athens was empty for
everyone had left the city, now Athens depended on the fleet they had built to defeat the
Persians, Xerxes watched as his fleet sank and a year later the Greeks defeated the Persians on
land in Asia Minor.

27. Y for Yoga
Aryan mystics were the ones who pushed toward meditation and yoga. Mystics were those who
seek direct communication with divine forces. They used spiritual and also bodily disciplines to
accomplish these goals they strived for. During this period in India the notion of Brahman was
raised the belief that a spiritual power existed behind all their god and goddesses. This age was
given the name of the Vedic age which influenced the practice of yoga and bodily disciplines and
Brahman.

28. Z for Zeus
Zeus is the god of the sky and ruler of the Olympian gods. Zeus overthrew his
Father Kronus. He then drew lots with his brothers Poseidon and Hades. Zeus won the
draw and became the supreme ruler of the gods. He is lord of the sky, and the rain
god. His weapon is a thunderbolt which he hurls at those who displease him. He is
married to Hera but, is famous for his many affairs. He is also known to punish those
that lie or break oaths. Also, known for his various children who have been sired by
him for example: Heracles (also now as Hercules), Perseus, Jason of the Argonauts.

29. Bibliography
History.com, Staff. "Aztec." History.com. A E networks, n.d. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/aztecs>.
history.com , Staff. "blitzkrieg ." History.com. A E networks, n.d. Web. 29 Mar 2014.
<http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/blitzkrieg>.
"Cortes, Herman ." <http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cortes_hernan.shtml>.
Esler, Anthony, and Elizabeth G. Ellis. Prentice Hall World History . Boston : Pearson Education
Incorporated , Print.
"Zeus." Zeus. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 May 2014.