History shows up in middle school, high school, university entrance and many civil service exams. Here is a review guide with the dates, events and figures you need to know.
Middle school level
Four major periods generally expected: Revolutions and 19th century, World War I, World War II, post-1945 world.
Must-know dates:
- 1776: American Declaration of Independence.
- 1789: French Revolution.
- 1804: Napoleon becomes emperor.
- 1815: Waterloo.
- 1848: Springtime of Nations.
- 1865: end of American Civil War.
- 1914-1918: World War I.
- 1929: stock market crash.
- 1939-1945: World War II.
- 1945: atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
- 1989: fall of the Berlin Wall.
- 2001: September 11 attacks.
High school level
The curriculum covers the modern world (1789 to today) plus the world since 1945.
Periods studied in depth:
- Europe and the revolutions (1789-1848).
- Industrialization and political change (1848-1914).
- Crises and democracies of the 1930s.
- War and peace (1939-1945).
- Decolonization (1945-1962).
- Cold War (1947-1991).
- Post-Cold War world (1991-).
The 25 must-know dates
Middle Ages. 622: Hijra. 800: Charlemagne crowned. 1066: Hastings. 1215: Magna Carta. 1453: fall of Constantinople.
Early modern. 1492: Columbus reaches the Americas. 1517: Luther’s Reformation. 1689: English Bill of Rights. 1776: American Declaration of Independence. 1789: French Revolution.
19th century. 1815: Waterloo. 1848: Springtime of Nations. 1861-1865: American Civil War. 1869: Suez Canal opens. 1870: Franco-Prussian War.
20th century. 1914-1918: World War I. 1917: Russian Revolution. 1929: stock market crash. 1939-1945: World War II. 1947: independence of India. 1957: Sputnik. 1969: Moon landing. 1989: fall of the Berlin Wall. 1991: collapse of the USSR. 2001: September 11.
Essential figures
See also our dedicated articles.
- Major historical figures: the general guide
- European monarchs: list by country
- Notable women: 20 women who shaped history
- US Presidents: the complete list
Common candidate mistakes
Mixing up dates and centuries. The 18th century is 1701-1800, not 1800-1899. Easy to confuse.
Confusing the two world wars. Trenches and the Great War = 1914-1918. Nazi Germany and Holocaust = 1939-1945. Different in nature.
Forgetting non-European history. Programs increasingly expect awareness of African, Asian, Latin American history. Do not stay only in Europe and the US.
Confusing decolonization periods. India 1947. Indochina 1954. Algeria 1962. Most of Africa 1960. Different paces.
Efficient review method
Structure chronologically. A visual timeline seen every day anchors dates long term.
Tie event to figure. 1789 = Louis XVI and the Bastille. 1804 = Napoleon. 1945 = Truman and the atomic bomb.
Test regularly. The science of memorization shows you retain 50% better when self-testing. SAPIRO offers history quizzes with contextualized explanations behind each question.
For more, see our world history timeline and the article on the great battles of history.