The 20th Century

Spanning two world wars, a great depression, and even a moon landing, there was no shortage of conflict and excitement in the 20th century. Find resources, biographies, and timelines to help you understand this era.

  • Vietnam War helicopters
    Vietnam War Terms and Slang
  • The Lubyanka building (former KGB headquarters) in Moscow
    A Brief History of the KGB
  • "Kilroy was here" inscribed on WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.
    The Story Behind the Phrase "Kilroy Was Here"
  • German soldiers in WWI trenches
    History of Trench Warfare in World War I
  • Pearl Harbor
    Facts About the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor
  • Swastika
    Learn the History of the Swastika
  • Zoot suits
    A Cultural History of the Zoot Suit
  • Cartoon depicting I.W.W. goals as a labor union
    Industrial Workers of the World (IWW)
  • The State Opening Of Parliament
    What Is a Constitutional Monarchy? Definition and Examples
  • Full Frame Shot Of License Plates
    The First License Plates in U.S. History
  • Migrant Mother, Nipomo, California, photograph by Dorothea Lange
    The Story of the Great Depression in Photos
  • Cartoon of people applauding a politician
    What Is a Unitary State?
  • Black and white photo showing a ship damaged and left smoking during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
    10 Pictures of the Attack on Pearl Harbor
  • 1972 Ford Courier Pickup Truck
    The Chicken Tax and Its Influence on the U.S. Auto Industry
  • Antiwar protesters marching on the Capitol
    An Overview of the Vietnam War Protests
  • President Theodore Roosevelt
    Teddy Roosevelt Simplifies Spelling
  • A Brief History of the Young Lords
  • Photograph of politician Strom Thurmond
    Biography of Strom Thurmond, Segregationist Politician
  • Train Robbery
    First Silent Film: The Great Train Robbery
  • Close-Up of Barbie Fashion Dolls With an American Flag
    What Is Barbie's Full Name?
  • Portrait of Scottish statesman Arthur Balfour
    The History of the Balfour Declaration
  • Photo of Senator Joseph McCarthy holding papers.
    The McCarthy Era
  • American Red Cross Flag
    American Red Cross
  • China marked the 30th anniversary of the Tangshan earthquake
    The Deadly Tangshan Earthquake of 1976
  • Alfred Nobel
    History of the Nobel Prizes
  • Photograph of HUAC hearing with actor Gary Cooper
    History of the House Un-American Activities Committee
  • Photo of Saul Alinsky on a Chicago picket line.
    Biography of Saul Alinsky
  • Eruption of Mount St Helens
    Learn About the Mt. St. Helens Eruption That Killed 57 People
  • charlie chaplin the gold rush
    Biography of Charlie Chaplin, Legendary Movie Comedian
  • Jazz Pianist Fats Waller
    Biography of Fats Waller, Jazz Artist
  • Woody Guthrie Portrait
    Woody Guthrie, Legendary Songwriter and Folk Singer
  • Photograph of broadcaster Edward R. Murrow
    Edward R. Murrow, Broadcast News Pioneer
  • photo of attorney Clarence Darrow
    Clarence Darrow, Famous Defense Attorney and Crusader for Justice
  • Tom Hayden in front of a bookshelf
    Biography of Tom Hayden, Activist and Politician
  • Joe Hill black and white close up photograph.
    Joe Hill: Poet, Songwriter, and Martyr of the Labor Movement
  • Mexican General Francisco "Pancho" Villa
    Biography of Pancho Villa, Mexican Revolutionary
  • Howard Hughes
    Biography of Howard Hughes, Businessman and Aviator
  • Statue of Eva Perón
    Biography of Eva Perón, First Lady of Argentina
  • Andy Warhol At His Whitney Museum Retrospective
    Biography of Andy Warhol, Icon of Pop Art
  • The Romanoff family
    Biography of Czar Nicholas II, Last Czar of Russia
  • Henri Charrière on the set of the 1973 film Papillon.
    The Story of Henri Charrière, Author of Papillon
  • MONTGOMERY, AL - MARCH 25: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking before crowd of 25,000 Selma To Montgomery, Alabama civil rights marchers, in front of Montgomery, Alabama state capital building. On March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama.
    Biography of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Civil Rights Leader
  • Historical photo of Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler
    Biography of Benito Mussolini, Fascist Dictator of Italy
  • John D. Rockefeller
    Biography of John D. Rockefeller, America's First Billionaire
  • Writer Ernest Hemingway
    Biography of Ernest Hemingway, Pulitzer and Nobel Prize Winning Writer
  • President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
    Biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd U.S. President
  • Jim Jones and his family
    Biography of Jim Jones, Leader of the Peoples Temple Cult
  • Helen Keller
    Biography of Helen Keller, Deaf and Blind Spokesperson and Activist
  • Saddam Hussein during his trial
    Biography of Saddam Hussein, Dictator of Iraq
  • Booker T. Washington
    Biography of Booker T. Washington, Early Black Leader and Educator
  • Albert Einstein
    Biography of Albert Einstein, Theoretical Physicist
  • Louis Armstrong playing trumpet
    Biography of Louis Armstrong, Expert Trumpeter and Entertainer
  • Elvis Presley
    Biography of Elvis Presley, the King of Rock 'n' Roll
  • Mother Teresa
    Biography of Mother Teresa, 'The Saint of the Gutters'
  • Cary Grant
    Biography of Cary Grant, Famous Leading Man
  • Fidel Castro
    Biography of Fidel Castro, President of Cuba for 50 Years
  • Theodor Seuss Geisel, "Dr. Seuss," in 1957
    Biography of Dr. Seuss, Popular Children's Author
  • Portrait of Zelda Fitzgerald
    The Life of Zelda Fitzgerald, the Other Fitzgerald Writer
  • John Kennedy, Jr. Attends Ceremony Awarding the John Kennedy Prize
    Biography of John F. Kennedy Jr.
  • Anne Frank Center USA
    Biography of Anne Frank, Writer of Powerful Wartime Diary
  • photograph of Depression era populist Huey Long
    Huey Long, Populist Politician of the Depression Era
    • More In: History & Culture
    View more