Book excerpt: This historical timeline summary is designed to help organize studies by listing basic historical themes in the order in which they happened. The History Essentials, U.S. and World Timeline lists monumental events and noteworthy individuals in U.S. and world history based on official study guides and encyclopedic references. The History Essentials book presents a plethora of historical milestones and covers the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.Jam-packed with events and people who have changed the course of history, The History Essentials 'fills in the gaps' with facts that may have escaped your studies or memory -- until now. While reading, take time for a few, fun, 'rabbit trail' adventures by researching unfamiliar terms along the way. Look up words in bold or entire periods or cultures, and concentrate on topics that pique your interest. Then, delve deeper, and keep going as your fascination with history expands. In doing so, you will begin to round-out your knowledge of history without losing your place, because you can always return to the timeline and pick up where you left off. History Essentials can help shape, plan, and organize study goals for history contests, including the National History Bee and the National History Bowl. Involvement in the National History Bee on any level is a fantastic achievement, and Hexco Academic is proud to support this contest.*Disclaimer notice: The content of the History Bee or any other contest is not limited to the events in this book. There is no guarantee that this material will appear in the National History Bee or any other competitions. Dates and facts have been verified by at least two reliable sources. We do not claim to have all world events and history listed in this abbreviated timeline book and encourage all to use this book as a starting point for his/her own research.Use this guidebook in conjunction with your contest guide and do more research on your own.