Sol World History Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield Sol World History facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. The spread of Islam was accompanied by the creation of a large empire. Who was the first caliph after Muhammad? → Abu Bakr
2. What was the Holocaust? → The Nazi systematic genocide of six million Jews and millions of others
3. What major engineering achievement allowed the Romans to move water across long distances to cities? → Aqueducts
4. What was the significance of the Edict of Milan in 313 CE? → It granted religious tolerance throughout the Roman Empire
5. Which ancient civilization is credited with developing the first alphabet? → Phoenicians
6. The 'Arab Spring' that began in late 2010 and spread across the Middle East and North Africa was best characterized by: → A wave of pro-democracy protests, uprisings, and revolutions against authoritarian regimes
7. What term describes the political and social system in medieval Europe where lords granted land to vassals in exchange for military service? → Feudalism
8. What was the significance of Vasco da Gama's voyage of 1497–1499? → He established the first direct sea route from Europe to India
9. Who led the first European expedition to circumnavigate the globe, completing the voyage in 1522? → Ferdinand Magellan
10. Which medieval Japanese social class was analogous to European knights? → Samurai
11. Which ancient Chinese philosophy emphasized social harmony, filial piety, and respect for authority? → Confucianism
12. Which ancient Greek epic poems, attributed to Homer, describe the Trojan War and its aftermath? → The Iliad and The Odyssey
13. The Truman Doctrine (1947) committed the United States to what foreign policy? → Containment — preventing the spread of communism
14. What economic theory advocated by Adam Smith in 'The Wealth of Nations' (1776) formed the basis of modern capitalism? → Free market economics (laissez-faire)
15. The Indian National Congress, founded in 1885, eventually became the main organization for what goal? → Achieving Indian independence from British rule
16. Which Roman document, completed in 450 BCE, was Rome's first written law code? → The Twelve Tables
17. What was the main function of the ancient Persian Royal Road? → Facilitating trade and communication
18. The fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 most directly signified: → The beginning of German reunification and the approaching end of the Cold War
19. The Magna Carta, signed in 1215, limited the power of which monarch? → King John
20. What disease devastated the indigenous populations of the Americas after European contact? → Smallpox
21. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 symbolized what major historical development? → The collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe and the end of the Cold War
22. The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 facilitated the 'Scramble for Africa' by establishing what? → Rules for European powers to divide Africa among themselves
23. John Calvin's form of Protestant Christianity emphasized which doctrine? → Predestination
24. Which Greek thinker classified governments into six types and wrote 'Politics'? → Aristotle
25. What US foreign policy strategy, articulated in 1947, aimed to prevent the spread of communism to new countries? → Containment
26. What international organization was established after World War II to maintain peace and security? → United Nations
27. Which ancient civilization built the city of Carthage in North Africa? → Phoenicians
28. What intellectual movement began in 14th-century Italy, emphasizing human potential and classical Greek and Roman learning? → Humanism
29. Adolf Hitler's political ideology was based on which combination of beliefs? → Extreme nationalism, racial superiority, and anti-Semitism
30. What type of government did Athens develop that became a model for modern democracies? → Direct democracy