Rustic wooden table filled with ingredient for preparing homemade chocolate truffles.

This Day In History: Chilean miners are rescued after 69 days underground

The crater of the volcano Nevado Del Ruiz smoulders on November 17, 1985, 3 days after its eruption which destroyed the mountain town of Armer.

A map (by Alvin Jewett Johnson) shows Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uraguay, 1862.

Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in his cell at Djalameh jail, 1961

Aerial view of the Spider (46 meters long) at Nazca Lines, some 435 km south of Lima, Peru on December 11, 2014. Geoglyphs can be seen only from atop the surrounding foothills or from aircrafts. The purpose of the Nazca lines remains unclear, according some scientists the Nazca people created them to be seen by their gods in the sky.

Machu Picchu, Peru's most important tourist destination. Built most probably by Inca Chapacutec in the 15th century.

Vasco Núñez de Balboa. Found in the collection of Museo Naval de Madrid. Artist: Anonymous.

South America

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HISTORY

1500

In the 15th century, Europeans began to sail west across the Atlantic Ocean in search of new routes to China and the East, but in the process they discovered what they labeled a "New World," although Indigenous people had lived there for centuries. Other explorers have pushed the limits of flight and seafaring, and traversed the frozen Continent of Antarctica.

Exploration

Latin America encompasses Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries, including all of South America as well as Mexico, Central America, and islands of the Caribbean. Latin American history saw colonization by the Spaniards and Portuguese, from the 15th through the 18th century, as well as independence movements in the early 19th century.

Latin American History

The Civil War was America's bloodiest and most divisive conflict, pitting the Union Army against the Confederate States of America. The war resulted in the deaths of more than 620,000 people, with millions more injured and the South left in ruins.

Civil War

South America is a large continent with a rich history including fascinating people and places like the Inca, Machu Picchu, Che Guevara, Augusto Pinochet, Easter Island and more.

South American History

South America is a large continent with a rich history. Learn more about the Inca, Machu Picchu, Che Guevara, Augusto Pinochet, Easter Island and more.

South America: Countries and Regions | HISTORY

World War II was the biggest and deadliest war in history, involving more than 30 countries. Sparked by the 1939 Nazi invasion of Poland, the war dragged on for six bloody years until the Allies defeated the Axis powers of Nazi Germany, Japan and Italy in 1945. Explore the battles, leaders and atrocities from the war and its impact on geopolitics and humankind.

World War II

1985

1982

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1946

1997

Ancient America was home to sophisticated civilizations such as the Maya, Inca, Olmec and Aztec societies, and mysterious ruins like Chichen Itza, Teotihuacan, Serpent Mound, Tikal, Machu Picchu and the Nazca Lines.

Ancient Americas

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

South America

Topics

History of Chocolate

Nazca Lines

Machu Picchu

Vasco Núñez de Balboa

Stories

The 7 Most Notorious Nazis Who Escaped to South America

How Did Thousands of Former Confederates End up in Brazil?

This Day in History

Chilean miners are rescued after 69 days underground

Falklands War ends

Peruvian President Fujimori orders assault on Japanese ambassador’s home

First European explorer reaches Brazil

The eruption of Nevado del Ruiz

Juan Perón elected in Argentina