The consequential and often lasting impact of major events over the past 500 years has helped to shape the modern world. Not isolated to any one geographic region, these formative events took place in all corners of the world. Events That Formed the Modern World: From the European Renaissance through the War on Terror highlights 62 significant events from across the globe, each of which contributed to the modern world. A five volume thematic reference set, Events That Formed the Modern World provides readers with introductory and interpretative essays for all of the 62 events each with a bibliography and shorter entries detailing significant people or occurrences related to the major event. Each volume also contains a glossary of terms and a timeline. Edited by Frank W. Thackeray and John E. Findling, professor emeriti of history at Indiana University Southeast, this reference work is intended for the general public and high school and undergraduate students.

Events That Formed the Modern World represents a novel and noteworthy approach to the encyclopedia. Arranged chronologically, each volume covers approximately one century, with the first volume being an exception as it begins with an entry on the Reconquista (c.711) and ends with the Spanish Armada (1588). The events covered in this set of volumes are characterized largely by a top-down approach with relatively standard historical periodizations. While following an easy to comprehend chronological layout, this set diverges from the traditional encyclopedia formula, which often provides an overview of a topic with little critical analysis or interpretation. Thackeray and Findling’s work provides readers with a brief introductory essay for each event grounding the reader in the event’s historical context. However, the strength and distinctive feature of this reference work rests with the interpretive essays, each written by experts and averaging about eight pages in length, These highly accessible essays provide thought provoking analyses and examine the reasons why the event has had a lasting impact on the modern world.

While not limited to covering topics of the past 500 years, other works approaching Events subject matter include Hardy McNeill and Jerry Bentley’s Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History (Berkshire, 2005), Alfred J. Andrea’s World History Encyclopedia (ABC-CLIO, 2011), and, to a lesser degree, William Keylor and Michael McGuire’s Encyclopedia of the Modern World: 1900 to the Present (Facts on File, 2007). However, with the exception of Andrea’s World History Encyclopedia, these works are more traditional, have little thematic structure, and provide only basic, fact-driven, entries. Events That Formed the Modern World is a relatively unique reference work and stands out for its critical, yet accessible analysis, which makes this a useful and important work. Although Events is targeted to the general public and students, it can be a valuable asset for high school teachers and college professors assigned to teaching the second half of world history courses. Not only can the interpretive essays in these volumes work well as assigned readings, they can also serve as a much needed resource for history instructors new to teaching world history.

Thackeray and Findling’s Events That Formed the Modern World stands alone among the world/global history encyclopedia landscape and represents a new type of encyclopedia that promotes critical thought and comprehensive understanding. While some readers may not be used to this work’s format and interpretive essays, there are plenty of traditional reference works on the shelves of libraries with basic entries that cover many themes in this set. This reference work is designed to promote broad historical understanding and achieves this goal in ways that are unmatched by most encyclopedias. Events That Formed the Modern World is recommended for high school and public libraries as well as academic libraries at institutions that offer world history courses.