Wars, Culture, and Events in Asia
By Kallie Szczepanski, About.com Guide to Asian History
The history of Asia is filled with crucial events and cultural advances. Battles decided the fate of nations, wars rewrote the continent's maps, protests rocked governments, natural disasters afflicted the people, great inventions improved everyday life and new arts brought enjoyment and expression to the peoples of Asia.
- Conflicts in Asia: Protests, Battles, and Wars
- Natural Disasters
- Asian Arts and Inventions
- Fashion History
Conflicts in Asia: Protests, Battles, and Wars
Across Asia and throughout time, different degrees of conflict have changed the course of Asian history. From citizen uprisings such as the 1989 Tiananmen Square Protests in China, to full-scale wars like World War II in the Pacific, Asia has seen more than its share of fighting.
- 12 Battles that Changed Asia
- Mongols Invade Japan, 1274 & 1281
- Timeline of the Korean War
- Photo Gallery: The Korean War
- Timeline of the Vietnam War
- Photo Gallery: The Vietnam War
- Tiananmen Square Massacre, 1989
- Tiananmen Square Massacre Photos
Natural Disasters
Asia is a tectonically active place, with earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis among the dangers inherent to the area. To make life even more precarious, monsoon floods, typhoons, sandstorms and endless droughts can afflict different parts of Asia. Sometimes, these natural forces influence the history of entire nations.
- Asian Influenza Pandemics of the 20th Century
- Monsoons Fail, and Chinese Dynasties Fall
- Great Tangshan Earthquake of 1976
- Eruption of Mt. Pinatubo
Asian Arts and Inventions
The creative minds of Asia have brought the world myriad useful inventions, as well as stunningly beautiful art forms.
- History of Chinese Opera
- Photo Gallery: Chinese Opera
- Traditional Korean Masks
- Yoshitoshi Taiso's Ghoulish Woodblock Prints
- 50 Amazing Asian Inventions
Fashion History
It may not have the long-term impact of a war or an earthquake, but fashion does provide a fascinating window into the culture of past societies. See changing definitions of beauty over time, in the fashion history of Asia.
