Wars That Changed History

January 10, 49 B.C.: Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon River into Rome, igniting a civil war that leads to the birth of the world's greatest ancient civilization. October 12, 1492: The Spanish explorer Christopher Columbus, weary after months at sea, finally drops anchor at the island of San Salvador and takes Europe's first steps into the New World.

This illustrated guide to history's most famous battles explores military history from ancient battles to the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, and beyond.