October 12, 2012 10:55 am
This is a Map of Every War Ever
Conflicts from 1900 to 2000. Photo: TecToys
In the year 1400 B.C., says the Book of Joshua, a book in the Old Testament, the Israelites attacked and took the region of Canaan. Archaeologists question the specifics of the biblical tale, but evidence of conflict at the time is thought to exist.
Whether the battle played out precisely as told in the Bible or not, the Battle of Jericho ranks as one of the oldest dated skirmishes in human history. On the interactive Conflict History map, the Battle of Jericho serves as the starting point.
A screen capture from the TecToys project Conflict History. Photo: TecToys
It’s the first entry in a a massive project that sees the dates, locations, and brief descriptions for thousands of human conflicts overlaid on a scrollable, zoom-able map. Built by web and app developer TecToys, Conflict History pulls together the information archived in the Freebase database, a open-access database that aims to compile information from the open web, and overlays it on Google maps. A timeline along the bottom lets you scroll through history.
The map scrolls up to March 21, 2012, capping off with a battle in Mali.
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Missing: King Philips War, 1675-1678 in RI, Connecticut, Maine and Massachusetts. 3,600 injured or killed.
Comment by JPMajor — October 12, 2012 @ 11:15 am
Missing: The entire continent of Australia, which was bombed in WWII, and the entire nations of the Pacific.
Comment by Rebecca — October 12, 2012 @ 4:00 pm
@ Rebecca: you didn’t actually go to the map, did you? only looked at the screen cap illustrating the story.
Comment by Amelia — October 12, 2012 @ 9:29 pm
The Seminole War in Florida is missing.
Comment by Dallas — October 21, 2012 @ 10:19 am
Where is the battles that took place in the Marianas Islands during WWII? Interesting map nonetheless…
Comment by Martin — October 21, 2012 @ 10:21 am
*Where are
Comment by Martin — October 21, 2012 @ 10:22 am
No mention of Pearl Harbor or the nuclear bombs dropped on Japan during WWII?
Comment by Doug — October 21, 2012 @ 10:53 am
Hi, Awesome website !!!
I know it is nearly impssible to get everything right on a project of this magnitude. Hope you don’t mind a little help. You might want to make a correction of the location show for a civil war battle. The Battle Of Wilson Creek 1861, is incorrectly shown in 2 places in Missouri, (problably where Wilson Creek stream is actually designated on the Map). The correct location is about 10-12 miles SW of Springfield, MO, near Republic, MO. It will clearly appear on the map as “Wilson Creek National Battlefield” I enjoy surfing thru all the battle info immensely, Thanks for your time, Charles Crow
Comment by Charles Crow — October 21, 2012 @ 12:26 pm
Hey, everyone–reread the article–it’s on an open data base, so if you don’t see something you think should be included, add it, already.
Comment by Karen Montee-Charest — October 21, 2012 @ 1:26 pm
Map says that it is shutting down in a few days so that the developer can rebuild it from scratch.
Comment by Jim Griffiths — October 21, 2012 @ 2:06 pm
Great (and constructive) comment Charlie Crow
Comment by Barb — October 21, 2012 @ 5:17 pm
Enjoyed the comprehensive map. As it develops, it will be a great tool for historians and school students alike. I will keep checking in to see the progress. The comments above should be quite helpful.
Thanks again for your amazing work so far.
Comment by Carolyn Forrester — October 21, 2012 @ 10:22 pm
Blackhawk’s War, in Wisconsin
Comment by Dee — October 22, 2012 @ 10:15 pm
Not quite! The entire landmass of the United States is blank. I can think of quite a few wars and battles that took place during, say, the Civil War, the Revolutionary War, on and on. . .Looking forward to seeing this again when the website is redone and hopefully the database will be (really) complete!
Comment by Robin Burns — October 23, 2012 @ 1:15 pm
You are right Burns but if you read the caption below the map I believe it says Conflicts from 1900 to 2000. The Civil War and the Revolutionary War predates this map.
Comment by Ramona Schroeder — October 23, 2012 @ 2:31 pm
The Norman invasion of the British Isles in 1066 needs to be included.
Comment by Lee Pullen — October 23, 2012 @ 3:59 pm
I’m not really sure how accurate this map is, as it shows the Battle of Cantigny taking place in Illinois. (The Battle of Cantigny was in Cantigny, France – the first American offensive of WWI.)
But it’s a huge undertaking and accomplishment, nonetheless.
Comment by Michelle — October 26, 2012 @ 3:57 am
MIssing are the invasion of USA to PR during the hispanoamerican war, invasion under which PR passed under USA possession.
Comment by Fernando — November 14, 2012 @ 12:42 pm