A world war is a war affecting most of the world's most powerful and populous countries. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters.
The term is usually applied to the two conflicts of unprecedented scale that occurred during the 20th century: World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). However, it is also sometimes applied to earlier wars and to a hypothetical future war.
Read more about World War: Origins of The Term, World Wars Before The 20th Century, World Wars of The 20th Century, Later World Wars
Famous quotes containing the words world and/or war:
“With us ther was a doctour of phisik;
In al this world ne was ther noon hym lik,
To speke of phisik and of a surgerye,
For he was grounded in astronomye.”
—Geoffrey Chaucer (1340?–1400)
“It is well that war is so terrible: we would grow too fond of it!”
—Robert E. Lee (1807–1870)