Fifteenth century improvements in the ability to wage war developed by leveraging gunpowder technology allowed western civilization to create the first truly global empires. As a result, between 1500 and 1800, these empires expanded their influence to about 35 percent of the world's surface.[1] Tho...

Cross-Gender Dressing The controversy over crossover fashion has been changing throughout history dawning with the 18th century, when clothing was a representation of power of authority over the common worker. As then in the 19th century, clothes began to shift over to represent power between the...

Chinoiserie As early as the 1100's, traders brought Chinese exports to Europe, where it became greatly admired. As European trade with the Orient grew during the 1600's, many of these products and their styles became popular with the European public. Thus, the Chinese had a growing influence on Eu...