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- hajj : The pilgrimage or holy journey to the city of Mecca
- Hammurabis Code : Oldest written system of laws. They were created by King Hammurabi of Babylonia in th mid 18th century BCE and placed on stones tablets for all to see.
- Hebrew : Semitic language originating in ancient Palestine and spoken by the Israelites. Modern Hebrew was developed in the 19th and 20th centuries from the ancient written language.
- heliocentric model : Theory of the universe that states the sun is the center, and that the earth revolves around it.
- Hellenistic : Time period from the late 4th century BCE to the 1st century CE that was characterized by Greek achievement and a blending of Persian, Egyptian, Greek, and Indian cultures due to the empire of Alexander the Great.
- Henry VIII : (1491-1547) King of England who transformed his country into a Protestant nation during the Reformation.
- hieroglyphics : A system of writing which uses pictures for concepts and ideas.
- Hinduism : A polytheistic religion that was formed from a variety of different religious practices. In Hinduism, salvation is achieved through a spiritual oneness of the soul, atman, with the ultimate reality of the universe, Brahma. To achieve this goal, the soul must obtain moksha, or liberation from the samsara, the endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. As a result of these basic teachings, Hindus believe in reincarnation, which is influenced by karma (material actions resulting from the consequences of previous actions), and dharma (fulfilling one's duty in life). Because all forms of animal life possess souls, Hindus believe in ahimsa, or that all life is sacred. and should not be harmed. In fact, one animal which Hindus consider to be extremely sacred is the cow. The peaceful and contented existence of cows is considered virtuous by Hindus and would represent a rewarding reincarnation for a soul. For this reason, most Hindus are vegetarians so that they do not harm other living beings. The belief in reincarnation, karma, and dharma also provides the religious justification for the existence of the rigid social structure known as the Caste System.
- Hippocrates : (460?-377? BCE) Greek physician. He is considered to be the father of medicine and the ethical standard of treating all patients known as the Hippocratic Oath.
- Hippocratic Oath : An promise made new physicians to treat all people fairly, and to seek to preserve life. Named after a ancient Greek physician who is credited with writing it.
- Hiroshima : Japanese city devastated during World War II when the United States dropped the first atomic bomb on Aug 6th, 1945.
- Hitler, Adolf : (1889-1945) Austrian-born leader of Germany. He co-founded the Nazi Party in Germany, and gained control of the country as chancellor in 1933. Hitler started World War II with the invasion of Poland. He was responsible for the Holocaust.
- Ho Chi Minh : (1890-1969) Vietnamese leader who is responsible for ousting first the French, then the United States from his country. Supported by both communist China and the Soviet Union, he guided Vietnam through decades long warfare to emerge as a communist nation.
- Hobbes, Thomas : (1588-1679) English philosopher and political theorist. Wrote Leviathan, where he favored an absolute government as the only means of balancing human interests and desires with their rights of life and property.
- Holocaust : The attempted genocide of European Jews, Gypsies, mentally retarded, homosexuals, and others by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
- Holy Land : Term given to lands in present day Israel that is significant to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
- human and physical geography : The study of the environment, people, and the resources they use to live.
- human rights : The rights that are considered by most societies to belong automatically to all people, including the rights to justice, freedom, and equality.
- humanism : A philosophical movement during the Renaissance that stressed life on Earth, and the quality of being human. Rejected living only for the afterlife of Christianity.
- hunting and gathering : System of food production for prehistoric peoples. Involves hunting animals and gathering foods grown in the wild.
- Hussein, Saddam : (1937- ) President of Iraq since 1979. He has led his control into two devastating wars, one against Iran in 1980 to 1988, and the Persian Gulf War in 1990 – 1991 which started as a result of his invading Kuwait.
- Hutus and Tutsis : Tribes in Rwanda responsible for decades of warfare.
