To put your event in historical context you may wish to consult reference sources to get background information on the event you are researching. Reference materials can also help you:
Oxford Reference Online
The place to start. This database enables you to search within many of Oxford's highly-regarded reference works in the field of history, including the Oxford Companion to World War II and Oxford Companion to British History.
Gale Virtual Reference Library
Another helpful database that lets you search a variety of history ereference titles at one time. Titles of interest include Encyclopedia of World Biography and World History Encyclopedia.
Encyclopedia of African History
Ref DT20 .E53 (print version)
Encyclopedia of Eastern Europe
Ref DJK6 .E53
Encyclopedia of Russian History
Ref DK14 .E53
Encyclopedia of the Cold War
Ref D840 .E63
Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism Since 1450
Ref JV22 .E535
Historical Dictionary of the French Fourth and Fifth Republics, 1946-1991
Ref DC401 .H57
Modern Germany: An Encyclopedia of History, People, and Culture
Ref DD14 .M64
Twentieth Century Britain: An Encyclopedia
Ref DA566 .T835
