Encyclopædia Britannica Online

Quick Facts: Who was Encyclopædia Britannica Online?

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Encyclopædia Britannica Online

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Online digital encyclopedia providing comprehensive, evolving knowledge resources.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Britannica.com is the domain name of the main website of Encyclopædia Britannica, which provides partial free access to the paid online edition of the encyclopaedia, titled Encyclopaedia Britannica. The paid edition is known as Britannica Academic, previously Britannica Online. It is published by Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., which is based in Chicago, Illinois. As of 2025, Britannica.com had over 130,000 different entries covering a wide variety of topics. As of 2011, these articles have edit histories, providing a summary of information such as when the article was created, who has edited it, and when the article was last updated.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The bottom of entries includes links to external websites. It includes search bar allowing navigation to specific entries. The site has a rotating selection of articles prominently featured on the main page that are changed on a regular basis. As of 2011, it also includes access to multimedia including tens of thousands of images as well as thousands of videos, animations and audio clips. The website also includes a selection of online games.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

In 2000, in addition to the main encyclopedia text, Britannica.com was reported to include "current news, an internet guide that ranks Websites, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary and additional tools". Britannica was first launched online in 1994 as eb.com, which required a paid subscription to access, originally for institutions $1 per year per full time enrolled student, or slightly later $150 a year for individuals. While at launch the Britannica Online had all of the articles of its print counterpart, due to speed limitations of the early internet, early online versions of the Britannica were sparse in images and multimedia compared to the book and CD-ROM versions of the encyclopaedia. The 1994 launch happened at the end of several years of dramatic decline in sales of the print edition of the Britannica (which had dropped from 117,000 in 1990 to 51,000 in 1994), as well as other print encyclopedias, due to the emergence of competing electronic alternatives, such as the CD-ROM based Microsoft Encarta. In 1999, the free website Britannica.com was launched, which contained the full text of the encyclopedia, as well as "an Internet search engine, subject channels, current events, and essays".

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1994: 1994 Milestone — Britannica was first launched online in 1994 as eb.
2. 1999: 1999 Milestone — In 1999, the free website Britannica.
3. 2000: 2000 Milestone — In 2000, in addition to the main encyclopedia text, Britannica.
4. 2011: 2011 Milestone — As of 2011, these articles have edit histories, providing a summary of information such as when the article was created, who has edited it, and when the article was last updated.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Encyclopædia Britannica Online

True or False: “The initial launch of the paid online edition in 1994 was primarily due to strong sales growth in print encyclopedias.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): The 1994 launch occurred during a period of dramatic decline in print sales, which had dropped from 117,000 units in 1990 to 51,000 in 1994.

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• Abdullah al-Sallal — Historical peer (Died in 1994) (1994): Yemeni military officer and revolutionary who led the North Yemeni Revolution of 1962.
• Ahmed Ali (writer) — Historical peer (Died in 1994) (1994): Pioneering Urdu writer, poet, and diplomat from British India to Pakistan.
• A. J. P. Taylor — Historical peer (Died in 1990) (1990): Influential English historian specializing in 19th and 20th-century European diplomacy.
• Aaron Copland — Historical peer (Died in 1990) (1990): Pioneering American composer, conductor, and critic, known as the "Dean of American Music".

Frequently Asked Questions about Encyclopædia Britannica Online