World war
A world war is an international conflict in which most of the countries in the world fight or help.
There have been two World Wars so far, World War I (1914-1918), and World War II (1939-1945), Several earlier historical wars such as the Anglo-Dutch Wars were fought in many places around the world, but they were wars amongst European empires.
After World War II, many people were scared that World War III would start from the Cold War between the United States and Western Bloc on one side and the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc on the other. After World War II, countries had many powerful weapons, including jet bomber airplanes, which could carry nuclear weapons to destroy many buildings and kill many people instantly, far away; and much faster missiles which could also carry nuclear weapons.