Written by Sunny
Modified & Updated: 16 May 2024
Reviewed by Jessica Corbett
Do you remember all the times you sat through your history class, barely keeping yourself awake? You may not have fond memories of memorizing and remembering dates and other info, but these history facts will show you how interesting it can actually be.
- 01There is 5,000 years worth of recorded history.
- 02History is generally divided into 4 time periods: Prehistory, Ancient History, Post-Ancient History, and Modern History.
- 03Ancient stone tools were the oldest human artifacts ever recovered dating back to 3.3 million years ago.
- 04About 3,000 people in the U.S. are official historians.
- 05The first kingdoms were in Sumer and Egypt.
- 01The word history comes from the Ancient Greek historía (inquiry, knowledge from inquiry, judge).
- 02Many consider Herodotus of Halicarnassus as the “father of history”.
- 03In the Medieval and Renaissance periods, religious beliefs guided the study of history.
- 04Historians study or write about the past and function as an authority.
- 05Historians became a professional occupation in the late 19th century.
- 06Prehistory refers to the period before recorded history.
- 07Historiography studies the process of developing history as an academic discipline.
- 08History also refers to the knowledge provided by memory.
- 09People document historic events through writing or oral tradition.
- 10A chronicle is a historical record of facts and events arranged in chronological order (ie: a timeline).
- 01Cuneiform is the oldest form of writing.
- 02Protohistory refers to the period between prehistory and history.
- 03The Middle Ages are also called the Dark Ages due to the lack of scientific and cultural advancement.
- 04Back then, women wore wristwatches exclusively while men had pocket watches.
- 05The earliest forms of art discovered were of markings or etchings on stones and other hard surfaces such as shells.
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