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.
- There is 5,000 years worth of recorded history.
- History is generally divided into 4 time periods: Prehistory, Ancient History, Post-Ancient History, and Modern History.
- Ancient stone tools were the oldest human artifacts ever recovered dating back to 3.3 million years ago.
- About 3,000 people in the U.S. are official historians.
- The first kingdoms were in Sumer and Egypt.
- The word history comes from the Ancient Greek historía (inquiry, knowledge from inquiry, judge).
- Many consider Herodotus of Halicarnassus as the “father of history”.
- In the Medieval and Renaissance periods, religious beliefs guided the study of history.
- Historians study or write about the past and function as an authority.
- Historians became a professional occupation in the late 19th century.
- Prehistory refers to the period before recorded history.
- Historiography studies the process of developing history as an academic discipline.
- History also refers to the knowledge provided by memory.
- People document historic events through writing or oral tradition.
- A chronicle is a historical record of facts and events arranged in chronological order (ie: a timeline).
- Cuneiform is the oldest form of writing.
- Protohistory refers to the period between prehistory and history.
- The Middle Ages are also called the Dark Ages due to the lack of scientific and cultural advancement.
- Back then, women wore wristwatches exclusively while men had pocket watches.
- The earliest forms of art discovered were of markings or etchings on stones and other hard surfaces such as shells.
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