WORLD HISTORY
From the first light by the Tigris and Euphrates to the new chapter of the global age.
Follow the timeline and revisit every step of the human journey.
Why Read History
History is not a pile of dusty old papers. It is the real footprint of everyone who came before us. Understanding the past helps us see the present clearly and face the future with confidence. This site follows the thread of world history to trace how civilizations grew, and tells the stories of the moments and people that shaped today's world.
Emperor Taizong of Tang (Li Shimin)
One river of time, four very different ages
Civilization is born: writing, cities, law codes, philosophy and empires appear one after another, and people first learn to carve their memories into stone.
Learn more →After the fall of empires the world is rewoven: feudal Europe, the Islamic Golden Age, Mongol horsemen and the Black Death. The old order melts away as a new world takes shape.
Learn more →The Age of Exploration links the whole world. Science, the Enlightenment and revolutions reshape society, and amid the roar of industry the global balance is rewritten.
Learn more →Two world wars reshape the world, the Cold War and the Space Race send humans to the Moon, and the Information Revolution spreads knowledge like never before.
Learn more →Three paths into world history
Browse 30+ key moments by era, from Sumerian cuneiform to the Moon landing: 5,000 years on one line.
View timeline →Meet Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, India, China, the Maya and the Khmer, and see where each came from and how it shone.
Meet the civilizations →The Age of Exploration, the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, two world wars and the Information Revolution: six turning points for humanity.
See the moments →"History is the teacher of life."
Historia magistra vitae est.
—— Cicero, Ancient Rome