To provide an accessible overview, historians divide human history into different periods organized around key themes, events, or developments that have shaped human societies over time.

4 days ago · Human evolution, the process by which human beings developed on Earth from now-extinct primates. The only extant members of the human tribe, Hominini, belong to the species Homo …

Mar 5, 2020 · Scientists still don’t know exactly when or how the first humans evolved, but they’ve identified a few of the oldest ones. One of the earliest known humans is Homo habilis, or “handy …

1863 A.D. Abraham Lincoln issues the emancipation proclamation – changing the status of many people in the southern United States from slave to free. Battle of Gettysburg occurs.

Our species, Homo sapiens, is the only human alive today. Discover the ancestors of Homo sapiens, the traits that define us and where humans come from.

Jul 9, 2024 · Humans first evolved in Africa, and much of human evolution occurred on that continent. The fossils of early humans who lived between 6 and 2 million years ago come entirely from Africa. …

Aug 5, 2025 · It is the story of human evolution—a story that spans over six million years and stretches from the forests of ancient Africa to the towers of modern cities. We often look in the mirror and see …