History

History is the systematic study of the <a href="/facts/Past/TTXQYVT6">past</a>, focusing primarily on the <a href="/facts/Human_history/uB3yXt4H">human past</a>. As an <a href="/facts/Academic_discipline/pKoQHpYL">academic discipline</a>, it analyses and interprets <a href="/facts/Evidence/d5IGUK0U">evidence</a> to construct <a href="/facts/Narrative/RIVoxJpV">narratives</a> about what happened and explain why and how it happened. Some theorists categorize history as a <a href="/facts/Social_science/hAbm1xtD">social science</a>, while others see it as part of the <a href="/facts/Humanities/nErauGkd">humanities</a> or consider it a hybrid discipline. Similar debates surround the purpose of history—for example, whether its main aim is theoretical, to uncover the <a href="/facts/Truth/NyQmBtUC">truth</a>, or practical, to learn lessons from the past. In a more general sense, the term history refers not to an academic field but to the <a href="/facts/Past/TTXQYVT6">past</a> itself, times in the past, or to individual texts about the past.
<a href="/facts/Historical_research/TRvVAAns">Historical research</a> relies on <a href="/facts/Primary_source/t1l9U3Sm">primary</a> and <a href="/facts/Secondary_sources/gbRRKMwN">secondary sources</a> to reconstruct past events and validate interpretations. <a href="/facts/Source_criticism/3X7FnfSp">Source criticism</a> is used to evaluate these sources, assessing their authenticity, content, and reliability. Historians strive to integrate the perspectives of several sources to develop a coherent narrative. Different schools of thought, such as <a href="/facts/Positivism/on887AuJ">positivism</a>, the <a href="/facts/Annales_school/wnWmjVsa">Annales school</a>, <a href="/facts/Marxism/sgnnLfax">Marxism</a>, and <a href="/facts/Postmodernism/aBgbw8QJ">postmodernism</a>, have distinct <a href="/facts/Methodological/dk5X9Hxx">methodological</a> approaches.
History is a broad discipline encompassing many branches. Some focus on specific <a href="/facts/Periodization/V5HBpupn">time periods</a>, such as <a href="/facts/Ancient_history/P0fFQ8z5">ancient history</a>, while others concentrate on particular <a href="/facts/Geographic/TRd1Toyo">geographic</a> regions, such as the <a href="/facts/History_of_Africa/RXG27Rb6">history of Africa</a>. Thematic categorizations include <a href="/facts/Political_history/g6Pqbv74">political history</a>, <a href="/facts/Military_history/AKonYGMV">military history</a>, <a href="/facts/Social_history/w9XG1WV2">social history</a>, and <a href="/facts/Economic_history/tqyp96jW">economic history</a>. Branches associated with specific research methods and sources include <a href="/facts/Quantitative_history/gtDawIcd">quantitative history</a>, <a href="/facts/Comparative_history/zjXfYXS9">comparative history</a>, and <a href="/facts/Oral_history/mCe5z77y">oral history</a>.
History emerged as a field of inquiry in <a href="/facts/Ancient_history/P0fFQ8z5">antiquity</a> to replace myth-infused narratives, with influential early traditions originating in <a href="/facts/Ancient_Greece/PTVBrWXq">Greece</a>, <a href="/facts/Ancient_China/TNqRSvQ4">China</a>, and later in the <a href="/facts/Islamic_world/n9vVGogr">Islamic world</a>. Historical writing evolved throughout the ages and became increasingly professional, particularly during the 19th century, when a rigorous methodology and various academic institutions were established. History is related to many fields, including <a href="/facts/Historiography/NVMMC3FP">historiography</a>, <a href="/facts/Philosophy/zAH5PVD6">philosophy</a>, <a href="/facts/Education/WIwsQKF9">education</a>, and <a href="/facts/Politics/1gDNy3RP">politics</a>.

History open-in-new

History