History has no single starting point.
This selection of world history invites open exploration: the map provides spatial clues, and the timeline connects stories across regions. It is not a complete chronology and does not place any one civilization at the center of world history. The public website is currently available in English.
How to explore
Choose an era and region, then select a map marker or an event in the list to read. The timeline can show “All history” or the “Current era”; switching changes only the displayed scale, and playback can continue across eras. The current event, region, playback speed, and text scroll position are saved in this browser. Playback does not start automatically when you return. The timeline selects the nearest included event; when several events share a year, select the same-year indicator beside the date to choose one. Playback follows known years, months, and days, placing events without a specified month or day after dated events in the same year. It advances through events in the current region, showing one every 5 seconds by default, with 0.5×, 1×, 2×, and 4× speeds available. The map, list, and story share one screen, with long content scrolling within each panel. On smaller screens, switch between “Map”, “Events”, and “Story”.
How to read Chinese history
Open “Chinese history” at the top and choose a dynasty or historical stage, or select “Read modern Chinese history” directly. The stage name, dates, and previous/next buttons remain visible. Choose “Overview”, “Events”, “Relations”, “World”, or “Sources”: Overview covers the stage's rise, institutions, culture, and turning points; Events presents key developments; Relations explains transitions and concurrent states; World provides events from the same period; and Sources lists reference titles without external links. Each section scrolls independently, and switching sections preserves your reading position.
How to read dates and maps
Era divisions are reading aids, not historical stages shared by every region. “Approximate” identifies estimated dates; date labels distinguish documented dates, approximate years, ongoing processes, and reference points. Processes spanning centuries are placed at a representative starting point and marked “Continues across eras” in overlapping eras. When you switch eras to read a continuing story, the slider sits at the chapter's start while the text retains its full date range. Event markers show representative locations. Civilization range layers display included snapshots from specific dates, labeled separately from the story's date. Colored areas simplify core areas of rule or representative regions from sources; they are neither precise borders nor complete historical maps.
How to compare civilization ranges
Turn civilization ranges on or off within the map, and select a snapshot date or follow the current era. Select a colored area, legend item, or “Range notes” to open the notes in a separate reading panel. On phones, a summary appears first; select “Details” to read more. Close the notes to continue exploring. Snapshot boundaries are not estimated year by year.
Era panoramas
Each era has an AI-generated, imagined historical panorama that suggests a scene from everyday life and changes with the era. These representative scenes do not depict conditions shared by every region in that era and are not evidence for reconstructing specific events or archaeological sites.
Sources and references
Each event lists museum, scholarly or public-institution references. Reference titles are shown without external links. The English edition retains its own bibliography; the Chinese edition uses checked Simplified Chinese originals. Historical interpretations can be disputed, and short accounts cannot replace fuller research.
Content coverage
The atlas currently includes 128 selected world-history events. It does not provide complete national histories, and gaps remain across regions. View event counts by region and gaps in coverage.
Content verification record
Notes explain date types and the ordering of events within the same year. Reference titles identify supporting material; a citation does not mean every sentence or interpretation has been independently verified. See the review page for the scope of previous checks.
Reviews on October 3 and 5, 2026 corrected selected dates, citation matching and misplaced map colors; the October 6 selection contained 108 world events. October 11 reviewed Chinese reference-page language, keeping the English bibliography independent. On October 17, the Web edition added 20 bilingual events, bringing its total to 128, with source limits and dating differences recorded. Earlier events, China chapters, map geometry and evidence status remain unchanged: 21 Chinese milestones retain limited verified dates or facts, and 93 retain chapter-reference status. This does not establish definitive historical boundaries. View verification notes, corrections, and references for each entry.
Map: World Atlas / Natural Earth. Geographic data is in the public domain; maps are drawn with D3 and TopoJSON.
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