When did humans control fire?
Evidence of regular fire use dates back at least 400,000 years, with older contested claims to a million. Cooking may have driven the evolution of big human brains.
Just know.
12 facts — science, space, the body, the world. No fluff.Who invented the wheel?
Mesopotamian potters used wheels by about 3500 BCE; the first wheels for transport followed within centuries. No single inventor is recorded.
Where was writing invented?
Cuneiform in Sumer (Mesopotamia) around 3200 BCE, with Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese script emerging independently within centuries. Writing began with accounting — receipts for grain and beer.
How old are the pyramids?
The Great Pyramid of Giza was completed around 2560 BCE — older than 4,500 years. It was the world's tallest structure for over 3,800 years.
How big did Rome get?
At its peak under Trajan (117 CE), Rome controlled about 5 million km² and up to a quarter of humanity — from Britain to the Euphrates.
Who invented the printing press?
Gutenberg introduced movable-type printing to Europe around 1440, but China and Korea printed with movable type centuries earlier. The press made literacy cheap and heresy hard to contain.
What was the first computer?
Charles Babbage designed the mechanical Analytical Engine in the 1830s; Ada Lovelace wrote its first program. ENIAC (1945) was the first general-purpose electronic computer.
Who invented the World Wide Web?
Tim Berners-Lee at CERN in 1989 — and he gave it away royalty-free. He also posted the first website, which is still online.
When was the first email sent?
Ray Tomlinson sent it in 1971 over ARPANET, choosing @ to separate user from machine. He doesn't remember what it said.
Who was the richest person in history?
Often said to be Mansa Musa of Mali (14th century), whose gold spending in Cairo depressed its value for years. Precise comparisons across centuries are impossible.
Can you see the Great Wall from space?
Not with the naked eye from the Moon — astronauts confirm it's too narrow. Many other human structures, like roads and cities, are more visible from orbit.
What is the Rosetta Stone?
A 196 BCE decree carved in three scripts — hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek. Its parallel text let Champollion crack Egyptian hieroglyphs in 1822.