Historica shows the evolution of people’s lives over the last thousand years, and shows how dramatically the world has changed. In the year 1000 most people lived in rural areas; cities were small and grew around cathedrals or fortresses or castles; transport was by horse and cart; breakfast for most people was a small meal of bread and cheese at sunrise; most people were illiterate; education was usually only for wealthy boys and was conducted by the church (in natural history, 1000 years ago you may have been taught that hyenas can change their sex at will, and that the only fear elephants have is of dragons), and personal freedom was very restricted; people’s roles in life were strictly limited by their place in society. Today the world is a very different place.

How did all these changes occur? Historica tells that story: the story of the wars, invasions, inventions, discoveries, exploration, and the amazing people who played a key part in all these events, that have all brought us to where we are today. This is history made real and exciting with stories that are as dramatic as today’s news, with pictures and maps to bring the most distant events and civilizations into sharp focus.

Examining the world from 1000 through to today, Historica is divided into sections based on periods of time. Within each section there are four streams: Milestone events—politics, rulers, exploration, wars, assassinations, disasters, coronations, abdications; The arts—painting, literature, music, dance, architecture, theatre, film; Science—invention, discovery, physics, chemistry, medicine, geology, anthropology, astronomy; Lifestyle—fashion, food, entertainment, leisure, sport, education and learning, fads and eccentricities. Timelines allow quick comparison with developments in different parts of the world at the same period.