SomeFacts | People in History

People in History

What were Mayan palaces made of?
Great slabs of stone, or sun-dried mud brick, covered with a layer of ...

How did the Mayas, Aztecs and Incas lose their power?
They were conquered by soldiers from Spain, who arrived in America in ...

Who was the great Feathered Serpent?
An important Aztec god-his real name was Quetzalcoatl. The Aztecs ...

Who invented chocolate?
Aztec cooks. They made a sweet, frothy chocolate drink from ground-up ...

Who were the Aztecs?
The Aztecs were wandering hunters who arrived in Mexico around AD ...

Who wrote in pictures?
Mayan and Aztec scribes. The Mayans invented the first writing in ...

What was a huaca?
An Inca holy place. Inca people believed that powerful spirits lived ...

Who was the Son of the Sun?
The Inca ruler-a king who was worshipped and feared. The Inca people ...

Who spat into their beer?
Inca women. They made a special beer, called chicha, by chewing com ...

What was the Golden Garden?
A courtyard next to the Great Temple in the Incas' capital city of ...

Why were llamas so important?
Because they could survive in the Incas' mountain homeland, over ...

How did the Incas keep records of past events?
On bundles of knotted string, called quipus. The pattern of knots ...

Who were the Incas?
A people who lived high in the Andes mountains of South America (part ...

Who helped Viking raiders and settlers?
The Vikings prayed to many different gods. Thor sent thunder and ...

Who led the Vikings on their raids?
Usually, the most powerful people in Viking society: kings, earls, ...

Did the Vikings reach America?
Yes, around AD 1000. A bold adventurer named Leif Ericsson sailed ...

Were the Vikings good sailors?
Yes. They sailed for thousands of miles across the icy northern ...

What did the Vikings seize on their raids?
All kinds of treasure. Churches were a favorite target for attack, ...

Where were the Viking homelands?
The countries we call Scandinavia today-Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. ...

What were Viking ships made of?
Narrow, flexible strips of wood, fixed to a solid wooden backbone ...

When were the Vikings powerful?
Viking raiders first sailed south to attack the rest of Europe around ...

When did the Mongols attack?
In AD 1206, all the separate Mongol tribes united under a warlike ...

Where is this spiral tower?
At Samarra, in present-day Iraq. It is a part of a mosque (place of ...

Where was the Muslim world?
From around AD 700 to 1200 the Muslim world included southem Spain, ...

Who were the Mongols?
Tribes of nomads who roamed over the vast plains of Central Asia, ...

What is Islam?
The religious faith taught by the Prophet Muhammad. People who follow ...

Who was the Prophet Muhammad?
A religious leader who lived in Arabia from AD 570 to 632. He taught ...

What were the Crusades?
A series of wars fought between Christian and Muslim soldiers for ...

Who invented astrolabes?
Muslim scientists who lived and worked in the Middle East, round ...

Where did Muslim traders sail?
All round the Mediterranean, down the east coast of Africa, across ...

When was the world’s first book printed?
No one knows for certain, but it was probably between AD 600 and 800, ...

Who valued honor more than life?
Japanese warriors, called samurai, who were powerful from around AD ...

Where did the Silk Road run?
From rich Chinese cities, across the Gobi desert, through the ...

Who wrote one of the world’s first novels?
Lady Murasaki, who lived at the elegant, cultured Japanese court ...

Who made laws about cartwheels?
Qin Shi Huangdi, the first Chinese emperor, who united the country, ...

Which rulers claimed descent from the Sun goddess?
The emperors of Japan. The first Japanese emperor lived around 660 ...

What was China’s best-kept secret?
How to make silk. For centuries, no one else knew how. Chinese women ...

How did China get its name?
From fine pottery and porcelain, produced by Chinese workers, which ...

What was the Ancien Regime?
The system of government in many parts of Europe between AD 1600 and ...

Which Russian Czar was terrible?
Ivan IV, who became Czar in 1533, when he was only three years old. ...

Who prayed the day away?
Monks and nuns spent a third of their lives at prayer. They promised ...

When were the Middle Ages?
Some say the Middle Ages began around AD 500, others say around AD ...

What job was fit for a lady?
When knights went into battle, their ladies ran the castle. They ...

Who was the Virgin Queen?
Elizabeth I of England, who reigned from 1556 to 1603-at a time when ...

Which French king lost his head?
Louis XVI. Under his oppressive rule, the poor French rose up in ...

How much were war horses worth?
A knight's war horse was his most valuable possession. It cost him as ...

Who farmed land they didn’t own?
People from poor peasant families. Under medieval law, all land ...

Who swapped salt for sandalwood and gold?
Merchants from the north coast of Africa who traveled across the ...

How long did the Mughals rule?
For more than three centuries-from 1526 to 1858. But from around ...

Who lived in a rose-covered palace?
The rulers of Vijayanagar, a kingdom in southern India. Their royal ...

Why did British merchants go to India?
To make their fortunes! They knew that Indian goods-especially cotton ...

Who was the Tiger King?
Tippu Sultan, king of the southern Indian state of Mysore from 1785 ...

Who founded a new religion in India?
Guru Nanak, a religious teacher who lived in Northwest India from ...

Who built his wife a beautiful tomb?
Mughal emperor Shah Jehan (ruled 1627-1658). He was so sad when his ...

Who made wonderful statues of brass and bronze?
Artists and craftworkers living in the great rain forest kingdom of ...

Which African city had a famous university?
Timbuktu, in present-day Mali, West Africa. The city was founded in ...

Where did dhows sail to trade?
Dhows were ships built for rich merchants living in trading ports ...

Who was the Great She Elephant?
This was a title of respect given to the Queen Mother in southern ...

Which pirate became an explorer, too?
Sir Francis Drake, an English sailor who grew rich and famous by ...

Who arrived in America by mistake?
Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. In 1492, he sailed westward ...

Who explored the eastern seas?
Muslim explorer Ibn Battuta, who was born in Tangiers, North Africa, ...

What were dingoes used for?
Dingoes are a type of dog. They were brought to Australia by Indian ...

Who were the first people to discover New Zealand?
The Maoris. They migrated from other Pacific Islands around AD 950 ...

How did the Maoris cross the vast Pacific Ocean?
By sailing and paddling big outrigger canoes. They steered by ...

Did the Aboriginals always live in Australia?
No, they probably arrived there from Southeast Asia around 50,000 BC, ...

Why were drains and toilets so important?
Because without them, deadly diseases carried in sewage could spread ...

When did the USA become independent?
On July 4, 1776, 13 English colonies (the land where most Europeans ...

Who went to the Boston Tea Party?
European settlers in America attended this famous demonstration. In ...

How did nomads move their teepees?
First, they unwrapped the skin covering of the teepee, and bundled it ...

Did Native Americans live in big cities?
Yes, some of them. The people who lived in the Mississippi valley ...

Why did the Pilgrims leave home?
The Pilgrims were a group of English families with strong religious ...

Who were the first Europeans to settle in America?
Spanish missionaries, who settled in present-day Florida and ...

Who built strange shaped mounds?
The Hopewell Native American people, who lived on the banks of the ...

Who or what were the Three Sisters?
Beans, corn and squash (pumpkin)-three essential foodcrops that ...

What stories do totem poles tell?
Native American people who lived in the forests of Northwest America ...

How did sailors help science?
By observing the plants, fishes and animals as they traveled-and by ...

What was the Long March?
A grueling march by Chinese communist soldiers through wild, rocky ...

Who made Five Year Plans?
Joseph Stalin, Russian communist leader who ruled from 1924-1953. He ...

Who shot the Russian Tsar?
Russian rebels, called Bolsheviks. During the Russian Revolution of ...

Who fought and died in the trenches?
Millions of young men during World War I (1914-1918). Trenches were ...

How did railroads change people’s lives?
They helped trade and industry grow, by carrying raw materials to ...

Did children lead better lives?
No. Many worked 16 hours a day in factories and down mines. Large ...

When did the first trains run?
Horse-drawn railroad cars had been used to haul coal trucks in mines ...

Did new industries make people rich?
They made some inventors and factory owners very rich. This angered ...

What was the Cold War?
A time of dangerous tension from 1947 to 1989 between the USA and the ...

Who competed in the Space Race?
The USSR and the USA. Each tried to rival the other's achievements in ...

How long did Roman power last?
The Romans first became powerful around 200 BC. By AD 100, they ruled ...

Where did Roman soldiers live?
In goatskin tents, while on the march, or in big barrack blocks ...

Were the Romans expert engineers?
Yes - among the best in the world! They built roads, bridges, ...

Did the Romans have central heating?
Yes. They invented a system called the "hypocaust." Hot air, heated ...

How else did the Romans relax?
By eating and drinking in taverns, gamblin going to the theater, and ...

Why did the Romans spend so long in the bath?
Because Roman baths were great places to relax and meet your friends. ...

Who attacked Rome with elephants?
General Hannibal, leader of the Carthaginians, who lived in North ...

How long did Roman soldiers serve?
For about 25 years. After that, they retired. They were given a lump ...

What did Roman soldiers wear?
A uniform designed to keep them safe and warm: armor made of metal ...

Who joined the Roman army?
Young men from all over the empire. Recruits had to be fit, tall, and ...

What took place outside temples?
Sacrifices. Animals and birds were killed and burned on altars ...

Who were the Barbarians?
Foreigners-people who did not speak Greek. The Greeks thought their ...

Why did Greek temples have so many columns?
Because their design was copied from ancient Greek royal palaces, ...

Were there games in other Greek cities?
Yes. There were more than 200 different sports festivals in Greece ...

Did the Greeks go to war?
Yes. In 490 BC and 479 BC, the Greeks defeated Persian invaders, on ...

Could women take part in the Olympic Games?
No. Women were banned from the whole site during the games. But once ...

What were Greek coins made of?
Silver and gold. They were decorated with symbols of the cities where ...

What were the original Olympic sports?
At first, running was the only sport. Later, boxing, wrestling, ...

Did the Greeks invent money?
No. The first coins were made in Lydia (part of present-day Turkey) ...

What were Egyptian houses like?
Small and simple, with flat roofs that served as extra rooms and ...

How old are the pyramids?
The first true pyramid was built around 2575 BC. Before then, people ...

What are the pyramids made of?
Of hard, smooth limestone. Top quality stone was used for the outer ...

How was a pyramid built?
By manpower! Thousands of laborers worked in the hot sun to clear the ...

Where are the pyramids?
In Egypt, in North Africa. They stand on the west bank of the River ...

Why did Egyptian people carry carved stone scarabs?
Scarabs (dung beetles) collected animal dung and rolled it into ...

Why was the River Nile so important?
Because Egypt got hardly any rain. But every year the Nile flooded ...

How many different boats might you see on the Nile?
Rafts made from papyrus reed, flat-bottomed punts, big, heavy cargo ...

What did the first Americans carry with them?
Everything they needed to survive-spears and nets for hunting; seeds, ...

When did people start to read and write?
About 6,000 years ago. The Sumerians (who lived in present-day Iraq) ...

Who were the Neanderthals?
A type of human who lived in Europe and Asia from around 200,000 to ...

Where were the first farms?
In the Middle East. About 11,000 years ago, people there noticed that ...

How do we know about apes who lived millions of years ago?
From fossil remains. Fossils are made when chemicals in the soil soak ...

What did prehistoric people wear?
In cold countries, they wore leggings and tunics made from furs and ...

When did people start to live in towns?
Jericho in Jordan (built around 10,000 years ago) and Çatal Hüyük in ...

What were the first houses like?
Small, single-story, and made of sun-dried mud. They were built in ...

Did people live in caves?
Yes, but not all the time. Nomad hunters built temporary shelters in ...

Who lived in huts made of bones?
Groups of nomads who lived on the plains of Eastern Europe about ...