What this site is
History101 is a free educational website that tells the history of the entire world on a single page: the universe, the earth, life, and eight eras of human history, in the order things happened. Each chapter pairs the narrative with a hand-drawn plate, an animated story map, a dateline of key dates, and one primary source with a historian's reading notes. Numbered superscripts in the text lead to the citations shelf, where every source is named and linked so any claim can be checked.
Who it is for
- Students meeting world history for the first time — or revising it the night before the exam.
- Teachers looking for a free, classroom-safe spine for a unit.
- The curious, of any age, who want the whole arc in one sitting.
There are no reading levels to unlock and no quizzes; the site assumes intelligence, not background.
How to use it in class
- One chapter per lesson across eight lessons — or assign the whole page as a weekend read and spend class time on the evidence exhibits.
- Start with the source, not the notes. Each "Examine the evidence" section is built for discussion: read the exhibit first, argue about it, then open the historian's reading notes.
- Make verification the assignment. Have students check a superscript claim against the citations shelf and report back on what they found.
- Pair freely. Chapters sit well alongside free companion courses such as Khan Academy's world history offerings.
Our editorial standards
- Dates marked c. are approximate — and they cluster where evidence is thinnest.
- Where scholars disagree, the chapters say so.
- Quotations appear in context, with the source named.
- Imagined reconstructions (a ration list, a market log) are labelled as composites drawn from real records — never passed off as transcripts.
If you find an error, it is ours and we want to hear about it — see below.
Privacy: nothing here tracks you
- No accounts, no advertising, no analytics beacons, no third-party trackers.
- No cookies, and no personal information collected from readers of any age.
- Plain static pages served over HTTPS — straightforward to approve for school use.
Corrections and contact
History is an argument conducted with evidence, and arguments improve with scrutiny. To report an error, suggest a source, or ask a question, write to the editors at hello@history101.net — every report is read, and confirmed corrections are published with thanks.