65 Fun History Facts For Kids - Teaching Expertise

Boost general knowledge of world history with our collection of 65 history facts that all kids should know! Paired with brief descriptions of each topic, you can now easily pick and choose which facts to introduce to your students during which lessons. Whether you incorporate the facts into a fun quiz or combine them with your pre-existent curriculum, we guarantee that your students will have a blast learning!

1. Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is over 2,300 years old and is 13,170 miles long. It’s the longest man-made structure in the world.

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2. Egyptian Pyramids

The Great Pyramid of Giza was the tallest man-made structure for over 3,800 years. It was built for Pharaoh Khufu around 2580–2560 BC.

Learn More: National Geographic

3. Roman Roads

The Romans were known for their road-building skills. They built roads and walls- things we now take for granted.

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4. Leonardo Da Vinci

Besides being a famous artist, Da Vinci also made sketches of things that wouldn’t be invented for hundreds of years, like helicopters and tanks.

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5. Christopher Columbus

Columbus didn’t discover America, but his journeys marked the beginning of continuous European efforts to explore and colonize the Americas.

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6. Viking Navigation

Vikings used the position of stars, the color of the sea, and the presence of certain species of birds to navigate the seas.

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7. Machu Picchu

This Incan city in the mountains of Peru was never found by the Spanish invaders. It was merely rediscovered in 1911.

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8. Rosetta Stone

Discovered in 1799, the Rosetta Stone helped experts learn how to read Egyptian hieroglyphs.

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9. Julius Caesar

Caesar changed the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire and his reforms paved the way for his nephew, Augustus Caesar, also known as Octavian, to become the first Roman Emperor.

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10. The Moon Landing

On July 20, 1969, the Apollo 11 mission successfully landed two astronauts named Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, on the moon.

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11. The Colosseum

In its glory days, the Colosseum in Rome could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators. It was used for gladiatorial contests, public spectacles, and dramas.

Learn More: Britannica

12. Mayan Calendar

The Mayans created a calendar that still accurately predicts solar eclipses.

Learn More: Live Science

13. Napoleon Bonaparte

Despite popular belief, Napoleon wasn’t short. He was actually of average height for his time.

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14. Martin Luther King Jr.

MLK’s “I Have a Dream” speech was not planned. He improvised part of it.

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15. Titanic

When the Titanic sank in 1912, it was on its maiden voyage from England to New York City.

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16. Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was initially criticized for its design, but it has now become the global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.

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17. Pompeii

The city of Pompeii was buried under volcanic ash and pumice in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD and was lost for nearly 1700 years before its accidental rediscovery.

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18. Terracotta Army

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.

Learn More: China Highlights

19. American Revolution

The American Revolution was a war fought by the 13 American colonies against Great Britain for independence. It lasted from 1775 to 1783.

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20. Wright Brothers

Orville and Wilbur Wright were credited with inventing and building the world’s first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered, and sustained heavier-than-air human flight in 1903.

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21. The Black Death

Also known as the Plague, it killed 25 million people in five years during the 14th century.

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22. Mona Lisa

It took Leonardo Da Vinci 12 years to paint Mona Lisa’s lips.

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23. Hiroshima and Nagasaki

The bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan in August 1945 marked the first time atomic bombs were used in war.

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24. Stonehenge

The prehistoric monument Stonehenge in England was built in several stages, with the first stage being erected around 3000 BC.

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25. American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, primarily over the issue of slavery.

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26. Invention of Printing Press

The printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1439. It revolutionized the spread of knowledge and literacy.

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27. World War I

World War I was a global war that took place from 1914 to 1918. It led to major political changes, including revolutions in many nations.

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28. World War II

World War II was the deadliest conflict in human history, lasting from 1939 to 1945 and involving over 30 countries.

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29. Cleopatra

Cleopatra, the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, was known for her beauty and her ability to speak multiple languages.

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30. Greek Gods

Ancient Greeks worshipped many gods and goddesses. Their pantheon of gods included Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, and many more.

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31. Invention of Wheel

The wheel was invented in ancient Mesopotamia around 3500 BC. It is considered one of the most significant inventions in human history.

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32. Tutankhamun

King Tut’s tomb was discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. It was almost intact and provided a wealth of artifacts and a wealth of knowledge about ancient Egypt.

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33. Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was a period of major industrialization that took place during the late 1700s and early 1800s. It began in Great Britain and soon spread to other parts of the world.

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34. The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. They are often regarded as the most influential band of all time.

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35. Renaissance

The Renaissance was a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries.

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36. Invention of Telephone

Alexander Graham Bell is often credited with being the inventor of the telephone in the 1870s.

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37. Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States and is known for leading the country through its Civil War, and on the course to abolish slavery.

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38. Declaration of Independence

The U.S. Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress meeting at the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776.

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39. Invention of the Internet

The Internet was invented in the late 20th century by many people, but its foundations can be traced back to ARPANET in the 1960s.

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40. Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs were a system of writing used by the ancient Egyptians. They combined logographic, syllabic, and alphabetic elements.

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41. The Crusades

The Crusades were a series of religious wars in the medieval period, primarily against Muslims in the Holy Land called for by Pope Urban II in 1095.

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42. Spanish Armada

The Spanish Armada was a naval fleet sent by Philip II of Spain in 1588 in an attempt to invade England. It was famously defeated.

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43. French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of radical political and societal change in France that lasted from 1789 to 1799.

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44. Suez Canal

The Suez Canal is a man-made sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.

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45. The Invention of the Light Bulb

Though Thomas Edison is often credited with its invention, the light bulb was the work of many inventors, with Edison’s version being the most practical for home use.

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46. Space Exploration

The space age began with the launch of the Soviet satellite Sputnik 1 on October 4, 1957. This was the first human-made object to orbit the Earth.

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47. Magna Carta

The Magna Carta was a document signed in 1215 that limited the powers of the king and is considered a foundational text of constitutional law.

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48. American Civil Rights Movement

The American civil rights movement was a fight for social justice for Black Americans, primarily occurring in the 1960s.

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49. The Silk Road

The Silk Road was a network of trade routes connecting the East and West in ancient times.

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50. Boston Tea Party

The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts, on December 16, 1773.

Learn More: Wikipedia

51. Mount Everest

Mount Everest was named after Sir George Everest in 1865. It is the tallest mountain on Earth, with a peak of 8,848 meters above sea level.

Learn More: National Geographic

52. Fall of the Berlin Wall

The Berlin Wall, a guarded concrete barrier that divided East and West Berlin, was officially opened to the West on November 9, 1989.

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53. Aztec Empire

The Aztec Empire was a large and complex Native American civilization in modern Mexico running from the 14th to the 16th century.

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54. D-Day

D-Day was the start of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during World War II. The largest seaborne invasion in history began on June 6, 1944.

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55. The Code of Hammurabi

One of the oldest deciphered writings of significant length, the Code of Hammurabi is a Babylonian law code dating back to about 1754 BC.

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56. Invention of the Camera

The first partially successful photograph was made in approximately 1816 by Nicephore Niepce, using a very small camera and a piece of paper coated with silver chloride.

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57. The Battle of Waterloo

Fought on 18 June 1815, the Battle of Waterloo marked the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte.

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58. Building of the Panama Canal

The Panama Canal, an artificial waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, was built by the U.S. between 1904 and 1914.

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59. Louis Pasteur

Pasteur made significant breakthroughs in the causes and prevention of diseases during the 19th century. His experiments supported the germ theory of disease.

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60. Galileo Galilei

Galileo, an Italian astronomer, and physicist, played a major role in the Scientific Revolution and is known for improving the telescope to observe celestial bodies more clearly.

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61. Prohibition in the U.S.

Prohibition, a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages in the U.S., lasted from 1920 to 1933.

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