History is a word originating from the ancient Greek term "story", which means "knowledge through investigation". History is a science that investigates the humanity's past and its evolution process, having as reference a place, a time, a people or a specific individual.
Through the historical study, it is obtained a set of information about processes and facts that occurred in the past that contribute to the understanding of the present. History can tell the evolution not only of a community, but also of events or organizations of various kinds. The history of football, for example, tells the most important events of this sport, from its creation to the present day.
In a broad sense, it is all about the development of human communities, as well as the events, facts or manifestations of human activity in the past, for example: History of Brazil.
History is the set of events referred to by historians. The Greek historian Herodotus is considered the "father of history". The first researches on the past of man are attributed to him, becoming a pioneer not only in the study of history, but also in anthropology and ethnography.
The period before History is called Pre-History (until about 4000 BC. Ç.). During this period there was no writing, so researchers resort to bones, fossils, stone objects, rock art and other material sources for investigation.
History marks the beginning of the period of human development after the emergence of writing and is divided into four periods:
- Old Age (Antiquity): from 4,000 a. Ç. up to 476 d. a., with the fall of the Roman Empire;
- Middle Ages (Medieval History): from 476 d. Ç. to 1453, with the conquest of Constantinople by the Ottoman Turks;
- Modern Age: from 1453 to 1789, when the French Revolution occurs;
- Contemporary Age: from 1789 to the present day.
A narrative of a sequence of real or fictitious facts (story) is also called a story.
History or Story?
The difference between story and story is that a story is based on documents or testimonies, while a story is based on fictional elements, it is a fictional narrative, for example: a short story or a fable.
Despite this, some experts claim that the term "story" is simply a Brazilianism to obtain a term sonically similar to the English term "story". According to these scholars, the word history should serve to describe accounts based on both true and fictitious facts.
