Western history, arranged like a living atlas.

History Atlas is a free reference to Western history for students and curious readers: 125 longform profiles of historical figures, grouped by era, city and collection, each with key accomplishments and sourced quotations. Follow the timeline, search, and test yourself with a self-scoring quiz. Bookmarks, reading history and quiz scores stay on this device.

125figures

8eras

30cities

750BCE to modern

Figure of the day

Featured collection

Renaissance Minds

The artists, scientists, and rulers who remade European civilization in the greatest explosion of creativity since ancient Athens.

Open collection

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All 125 figures grouped by era, in order of birth

The 8 eras from Ancient Greece to The Modern Era

30 cities with the figures connected to each

10 collections themed reading lists across eras

Most-linked figures

The figures named most often in other profiles' related-figure lists.

Napoleon Bonaparte Emperor of the French

Aristotle The Master of Those Who Know

Plato The Founder of the Academy

Isaac Newton Architect of the Laws of Nature

Voltaire Champion of Reason and Civil Liberties

Abraham Lincoln The Great Emancipator

Alexander the Great The Conqueror of the Known World

Augustus The Architect of Empire

Cities with the most figures

London (36 figures)

Rome (32 figures)

Paris (31 figures)

New York City (15 figures)

Washington, D.C. (15 figures)

Athens (12 figures)