1 [[dk:Historie]][[de:Geschichte]][[eo:Historio]][[fr:Histoire]][[pl:Historia]][[pt:História]][[nl:Geschiedenis]]
2 '''History''' is often used as a generic term for information about the past, e.g., as in "geologic history of the Earth". When used as a field of study, history refers to human history, which is the recorded past of human societies.
4 The term "history" comes from the Greek ''historia'', "an account of one's inquiries", and shares that [[etymology]] with the English word "story".
6 Historians use many types of sources, including written or printed records, interviews ([[oral history]]), and [[archaeology]]. Different approaches may be more common in some periods than others, and the study of history has its fads and fashions (see [[historiography]], the history of history). The events that occurred prior to human records are known as [[prehistory]].
8 There is a very large amount of historical information available in Wikipedia, and several different ways of classifying it are given below.
10 History classified by location:
12 * [[History of Africa|Africa]]
13 * [[History of the Americas|Americas]]
14 * [[History of Asia|Asia]]
15 * [[History of Europe|Europe]]
16 * [[History of Oceania|Oceania]]
17 * [[History of Antarctica|Antarctica]]
21 History classified by date:
28 * [[List of timelines]]
31 Miscellaneous classifications, not necessarily part of academic history studies:
33 * [[History of present-day nations and states]]
34 * [[Extinct_countries,_empires,_etc.|History of extinct nations and states]]
35 * [[Economic history]]
36 * [[Military history]]
37 * [[Diaspora studies]]
39 * [[Biography|History of individuals]] (biography)
41 * [[History of mathematics]]
42 * [[History of philosophy]]
43 * [[History of science and technology]]
44 * [[History of medicine]]
45 * [[History of economic thought]]
47 * [[History of religions]]
48 * [[Cultural movement]]s
50 * [[History of literature]]
51 * [[History of theater]]
53 * [[Intellectual history]]
58 A typical acedemic classification:
62 * [[East Asian history]]
63 * [[Pre-Columbian history of the Americas]]
64 * [[Medieval European history]]
66 * [[South Asian history]]
69 * [[Byzantine history]]
70 * [[Southeast Asian history]]
71 * [[Latin American history]]
72 * [[Anglo-American history]]
75 * [[Central Asian history]]
77 * [[History of Australasia]] (Australia, New Guinea, Micronesia, Melanesia, Polynesia)
81 You may also want to see [[dubious historical resources]] and [[historical myths]] for a list of false beliefs and histories which were once or are now popular and widespread, but which are proven to be false or dubious.
84 See also [[Archaeology]], [[Historian]].
86 A guideline for contributions to Wikipedia in the field of history can be found at [[Wikipedia History standards]].