Histomap Reborn

A modern remake of John B. Sparks' classic 1931 Histomap. Updated with real GDP data from the Maddison Project, extended to the present day, and fully interactive and customizable.

Start Exploring

Choose Your Timeline

US History

US History (1770-2025)

From the American Revolution to today. Presidents, wars, cultural movements, technology, and the rise of American power.

Explore US History
World History

World History (4000 BC - Today)

Six millennia of human civilization. The rise and fall of empires, major religions, scientific revolutions, and global conflicts.

Explore World History
British History

British History (100 BC - Today)

From Roman Britain through the Empire to modern times. Monarchs, wars, the Industrial Revolution, and cultural transformation.

Explore British History

Features

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Interactive Exploration

Click on any event to learn more via Wikipedia. Zoom, pan, and customize your view.

📊

World Power Visualization

See how economic power shifted between nations and blocs over time with GDP data from the Maddison Project.

📄

PDF Export

Generate high-quality PDFs of your timeline for printing or sharing.

🛠

Customizable Layers

Toggle event categories on and off. Show only what interests you: wars, technology, culture, and more.

Powered by Real Data

World power GDP data comes from the Maddison Project Database, a comprehensive source for historical economic development data spanning millennia.

Learn more about our data sources and methodology

Why I Built This

I've always loved the original 1931 Histomap. It made historical events feel connected in a way that textbooks never did—you could see how civilizations rose and fell, how different eras overlapped, and how recent so much of history really is.

But the original had limitations: the data was somewhat subjective, it ended in 1931, and you couldn't explore it interactively. I wanted to bring it into the modern era with real economic data, extend it to the present day, and make it something you could customize and explore.

Read more: "Events in the Past Are More Recent Than You Think"

Created by Rob Ennals · Subscribe to my blog