Châtelperronian culture flourishes in France
The Châtelperronian is a claimed industry of the Upper Palaeolithic that produced denticulate stone tools and also a distinctive flint knife with a single cutting edge and a blunt, curved back.
Early humans
Early humans settle Ksar Akil in modern-day Lebanon
It is assumed to be one of the earliest known sites containing Upper Paleolithic technologies including Ahmarian cultural objects.
Humans first settle in Siberia
According to the field of genetic genealogy, people first resided in Siberia by 45,000 B.C.E. and spread out east and west to populate Europe and the Americas.
Early humans settle in modern-day Indonesia
Early humans traveled by sea and spread from mainland Asia eastward to New Guinea and Australia. Homo sapiens reached the region by around 45,000 years ago.
Modern humans settle in the Philippines for the first time
The oldest remains of modern humans in the islands, however, is the Tabon Man of Palawan, carbon-dated to 47,000 ± 11–10,000 years ago. The Tabon man is presumably a Negrito, who were among the archipelago’s earliest inhabitants, descendants of the first human migrations out of Africa.
Early humans reach and settle South Africa for first time
Southern Africa was first reached by Homo sapiens before 130,000 years ago, possibly before 260,000 years ago.
The settlers of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) create hundreds of moia, their famous stone statues
Averaging 13 feet (4 meters) high, with a weight of 13 tons, these enormous stone busts — known as moai — were carved out of tuff (the light, porous rock formed by consolidated volcanic ash) and placed atop ceremonial stone platforms called ahus.
Gunpowder is invented in China
Experimenting with life-lengthening elixirs around C.E. 850, Chinese alchemists instead discovered gunpowder.
The ancient Chinese of the Tang Dynasty invent fireworks
In China, pyrotechnicians were respected for their knowledge of complex techniques in mounting firework displays. Chinese people originally believed that the fireworks could expel evil spirits and bring about luck and happiness.