Humans migrate to Mesoamerica
It is currently unclear whether 21,000-year-old campfire remains found in the Valley of Mexico are the earliest human remains in Mexico.
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Aboriginal Australians begin their rock painting tradition, among the oldest art in the world
The oldest firmly dated rock art painting in Australia, dated at roughly 26,000 B.C., is a charcoal drawing on a rock fragment in the Narwala Gabarnmang rock shelter in the Northern Territory.
Humans invent baskets to gather and store valuables, perhaps in modern-day Eastern Europe
People used baskets as backpacks, as baby carriers, as cupboards, as plates and cups, as cradles, as birdcages, as measuring cups and as sandals, and to catch fish.
Humans use ovens to cook meat possibly for first time in modern-day Czech Republic
Many scientists believe cooked meat, and cooked food generally, played a pivotal role in early humans’ survival and success. Cooking not only gave early humans the energy they needed to build bigger brains but also helped them get more calories from food so that they could gain weight.
Gravettian hunter-gatherers flourish in modern-day Europe
The Gravettian was an archaeological industry of the European Upper Paleolithic that succeeded the Aurignacian circa 33,000 years BP. It is archaeologically the last European culture many consider unified.
Humans create the first star chart, perhaps in modern-day Germany
The oldest known star chart may be a carved ivory Mammoth tusk that was discovered in Germany in 1979. This artifact is 32,500 years old and has a carving that resembles the constellation Orion.
Humans first arrive and settle in the Arctic
The first indigenous peoples evolved physically and culturally to meet the rigorous demands of their remarkable environment.
Humans in modern-day Europe invent flatbread
Starch grains found on grinding stones suggest that prehistoric man may have consumed a type of bread at least 30,000 years ago in Europe, US researchers said.
Humans migrate to and settle in the Eurasian Steppe
Cro-Magnon entered Eurasia by the Zagros Mountains around 50,000 years ago, with one group rapidly settling coastal areas around the Indian Ocean and another migrating north to the steppes of Central Asia.
Humans, perhaps in Europe, invent rope
Impressions of cordage found on fired clay provide evidence of string and rope-making technology in Europe dating back 28,000 years.