Timeline: Prehistory

15,000–18,000 Before Present (BP):
The first humans to populate the Americas are believed to have arrived 15,000–18,000 years ago through a coastal route (the kelp highway) and an interior land route (the Bering Land Bridge).

13,000 BP:
Human remains discovered on Santa Rosa Island in Channel Islands National Park have been dated to more than 13,000 years of age, among the oldest dated human remains in North America.

Last updated: November 17, 2018