Explore world history from 3000BC to today as it unfolds on the most detailed interactive map. See cities grow, armies battle, and ships sail.
01/08/2026
We added our first dinosaur! Some of you have learned that the Running Reality map will go back into pre-history. It CAN go way back, but it is feeling a bit empty. Help us add life to those drifting continents. https://www.runningreality.org/ #01/01/70000000BC&43.78268,-86.89123&zoom=5
Running Reality - The World History Model Explore any date in the history of human civilization from 3000BC to today.
Where I'm standing used to be water along the Alexandria, VA waterfront. See how Running Reality shows old warehouses and ships in augmented reality, with a little help from generative AI.
History isn't a map. History is people. History comes alive when we make it human. See what new immersive tech like augmented reality and (carefully used) AI can do to bring 2D battlefields to life in immersive 3D. Our prototype is being demonstrated at the First Battle of Bull Run at the Manassas Battlefield Park in Virginia, USA. One platform, 2D and 3D, with open, auditable data.
Professor Thaddeus Lowe demonstrates the use of balloons for military observation just as the U.S. Civil War begins. In June 1861, as war begins and before the First Battle of Bull Run, the Union occupied positions in Northern Virginia. However, they struggled to identify the location of the Confederate defensive positions. See how they used trains and balloons in 2D and 3D augmented reality using Running Reality's new prototype 3D engine.
11/05/2025
We tried the new Atlas web browser with Running Reality. You can ask questions about world history and Atlas can drive the map to be your tour guide to explore interactive historical events! #1775
10/28/2025
Here is a sneak peek at what we are working right now. History isn't a map. We want to really bring history to life and take you into historical places and events in full 3D.
08/06/2025
This is a phenomenal set of principles for using GenAI in education just put out by the American Historical Association. RunningReality will follow these principles fully to give teachers and students full transparency.
Guiding Principles for Artificial Intelligence in History Education These 14 foundational principles are meant to assist educators and administrators in crafting AI policies suited to local circumstances and the specific needs of students.
07/17/2025
We have been mapping street-level details for cities old and new, from Rome, to Athens, to Tokyo, to Tikal, to Ur. Here is New York City as it evolved from 1600 to 1840 from native villages to Dutch colony to English settlement to a U.S. city. But history isn't a map -- history is people. So our next step is to take you down to street level in 3D augmented reality to experience history.
Animated Map of Early New York City https://www.runningreality.org/ #01/01/1840&40.72066,-73.99840&zoom=14Running Reality is a dynamic map of history, down to street level. This video shows how ...