This chapter provides a concise overview of the development of disability history, highlighting key themes from antiquity to the twentieth century. It examines how physical and mental differences were perceived in ancient civilizations, including depictions in art and legal codes, such as in Egyptian tomb art and Greek literature. In the Middle Ages, disability was often conflated with poverty and illness, with few distinctions made between different forms of impairment. Disabled individuals were rarely viewed as a distinct social category but rather integrated into broader social frameworks. During the early modern period, more specific ideas about disability emerged, particularly in relation to deafness and blindness. The chapter also highlights the significant shifts in disability history during the modern period, with the rise of institutionalization and medicalization. These changes led to the categorization of disabled people as a distinct group, often subject to control and correction through asylums and medical interventions. Eugenics became a dominant framework during this time, leading to policies that targeted disabled people for exclusion and sterilization, particularly in the early twentieth century. The chapter also acknowledges contributions from non-Western and post-colonial perspectives, expanding the scope of disability history beyond its traditional Euro-American focus. This broader approach underscores the complex relationship between disability, societal norms, and power structures, showing how perceptions of disability have been shaped by various social, cultural, and political forces across different historical contexts.