WHEN DID THE BLUE & PURPLE WORLD BECOME WHITE

For most of human history, skin color existed as a biological adaptation, not a social category. Early Homo sapiens in Africa (the San People, first "recorded" humans) evolved dark skin as protection against ultraviolet radiation. As humans migrated out of Africa roughly 60,000–70,000 years ago, populations in northern latitudes gradually developed lighter pigmentation due to reduced UV exposure and the need for vitamin D synthesis.

Crucially, none of this variation originally carried social...