Short answers, pulled from the story.
The confrontation between Upper and Lower Egypt around 3150 BC marks the earliest documented conflicts in human history. This event predates other recorded battles such as the Battle of Megiddo which was recorded by military scribe Tjaneni in the 15th century BC.
Herodotus wrote The Histories between 484 and 425 BC earning him the title father of history through his systematic approach to recording events. His work established a method for documenting historical events that influenced later historians like Thucydides.
The first recorded naval battle occurred in 1210 BC between Suppiluliuma II king of the Hittites and Cyprus. Galleys were employed by Cretans in the 3rd millennium BC before Greeks advanced these designs into more sophisticated forms used in later centuries.
Themistocles helped build a Greek navy composed of 310 ships that defeated Persians at the Battle of Salamis in 480 BC. This fleet utilized sailing ships without cannons often using human oar power built up to ramming speed to achieve victory against larger forces.
Gunpowder evolved slowly from Chinese alchemists as early as the 4th century initially used for life force experiments before becoming pyrotechnics and incendiaries. Cannons appeared in Europe in the early 14th century playing vital roles in the Hundred Years War with documented use at the Battle of Crécy by 1346.
Michael Roberts introduced the concept of military revolution in the 1950s focusing on Sweden between 1560 and 1660 as his primary case study. The theory emphasized muskets fired in volleys by three ranks of infantry soldiers requiring permanent standing armies rather than temporary feudal levies or mercenaries.