The article defines "making history" as simply existing. That's why they can conclude that disproportionate chunks of history were formed during more recent time periods: human population growth, like that of any other bacteria, is exponential.
It's an interesting perspective. Even if your definition of who "makes history" is more narrow, their results are still accurate if you assume that the history-makers have made up a consistent percentage of the human population throughout history.
It's an interesting perspective. Even if your definition of who "makes history" is more narrow, their results are still accurate if you assume that the history-makers have made up a consistent percentage of the human population throughout history.