The basic concept of heat-treating, and specifically quenching, is intertwined with the history of civilization. It is the efforts of these preindustrialized people that laid the foundation for modern metallurgy, and our understanding of materials behavior. In this paper, the early history of quenching will be described from the dawn of civilization to the early industrial age. The focus will be primarily on the contributions of Europeans, Indian, Chinese and Japanese peoples.  Some of the basic methods, and the quenchants used are illustrated, as well as some of the methods of quenching.