In the early 1970s the term, history of the present time was coined in France. Since then, this field of historiography has gone through a strong growth, but it has nevertheless been fractured by the different terms used to historicize recent issues: terms like immediate history and recent history have also achieved a certain success. In addition, the idea of a history of the present shows a certain ambiguity, since different meanings have been given to it. This article examines the term and insists that it is appropriate to use it to describe an analysis of current times in history, while it also defines that same field and its object of study: the present. Finally, this article analyzes the historical context in which this field of historiography appeared and its consolidation in some countries.