My first class is Beef and Sheep production so these posts are primarily cattle based.
Cattle are derived from the Auroch (ancient ancestor) from India. they stood 6.5 ft at the shoulder and inhabited Europe/asia/africa. they were domesticated 6-8k years ago in Europe/asia.
There are two types of cattle, Bos Indicus and Bos Taurus. Bos Taurus are of euro decent and are humpless (herefords, angus etc etc). Bos Indicus are derived from India and have humps (brahma)
Shorthorns are one of the oldest recognized breed (1500's, imported to the US in 1783)
Columbus introduced cattle in 1493 to the western hemisphere. Hernando Cortez was the first to bring cattle to north america (1519). At this time cattle were only used for milk production.
Longhorns - Hardy, adaptable, self sustaining cattle. The longhorn era ended when the open range was fenced. They calved unassisted for hundreds of years. (natural selection at its finest, in the calving department)
Henry Clay imported herfords in 1817. Almost all herfords in the US date back to Anxiety 4, a bull used in 1881.
George Grant imported the first angus from Scotland. he brought four head to Victoria, Kansas. Eventually they were commonly crossed with Longhorns.
Breed - A group of related cattle that share similar characteristics
again these are just notes I've taken as I've wrote them. At this point its very easy if you come from a cattle background.
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