Almost 4,500 years ago, in the ancient land of Babylonia, traders used to bear risk of the caravan trade by giving loans that had to be later repaid with interest when the goods arrived safely. In 2100 BC, the Code of Hammurabi granted legal status to the practice.
That, perhaps, was how insurance made its beginning.

Life insurance had its origins in ancient Rome, where citizens formed burial clubs that would meet the funeral expenses of its members as well as help survivors by making some payments.

As European civilization progressed, its social institutions and welfare practices also got more and more refined. With the discovery of new lands, sea routes and the consequent growth in trade, Medieval guilds took it upon themselves to protect their member traders from loss on account of fire, shipwrecks and the like.

Since most of the trade took place by sea, there was also the fear of pirates. So these guilds even offered ransom for members held captive by pirates. Burial expenses and support in times of sickness and poverty were other services offered. Essentially, all these revolved around the concept of insurance or risk coverage. That's how old these concepts are, really.

In 1347, in Genoa, European maritime nations entered into the earliest known insurance contract and decided to accept marine insurance as a practice.

The first step...
Insurance as we know it today owes its existence to 17th century England. In fact, it began taking shape in 1688 at a rather interesting place called Lloyd's Coffee House in London, where merchants, ship-owners and underwriters met to discuss and transact business. By the end of the 18th century, Lloyd's had brewed enough business to become one of the first modern insurance companies.

Insurance and Myth...
Back to the 17th century. In 1693, astronomer Edmond Halley constructed the first mortality table to provide a link between the life insurance premium and the average life spans based on statistical laws of mortality and compound interest. In 1756, Joseph Dodson reworked the table, linking premium rate to age.

Enter companies...
The first stock companies to get into the business of insurance were chartered in England in 1720. The year 1735 saw the birth of the first insurance company in the American colonies in Charleston, SC.

In 1759, the Presbyterian Synod of Philadelphia sponsored the first life insurance corporation in America for the benefit of ministers and their dependents.

However, it was after 1840 that life insurance really took off in a big way. The trigger: reducing opposition from religious groups.

The growing years...
The 19th century saw huge developments in the field of insurance, with newer products being devised to meet the growing needs of urbanization and industrialization.

In 1835, the infamous New York fire drew people's attention to the need to provide for sudden and large losses. Two years later, Massachusetts became the first state to require companies by law to maintain such reserves. The great Chicago fire of 1871 further emphasized how fires can cause huge losses in densely populated modern cities. The practice of reinsurance, wherein the risks are spread among several companies, was devised specifically for such situations.

There were more offshoots of the process of industrialization. In 1897, the British government passed the Workmen's Compensation Act, which made it mandatory for a company to insure its employees against industrial accidents.

With the advent of the automobile, public liability insurance, which first made its appearance in the 1880s, gained importance and acceptance.

In the 19th century, many societies were founded to insure the life and health of their members, while fraternal orders provided low-cost, members-only insurance.

Even today, such fraternal orders continue to provide insurance coverage to members as do most labour organizations. Many employers sponsor group insurance policies for their employees, providing not just life insurance, but sickness and accident benefits and old-age pensions. Employees contribute a certain percentage of the premium for these policies.

In India...
Insurance in India can be traced back to the Vedas. For instance, yogakshema, the name of Life Insurance Corporation of India's corporate headquarters, is derived from the Rig Veda. The term suggests that a form of "community insurance" was prevalent around 1000 BC and practised by the Aryans.

Burial societies of the kind found in ancient Rome were formed in the Buddhist period to help families build houses, protect widows and children.

Bombay Mutual Assurance Society, the first Indian life assurance society, was formed in 1870. Other companies like Oriental, Bharat and Empire of India were also set up in the 1870-90s.

It was during the swadeshi movement in the early 20th century that insurance witnessed a big boom in India with several more companies being set up.

As these companies grew, the government began to exercise control on them. The Insurance Act was passed in 1912, followed by a detailed and amended Insurance Act of 1938 that looked into investments, expenditure and management of these companies' funds.

By the mid-1950s, there were around 170 insurance companies and 80 provident fund societies in the country's life insurance scene. However, in the absence of regulatory systems, scams and irregularities were almost a way of life at most of these companies.

As a result, the government decided nationalise the life assurance business in India. The Life Insurance Corporation of India was set up in 1956 to take over around 250 life companies.

For years thereafter, insurance remained a monopoly of the public sector. It was only after seven years of deliberation and debate - after the RN Malhotra Committee report of 1994 became the first serious document calling for the re-opening up of the insurance sector to private players -- that the sector was finally opened up to private players in 2001.

The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority, an autonomous insurance regulator set up in 2000, has extensive powers to oversee the insurance business and regulate in a manner that will safeguard the interests of the insured.