The paper presents a historical climatology of global land surface soil moisture derived from satellite microwave sensors. The data, spanning from November 1978 to the end of 2007, are collected from various sensors, including the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer, Defense Meteorological Satellites Program Special Sensor Microwave Imager, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager, and Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS. The soil moisture retrievals are made using a radiative transfer-based Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM), which accounts for differences in sensor specifications such as primary wavelength, spatial resolution, and temporal coverage. The model is described in detail, and the quality of the data is discussed. Examples of different sensor retrievals illustrating global patterns are provided, along with validation studies using large-scale observational soil moisture data sets. The data will be made available for use by the scientific community, offering valuable insights into environmental monitoring and modeling.The paper presents a historical climatology of global land surface soil moisture derived from satellite microwave sensors. The data, spanning from November 1978 to the end of 2007, are collected from various sensors, including the Nimbus-7 Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer, Defense Meteorological Satellites Program Special Sensor Microwave Imager, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager, and Aqua Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for EOS. The soil moisture retrievals are made using a radiative transfer-based Land Parameter Retrieval Model (LPRM), which accounts for differences in sensor specifications such as primary wavelength, spatial resolution, and temporal coverage. The model is described in detail, and the quality of the data is discussed. Examples of different sensor retrievals illustrating global patterns are provided, along with validation studies using large-scale observational soil moisture data sets. The data will be made available for use by the scientific community, offering valuable insights into environmental monitoring and modeling.