When was the nearest star discovered? When historically did we realize that the Sun is a star, like all the others?

An answer was posted, then the question was put on hold. I would like to answer:
If indeed someone asserted that the Sun was a star 2500 years ago, that is rather humbling. That it took until about 100 years ago for it to be proven is even more humbling!

People level a lot of claims against science and scientists. But if a field of knowledge takes over 100 generations to prove a true statement, perhaps they have a right to criticize. So, I think that science needs to do a better job of proving its theories. Either that, or people need to have more common sense, not to recognize something that has been staring billions of people in the face for all time. Perhaps, we should all be a bit more humble about the state of knowledge, even in obvious areas?

Maybe if we had taken the people who proposed this fact, and the concept of atoms, seriously at the time, we would be on our way to other stars by now instead of still having only visited that big white thing nearby (forgot the name just now) and that not for the past 40 years.
After a quick google, This page pops up showing that Anaxagoras was the first documented person to make the link between the sun and stars being the same thing.