How do you get a credit history at a young age?

The simple answer is - spend and pay ! Most credit card companies will issue a card to a 'first-time user' without problems. Once you get the card - use it regularly, but pay off the balance as quickly as you can. Don't 'max it out' so you need to ask for more credit. That will start to build your credit history, and make more facilities available to you - such as cash advances, increased limits etc.