Human History Timeline

Combined Timeline

200,000 B.C. Homo sapiens, the first modern humans, appear in Africa.
62,000 B.C. Bow and arrows with stone points (arrowheads) are used.
30,000 B.C. Cro-Magnon man is flourishing, moving from the Near East into Europe, lives by hunting and gathering. Cro-Magnon’s painted caves with drawings of the animals they killed.
25,000 B. C. Bering Strait is crossed by humans, connecting Asia to the Americas.
18,000 B.C. Clay pottery ware is created. Humans begin to use raw metals.
10,000 B.C. Humans make it to the southern most point of South America.
8,000 B.C. The Neolithic Revolution and an agriculture way of life is discovered in the Fertile Crescent/Middle Eastern area. Cows and sheep were domesticated and crops where manipulated and tended. (interesting fact: first domesticated dog ever was found in Idaho, USA 8400 BC).
7000 B.C. A great earthquake destroys the city of Jericho.
6,500 B.C. The oceans and sea’s rise, England is now cut off from Europe by land.
6000 B.C.. First beer is brewed from grain in the Near East.
5,500 B.C. First settled societies in the Mesopotamia region.
4,500 B.C. Humans learn how to use the plow.
4,250 B.C. Development of copper and bronze metallurgy.
4,242 B.C. The very first year on the Egyptian calendar.
4,000 B.C. The wheel is invented and begins to be used. Rice farming in China is developed.
3,400 B.C. Beginning forms of writing. Earliest ziggurats are built.
3,300 B.C. Indus Valley Civilization established in South Asia.
3,200 B.C. Boats use sails on the Nile river.
3,113 B.C. First date in the Mayan calendar.
3,100 B.C. Egypt’s 1st Dynasty created by the joining of the upper and lower kingdoms of Egypt.
3,000 B.C. Bricks are used widely(and made by a fired process). First city-states are created, palaces are starting to be build. Temples are usually build at the center of the cities. There were large military campaigns by ethnic groups of people.
2,750 B.C. Rule of Gilgamesh. King of Uruk.
2,686 B.C. Beginning of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and also known as the “Age of the Pyramids”.
2,667 B.C. Very first pyramids were built in Egypt.
2,500 B.C. First written legal codes.
2,400 B.C. The construction of Stonehenge in England starts.
1,792 B.C. Hammurabi begins his rule as king.
1,766 B.C. Beginning of the Shang dynasty in the Lower Yellow River Valley (China).
1,570 B.C. Beginning of the New Kingdom of Egypt.
1531 B.C. The Hittites conquer Babylon.
1,333 B.C. A young boy named Tutankhamun succeeds Akhenaten, he restores the nation to worshiping the old Egyptian gods.
1,250 B.C. Ziggurat in Khuzestan, in present day Iran is built. Moses leads the Israelites on an exodus out of Egypt.
1,200 B.C. Moses leads his people out of Egypt.
1140 B.C. The First North African city of Utica (Tunisia) is established by the Phoenicians.
1,126 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar I begins his rule as king of Babylon.
1122 B.C. The Chou Dynasty is formed in China by Emperor Wu Wang. The feudal system follows.
1077 B.C. The New Kingdom phase in Egypt is over when Rameses XI dies. Smendes ascends to Pharaoh and forms the XXIst Dynasty.
1,070 B.C. The Kingdom of Kush in Nubia begins.
1050 B.C. Israel is invaded and defeated by the Philistines.
1020 B.C. Saul is anointed king of Israel by the one of the last remaining Israelite judges.
1000 B.C. In the battle of Gilboa, Saul is killed and David ascends to the throne.
961 B.C. David dies and his throne is replaced by his son Solomon.
953 B.C. The Dedication of Temple at Jerusalem is built by Solomon.
922 B.C. Solomon dies and his throne is replaced by his son Rehoboam who faces a rebellion soon after his ascension.
814 B.C. Carthage is founded by the Phoenicians, not far from Utica.
800 B.C. The great poet Homer writes “The Iliad” and “The Odyssey“.
776 B.C. The very first recorded Olympic Games are established in Greece.
770 B.C. The Eastern Chou Dynasty in China begins.
483 B.C. Buddha dies in India.
460 B.C. Hippocrates is born.
431 B.C. Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta begins.
404 B.C. The Government of the Thirty Tyrants begins. Spartans defeat the Athenians to end the Peloponnesian War.
394 B.C. Spartan forces win the Battle of Coronea.
390 B.C. The city of Rome is ransacked by The Gauls from France.
386 B.C. Antalcidas of Sparta forms a peace pact with Persia.
377 B.C. Hippocrates dies.
371 B.C. Sparta and The Athenian League form a peace pact.
367 B.C. Rome elects its first plebeian council member.
356 B.C. The Third Sacred War begins.
339 B.C. The Fourth Sacred War begins.
336 B.C. Philip II of Macedonia is assassinated.
332 B.C. Alexander the Great invades Egypt and founds the city Alexandria.
264 B.C. The First Punic War begins.
221 B.C. China is united under the reign of Shi Huangdi, China’s first emperor.
218 B.C. The Second Punic War begins – also known as the War Against Hannibal.
214 B.C. Construction begins on The Great Wall of China.
204 B.C. Construction is completed on The Great Wall of China.
180 B.C. Great alter of Zeus and Athena built in Pergamon.
168 B.C. Roman forces defeat Perseus at the Battle of Pydna.
149 B.C. The Third Punic War begins.
141 B.C. Jewish people liberate Jerusalem.
140 B.C. Wu (Liu Che) becomes “Martial Emperor” of China.
89 B.C. First Mithridatic War.
63 B.C. Judea is captured by the Roman empire.
53 B.C. The Battle of Carrhae, between Parthian and Roman empires.
50 B.C. France is conquered by Julius Caesar.
45 B.C. Caesar becomes dictator of Rome.
44 B.C. Caesar is assassinated.
30 B.C. Egypt is absorbed and becomes a province of the current Roman empire.
27 B.C. Augustus begins his rule of the Roman Empire as the first Roman emperor.
5 B.C. Jesus is born in Bethlehem.

A.D.

14 A.D. Death of Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Empire.
18 A.D. Publius Ovidius Naso (Ovid), poet of Heroides, Amores, and Metamorphoses dies.
27 A.D. Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist.
30 A.D. John the Baptist executed.
30 A.D. Crucifixion of Jesus ordered by Pilate.
34 A.D. The disciple Paul makes his first visit to Jerusalem.
41 A.D. Caligula is assassinated as a result of his extravagance and quest for unconstrained personal power.
43 A.D. London (Latin: Londinium) is established by the Romans.
45 A.D. Disciple (apostle) Paul begins his missionary works.
59 A.D. Agrippina is murdered by her son, Nero.
64 A.D. Great fire destroys much of Rome.
66 A.D. Gospel of Mark is written – it is the first gospel.
68 A.D. Death of Roman Emperor Nero.
70 A.D. The Gospel Matthew portion of the bible is written.
75 A.D. The Gospel Luke portion of the bible is written.
79 A.D. The volcano Vesuvius erupts, spewing lava so quickly that it preserved the city of Pompeii. Titus is the current emperor of Rome.
80 A.D. The Roman Colosseum and the Baths of Titus are completed.
95 A.D. The Gospel John and The Book of Revelations is written.
105 A.D. Cai Lun creates the paper-making process in China.
126 A.D. The Roman Pantheon is built in Rome.
130 A.D. Egypt’s new capital city Antinopolis is created.
161 A.D. Marcus Aurelius becomes the new Emperor of Rome.
166 A.D. Marcus Aurelius sends gifts to Emperor Huan Ti.
217 A.D. Macrinus becomes the new Emperor of Rome.
220 A.D. End of Han Dynasty and China’s “Imperial Age”. The period of “Three Kingdoms” in China begins (an last’s until 265 a.d.)
222 A.D. Alexander Severus becomes the new Emperor of Rome.
227 A.D. A new Persian empire is founded by Ardashir.
230 A.D. The first known ruler of Japan, Emperor Sujin, is documented.
235 A.D. Maximinus Thrax becomes the new Emperor of Rome.
238 A.D. Gordian III becomes the new Emperor of Rome.
249 A.D. Decius becomes the Emperor of Rome.
250 A.D. Decius persecutes Christians.
251 A.D. Gallus becomes Emperor of Rome, Decius dies in battle with Goths.
253 A.D. Valerian becomes Emperor of Rome, shares throne with his son, Gallienus.
268 A.D. Claudius II becomes Emperor of Rome.
270 A.D. Aurelian becomes Emperor of Rome.
275 A.D. Tacitus becomes Emperor of Rome, killed by his own military troops one year later.
276 A.D. Probus becomes Emperor of Rome.
282 A.D. Carus becomes Emperor of Rome, killed by his own military troops one year later.
284 A.D. Diocletian becomes Emperor of Rome.
286 A.D. The Roman Empire is divided by Diocletian, he rules the East, Maximiam rules the West.
303 A.D. Christians are persecuted by Diocletian.
306 A.D. Constantine I (known as Constantine the Great) becomes Emperor of Rome in the East kingdom.
308 A.D. Maxentius becomes Emperor of Rome in the West kingdom.
312 A.D. Maxentius is killed in the battle of Milvian Bride. Constantine converts to Christianity.
313 A.D. Constantine unites all of Rome and issues the Edict of Milan. The “Edict of Toleration” is proclaimed and Constantine allows Christianity in his kingdom.
324 A.D. The East and West kingdoms of Rome are re-united by Constantine.
330 A.D. Constantinople is formed by Constantine and is the new capital of the Roman Kingdom.
337 A.D. Constantine dies, is baptized on deathbed.
391 A.D. Roman empire makes Christianity the official religion.
410 A.D. Rome is sacked by the Goths.
428 A.D. St. Patrick begins his missionary work in Ireland.
440 A.D. Leo, known as Leo the Great, becomes Pope.
475 A.D. Romulus Augustus becomes Emperor.
590 A.D. Gregory I, known as Gregory the Great becomes Pope.
593 A.D. Suiko becomes the new Empress of Japan.
604 A.D. Construction of the Grand Canal begins in China.
610 A.D. Vision of Muhammad.
624 A.D. Aisha and Muhammad are married.
625 A.D. Muhammad starts his dictation of the Koran.
632 A.D. Death of Muhammad.
639 A.D. Muslim conquest of Egypt begins.
814 A.D. Arabs start using the Indian numerals 0 through 9.
832 A.D. The city of Baghdad is established and rises as a city of learning.
843 A.D. Treaty of Verdun is signed and divides the current Frankish Empire into 3 (east of Rhine, France and then Italy, Provence, Burgundy and Lorraine.)
844 A.D. The Picts are defeated by Kenneth MacAlpine (King of the Scots) and a new unified Scotland is established.
850 A.D. The Muslim scholars of Tabari compile the medical writings of Greece, Rome, Persia and India.
861 A.D. Iceland is discovered by exploring Vikings.
1082 A.D. King Henry IV’s troops storm Rome.
1085 A.D. The Moors lose Toledo to Alfonso Vi.
1086 A.D. Canute IV of Denmark is assassinated.
1088 A.D. Urban II becomes the new Pope.
1096 A.D. The First Crusade begins at the urging of Pope Urban.
1098 A.D. Crusaders defeat the Saracens at Antioch.
1099 A.D. Crusaders take Jerusalem.
1108 A.D. Louis VI becomes the new king of France.
1111 A.D. Henry V becomes the Holy Roman Emperor.
1139 A.D. Alfonso becomes the first king of Portugal.
1141 A.D. Chinese defeat Muslim ruler of Persia.
1145 A.D. The Second Crusade begins.
1156 A.D. Military class struggle begins in Japan.
1174 A.D. Syria is conquered by Saladin.
1177 A.D. Saladin is defeated by Baldwin IV at Montgisard.
1180 A.D. A truce is formed between Saladin and Baldwin IV.
1182 A.D. Jews are banished from France by Philip II.
1211 A.D. Mongols invade China.
1219 A.D. Mongols invade Persia.
1258 A.D. Mongols destroy Baghdad.
1297 A.D. William Wallace, a Scottish man defeats the English army in the Battle of Stirling Bridge.
1300 A.D. Wenceslas II becomes the new king of Poland.
1304 A.D. Petrarch, the well known Italian poet is born.
1328 A.D. Philip VI becomes the current king of France.
1368 A.D. The Ming dynasty is formed in China.
1412 A.D. Joan of Arc (Jeanne d’Arc) is born.
1413 A.D. Henry V becomes the King of England.
1421 A.D. China names Beijing as it’s capital city.
1422 A.D. Death of Henry V (England) and Charles VI (France).
1453 A.D. The Hundred Years War comes to an end.
1458 A.D. Athens is taken over by the Ottomans.
1492 A.D. The Americas are discovered by Christopher Columbus while in search of a shorter route to India.
1590 A.D. First flushing toilet is invented by John Harrington.
1606 A.D. Japan outlaws Christianity.
1607 A.D. Jamestown, Virginia colony in North America is founded.
1608 A.D. Hans Lippershey tries to obtain a patent for the telescope. This marks this first official documentation of the telescope as an invention.
1609 A.D. Galileo Galilee makes his first observations of stars with a telescope.
1610 A.D. The theory of relative motion is put forward by Galileo Galilee.
1618 A.D. Start of the Thirty Years’ War initiated by the Defenestrations of Prague.
1619 A.D. The first shipment of African slaves arrive in Virginia to work the tobacco plantations.
1620 A.D. Pilgrims from England sailing on the Mayflower ship arrive in America and found the colony of Plymouth.
1621 A.D. Philip IV becomes the next King of Spain. In America, Pilgrims celebrate the First Thanksgiving after a bountiful harvest.
1624 A.D. Dutch found New Amsterdam (New York).
1631 A.D. Construction on the Taj Mahal begins.
1642 A.D. Montreal is founded by Dutch. Civil War of England.
1648 A.D. Taj Mahal is completed, used as tomb for wife of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Treaty of Westphalia is signed, ending the Thirty Years’ War.
1652 A.D. Cape Town is founded by Dutch. Anglo-Dutch War.
1665 A.D. There is a massive plague that sweeps over London.
1666 A.D. Great fire of London.
1676 A.D. Polish-Ottoman War ends.
1682 A.D. Peter the Great is born.
1683 A.D. Great Turkish War begins.
1686 A.D. Issac Newton publishes his laws of motion and gravity.
1687 A.D. Sir Isaac Newton tells about his theory of gravity and the three laws of motion.
1689 A.D. Treaty of Nerchinsk between Russia and China.
1696 A.D. Peter is the sole ruler of Russia.
1701 A.D. The seed-drill is invented by Jethro Tull.
1703 A.D. Peter the Great founds St Petersburg.
1725 A.D. Peter the Great dies.
1744 A.D. King George War begins.
1747 A.D. Nader Shah assassinated.
1754 A.D. French and Indian War begins.
1755 A.D. Lisbon earthquake kills between 10,000-100,000.
1757 A.D. British rule established in India.
1763 A.D. French and Indian War ends.
1765 A.D. Stamp Act on American colonies.
1770 A.D. Boston Massacre.
1773 A.D. Boston Tea Party.
1774 A.D. The First Continental Congress is formed in opposition to the British rule in America.
1775 A.D. The American Revolutionary War begins.
1776 A.D. On July 4, the Declaration of Independence is signed.
1783 A.D. The American Revolutionary War ends.
1787 A.D. The Constitution of the United States is signed into place at the Federal Convention.
1788 A.D. The Times is created and published for the first time in London.
1789 A.D. George Washington is elected the first president of the United States.
1791 A.D. “The Rights of Man“, written by Thomas Paine is published. The Bill of Rights, which are 10 amendments to the US Constitution, is approved.
1797 A.D. The parachute is invented.
1803 A.D. Britain and France start warring. France sells vast area of land west of the Mississippi to the United States in whats known as The Louisiana Purchase.
1804 A.D. World population reaches 1 billion.
1807 A.D. The slave trade is abolished in Britain via the Slave Trade Act.
1812 A.D. United States and Britain start warring.
1814 A.D. Missionaries colonize New Zealand.
1815 A.D. Battle of Waterloo. The Treaty of Vienna is signed.
1820 A.D. The Missouri Compromise is passed – prohibiting slavery to the north and west of the state.
1830 A.D. The Book of Mormon is published by Joseph Smith.
1832 A.D. The foundations of modern democracy are established with the passing of the Great Reform Act.
1835 A.D. Texas makes independence claim away from Mexico, known as the Texas Revolution.
1836 A.D. Battle of the Alamo – Mexican Army storms the Texas fort known as the Alamo. United States passes resolution recognizing the independence of Texas.
1841 A.D. The 2,000-mile long Oregon Trail in America opens.
1844 A.D. The telegraph is invented.
1845 A.D. The United States annexes Texas.
1848 A.D. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the “Communist Manifesto”.
1849 A.D. Gold discovered in California leads to a “gold rush”.
1850 A.D. Fugitive Slave Act (United States) established – required every citizen to help in the returning of escaped slaves.
1853 A.D. The Crimean War begins.
1854 A.D. Kansas-Nebraska Act passed (United States). Act established territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Republican Party is founded in opposition of the act as well as to slavery.
1856 A.D. The Crimean War ends.
1859 A.D. Charles Darwin publishes his “On the Origin of Species” paper outlining evolution and natural selection.
1861 A.D. The American Civil War begins. Gatling gun is invented.
1863 A.D. Abraham Lincoln issues the emancipation proclamation – changing the status of many people in the southern United States from slave to free. Battle of Gettysburg occurs.
1865 A.D. The United States abolishes slavery with the thirteenth amendment to the US Constitution.
1867 A.D. Alaska is purchased from Russia by the United States. Reconstruction Act allows the Southern US states to re-enter the Union. The explosive dynamite and the typewriter are invented.
1868 A.D. DNA is discovered.
1869 A.D. Suez Canal opens. First Transcontinental Railroad is completed in the United States.
1870 A.D. The 15th US Constitutional Amendment is enacted – giving African-Americans the right to vote.
1871 A.D. Huge fire burns most of the city of Chicago.
1876 A.D. Alexander Graham Bell patents the first practical telephone.
1879 A.D. Thomas Edison invents the first successful light bulb.
1890 A.D. Native Americans are massacred as the battle at Wounded Knee.
1901 A.D. Queen Victoria of England dies.
1903 A.D. The Wright Brothers make their first powered flights.
1905 A.D. Albert Einstein publishes his theory of special relativity.
1907 A.D. First manned helicopter flight in France.
1914 A.D. Start of World War I (WWI)
1916 A.D. Albert Einstein publishes his theory of general relativity.
1917 A.D. The scientific principles of the laser are defined by Albert Einstein. The United States enters WWI.
1918 A.D. WWI ends.
1919 A.D. Sale of alcohol is banned with the 18th US Constitutional Amendment.
1920 A.D. The first public broadcasting station is opened in Britain. The 19th US Constitutional Amendment gives women the right to vote.
1927 A.D. Charles Lindbergh is first man to fly solo across the Atlantic ocean. The idea that the universe began in a Big Bang is developed by Abbe George Lemaitre. World population reaches 2 billion.
1928 A.D. Penicillin is discovered on accident by Alexander Flemming.
1929 A.D. NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) crashes after a panic induced sell-off of shares.
1933 A.D. The “New Deal” is launched by US President Roosevelt.
1936 A.D. Start of the Spanish Civil War.
1939 A.D. Start of World War II (WWII). The Spanish Civil War ends.
1941 A.D. Pearl Harbor in Hawaii is attacked by the Japanese. The United Sates to enters WWII.
1945 A.D. Atomic bomb is dropped and WWII ends when Japan surrenders. The United Nations (UN) is established after WWII.
1946 A.D. First microwave oven is sold under the name of Radarange.
1947 A.D. India and Pakistan are founded (gained independence).
1948 A.D. Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement against British rule, was assassinated. The polio vaccine is developed.
1949 A.D. The Communist party lead by Mao Zedong comes to power in China.
1953 A.D. The Cuban Revolution lead by Fidel Castro begins.
1955 A.D. Start of the Vietnam War.
1957 A.D. United States FDA approves the birth control pill.
1959 A.D. World population reaches 3 billion.
1961 A.D. The Berlin Wall is built, divides Germany.
1963 A.D. John F. Kennedy (JFK) is assassinated.
1965 A.D. Britain abolishes the death penalty for murder.
1967 A.D. United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union sign a treaty banning the use of nuclear weapons in space.
1968 A.D. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King (MLK) is assassinated. Robert F. Kennedy is also assassinated.
1969 A.D. Neil Armstrong is the first man to walk on the Moon.
1974 A.D. President Nixon (U.S.) is forced to resign after Watergate scandal. World population reaches 4 billion.
1975 A.D. End of Vietnam war
1978 A.D. John Paul II is elected as the first non-Italian Pope in over 450 years. Iranian Revolution begins.
1979 A.D. Margaret Thatcher is elected the first woman prime minister of England. Shah of Iran leaves and exiled religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini returns.
1980 A.D. Iran-Iraq war begins (until 1988).
1981 A.D. President Sadat of Egypt is assassinated.
1985 A.D. Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader.
1986 A.D. The US Space Shuttle, Challenger, blows up after launch – killing all 7 on board.
1987 A.D. Portugal agrees to return Macao to China in 1999. World population reaches 5 billion.
1988 A.D. Iran-Iraq war ends.
1989 A.D. Berlin Wall is torn down and communist rule ends in East Germany.
1990 A.D. Hubble Space Telescope is launched.
1991 A.D. The Soviet Union collapses. NATO gets involved in Yugoslavia.
1992 A.D. Bill Clinton is elected as the 42nd President of the United States.
1994 A.D. Free elections in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is elected President.
1995 A.D. Oklahoma City Bombing leaves 168 dead.
1997 A.D. Hong Kong is returned to China from the UK.
1999 A.D. World population reaches 6 billion.
2000 A.D. George W. Bush is elected as the 43rd President of the United States. The Millennium Bug (Year 2000 Problem, Y2k) arises.
2001 A.D. Al-Qaeda attacks the United States by flying planes into New York’s World Trade Center. The online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, Wikipedia, is launched.
2002 A.D. The Euro currency is introduced – seventeen countries jointly adopted the new currency. The U.S. opens Guantanamo Bay – a detention camp for unlawful combats.
2003 A.D. The United States invades Iraq. Saddam Hussein is captured by U.S. forces.
2004 A.D. A large 9.0 magnitude earthquake in the Indian Ocean creates a huge tsunami that kills over 230,000 people. Social networking site Facebook is founded.
2005 A.D. Hurricane Katrina devastates the U.S. city of New Orleans.
2006 A.D. Saddam Hussein is executed for his convictions of crimes against humanity.
2007 A.D. Apple releases the iPhone touchscreen smartphone changing the way we interact and use our phones. Global financial crisis (2008 financial crisis) begins.
2008 A.D. Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President of the United States, and is the first African-American President. The Large Hadron Collider, a machine to re-create the elements of a Big Bang, is completed on the France-Switzerland border.
2010 A.D The largest accidental marine oil spill in the world occurs when the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling rig explodes.
2011 A.D. Osama bin Laden, founder of Al-Qaeda, is killed in Pakistan by U.S. Navy Seals (SEAL Team Six). The Occupy Wall Street movement begins. Massive earthquake and tsunami kill 15,000+ and destroys Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan. Arab Spring revolutionary uprisings occur in North Africa and the Middle East. World population reaches 7 billion.
2012 A.D. Over 1 billion people actively use the social networking site Facebook. Barack Obama is re-elected president of the United States.
2013 A.D. Former CIA employee Edward Snowden releases unauthorized classified information on how the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on U.S. and other citizens around the world.
2016 A.D. Donald J. Trump is elected as the 45th President of the United States.
2017 A.D. Over 2 billion people actively use the social networking site Facebook.
2019 A.D. COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic begins in Wuhan, China.
2020 A.D. Joe Biden is elected as the 46th President of the United States.