Detailed logarithmic timeline

This timeline allows one to see the whole history of the universe, the Earth, and mankind in one table. Each row is defined in years ago, that is, years before the present date, with the earliest times at the top of the chart. In each table cell on the right, references to events or notable people are given, more or less in chronological order within the cell.

Each row corresponds to a change in log(time before present) of about 0.1 (using log base 10).

Time interval	Period	Event, Invention or Historical development
16 Gy – 12.6 Gy		Cosmology Big Bang, Stars and galaxies, Earliest quasars
12.6 Gy – 10 Gy		Omega Centauri star cluster forms
10 Gy – 8 Gy		Gliese 876 and its planets form
8 Gy – 6.3 Gy		Delta Eridani forms
6.3 Gy – 5 Gy		Birth of Alpha Centauri
5 Gy – 4 Gy		Formation of Sun, Solar system, Earth
4 Gy – 3.2 Gy	End of Hadean eon, beginning of Archaean eon	Late Heavy Bombardment, origin of life, stromatolites, photosynthesis
3.2 Gy – 2.5 Gy	Archaean eon	Stabilisation of cratons
2.5 Gy – 2 Gy	Paleoproterozoic era	Oxygen Revolution. Huronian Glaciation. Bolide over 10 km in size creates Vredefort Crater
2 Gy – 1.6 Gy	Paleoproterozoic era	10-km diameter bolide creates Sudbury Crater, Columbia supercontinent
1.6 Gy – 1.26 Gy	Mesoproterozoic era	Earliest known acritarchs
1.26 Gy – 1 Gy	Mesoproterozoic era	Coming together of Rodinia supercontinent
1 Gy – 800 My	Neoproterozoic era	Sturtian-Varangian or Cryogenian glaciation begins
800 My – 630 My	Neoproterozoic	Breakup of Rodinia, Sturtian-Varangian or Cryogenian glaciation, Snowball Earth? Volcanism on Venus practically stops
630 My – 500 My	Ediacaran period, Cambrianperiod	Pannotia supercontinent, first fossils of animals Ediacaran biota, Cambrian explosion. Fish-like Myllokunmingia, Haikouichthys, & Pikaia. First conodonts.
500 My – 400 My	End of Cambrian. Ordovician, Silurian	First placoderms, cartilaginous fish (such as sharks) and bony fish. First fossils of plants and fungi on land . First clear evidence of land arthropods . Andean-Saharan glaciation.
400 My – 320 My	Devonian	First coelacanths, lungfish, amphibians, archaeopteris (tree ferns), seeds. Beginning of Karoo Ice Age.
320 My – 250 My	Carboniferous, Permian	Karoo Ice Age. Formation of Pangaea supercontinent, first winged insects, reptiles. Cycads, seed ferns. Siberian Traps eruption & Permian-Triassic extinction event
250 My – 200 My	Triassic	Turtles, first dinosaurs, mammals, pterosaurs, crocodilia, ichthyosaurs. Gymnosperms dominant. Dicrodium flora common on land. Manicouagan Crater formed. Central Atlantic eruption and Triassic-Jurassic Extinction
200 My – 160 My	Triassic, Jurassic	Breakup of Pangaea. Gymnosperms (especially conifers, Bennettitales and cycads) and ferns common. Sauropods, carnosaurs, stegosaurs.
160 My – 126 My	Jurassic, Cretaceous	Gondwana breaks up. First birds and lizards, flowering plants
126 My – 100 My	Cretaceous	India breaks from Antarctica. Ontong Java eruption. Earliest known monotreme fossils. Sinodelphys, earliest known marsupial. Eomaia, earliest known eutherian.
100 My – 80 My	Cretaceous	Mammals diversify into many forms.1
80 My – 63 My	Cretaceous	Evidence for Grasses in dinosaur dung Bolide creates Chicxulub Crater. Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event
63 My – 50 My	Paleocene, Eocene	Mammals dominate. Lemurs. North Atlantic eruption & Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum. First creodonts. First equid, the Eohippus or Hyracotherium. Andes mountains begin to rise.
50 My – 40 My	Eocene	First cetaceans (whales) and simians, first elephant-like animal, the Moeritherium
40 My – 32 My	Eocene,Oligocene	Grasses common. 100-km Popigai crater in Siberia. 2-mile diameter bolide creates 90-km Chesapeake Bay impact crater in America
32 My – 25 My	Oligocene	Alps begin to rise. First indricotheria, "hornless rhinoceros" about 6 metres high
25 My – 20 My	Miocene	India collides with Asia, giving rise to the Himalayas. Dawn bear, ancestor of bears
20 My – 16 My	Miocene	First Megatherium americanum, a giant sloth. First deinotheres, similar to an elephant but with tusks on lower jaw.
16 My – 12.6 My	Miocene	End of Tethys Sea
12.6 My – 10 My	Miocene
10 My – 8 My	Miocene	First Gigantopithecus, an ape almost 10 feet tall.
8 My – 6.3 My	Miocene	"Toumaï", of species Sahelanthropus tchadensis, shows some human traits. First Thylacosmilus, sabre-toothed marsupial of South America.
6.3 My – 5 My		Mediterranean Sea dries up (Messinian Event). 52-km Kara-Kul crater in Tajikistan. Orrorin tugenensis, possible hominin
5 My – 4 My	Pliocene	Ardipithecus ramidus, Australopithecus anamensis
4 My – 3.2 My	Pliocene	First Australopithecus afarensis. Hominid fossil footprints in Laetoli, Tanzania.
3.2 My – 2.5 My	Pliocene	Isthmus of Panama connects South and Central America. Lucy, member of the species Australopithecus afarensis. Oldowan tools used near Gona, Ethiopia
2.5 My – 2 My	Paleolithic begins, Lower Paleolithic	Beginning of the current ice age, known as the Quaternary glaciation. Homo habilis appears. Cut marks on human bones indicate cannibalism.
2 My – 1.6 My	Beginning of Pleistocene	Homo erectus appears. Homo ergaster in Africa. First signs of Acheulian culture, in Kenya. Hominins in Dmanisi, Georgia and in Nihewan basin, China. First true hand-axes.
1.6 My – 1.26 My	Bramertonian interglacial	Homo erectus found in Europe
1.26 My – 1 My	Pre-Pastonian glaciation
1 My – 800 ky	Pre-Pastonian glaciation	14-km Zhamanshin Crater formed in Kazakhstan;
800 ky – 630 ky	Pastonian interglacial Günz glaciation	Evidence of use of fire. Brunhes-Matuyama geomagnetic reversal. Yellowstone Caldera supervolcano spreads ash over North America. Homo antecessor in Spain
630 ky – 500 ky	Günz-Mindel interglacial
500 ky – 400 ky	Günz-Mindel interglacial Mindel glaciation	Homo heidelbergensis in Germany, France, and Greece
400 ky – 320 ky	Mindel glaciation	Homo heidelbergensis footprints in Italy (Roccamonfina volcano). Venus of Tan-Tan (300 to 500 ky ago) and Venus of B'rekhat Ram (233 to 800 ky ago). First appearance of proto-Neanderthal traits.
320 ky – 250 ky	Yarmouth interglacial (Holstein interglacial)	900-metre Wolfe Creek crater formed in Australia
250 ky – 200 ky	Yarmouth interglacial (Holstein interglacial)
200 ky – 160 ky	Illinoian glaciation (Riß glaciation)	First traces of Homo sapiens. Use of ochre, fine stone blades, and seafood at Pinacle Point, SA (164±12ky ago)2
160 ky – 126 ky	Illinoian glaciation (Riß glaciation)	Estimated time of Mitochondrial Eve. Appearance of full-blown Neanderthal traits.
126 ky – 100 ky	Beginning of Middle Paleolithic, Eemian interglacial era	Shells with holes, probably used as beads, at the Es Skhul cave on Mount Carmel
100 ky – 80 ky	Beginning of Würm glaciation	First evidence of metre-high Flores Man on the island of Flores (Indonesia). Shell beads in Taforalt, Morocco.
80 ky – 63 ky		Supervolcano Toba in Indonesia erupts, covering India and Pakistan with ash and starting a 1000-year ice age. Ochre use at Blombos Cave in South Africa.
63 ky – 50 ky		50-metre diameter asteroid creates 1.2-km Meteor Crater in Arizona. Estimated time of Y-chromosomal Adam. Humans enter Tibetan plateau. Mousterian culture.
50 ky – 40 ky		Last evidence of Homo erectus , Neandertal Divje Babe flute--prehistoric music, Mining of hematite at the Lion Cave in Swaziland. Mungo Man in Australia. Human footprints in Valsequillo Basin in Mexico. Brief Laschamp Excursion magnetic reversal. Homo sapiens in Peştera cu Oase, Romania and in Tianyuan Cave, China
40 ky – 32 ky	Beginning of Upper Paleolithic	Needles and sewing. Beginnings of Aurignacian culture. First Cro Magnon people. Human presence in Japan.
32 ky – 25 ky		Cave painting. Venus of Lespugue (ivorysculpture). Venus of Dolní Věstonice (first known ceramic). Lapedo child with mixture of Neanderthal and sapiens features at Lagar Velho Portugal.
25 ky – 20 ky		Neanderthals disappear. End of Aurignacian culture. Venus of Brassempouy (carving of face). 1.9-km Tenoumer crater in Mauritania.
20 ky – 16 ky		Ishango Bone tally stick displays prime number sequence. Beginning of Magdalenian culture. First known use of spear thrower or atlatl
16 ky – 12.6 ky		Lascaux cave paintings. Evidence of massacre at Cemetery 117. Older Dryas cold spell. Sea level rises 30 metres in a few hundred years. Clovis culture in America. Younger Dryas impact event brings on the Younger Dryas cold spell. Earliest evidence of dogs.
12.6 ky – 10 ky	Mesolithic, end of Pleistocene	Vela Supernova, closest known supernova. Ice age ends. Extinction of many species of large animals. Agriculture. Island of Spartel flooded (possible site of Atlantis). Earliest layers of Jericho. Arrow-shaft straighteners used by Natufian culture in the Levant. Copper pendant in Iraq.
10 ky – 8 ky	Start of Holocene, Neolithic, 8th millennium BCE, 7th millennium BCE	Pottery, domestication of animals. Kennewick Man in Washington, whose skull was different from modern American Indians. Mount Etna causes tsunami, possibly ending Atlit Yam settlement (Israel). Smelted lead at Çatal Höyük.
8 ky – 6.3 ky	6th millennium BCE, 5th millennium BCE	Holocene thermal maximum brings temperatures warmer than today. Sahara region not a desert. Weaving. Megaliths.
6.3 ky – 5 ky	4th millennium BCE	Continuation of Holocene thermal maximum. Domestication of the horse. Sumer. Invention of wheel, Ötzi the Iceman. Redesertification of Sahara begins. Copper Age.
5 ky – 4 ky	3rd millennium BCE	Egypt, Gilgamesh, pyramids, Ur, Sargon, Stonehenge, Use of bronze, writing, surgery.
4 ky – 3.2 ky	2nd millennium BCE Bronze Age	Minoan Crete. Hammurabi. Avellino eruption of Vesuvius. Thera eruption. Egyptian medical papyri. Akhenaten. Rigveda.
3.2 ky – 2.5 ky	Iron Age	Trojan war, Zarathustra, Homer, Hesiod, Buddha, Pythagoras, Kǒng Fūzǐ (Confucius)
2.5 ky – 2 ky	ca. 500 BCE – ca. 10 AD	Cyrus, Socrates, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle. Helike sinks beneath the waves. Alexander, Euclid. Library of Alexandria. Julius Caesar
2 ky – 1.6 ky	ca. 10 AD – ca. 400 AD	Roman Empire, Yeshua, Christianity, Gnosticism, Mithraism, Constantine
1.6 ky – 1.26 ky	ca. 400 – ca. 750	Byzantine Empire, Augustine, Attila, Saint Patrick, King Arthur. Climate changes of 535-536. Plague of Justinian. Mohammed. Muslims capture Ctesiphon, largest city in world. Vikings.
1.26 ky – 1 ky	ca. 750 – ca. 1000	Roman Empire splits, gunpowder, Charlemagne. Leifr Eiriksson goes to Vinland in North America. Beowulf.
1000 y – 800 y	ca. 1000 – ca. 1200	Ibn Sina, Crusades, William the Conqueror, Genghis Khan
800 y – 630 y	ca. 1200 – ca. 1380	Magna Carta, St. Francis, Aquinas, Marco Polo, Black Death
630 y – 500 y	Renaissance	Chaucer, Joan of Arc. Kuwae eruption. Fall of Constantinople. Gutenberg. Columbus rediscovers the New World.
500 y – 400 y	16th century	The Reformation, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Luther, Copernicus, Scientific Revolution, Spanish Armada
400 y – 320 y	17th century	Shakespeare, Galileo, Descartes, English Civil War, microscope
320 y – 250 y	1688 – 1758	Isaac Newton, Bach, Defoe, Swift, Voltaire. Lisbon destroyed by earthquake, tsunami, and fire.
250 y – 200 y	1758 – 1808	Rousseau, American Revolution, steam engine, Mozart, French Revolution
200 y – 160 y	1808 – 1848	Beethoven, railroad , Napoleon, Year Without a Summer . Photography , electric motor . Babbage . Telegraph .
160 y – 126 y	1848 – 1882	Taiping Civil War kills at least 20 million. John Snow . Beginning of Third Pandemic. Darwin . American Civil War. Joseph Lister . Marx . Telephone . Pasteur .
126 y – 100 y	1882 – 1908	Invention of automobile. Edison , Mark Twain , Dreyfus . Radio . Freud , Wright Brothers . Einstein's papers on special relativity and quantization of light (photons) . 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
100 y – 80 y	1908 – 1928	Tunguska event , cubism, Model T , Republic of China , RMS Titanic , General relativity , Russian Revolution, First World War. Prohibition
80 y – 63 y	1928 – 1945	Gödel, Gandhi, [...], FDR, New Deal, Stalin, penicillin, Great Depression. Second Sino-Japanese War . [...] invented . World War II. Pearl Harbor. Atom bomb.
63 y – 50 y	1945 – 1958	ENIAC, UN, Cold War begins, NATO, Mao. Structure of DNA found. McCarthyism, Elvis. Sputnik
50 y – 40 y	1958 – 1968	ARPA, Castro, ca. 20-30 million die in Great Chinese Famine, Berlin Wall, Cuban missile crisis, John F. Kennedy, American Civil Rights Movement. Beginning of Vietnam War. Six-Day War.
40 y – 32 y	1968 – 1976	2001 (film) . Vietnam War, counterculture. Unix, Moon landing, Woodstock , Bhola cyclone kills 500,000, Yom Kippur War, Richard Nixon resigns
32 y – 25 y	1976 – 1983	Tangshan earthquake , Jimmy Carter, Margaret Thatcher becomes PM, microcomputers, Three Mile Island, Eruption of Mount St. Helens, AIDS discovered . Ronald Reagan becomes president. First IBM PC .
25 y – 20 y	1983 – 1988	Ronald Reagan. Discovery of ozone hole . Usenet, Pac-man, CNN, MTV, Macintosh , Bhopal disaster , Soviet-Afghan War, Challenger Disaster , Chernobyl, first 80386 , Iran-Contra scandal . BSE, Perestroika, Black Monday on Wall Street.
20 y – 16 y	1988 – 1992	End of Iran-Iraq War , US invades Panama , Tiananmen protests, Fall of Berlin Wall, launch of Hubble Space Telescope, end of apartheid, George H. W. Bush presidency. First Gulf War, AOL . Eruption of Mount Pinatubo . End of USSR .
16 y – 12.6 y	1992 – 1995	Beginning of Clinton presidency. First Pentium . Oslo accords. Bosnian War. Rise of Internet. 1994 Los Angeles earthquake. Genocidal Rwandan massacre . Israeli-Jordanian Peace Treaty.
12.6 y – 10 y	1995 – 1998	Kobe earthquake . Windows 95, Java programming language. Start of WTO, Asian financial crisis.
last ten years	1998 – 2008	Tony Blair PM of UK, discovery of the acceleration of the universe, Kosovo War, 1999 Izmit, Turkey Earthquake, Putin president of Russia, Y2K scare, human genome sequenced, George W. Bush president of US, al-Aqsa Intifada, 2001 Gujarat Earthquake, September 11, 2001, U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, Columbia disaster, 2003 Iraq War, Bam Earthquake, Darfur conflict, Boxing Day Tsunami, Yassir Arafat dies, John Paul II dies, Gaza pullout by Israel, New Orleans Flood, Kashmir earthquake, 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict, 2006 North Korean nuclear test. Sarkozy president of France. Battle of Gaza. World population becomes more than 50% urban. Northwest Passage opens for first time in history. Cyclone Sidr

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