Timeline of History
Years Before the Present | |
---|---|
13.5 billion | Matter and energy appear. Beginning of physics. Atoms and molecules appear. Beginning of chemistry. |
4.5 billion | Formation of planet Earth. |
3.8 billion | Emergence of organisms. Beginning of biology. |
6 million | Last common grandmother of humans and chimpanzees. |
2.5 million | Evolution of the genus Homo in Africa. First stone tools. 2 million Humans spread from Africa to Eurasia. Evolution of different human species. |
500,000 | Neanderthals evolve in Europe and the Middle East. |
300,000 | Daily usage of fire. |
200,000 | Homo sapiens evolves in East Africa. |
70,000 | The Cognitive Revolution. Emergence of fictive language. Beginning of history. Sapiens spread out of Africa. |
45,000 | Sapiens settle Australia. Extinction of Australian megafauna. |
30,000 | Extinction of Neanderthals. |
16,000 | Sapiens settle America. Extinction of American megafauna. |
13,000 | Extinction of Homo floresiensis. Homo sapiens the only surviving human species. |
12,000 | The Agricultural Revolution. Domestication of plants and animals. Permanent settlements. |
5,000 | First kingdoms, script and money. Polytheistic religions. |
4,250 | First empire – the Akkadian Empire of Sargon. |
2,500 | Invention of coinage – a universal money. The Persian Empire – a universal political order ‘for the benefit of all humans’. Buddhism in India – a universal truth ‘to liberate all beings from suffering’. |
2,000 | Han Empire in China. Roman Empire in the Mediterranean. Christianity. |
1,400 | Islam. |
500 | The Scientific Revolution. Humankind admits its ignorance and begins to acquire unprecedented power. Europeans begin to conquer America and the oceans. The entire planet becomes a single historical arena. The rise of capitalism. |
200 | The Industrial Revolution. Family and community are replaced by state and market. Massive extinction of plants and animals. |
The Present | Humans transcend the boundaries of planet Earth. Nuclear weapons threaten the survival of humankind. Organisms are increasingly shaped by intelligent design rather than natural selection. |
The Future | Intelligent design becomes the basic principle of life? Homo sapiens is replaced by superhumans? |