World History Timeline By mhelton1 200,000 BCE Africa: First homo sapiens appear. 64,000 BCE Africa: First bow and arrow used. 50,000 BCE Africa: First needles used. 40,000 BCE Europe: Oldest cave paintings. 33,000 BCE Europe: Oldest known domesticated dogs. 26,000 BCE World: Earliest known use of fibers. 25,000 BCE Europe: Oldest permanent human settlement. 16,500 BCE North America: First colonization of North America. 13,000 BCE Europe: Earliest domestication of pigs. 8500 BCE Europe: Earliest domestication of cattle. 8000 BCE Asia: Earliest Chinese settlements. 5000 BCE South America: Nomadic peoples reach South America. 4000 BCE Middle East: Civilization emerges in Fertile crescent. 3700 BCE Europe: Minoan civilization begins. 3500 BCE The wheel is invented. 3300 BCE Asia: Indus Valley Civilization begins. 3200 BCE Middle East: Cuneiform is invented in Sumeria. 3200 BCE Europe: Civilization begins in Greece. 3100 BCE Africa: First dynasty begins in Egypt. 3000 BCE Europe: Stonehenge is constructed. 3000 BCE Africa: First known use of papyrus. 2700 BCE Africa: Old Kingdom begins in Egypt. 2600 BCE Central America: Mayan civilization appears. 2500 BCE World: Mammoths go extinct. 2205 BCE Asia: First dynasty begins in China. 1600 BCE Europe: Mycenaean Greeks emerge. 1600 BCE Asia: Hittite Empire at peak. 1200 BCE Middle East/Mediterranean: The earliest use of the Phoenician alphabet on the island of Byblos. 1200 BCE World: Bronze Age begins. 1020 BCE Middle East: Kingdom of Israel founded. 800 BCE Europe: Rise of Greek city-states. 753 BCE Europe: Founding of Rome. 660 BCE Asia: Japan has first emperor. 653 BCE Middle East: Rise of Persian Empire. 508 BCE Europe: Athens adopts Democracy. 33 Middle East: Christianity becomes an established religion in the Middle East. Jan 1, 1000 Asia: Gunpowder is created in China. Jan 1, 1440 Europe: The printing press is invented in Germany. Aug 3, 1492 North America: Columbus reaches the Americas. May 20, 1498 Asia: Vasco da Gama reaches India. Feb 1, 1519 Central America: Cortes begins invasion of the Aztec Empire. May 14, 1607 North America: Jamestown is founded by the English. Jul 4, 1776 North America: The American Colonies declare independence from the British. Sep 17, 1787 North America: United States Constitution is signed. Jul 14, 1789 Europe: The French Revolution begins. May 14, 1796 Europe: First vaccine is given in England. Apr 30, 1803 North America: The Louisiana Purchase is made. Jul 24, 1812 Europe: Napoleon invades Russia. Sep 16, 1821 North America: Mexico declares independence from Spain. Period: Oct 5, 1853 to Mar 30, 1856 Europe: Crimean War begins in Russia. Jan 1, 1861 North America: First Japanese immigrants arrive in U.S. Apr 12, 1861 North America: U.S. Civil War begins. Sep 22, 1862 North America: Emancipation Proclamation frees slaves in the U.S. Apr 15, 1865 North America: Lincoln is assassinated. May 9, 1865 North America: U.S. Civil War ends. Jan 1, 1868 Asia: Meiji Restoration begins in Japan. Jan 1, 1871 Europe: Great Britain legalizes labor unions. Jan 1, 1876 Europe: Belgium forms the International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Africa. Mar 10, 1876 North America: Telephone is invented in the U.S. Jan 1, 1881 Europe: Anti-Semitic pogroms pop up in Russia. May 1, 1882 Europe: Triple Alliance between Germany, Austria, and Italy formed. May 6, 1882 North America: Chinese Expulsion Act passed in U.S. Jan 1, 1884 Europe: Berlin Conference takes place on colonization of Africa. Jan 1, 1886 Africa: Gold discovered in South Africa. Oct 28, 1886 North America: Statue of Liberty dedicated in U.S. Jan 1, 1888 South America: Brazil ends slavery. Sep 19, 1893 Oceania: New Zealand first country to grant suffrage to women. Aug 1, 1894 Asia: Sino-Japanese War begins. Apr 17, 1895 Asia: Sino-Japanese War ends. May 18, 1896 North America: Plessey vs. Ferguson legalizes "separate but equal" doctrine in U.S. Feb 15, 1898 North America: USS Maine explodes in Havana Harbor, Cuba. Jul 7, 1898 North America: U.S. annexes Hawaii. Oct 11, 1899 Africa: Boer War begins in Southern Africa. Nov 2, 1899 Asia: Boxer Rebellion begins in China. Sep 7, 1901 Asia: Boxer Rebellion ends. May 31, 1902 Africa: Boer War ends. Dec 17, 1903 North America: First airplane flight achieved. Feb 8, 1904 Asia: Russo-Japanese War begins. Sep 5, 1905 Asia: Russo-Japanese War ends. Jun 30, 1906 North America: Food and Drug Act passed. Jun 28, 1914 Europe: Franz Ferdinand assassinated in Bosnia. Jul 28, 1914 Europe: World War I begins. Mar 8, 1917 Europe: Bolshevik Revolution begins in Russia. Apr 6, 1917 North America: U.S. enters World War I. Nov 11, 1918 World: World War II ends. Jan 26, 1919 North America: Prohibition is enacted in the U.S. Jun 28, 1919 World: League of Nations established. Aug 18, 1920 North America: Women's suffrage ratified in U.S. Jul 1, 1921 Asia: Chinese Communist Party founded in China. Jan 21, 1924 Europe: Vladimir Lenin dies in the Soviet Union. May 21, 1927 North America: Charles Lindbergh makes first solo transatlantic flight. Sep 28, 1928 Europe: Penicillin is discovered in England. Jan 1, 1929 North America: National Revolutionary Party founded in Mexico. Oct 29, 1929 North America: Stock market crashes in U.S. Sep 19, 1931 Asia: Japan invades Manchuria. Jan 30, 1933 Europe: Hitler becomes chancellor of Germany. Mar 7, 1936 Europe: Hitler invades Rhineland. Jul 17, 1936 Europe: Spanish Civil War begins. Jul 7, 1937 Asia: Japan invades China. Mar 4, 1938 Middle East: Oil discovered in Saudi Arabia. Apr 1, 1939 Europe: Spanish Civil War ends. Sep 1, 1939 Europe: Germany invades Poland. Sep 1, 1939 Europe: World War II begins. Dec 8, 1941 North America: U.S. enters World War II. Jul 16, 1945 North America: First atomic bomb detonated. Sep 2, 1945 World: World War II ends. Jan 1, 1946 North America: First computer created. May 14, 1948 Middle East: Israel becomes a nation. Apr 4, 1949 World: NATO is formed. Jul 25, 1950 Asia: Korean War starts. Jul 27, 1953 Asia: Korean War ends. May 17, 1954 North America: Brown vs. Board of Education ruling. May 14, 1955 Europe: Warsaw Pact formed. Nov 1, 1955 Asia: Vietnam War begins. Oct 4, 1957 Europe: U.S.S.R. launches Sputnik into orbit. Jan 1, 1958 Asia: Great Leap Forward begins in China. Jan 1, 1959 North America: Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba. Oct 1, 1960 Africa: Nigeria gains independence. May 31, 1961 Africa: South Africa gains independence. Aug 13, 1961 Europe: Berlin Wall is constructed. Oct 16, 1962 North America: Cuban Missile Crisis. Aug 28, 1963 North America: March on Washington for Civil Rights. Nov 22, 1963 North America: JFK is assassinated. Jul 2, 1964 North America: Civil Rights Act passed in U.S. Jan 1, 1966 Asia: Cultural Revolution begins in China. Jan 24, 1966 Asia: Indira Gandhi becomes Prime Minister of India. Apr 4, 1968 North America: MLK assassinated. Feb 17, 1969 Middle East: Golda Meir becomes Prime Minister of Israel. Jan 22, 1973 North America: Roe vs. Wade decision. Apr 30, 1975 Asia: Vietnam War ends. Feb 1, 1979 Middle East: Islamic Republic of Iran declared. Dec 25, 1979 Middle East: Soviet-Afghan War begins. Aug 20, 1985 North America/ Middle East: Iran-Contra Affair Feb 15, 1989 Middle East: Soviet-Afghan War ends. Apr 15, 1989 Asia: Tienanmen Square Protests begin. Oct 3, 1990 Europe: East and West German Reunification Dec 25, 1991 Europe: Soviet Union collapses. Sep 13, 1993 Middle East: Israeli-Palestinian Peace Accord signed. Nov 1, 1993 Europe: European Union founded. Jan 1, 1995 World: World Trade Organization formed. Sep 11, 2001 North America: September 11 terrorist attacks. Mar 20, 2003 Middle East: U.S. invades Iraq.