Before C.E. 9,000 B.C. Neolithic Revolution 3,200 B.C. First civilizations start to appear in river valleys (starting in Mesopotamia) 2,600 B.C. Cities are built in the Indus River Valley 2,000 B.C. The start of Judaism 1,790 B.C. Hammurabi s Code is written. 1,760 B.C. Shang Dynasty is formed around the Huang He River 1,450 B.C. Height of Egyptian civilization 750 B.C. Greek city- states in Athens begin to develop 566 B.C. Siddhartha Gautama, founder of Buddhism is born 551 B.C. Confucius is born 509 B.C. Roman republic is founded. 460 B.C. Greece starts to utilize direct democracy 450 B.C. Roman Republic publishes the Twelve Tables 323 B.C. Alexander the Great empire s is at its height 202 B.C. Han Dynasty begins (doesn t end until 220 C.E.) 201-300 C.E. 250 C.E. Mayan city- states flourish in Mexico & Central America 301-400 C.E. 312 C.E. Emperor Constantine moves the Roman capital to Constantinople 320 C.E. Gupta Golden Age begins 401-500 C.E. 476 C.E. The Western Roman Empire collapses due to Germanic invaders. 501-600 C.E. 500s C.E. Germanic tribes dominate Western Europe (Dark Ages) 500s C.E. Buddhism is introduced to Japan 527 C.E. Justinian begins his rule of the Byzantine Empire 601-700 C.E. 618 C.E. The Tang Dynasty begins in China 622 C.E. Muhammed leaves Mecca - the beginning of the Islamic religion 750 C.E. The Abbasid Dynasty is established in the Middle East 701-800 C.E. 800 C.E. Charlemagne is crowned as the Holy Roman emperor 801-900 C.E. 800s C.E. Kingdom of Ghana controls West African gold- salt trade routes. 901-1000 C.E. 900s C.E. Vikings plunge Europe into disorder causing the rise of feudalism 960 C.E. Song dynasty is founded in China 1001-1100 C.E. 1000s C.E. European economy begins to recover. Growth of trade & towns 1096 C.E. Christians launch the First Crusade. 1101-1200 C.E. 1100s C.E. Feudalism develops in Japan 1201-1300 C.E. 1215 C.E. The Magna Carta is signed, limiting the king s power in England 1236 C.E. Mongol armies called the Golden Horde conquer Russia 1279 C.E. The Mongols gain control of China Late 1200s C.E. Marco Polo reaches China and writes his accounts of the area stimulating interest in Chinese goods. 1301-1400 C.E. 1300s C.E. Renaissance begins in the city- states of Italy 1324 C.E. Mansa Musa, ruler of Mali, makes a pilgrimage to Mecca. 1325 C.E. Aztecs found their capital in Mexico 1337 C.E. The Hundred Years War between England & France begins 1347 C.E. The Black Death breaks out in Italy 1368 C.E. The Ming Dynasty is established in China
1401-1500 C.E. 1405 C.E. Zheng He makes the first of his 7 voyages to show off Chinese wealth 1438 C.E. Incan empire is founded in Peru 1453 C.E. Ottoman Turks capture Constantinople from the Byzantines signaling the spread of Islam into the area. 1456 C.E. The Gutenberg Printing press produces the first Bible 1462 C.E. Ivan the Great begins his reign in Russia 1492 C.E. Ferdinand & Isabella complete the Reconquista of Spain. 1492 C.E. Columbus sails the Atlantic and reaches the Caribbean 1501-1600 C.E. 1513 C.E. Niccolo Machiavelli writes the Prince[p 1517 C.E. Martin Luther posts his 95 Theses 1520 C.E. Suleiman the Magnificent rules the Ottoman Empire 1521 C.E. Hernan Cortes completes conquest of the Aztecs. 1522 C.E. Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigates the globe 1530s C.E. Spain begins the encomienda system in the Americas 1534 C.E. King Henry VIII passes the Act of Supremacy creating the Anglican church in England 1542 C.E. Bartolome de Las Casas condemns the actions of the encomienda system which will eventually lead to slaves being brought over. 1543 C.E. Copernicus develops his idea of a heliocentric theory which will later be proven true. 1545 C.E. The Council of Trent meets to discuss reforms of the Catholic Church 1556 C.E. Akbar the Great begins his rule in Mughal India 1601-1700 C.E. 1603 C.E. Tokugawa Shogunate is formed in Japan 1619 C.E. First cargo of African slaves reaches the Americas 1633 C.E. Galileo Galilei is tried for his observations about the Heliocentric Theory 1661 C.E. King Louis XIV rises to power in France as the Sun King 1689 C.E. The English Bill of Rights is passed ensuring the superiority of Parliament. 1690 C.E. John Locke writes the Two Treatises of the Government speaking about life, liberty and property. 1697 C.E. Peter the Great of Russia tours Europe gets his idea of westernization 1701-1800 C.E. 1700s C.E. France and England begin to experience the Enlightenment to change their thinking on the government. 1748 C.E. Montesquieu publishes his book noting about the benefits of separation of powers. 1750s C.E. Britain begins the Industrial Revolution 1762 C.E. Catherine the Great rises to power in Russia 1789 C.E. The French Revolution begins 1793 C.E. Robespierre executes King Louis XVI which leads to the Reign of Terror
1801-1900 C.E. 1804 C.E. Napoleon crowns himself emperor of France 1804 C.E. Haiti declares independence from France 1807 C.E. First factories open in Belgium signaling the start of the Industrial Revolution in Europe. 1812 C.E. Napoleon s failed invasion of Russia. 1819 C.E. Simon Bolivar leads his revolutions in South America 1815 C.E. Congress of Vienna meets to restore monarchies to power in France 1839 C.E. China and Britain clash in the Opium War 1842 C.E. The Treaty of Nanjing gives Britain trading rights in China 1845 C.E. The potato famine begins in Ireland 1848 C.E. Marx publishes the Communist Manifesto 1853 C.E. American ships commanded by Commodore Matthew Perry arrive in Japan 1857 C.E. The Sepoy Rebellion in India 1858 C.E. Britain begins rule of India 1859 C.E. Charles Darwin publishes his book noting only the strong survive. 1868 C.E. The Meiji Restoration begins in Japan 1869 C.E. Germany legalizes labor unions which signals the start of reforms for poor working conditions caused by the Industrial Revolution. 1869 C.E. French- built Suez Canal opens in Egypt. 1870 C.E. Otto von Bismarck completes the unification process of Germany 1872 C.E. Italy completes its unification process under Mazzini, Cavour and Garibaldi. 1876 C.E. Porfirio Diaz takes over as dictator of Mexico. Rules until 1911. 1884 C.E. European nations carve up Africa at the Berlin Conference 1897 C.E. Theodor Herzl organizes the First Zionist congress for the purpose of finding a Jewish state 1899 C.E. The Boxer Rebellion starts in China. 1901-1950 C.E. 1904 C.E. Japan defeats Russia in the Russo- Japanese war showing that they had arrived as a world power. 1905 C.E. Bloody Sunday massacre in Russia 1910 C.E. Japan annexes Korea because of their need for natural resources 1914 C.E. Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated & World War I begins 1917 C.E. Bolshevik Revolution which installs communism & V.I. Lenin as leader 1918 C.E. World War I ends 1918 C.E. The Balfour Declaration is signed promising the Jews a homeland 1919 C.E. Paris Peace Conference & the signing of the Treaty of Versailles 1923 C.E. Kemal Ataturk takes over in Turkey & westernizes the country 1924 C.E. Joseph Stalin takes over the Soviet Union 1928 C.E. Stalin introduces his five- year plans designed to increase industrial and agricultural output in the Soviet Union. 1930 C.E. Gandhi completes the Salt March
1901-1950 C.E. 1930s C.E. The Great Depression brings major changes to Europe. 1932 C.E. Collectivization in the Soviet Union causes a forced famine in the Ukraine 1933 C.E. Hitler is named chancellor replacing the Weimar Republic. 1935 C.E. Mao completes the Long March to establish himself as the head of the communist party in China. 1935 C.E. Hitler passes the Nuremberg Laws which strip the Jews of their citizenship 1936 C.E. European countries choose appeasement over action in reaction to Hitler s invasions of Central European countries 1938 C.E. The Nazis complete the Kristallnacht attacks on Jewish businesses 1939 C.E. The invasion of Poland by Germany causing the start of World War II 1942 C.E. Germany is defeated by the Soviets at Stalingrad due to the cold 1944 C.E. Allies invade Normandy on D- Day causing Germany to once again fight a two- front war. 1945 C.E. The United States drops two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki 1945 C.E. World War II ends 1945 C.E. The world learns about the actions of the Holocaust 1945 A.D The United Nations is formed 1947 C.E. The Cold War begins 1947 C.E. Partition of India which split Hindu- dominated India and Muslim- dominated Pakistan. 1947 C.E. The country of Israel is founded. 1948 C.E. The United States passes the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan in order to contain communism from spreading around the world. 1948 C.E. Apartheid begins as law in South Africa 1949 C.E. The United States forms NATO with other Western European countries. 1951-2000 C.E. 1950s C.E. Thanks to the Pan- African movement, African nations begins to gain independence. 1951-1953 C.E. The Korean War is fought as U.S. and the U.N. tries to stop the spread of communism. Split between North & South at 38 th parallel. 1955 C.E. The Soviet Union forms the Warsaw Pact with its satellite states in Eastern Europe 1958 C.E. Mao passes the Great Leap Forward to encourage industrial and agricultural output. 1959 C.E. Fidel Castro becomes the communist leader of Cuba 1960s C.E. Middle Eastern countries form OPEC to control oil sales. 1960s C.E. The Green Revolution begins to try to increase agricultural production and reduce world hunger. 1960 C.E. Sharpeville protest over apartheid in South Africa results in protesters dying.
1961 C.E. Berlin Wall is built 1962 C.E. The Cuban Missile Crisis 1964-1973 C.E. Vietnam War is fought but won by Ho Chi Minh and the North Vietnamese communist guerrillas. 1966 C.E. Mao passes the Cultural Revolution to purge China of intellectuals who went against Mao. 1970s C.E. Period of détente between the U.S. and Soviet Union 1975 C.E. Pol Pot & the Khmer Rouge complete the Cambodian genocide. 1979 C.E. Iranian Revolution occurs installing Ayatollah Khomeini as leader and using Islamic fundamentalism as its ideology 1980 C.E. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein starts a war against Iran. 1980 C.E. Lech Walesa comes to power in Poland, forming Solidarity and ridding the country of communism. 1980s Deng Xiaoping takes over for Mao after his death and passes the Four Modernizations to allow some capitalism in communist China. 1985 C.E. Mikhail Gorbachev passes perestroika and glasnost to finally provide more freedom and reform the Soviet Union. 1986 C.E. Chernobyl accident in the Soviet Union 1989 C.E. Tiananmen Square massacre in China. 1990s C.E. The European Union is formed to reduce trade barriers and encourage economic growth in Europe. 1990 C.E. Apartheid is ended in South Africa 1991 C.E. The Soviet Union ceases to exist. 1991 C.E. Fall of the Berlin Wall (symbolic end to the Cold War) 1991 C.E. Aung San Suu Kyi begins her protest of Myanmar s military regime as she is placed under house arrest after winning her election. 1991 C.E. Gulf War occurs as the United Nations and U.S. help Kuwait by defeating Iraqi forces. 1992 C.E. The beginning of the breakup of Yugoslavia 1992 C.E. Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic starts a policy of ethnic cleansing. 1994 C.E. Nelson Mandela is elected president of South Africa. 1994 C.E. The Rwandan Genocide 1994 C.E. NAFTA is created.