Appendix B
4 million B.C.E.—The emergence of Australopithecus from Africa.
1.5 million—The development of Homo Erectus.
200,000—The evolution of Homo Sapiens Sapiens.
10,000—End of the Ice Ages.
10,000—Beginning of the Neolithic Revolution.
5000—Beginning of the river valley civilizations.
3500-1800—The rise and fall of Sumerian civilization.
3100—The rise of the kingdom of Egypt.
1500—The Shang dynasty in China emerges.
1500—The beginning of the Vedic Age in India.
1400—The height of the kingdom of Mycenae.
1028—The beginning of the Zhou dynasty in China.
1000—The early developments of Hinduism.
800—The end of the Greek dark ages; the rise of the Greek city-states.
470—The city-state of Athens at the height of its cultural and political power.
431-404—The Peloponnesian Wars; the decline of the Greek city-states.
402-201—The warring states period in China.
338-323—The rise of Macedonia and Alexander the Great; the beginning of Hellenistic culture.
264-146—The Punic Wars.
322-184—The Mauryan Empire rules in India.
221-202—The Qin dynasty rules in China; the beginning of the Great Wall.
202 B.C.E.-220 C.E.—The Han dynasty rules in China.
30 B.C.E.-202 C.E.—The Kushan rule in India.
27 C.E.—The rise of Augustus Caesar; the end of the Roman republic.
30—The execution of Jesus of Nazareth; the beginning of Christianity.
180—The death of Marcus Aurelius; the end of Pax Romana.
220-589—Period of nomadic invasions and disorder in China.
312-337—The rule of Emperor Constantine; the division of the Roman Empire into East and West; official toleration of Christianity.
319-540—Gupta rule in India.
450—The beginning of the Hun invasions of India.
476—The official date of the fall of Roman Empire; last Roman Emperor deposed.
527-565—The rule of Emperor Justinian over the Byzantine Empire.
570-632—The life of Muhammad; the origins of Islam.
589-618—The Sui dynasty rules in China.
618-907—The Tang dynasty rules in China.
634-750—The emergence of Islamic culture as first global civilization.
661-750—The Umayyads rule the Islamic Empire.
668—The kingdom of Korea becomes independent of China.
711—The first Islamic incursions into India.
718—Islamic forces defeated at the walls of Constantinople.
750—The Abbasids rule the Islamic Empire.
777—The development of independent Islamic kingdoms in North Africa.
800—Charlemagne crowned Holy Roman Emperor.
800-1000—The Viking Age.
800-1100—The rise of the feudal system in Europe.
855—The emergence of the principality of Kiev.
864—Cyril and Methodius spread Christianity to Slavs of eastern Europe.
960-1127—The Song dynasty rules in China.
968—The rise of the Toltecs in Mesoamerica.
980-1015—The conversion of principality of Russia to Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
1000—Ghana Empire in Africa at height of power.
1000-1300—The High Middle Ages in Europe; the spread of universities.
1054—Official schism between eastern and western Christian churches.
1055—Seljuk Turks conquer Abbasid caliphate.
1066—Norman conquest of Anglo-Saxon England.
1096-1099—First Christian Crusade.
1100—The invention of gunpowder in China.
1150—The decline of Toltecs in Mesoamerica.
1185-1333—Kamakuru Shogunate rules in Japan.
1200—The rise of the Mali Empire in Africa.
1206—The Delhi sultanate rules in India.
1231-1392—Mongol rule in Korea.
1236—The beginning of Mongol rule in Russia.
1258—The beginning of Mongol rule in Middle East; the end of Abbasid caliphate.
1265—The first meeting of English Parliament.
1279-1368—Mongol rule in China.
1281—The beginning of the Ottoman Empire.
1300—Islam spreads into Southeast Asia.
1320-1350—The Black Death spreads from Asia into Europe.
1325—The beginnings of the Aztec Empire.
1330—Europeans begin to use cannon in warfare.
1338-1453—The Hundred Years’ War.
1350—The beginnings of the Inca Empire.
1368—The establishment of the Ming dynasty in China.
1390—Ming dynasty ends overseas trade.
1392-1910—The Yi dynasty rules in Korea.
1434-1498—Era of Prince Henry the Navigator and Portuguese exploration.
1439—The nation of Portugal obtains the Azores.
1440—The start of European involvement in African slave trade.
1453—The Ottoman Turks conquer the Byzantine Empire.
1471-1493—The height of the Inca power in South America.
1492—Columbus expedition to America.
1500-1600—European commercial revolution.
1501-1510—The Safavid dynasty conquers Iran.
1509—The Spanish establish colonies on American mainland.
1510—Portugal conquers Goa and Malacca.
1517-1541—Martin Luther and Protestant Reformation.
1519-1521—Magellan circumnavigates the world.
1519-1521—Cortés conquers the Aztec Empire.
1520-1566—The rule of Suleiman the Magnificent.
1526—The beginning of Mughal rule in India.
1533—Pizarro conquers the Inca Empire.
1550-1700—The Scientific Revolution.
1552—The beginning of Russian colonization of central Asia and Siberia.
1570—The establishment of Portuguese colony of Angola.
1571—The Battle of Lepanto.
1590—Hideyoshi unites Japanese.
1591—The decline of the Songhai in Africa.
1600—The beginning of Dutch and English commerce in India.
1603—Tokugawa shogunate rules in Japan.
1607-1608—The beginning of English and French colonial activity in North America.
1640—The beginning of isolationist policies in Japan.
1641—The development of Dutch colonies in Indonesia.
1644—The beginning of the Qing rule in China.
1652—The establishment of the Dutch colony of South Africa.
1658—The beginning of the decline of the Mughal Empire in India.
1682-1699—The Ottoman Turks driven from eastern Europe.
1689-1725—The rule of Peter the Great in Russia.
1713—The establishment of the Bourbon dynasty in Spain.
1722—The fall of the Safavid dynasty in Iran.
1756-1763—The Seven Years’ War in Europe; the French and Indian War in North America.
1763—England obtains “New France” in North America.
1764—British East India Company dominates Bengal in India.
1770—The invention of the steam engine and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.
1772-1795—Poland is partitioned.
1776-1783—The American Revolution.
1781—Indian revolts against Spanish in New Grenada and Peru.
1788—The establishment of colonies in Australia.
1789-1815—The French Revolution and the rise and fall of Napoleon.
1792—Slave uprisings against French in Haiti.
1805-1849—The rule of Muhammad Ali in Egypt.
1808-1825—Independence movement in Latin America.
1815—The English gain territories in southern Africa.
1822—Brazil declares independence from Portugal.
1823—The development of the Monroe Doctrine.
1826—The establishment of colonies in New Zealand.
1830—Democratic uprisings in Europe.
1838—The Ottoman Turks and British agree to trade treaty.
1839-1841—The Opium Wars.
1846-1848—The Mexican-American War.
1848—Democratic uprising in Europe again.
1850—Karl Marx and the development of Marxist doctrine.
1850-1864—The Taiping Rebellion.
1853—The Perry expedition to Japan.
1854-1856—The Crimean War.
1858—English parliament controls India.
1861—The abolishment of serfdom in Russia.
1861-1865—The American Civil War.
1864—The beginning of German unification.
1868-1912—Meiji Restoration in Japan.
1871—The Franco-Prussian War.
1878—The Treaty of San Stefano.
1880-1900—The “Scramble for Africa.”
1885-1914—The industrialization of Russia.
1885—The beginning of the Indian National Congress in India.
1894-1895—The Sino-Japanese War.
1895—The Cubans revolt against Spanish rule.
1898—The beginning of the Marxist Party in Russia.
1898—The Spanish-America War.
1898-1901—The Boxer Rebellion.
1901—The establishment of the commonwealth of Australia.
1903—The beginning of construction of the Panama Canal.
1904-1905—The Russo-Japanese War.
1905-1906—The first Russian Revolution and limited reforms.
1908—The uprising of the Young Turks.
1910—Japan dominates Korea.
1910-1920—The Mexican Revolution.
1911-1912—The end of the Qing dynasty in China; the beginning of revolutionary period in China.
1912—The beginning of the African National Congress party in South Africa.
1914-1918—World War I and the end of European dominance.
1916—Arab revolts against Ottoman rule.
1917—The United States enters World War I on side of Allied Powers.
1917—The beginning of the Russian Red Revolution.
1917—The Balfour Declaration promises territory in Palestine to Jews.
1919—The Treaty of Versailles; the establishment of the League of Nations.
1919—The establishment of the first Pan-African Nationalist Congress.
1920—The Treaty of Sèvres.
1921—The beginning of the Chinese Communist party.
1927—The beginning of the rule of Stalin and five-year plans.
1929-1933—The Great Depression.
1930-1945—The Vargas regime rules in Brazil.
1931—Japan invades Chinese Manchuria.
1931-1947—Gandhi leads nonviolent resistance to British rule in India.
1933—Hitler and Nazis rise to power in Germany.
1933-1939—Franklin Roosevelt and New Deal programs.
1935—Italian forces conquer Ethiopia; Germany begins rearmament.
1937—Japan invades mainland China.
1939—Nazi-Soviet Pact partitions Poland.
1939-1945—World War II.
1941—Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and the United States enters World War II.
1945—The United States drops atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
1945—The establishment of the United Nations.
1945—Ho Chi Minh and communists declare independence in Vietnam.
1946-1950—The decolonization of Asia and Africa.
1946-1989—The Cold War.
1947—The establishment of the Marshall Plan in Europe.
1947—India and Pakistan gain independence.
1948—The division of Korea into North and South Korea.
1948—The establishment of the nation of Israel and the first Arab-Israeli conflict.
1949—The beginning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
1949—The communists are victorious in China.
1950-1953—The Korean War.
1955—The Warsaw Pact.
1957—The beginning of the European Economic Community.
1957—Ghana becomes one of the first independent African nations.
1959—The beginning of the rule of Castro in Cuba.
1962—Algeria declares independence from France.
1965-1973—The Vietnam War.
1965-1968—The Cultural Revolution in China.
1972—The rise of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
1975—The communists unite North and South Vietnam.
1975-1988—Democracy spreads throughout Latin America.
1976—The death of Mao Zedong.
1979—The Iranian Revolution and the Iranian hostage crisis.
1980-1988—The Iran-Iraq War.
1985-1989—Gorbachev reforms communist system in Soviet Union.
1989—South Africa reforms policy of apartheid.
1989—Democratic reforms in eastern Europe.
1990—East and West Germany are unified under one government.
1990-1991—The first Persian Gulf War.
1991—The decline of the Soviet Union.
1992—The establishment of the European Union.
1994—Nelson Mandela elected president in South Africa.
2001—Terrorist attacks of September 11.
2001—The United States overthrows Taliban government in Afghanistan.
2003—The beginning of the second Persian Gulf war in Iraq.