A Timeline of Human History

From the first Homo sapiens to the digital age. Early dates are approximate.

1. ~300,000 years agoThe oldest known Homo sapiens fossils date to this time, found in Morocco.
2. 50,000+ years agoPeople are living in Australia, the beginning of one of the oldest continuing cultures on Earth.
3. 40,000+ years agoCave art appears in places as far apart as Europe and Indonesia.
4. ~11,000 years agoFarming begins in the Fertile Crescent, and people start settling in villages.
5. ~5,200 years agoWriting develops in Mesopotamia, and history begins to be recorded.
6. ~2560 BCEThe Great Pyramid of Giza is built in Egypt.
7. 508 BCEAthens introduces early democratic reforms.
8. 221 BCEQin Shi Huang unifies China under one emperor.
9. 27 BCEAugustus becomes the first Roman emperor, and the Roman Empire begins.
10. 476 CEThe Western Roman Empire falls.
11. ~1440Johannes Gutenberg develops the printing press in Europe, spreading ideas faster than ever.
12. 1492Columbus reaches the Americas, beginning sustained contact between the hemispheres.
13. 1760 to 1840The Industrial Revolution transforms work, cities and travel.
14. 1903The Wright brothers make the first powered, controlled aeroplane flight.
15. 1969Humans walk on the Moon for the first time.
16. 1989Tim Berners-Lee proposes the World Wide Web.
17. 2007The smartphone goes mainstream, putting the internet in everyone's pocket.