History of Ideas Timeline

Period: 4000 BCE to 1750 BCE

Mesopotamia and Sumerians

Found in the fertile land between the Tigris and the Euphrates rivers, the people here land quickly learned how to harvest the amazingly rich ground and surrounding area, giving them plenty of agricultural benefits. The people in the area of Sumer, Sumerians, created the first written style of recording history and events. Named the Sumerian language in about 3100 BC, The Sumerians would continue reigning until becoming conquered by the Elamites and Amorites.
3100 BCE

Beginning of Written Language

The first recorded language was by the Sumerians of Sumer in Mesopotamia. This marked the start of recorded language and how future civilizations will know who the Sumerians were and how they lived during this time period.
Period: 3000 BCE to 30 BCE

Ancient Egypt

Pioneered the transition from hunting/gathering to farming and agricultural growth. The Ancient Egyptians began the use of papyrus to write down history, allowing them to pass down what they knew. Additionally, ancient Egyptkept a system of hierarchy where gods were at the top. The dead were above humans but below the gods in Egyptian culture. They believed their leader, the Pharah, was as close to a god as you could get but still served under both the dead and the gods.
Period: 2500 BCE to 1500 BCE

India

Peaking in 2000 BC, the Indian empire was one of the largest empires of the time. The Caste System of hierarchy in India was important to their growth and what made them unique. This Caste system divided the classes of the country into different levels of wealth, power, and privilege. This system was defined by four key groups of castes, these are the Brahmans, the barons, the merchants, and the Sudras. People would stay together with their class and only interact with others of their class.
1800 BCE

The First Alphabet

The First Alphabet was created by the Phoenician people in the Mesopotamian region. Known as the Phoenician alphabet, it is the blueprint for other alphabets and was later enhanced and translated by the Greeks who added multiple vowels and consonants.
Period: 1600 BCE to 1050 BCE

China: Shing Dynasty

The Shing Dynasty was the first dynasty of China that had written and recorded history. The Dynasty also had many advances in math, artwork, and military science. The Shing brought China into the bronze age and up to speed with other civilizations with bronze-tipped spears, horse-drawn chariots, and many other tools and military advancements.
Period: 1110 BCE to 255 BCE

China: Chou Dynasty

Defeated the Shings to become the next dynasty of China. They improved and updated the written script into a more modern form
620 BCE

Thales

Thales (about 620 - 546 B.C.) was revered as one of the first scientists and philosophers of the pre-Socratic era. He believed that at its base, everything was made of the same thing, and he believed that it was water. All matter is water, and everything is made of water. As water was the "permanent entity" as Thales saw it, he believed that the earth constantly floats on a layer of water. Thales' ideas and contributions to metaphysics would be used for many years to come.
600 BCE

Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was and is one of the greatest and longest architectural achievements to this date, many people died during the building process. Building began in roughly the 7th century B.C. and was continued by each Chinese dynasty until it was completed in 221 B.C. The wall covers 13,000 miles and was used to protect the territory of the current emperor.
Period: 600 BCE to 400 BCE

The Greek Knowledge Explosion

The Greek knowledge explosion was the first major knowledge expansion in recorded history. This was a time of unprecedented curiosity and exploration to figure, to know, and to learn more about the world and what it's made of.
580 BCE

Pythagoras and the Invention of Mathematics

Referred to as "The Man" by his followers, Pythagoras was born in Samos around 580 B.C. He is credited with the discovery and implementation of a multitude of mathematical theories including, irrational numbers, ratios, and that "numbers might have an even greater influence on material things" than previously thought. After he starved himself to death in about 500 B.C his followers would continue his work and make a great many more discoveries from their leader's work.
563 BCE

Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama (563 - 483 A.D.), the Buddha, was born in India in roughly 563 B.C. He was a philosopher that contemplated the meaning of life, the circle of life (live, grow sick, die.), and why we must go through suffering. One day, he sat beneath the Bodhi tree at the age of 35, meditated, and experienced supposed enlightenment. Henceforth, he was known as the supreme Buddha and passed down the knowledge of enlightenment known as the Four Noble Truths. Thus began Buddhism.
551 BCE

Confucius

Confucius (551 - 479 B.C.) was born in eastern China. Although he was orphaned and poor, he quickly became the most learned man and greatest thinkers of his time. He taught the Confucian doctrine that stated that what you did, your abilities and moral excellence made a person a leader, rather than birth. Confucius also taught extensively that merit was based on learning, rather than birthright.
525 BCE

Birth of Drama and Plays

Aeschylus, the first great Athenian tragedian (525 - 465 B.C.) is credited as the inventor of drama, often called the "father of drama". He wrote roughly 80 dramas in his time, only 7 have survived. Sophocles (496 - 406 B.C.) enhanced the dramas that Aeschylus worked on, adding valuable elements and aspects that brought them even further to life. Euripedes (484 - 406 B.C.) the third and last Athenian tragedian further worked on what Aeschylus and Sophocles started and made it his own as well.
Period: 500 BCE to 1400

Dark Ages / Middle Ages

Commonly called the dark ages due to the people's outlook on life and barely any documentation. Despite this stigma, the "dark ages" were actually a relatively optimistic time of growth in science, education, and theology. During this time, there were countless architectural, scientific, and musical advancements that made this era so fruitful and full of life.
484 BCE

Herodotus

Know as the Father of Recorded History, Herodotus (484 - 425 B.C.) was born in the Greek city of Halicarnassus. He was the first person to record history like it was a story, with a beginning, middle and end. Herodotus pioneered the thought process of historical analysis to record and remember history. He was a world traveler that recorded notes wherever he went, recording what was said and what he saw. This style of note-taking and history recording would become increasingly popular over time.
470 BCE

Socrates

Socrates (470 - 399 B.C.) was a philosopher that loved questioning other philosophers and often admitted his own lack of knowledge. He constantly probed other philosophers by questioning their ideals, forcing them to think critically. Socrates was the inventor of the Socratic method between philosophers and teachers. This led to the birth of the Socratic method of teaching, being a dialogue between teacher and student. His questioning and method of teaching irked the Athenians he conversed with
460 BCE

Democritus

Democritus (460 - 370 B.C.) was known as the laughing philosopher and was the first to propose atomic theory. He proposed that everything is made up of a finite number of atoms, instead of Thales' water. Atoms, as he proposed, were incredibly small particles that accounted for everything and what we in the material world. Democritus also proposed the theory of infinite worlds. This particular theory states that there are many different worlds that are the exact same as the one we reside in.
428 BCE

Plato

Plato (428 - 347 B.C) was born in Athens, Greece, and introduced the philosophy of Forms. He was a devout student of Socrates. He believed that everything we see and feel is just a decayed form of the ideal. Plato dealt with many different subjects with his philosophy, including theology, language, politics, epistemology, and cosmology. Plato is sometimes titled as the founder of political philosophy and is among the most famous and referenced philosophers that the world has seen.
384 BCE

Aristotle

Aristotle, born in Greece was Plato's student. Once he felt like he had learned enough from his master, he opened his own school in Athens called the Lyceum of Athens. It was here that he taught many different subjects such as politics, metaphysics, ethics, and theology. He pioneered the thought process of explaining the separation of the body and soul in the philosophy of Hylophormism. He died in 322 B.C. a successful teacher and a brilliant philosopher of his time with many new ideas.
300 BCE

Epicureanism and Stoicism

Epicureanism and Stoicism were philosophies that were formed by philosophers Epicurus and Zeno respectively in around 300 B.C. They were formed at roughly the same time and were nearly polar opposites. The school of Epicureanism praised a type of hedonism in which pleasure of the mind and emotion was king. Stoicism, on the other hand, was the rock-solid school of thought that taught that emotions and feelings were useless, knowledge and true perception of the world as it is are king.
280 BCE

Constantine

Constantine was Rome's first Christian ruler. He had seen the suffering of Christians around the nation, and after he became ruler, dubbed Christianity as Rome's official religion. In Constantine's 25 year rule, he had advanced Christianity in Rome and had made it the staple religion of the land for many years after. His rule shaped how Christianity and Christians would be viewed for many years.
221 BCE

Shih Huang-Ti

Shih Huang-Ti (221 - 206 B.C.) was the Emperor during the Qin Dynasty and led the final construction and completion of the Great Wall of China. Shih Huang-Ti worked on standardizing a form of writing through his empire. Shih Huang-Ti also worked on many different infrastructure projects through his empire, including highways and roads, various canals, and a postal system. He standardized currency and a system of measurement for his empire.
Period: 221 BCE to 206

China: Qin Dynasty

The Qin Dynasty was the dynasty that completed the Great Wall. They also further developed the written language, updating it to its near modern form.
106 BCE

Cicero

Cicero (106 - 43 B.C) was a philosopher and translator who transcribed many Greek ideas of the time into readable Latin. He also wrote a great many famous philosophical books that included, On the Republic, On the Orator, On Invention, and his last book On Duties. These books are mostly preserved and are influential in the area of philosophy. Later in his life, as he became more involved in Roman politics, he fell out of favor with the Romans and was eventually executed.
30 BCE

Roman Conquest of Eypt

Pharaoh Cleopatra VII joined forces with Roman general Mark Antony. They were beaten by the Roman leader Octavian, leading to the defeat of the Egyptian Empire. This caused a shift in the power of the area that only served to increase Rome's hold on the world.
476

The Roman Empire Falls

The greatest civilization the world had seen finally fell in 476 A.D. . Brought down by internal strife of separation and divide, as well as various external forces such as Gothic barbarians.
480

Boethius

Born in 480 A.D. Boethius wrote the Consolation of Philosophy before he was executed in prison in 524. While he was alive he translated many of the works and notes of Aristotle for more people to access. Boethius also proposed the problem of divine foreknowledge. He was a Christian who supported Catholicism who wrote multiple treatises on the faith. His works and ideas would be used in schools and education for well over 700 years after his time.
480

St. Benedict

St. Benedict (480 - 547 A.D.) was of the thought process that more poverty and lack of riches led to better and more ideal Christians. This led to the creation of monasteries, and the popularity of monks that would come and go in popularity. His followers, Benedictines, would follow his lead and be devoted to a life of poverty, prayer, and good works. This manner of living would be popular for a while, until Benedict's followers would fall for the life of riches, disposing of his teachings.
980

Avicenna

Avicenna, otherwise known as Ibn Sina, is one of the most famous and influential Islamic philosophers and, more notably, physician of the era. His most famous work, The Canon of Medicine, was a substantial medical encyclopedia that was used as a standard textbook for Europe. He also produced the Book of the Cure, another encyclopedia that encompassed useful information on science and philosophy.
1099

The Crusades

The Crusades (1099 - 1291 A.D) was multiple bloody wars fought between Christian and Muslim soldiers in an attempt to retake or defend the holy city and other holy sites. The Christian soldiers of the crusade and the act itself were funded and backed by the Pope and the Church. There were a total of eight different crusades that happened over the course of roughly 200 years. These crusades would forever change the view of Christians and how they would be seen for many years to come.
1224

Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (1224 - 1274 A.D), nicknamed Doctor of the Church, was a devout Christian who wrote the five proofs of God's existence. Aquinas believed that because we have functioning brains, God has placed us here to use them and work through various intellectual puzzles that the world presents. Aquinas worked through many philosophical questions but, despite his best efforts, he was never able to fully answer the question of the two cities of God and Man.
1254

Marco Polo and the Silk Road

Marco Polo (1254 - 1324 A.D.) was the missing link between China, Japan, and Europe. He was the first European to document his travels to China by way of the silk road. By using the silk road, he was able to bring information and goods from Europe to Asia, and back again. This allowed for a constant exchange of information, ideas, food, and various goods. It wasn't until many emperors of the area began to restrict trade and travel that this era of commerce stopped between the nations.
1300

The Divine Comedy and Beginning of the End of the Middle Ages

Dante was a brilliant poet whose famous poem, The Divine Comedy, marked the apparent end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the rebirth of the Renaissance Era. This work told of the adventures of Dante through the many layers of hell. His version of hell includes multiple philosophers and politicians from the era, placing them in different layers of hell, and Lucifer at the bottom layer of hell. Dante's Divine Comedy would continue to be influential and popular to the modern-day.
1304

Francesco Petrarch

Sometimes noted as the "Father of Humanism", Francesco Petrarch (1304 - 1374 A.D.) was born in 1304 in Arezzo, Tuscany. He was a famous poet whose ideas and works are sometimes cited as sparking the Renaissance. He wrote about a character known as Laura in his most famous work, Canzoniere (songbook) Petrarch worked extensively with his friend Giovanni Boccaccio, together they worked on reviving the use of art, language, and writing for the new era.
Period: 1304 to 1700

The Renaissance Period

The Renaissance Period was a period of unprecedented growth and rebirth that followed the Middle Ages. This period took off after the Black Plague died down in 1341. This was a period of rapid growth in culture, art, politics, economics, theology. Countless brilliant minds full of wonderous ideas and proposals were born during this time.
1313

Giovanni Boccaccio

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313 - 1375 A.D.) was a very successful writer and poet who constantly looked up to Petrarch. They would eventually become friends, combine forces, and tackle the great works of the ages. Through the studying and reading of works such as Dante's Divine Comedy and the Illiad, they worked together to revive the use of older more classical language. From these studies Boccaccio, Petrarch and Dante worked to shape the direction of learning, writing, and art for the next era.
1346

Black Death

The Black Death was a horrible plague that ravaged Europe and Asia. Researchers have found that it originated in 1346, and lasted till 1352, after wiping out most of the populace. However, it wasn't all bad, the plague spurred on advancements in medicine, methods of printing, paper, philosophy, and a new outlook on life that further helped to improve the daily life of people in those times.
1377

Filippo Brunelleschi

Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446 A.D) was an architect and artist who received his education in art from Florence. From this education, he continued to practice art and was eventually credited with discovering or rediscovering the principles and techniques of linear perspective in art. This style of perspective was would be used for many years after his time, further shaping the ever-changing world of art.
1451

Christopher Columbus

In an event to discover a new trade route to buy and sell spices from India, Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1504 A.D.) was chosen to lead the voyage around the world. Due to a slight miscalculation, Columbus stumbled upon an unknown continent, America. He wasn't the first to discover the continent, as multiple tribes and fishermen had already been there before him. However, he was the first to completely document and begin harvesting the bountiful goods that North and South America had to offer.
1452

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo de Vinci (1452 - 1519 A.D) was one of the most famous painters and artists that the world has seen. Although we lost a great many of his works over the years, his most famous works, the Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Virgin and Child with St. Anne, remain intact and are often praised. Despite being a renowned painter and artist, he also worked extensively on sketches of architectural feats and inventions that, although intricate, were not possible with the knowledge of the era.
1473

Nicolaus Copernicus

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543 A.D.)was the first to propose the heliocentric system (the Sun is in the center of the galaxy). This went directly against the common thought of the time, known as geocentric (the Earth is the center of the galaxy). He also made multiple discoveries about the planets and how they move. He wrote a book "On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Orbs" that he only allowed to be published once he was on his deathbed.
1483

Martin Luther

Born in Eisleben, Germany in 1483, Martin Luther believed that man was justified by faith alone. Martin Luther started the Reformation of the Church in 1517 when he nailed the Ninety-five Thesis to the church in Wittenberg. These papers dealt with numerous problems that the church of the time was dealing with, included, indulgences, people's access to the Bible, and the topic of works and faith. These papers radically changed how the church was viewed and the people's view of God Himself.
1544

William Gilbert and Magnetism

William Gilbert (1544 - 1603 A.D) was a physician and most notably a scientist. Gilbert focused on lodestones and the natural magnetism that they contained. Through the use of a compass and magnetic north, he deduced that the earth itself had magnetism. From this, he was able to connect magnetism and Earth's gravity. He believed that it was due to magnetism that the planets were held in their orbit, a proposal that didn't get very far with what the era currently understood of the solar system.
1561

Francis Bacon

Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626 A.D) was a writer and politician who worked for both Queen Elizabeth and King James I. In 1621, he was accused of taking bribes and was imprisoned. After imprisonment, he was unable to serve in office again. It was during this time after imprisonment that he produced his greatest intellectual works. His works, Essays, Novum Organon, and Advancement of Learning were all influential and are what led him to be titled as a Renaissance Man of the Era.
1564

Galileo Galilei

Galileo (1564 - 1642 A.D.) he was born in Pisa and was a brilliant astronomy and scientist that discovered numerous things about the heavens that were previously unknown. Galileo discovered multiple imperfections in the planets that crushed the previous notion that the heavenly bodies were perfect. He discovered the rings of Saturn, numerous moons of Jupiter and the Sun's sunspots. These discoveries further supported the idea that the Sun was at the center of the system, rather than the Earth.
1571

Johannes Kepler

Johannes Kepler (1571 - 1630 A.D) was an astronomer and scientist. He studied the planets and their orbits extensively and made many different discoveries regarding heavenly bodies. Kepler's three Laws of Planetary Motion propose that the planets vary in speeds, do not travel in perfect circular orbit, and that there is a mathematically relation between the planet's rotation, and the position of the sun. These theories would be kept and built on by different astronomers through the years.
1596

Descartes

René Descartes (1596 - 1650 A.D.) wrote a good number of works that related philosophy, theology, and science back to mathematics. The three most famous books he wrote on the issue were "Discourse on the Matter", "Meditations" and the "Principles". His most famous quote was "Je pense, donc je suis" or as we know it in English, "I think therefore I am" is used to prove that we are alive and are human because we can think and reason.
1632

John Locke

John Locke (1632 - 1704 A.D.) was an empirical philosopher (knowledge by observation) and worked constantly with human rights, property, revolution, and what we are granted under government. He wrote many books, most notably were the First and Second Treatises of Government that would continue to be read and cited all the way to modern times.
1642

Isaac Newton

Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727 A.D.) was a brilliant scientist that gathered the ideas of those that came before him and put the pieces together that they had left. Before he even graduated, he had discovered the binomial theorem (a type of calculus). Later in his life, Newton worked on multiple ideas of gravity, discovered the three laws of gravitation, and published the famous book "Principia." His laws of gravity and principles would continue to be relevant and popular in his era and beyond.
1650

Thomas Savery and Steam Power

Thomas Savery (1650 - 1715 A.D.) was an English engineer and inventor that is credited with modeling and building the first steam engine. This creation sparked curiosity and a want for more, and soon, steam power would take off and begin to be used locally and even globally.
1809

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882 A.D.) proposed the idea of natural selection and the idea that we all came from the same ancestor. Through his book "The Origin of Species" he made his mark on the world, making evolution and the concept of it appealing and viable to the world. Additionally, relating to evolution, he proposed the idea that natural selection allows beneficial genes and mutations to survive and be passed down through the years. These two ideas led to support his idea of evolution.
1818

Karl Marx and Communism

Karl Marx (1818 - 1883 A.D.) was a political philosopher born in Germany. He spoke out against the established system of capitalism and promoted communism as a preferred alternative. He believed this due to the fact that under communism, the class system would be dissolved and nearly everyone would be equal. Spurred by his beliefs, he wrote the Communist Manifesto with his friend Friedrich Engels. To this day, the Communist Manifesto serves as one of the most influential political works.
1822

Gregor Mendel and Genetics

Gregor Mendel (1822 - 1884), is commonly titled the Father of Genetics. He worked extensively in breeding pea plants in order to understand how genetics and traits work. From his research, he noticed multiple patterns in the new plants that were made. From these patterns, he was able to rationalize how dominant and recessive genes work. He worked extensively in mapping out traits, alleles, and many different genes. His work would be used throughout the years as a staple for genetic work.
1856

Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Freud (1856 - 1939 A.D) was a neuroscientist and psychiatrist who worked extensively with the brain and its functions. His most notable and lasting discovery was on the idea of the unconscious. This idea of unconscious thoughts and feelings was the main topic of his research. Freud also did plenty of research on mental illnesses, allowing him to diagnose, treat, and offer guidance on how to get over some of these illnesses. His theories and notes would be useful for years to come.
1879

Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955 A.D.) was a brilliant scientist and researcher who discovered many things about our world and how it relates to mathematics. His most famous theories were the Special and General Theories of Relativity. His famous equation E = mc2 was the catalyst for the Americans to crack the mystery of the Nuclear bomb, against Einstein's wishes.
1912

Alan Turing

Alan Turing (1912 - 1954) was a computer scientist, philosopher, and mathematician that worked on the development of computers that would eventually become the computers of today. He was indispensable in the war efforts against Germany in World War 2, using his computer prowess and brilliant mind to crack the Nazi Enigma code. These war efforts would change the tide, allowing the allies to crack the Nazi code, figure out what they were planning, and counter them.
1914

World War 1

The First World War lasted from 1914 - 1918. This war started when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia following the assassination of Austria's leader, Archduke Franz Ferdinand. This was a war between the allied powers and the central powers of the world. It would finally end in 1918 when the main aggressor of the central powers, Germany, signed an agreement of peace with the allied powers.
1939

World War 2

The Second World War lasted from 1939 - 1945. The war was between the allied powers and the axis powers of the world. This war saw the U.S. using their newly created atomic bombs to decimate Japan. Additionally, radar, penicillin, and advanced computers were all invented and put into production during this war. This was was ended when the main aggressor of the war, Germany again, surrendered to the allied powers (Britain and the U.S)
Period: 1960 to 1969

Space Race

The Space Race was a rapid growth in technology by the Soviet Union and the United States to be the first nation to explore outer space. It was a competition that spurred on quick growth in the technology and mathematics used to produce a ship and suits that would be able to survive in the vacuum of space.