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5 Billion Years Ago: Birth of Solar System
The Big Bang started existance of the solar system. -
5 Billion Years Ago: Precambrian ERA Begins
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4.6 Billion Years Ago: Earth Began to Form
The forming of earth created a meteorite bombartdment. -
3.8 Billion Years Ago: Bacteria Diversify
Able to transfer genetic information between different bacteria types. -
3.7 Billion Years Ago: Photosynthesis Bacteria
Bacteria uses photosynthesis, like plants, to survive by converting energy radiated from the sun. Photosynthesizing Bacteria grows larger and reproduces faster than their competitors. -
3.5 Billion Years Ago: Oldest Fossils
Stromatolites are the oldest fossils found in the coastal waters of northwest Australia and South Africa. -
2.2 Billion Years Ago: Oxygen Forms
Oxygen appers in the environment, causing damage to living tissues. -
1.8 Billion Years Ago: Oldest Eukaryote Fossils Acritarch
Single celled algea -
800 Million Years Ago: Majoy Glaciation Period Begins
First of 4 global ice ages. Cold loving microbes evolve and thrives, but causes future extinction of other organisms. -
600 Million Years Ago: Ozone forms
Protective ozone layers are in place. -
540 Million Years Ago: Paleozoic ERA BEGINS
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480 Million Years Ago: Land plants and Fish
Green algea probably washed ashore by tides. The green algea was the first creatures other than bacteria to successfully adapt to life on land. The fish are bottom-feeders, covered almost entirely in armor plates. -
400 Million Years Ago: Oxygen nears present day levels
Oxygen nears present day levels. -
350 Million Years Ago: Reptiles appear
First smaller reptilian vertabrea appear. -
250 Million Years Ago: Mesozoic ERA Begins
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250 Million Years Ago: End Permian
The mother of all extinctions. -
220 Million Years Ago: Mammals, Crocodiles and Dinosaurs appear
The first mammals were related to reptiles. Crocodiles evolved as terrestrial predators. Dinosaurs emerge following a mid-period extinction that probably wipes out most of the mammal-like reptiles. -
200 Million Years Ago: Pangea departs
Supercontinent Pangea starts to break apart. For the next 160 years the continents reposition themselves to where they are today. -
65 Million Years Ago: End Cretaceous
About 60-80 percent of all species go extinct. -
65 Million Years Ago: Cenezoic ERA Begins
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60 Million Years Ago: Primates
Primates appear and probably lived in trees and tropical areas. -
5.2 Million Years Ago: Hominids
Human like primates appear in eastern Africa. -
0.1 Years: Modern Humans
Modern humans disperse throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe. -
0.1 Years: Late Pleistocene
Nearly all birds and mammals over 45 pounds go extinct.
