Warfare Timeline

  • 3000 BCE

    When humans first used bows and arrows

    Bows and arrows were used to hunt, and for wars. Bows and arrows made it easier for humans to kill at a greater distance.
  • 3000 BCE

    When horses were first domesticated

    Horses were a great impact because of their speed, efficiency, and their reliability.
  • 3000 BCE

    Humans first used bows and arrows

    Bows and arrows gave people a stronger and more accurate way of hunting and killing.
  • 3000 BCE

    Horses were first domesticated

    Horses were a huge value during war, because of their speed, efficiency, and reliability.
  • 3000 BCE

    The development of the trebuchet

    The trebuchet slung big boulders and did a lot of damage, so it destroyed castle and city walls.
  • 1184 BCE

    Trojans War

    In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology
  • 900 BCE

    When was gunpowder invented

    Gunpowder would soon lead to be the base to almost every weapon used in war from that point on.
  • Period: 431 BCE to 404 BCE

    The Peloponnesian War

    The wealth, prestige, policies, and power of Athens caused resentment among other city-states. A plague that killed many Athenians helped Sparta defeat Athens. The Peloponnesian War weakened all of the Greek city-states for 50 years.
  • 400 BCE

    The development of the trebuchet

    The trebuchet was a great impact, because it was used to hurl big boulders. This helped with destroying castle or city walls.
  • Period: 264 BCE to 146 BCE

    The Punic Wars

    The Punic Wars were a series of three wars fought between Rome and Carthage. At the time, they were some of the largest wars that had ever taken place
  • 900

    The invention of gunpowder

    This would soon be the basis of almost every weapon used from that point on.
  • Period: 1095 to 1492

    The Crusades

    The crusades were a series of religious wars sanctioned by the Latin Church in the medieval period
  • 1326

    The development of the first handcanyon

    Is the first true firearm, and has been used and upgraded ever since it was made.
  • Period: 1337 to 1453

    The Hundred Years' War

    The Hundred Years' War was a series of conflicts waged by the House of Plantagenet, rulers of the Kingdom of England, against the French House of Valois, over the right to rule the Kingdom of France. Each side drew many allies into the war.
  • 1400

    The invention of the longbow

    The longbow dominated medieval warfare.
  • 1470

    The development of the matchlock gun

    Was much easier to fire with one hand, similar to the handcannon but it was easier to use.
  • Period: Feb 1, 1519 to Aug 23, 1525

    Spanish Conquest of the Aztec Empire

    The Spanish had a positive effect on Aztec civilization because they helped modernize the society. They introduced the Aztecs to domestic animals, sugar, grains, and European farming practices. Most significantly, the Spanish ended the Aztec's practice of human sacrifice
  • Period: to

    Thirty Years War

    The Thirty Years' War was a war fought primarily in Central Europe. One of the most destructive conflicts in human history, it resulted in eight million fatalities not only from military engagements but also from violence, famine, and plague
  • Period: to

    The English Civil War

    The English Civil War was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists principally over the manner of England's governance
  • Period: to

    The Napoleonic Wars

    The Napoleonic Wars were a series of major conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European powers formed into various coalitions, financed and usually led by the United Kingdom
  • The development of the first revolver handgun

    The invention of the revolver handgun made it to where you didn't have to reload your gun every time. You could now shoot many times without reloading.
  • Period: to

    The Taiping Rebellion

    Also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a massive rebellion or civil war that was waged in China between the established Manchu-led Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
  • Period: to

    The American Civil War

    This war was fought in America between the North and the South. The Civil War began primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people
  • Period: to

    Boxer Rebellion

    A Chinese secret organization called the Society of the Righteous and Harmonious Fists led an uprising in northern China against the spread of Western and Japanese influence there.
  • The first machine gun

    The first machine gun had a relatively high rate of fire and more importantly mechanical loading.
  • Period: to

    World War 1

    Image result for world war 1 significance
    It became known as the Great War because it affected people all over the world and was the biggest war anyone had ever known. It even came to be known as 'the war to end all wars', as no conflict before World War One had caused destruction on this scale before
  • The development of the first tank

    When tanks went into battle for the first time, warfare changed forever. These giant armored killing machines have been a central feature of combat ever since.
  • Period: to

    The Russian Civil War

    The Russian Civil War was to tear Russia apart for three years – between 1918 and 1921. The civil war occurred because many groups had formed that opposed Lenin's Bolsheviks. These groups included monarchists, militarists, and, for a short time, foreign nations.
  • The first atomic bomb

    This huge nuclear weapon, is one of the biggest weapons used in warfare. It can destroy a whole city.
  • Period: to

    World War 2

    The large-scale ways WWII changed the world are well-known: the Holocaust's decimation of Jewish culture, the use of atomic bombs on Japan, and the wide swath of death and destruction caused the Axis powers in Europe are all commonly cited ways World War 2 changed history
  • Period: to

    The Cold War

    The Cold War was a period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union with its satellite states, and the United States with its allies after World War II.
  • The first ironclad warship

    The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells.
  • Hydrogen bomb was first tested

    The invention of the hydrogen bomb gave the United States a short-lived advantage in the nuclear arms race with the Soviet Union.
  • The development of the anti-satellite laser

    Are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military purposes.
  • Period: to

    Rwandan Genocide

    The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a mass slaughter of Tutsi, Twa, and moderate Hutu in Rwanda, which took place during the Rwandan Civil War
  • Period: to

    Second Congo War

    The Second Congo War began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a little more than a year after the First Congo War, and involved some of the same issues. The war officially ended, when the Transitional Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo took power
  • The first submarine

    The submarine was a huge advantage during warfare at sea. It was hidden and gave us a different perspective of it all.
  • The development of the M.O.A.B

    In a press release in 2017, the MOAB was described as “the most powerful non-nuclear weapon in America's arsenal.” It's probable that its nickname Mother of All Bombs came about while the military was developing the munition.