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3000 BCE
Akhenaton and Nefertiti begin their rule
One of the most mysterious and powerful women in ancient Egypt, Nefertiti was queen alongside Pharaoh Akhenaten from 1353 to 1336 B.C. and may have ruled the New Kingdom outright after her husband's death. -
2400 BCE
Temple platforms are built in Peru
Guards and conservation workers at the Peñas site in Ollantaytambo archaeological park have discovered a complex of Inca platforms, a food storeroom, and a ceremonial court in a 12-acre area that had been covered by vegetation. “We have cut away and removed the thick vegetation from the area and we will now proceed to make the corresponding study of the site. -
2050 BCE
Middle Kingdom of Egypt begins
The Middle Kingdom designates a period of ancient Egyptian civilization stretching from approximately 2030 to 1650 B.C. (Dynasty 11 through Dynasty 13). -
2000 BCE
Development of Chinese Writing
Ancient Chinese writing evolved from the practice of divination during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BCE). Some theories suggest that images and markings on pottery shards found at Ban Po Village are evidence of an early writing system but this claim has been challenged repeatedly. -
2000 BCE
Development of Chinese Writing Greeks colonize the Mediterranean
The legendary Yu the Great was a leader who established flood control systems that helped control the Huang He river. -
1503 BCE
Reign of Queen Hatshepsut begins
Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1458 BCE) was the first female ruler of ancient Egypt to reign as a male with the full authority of pharaoh. Her name means "Foremost of Noble Women" or "She is First Among Noble Women". She began her reign as regent to her stepson Thutmose III (r. 1458-1425 BCE) who would succeed her. -
960 BCE
Song Dynasty began in China
The Song dynasty ([sʊ̂ŋ]; Chinese: 宋朝; pinyin: Sòng cháo; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. -
750 BCE
Greeks colonize the Mediterranean
Greek city-states created new colonies around the Mediterranean as a way to deal with over-population and to find new resources such as timber and metals. Many colonies began as trading posts with indigenous peoples. -
566 BCE
Buddha is born
Siddhartha Gautama, the Lord Buddha, was born in 623 B.C. in the famous gardens of Lumbini, which soon became a place of pilgrimage. Among the pilgrims was the Indian emperor Ashoka, who erected one of his commemorative inscribed Ashoka pillars there. -
551 BCE
Confucius is born
According to Records of the Historian, Confucius was born into a royal family of the Chou Dynasty. Other accounts describe him as being born into poverty. What is undisputed about Confucius' life is that he existed during a time of ideological crisis in China. -
509 BCE
Roman Republic is established
It all began when the Romans overthrew their Etruscan conquerors in 509 B.C.E. Centered north of Rome, the Etruscans had ruled over the Romans for hundreds of years. Once free, the Romans established a republic, a government in which citizens elected representatives to rule on their behalf. -
500 BCE
Adena mounds are built in Ohio
The Adena Mound, the type site for the culture, is a registered historic structure near Chillicothe, Ohio. The site, located in Greenup County, Kentucky, is a conical abide surrounded by a series of circular ditches and embankments. -
221 BCE
China has first emperor
China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huang, was born on 18 February in 259 BC – that's over 2,200 years ago. -
206 BCE
Han Dynasty begins in China
At first the Han Dynasty established its capital at Chang'an, in western China. This Western Han period would last from 206 BCE to 9 CE, when the dynasty's rule would be briefly interrupted by rebellion and the short-lived Xin Dynasty. -
44 BCE
Julius Caesar is killed
The assassination of Julius Caesar, which occurred on this day in 44 B.C., known as the Ides of March, came about as a result of a conspiracy by as many 60 Roman senators. Led by Gaius Cassius Longinus and Marcus Junius Brutus, they fatally stabbed Caesar in Rome, near the Theatre of Pompey. -
100
Paper invented in China
The invention of paper is a symbol of advanced science and technology in ancient China. Improved paper-making traditionally dates back to 105 AD, when Cai Lun, an official at the court of the Han Dynasty, made a sheet of paper from mulberry and other coarse fibers as well as fishing nets, old rags, and hemp waste. -
476
Roman Empire Falls
The most straightforward theory for Western Rome's collapse pins the fall on a string of military losses sustained against outside forces. Rome had tangled with Germanic tribes for centuries, but by the 300s “barbarian” groups like the Goths had encroached beyond the Empire's borders. -
500
Height of Mayan Civilization
Most famously, the Maya of the southern lowland region reached their peak during the Classic Period of Maya civilization (A.D. 250 to 900), and built the great stone cities and monuments that have fascinated explorers and scholars of the region to this day. -
570
Muhammad is born
Born in 570 CE, Prophet Muhammad's [peace be upon him] birthday is commemorated by Muslims around the world during the month of Rabi' Al-Awal. Mawlid an-Nabi – literally, The Birth of the Prophet – is often referred to as the Mawlid. -
600
Islam spreads to North Africa
Islam first came to Africa with Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in the Arab peninsula. This was followed by a military invasion, some seven years after the death of the prophet Mohammed in 639, under the command of the Muslim Arab General, Amr ibn al-Asi. -
800
Arab traders brought paper from China
Historians have not yet established the precise date of the first contacts between the Chinese and African peoples Moreover, the available sources make it impossible to calculate exactly how many Chinese people traveled to Africa or how many Africans went to China in premodern times. What Chinese sources do reveal, however, is how Chinese people viewed those with dark skin and how these perceptions changed over time, reflecting first what Chinese people imagined, and later, -
1215
English Magna Carta signed
Magna Carta was issued in June 1215 and was the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law. It sought to prevent the king from exploiting his power, and placed limits of royal authority by establishing law as a power in itself. -
1438
Incan Empire founded
The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572, when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured. -
1438
Incan Empire founded
The Inca Empire was a vast empire that flourished in the Andean region of South America from the early 15th century A.D. up until its conquest by the Spanish in the 1530s. Even after the conquest, Inca leaders continued to resist the Spaniards up until 1572, when its last city, Vilcabamba, was captured. -
1492
Columbus reaches the Caribbean
On October 12, 1492, Italian explorer Christopher Columbus made landfall in what is now the Bahamas. Columbus and his ships landed on an island that the native Lucayan people called Guanahani. -
Declaration of Independence signed
August 2, 1776, is one of the most important but least celebrated days in American history when 56 members of the Second Continental Congress started signing the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia. -
President Lincoln is killed
On the evening of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth, a famous actor and Confederate sympathizer, assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D.C. The attack came only five days after Confederate General Robert E. -
WW2 Begins
Hitler's invasion of Poland in September 1939 drove Great Britain and France to declare war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. Over the next six years, the conflict would take more lives and destroy more land and property around the globe than any previous war. -
Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa
The election of 1994 was seen by many as a miracle. It was one of the few times, perhaps the only time, that a colonising group had given up its power without a civil war or large scale external intervention. -
Soviet Union breaks apart
Gorbachev's decision to allow elections with a multi-party system and create a presidency for the Soviet Union began a slow process of democratization that eventually destabilized Communist control and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.