Timelines of Young Readers

AD Year	Event
1492	Christopher Columbus discovers America
1492	Ponce de Leon discovers Florida while searching for the fountain of youth.
1607	John Smith helps establish Jamestown, the first British colony in America.
1608	French explorers establish the city of Quebec, the capital of Canada.
1620	The Pilgrims cross the Atlantic in the Mayflower, and arrive in Plymouth Massachusetts
1634	Lord Baltimore sends British colonists settle in Maryland.
1664	The British conquer the Dutch colony of New Amsterdam and turn it into New York.
1677	William Penn establishes a Quaker colony in Pennsylvania.
1732	Oglethorpe settles Georgia, the last of the 13 colonies.
1759	Quebec, the French capital in America, falls to the British.
1773	Boston Tea Party. Patriots protest against the British Tea tax.
1773	American Revolutionary War begins. Midnight ride of Paul Revere and the Battle of Lexington.
1776	Birth of the United States. The Declaration of Independence is signed.

AD Year	Event
1783	States ratify the Constitution—George Washington elected first President.
1793	Eli Whitney invents the Cotton Gin
1804	Lewis and Clark explore the Louisiana Purchase.
1812-14	War of 1812—first major military conflict since Revolution.
1829	Andrew Jackson, and Indian fighter, becomes first "commoner" president.
1836	Battle of the Alamo, Texas wins its independence from Mexico.
1837	Samuel Morse invents the Telegraph.
1846	Mexican American War, Mexico cedes California, Arizona and New Mexico to U.S.
1849	Gold found in California, Westward expansion begins.
1861-65	American Civil War, Battle of Gettysburg, Emancipation Proclamation.
1869	First Transcontinental Railroad completed
1877	Last Major Indian battle, Chief Joseph surrenders to U.S. army.
1879	Thomas Edison invents the light bulb.
1898-99	Spanish American War—Spain looses Cuba and the Philippines to the U.S.
1917	United States becomes involved in World War I

Dates associated with Old Testament events, especially those before 1000 B.C., are estimates.

BC Year	Event
~5600	Creation, Adam and Eve
~3950	Noah's Flood
~2000	Life of Abraham, Birth of Isaac
~1300	Life of Moses and Exodus from Egypt
~1000	Life of King David
~930	Solomon builds first Temple in Jerusalem. Kingdom is divided shortly afterward.
~587	Nebuchadnezzar conquers Judea, destroys Temple, Babylonian Captivity.
~538	Cyrus the Great conquers Babylon, allows Jews to return to Judah.
~516	Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem, begins construction of a New Temple.
~160	Rededication of the Temple during Revolt of the Maccabees (commemmorated by Hanakkah).

AD Year	Event
0	Birth of Christ
30-33	Christ's Mission on Earth
33	The Crucifixion and Death of Christ
34-60	St. Paul's Missionary Journeys
50-70	Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are written.
70	Destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem
90	St. John writes Revelation, the last of the holy scriptures.

BC Year	Event
1000	Homer writes The Iliad, an account of the Trojan War.
700	Laws of Sparta established by Lycurgus.
600	Laws of Athens established by Solon.
490	First Persian War—Battle of Marathon (Greek Victory)
480	Third Persian War—Battles of Thermopylae (Persian victory) and Salamis (Greek Victory)
450	Golden Age of Athens, building of the Parthenon.
430-404	Peloponnesian War—Sparta defeats the Athenian Empire.
401	Retreat of the Ten Thousand Greeks from Persian territory, under Xenophon.
399	Philosopher Socrates is forced to drink hemlock.
371	Epaminondas of Thebes defeats Sparta at the Battle of Leuctra.
334	Alexander the Great leads Macedonian Conquest of Persia.

BC Year	Event
750	Kingdom of Rome is established by Romulus.
510	Roman Republic is founded by Junius Brutus. Tarquin Superbus, the last king of Rome is exiled.
280	Rome defeats Pyrrhus, conquers all of Italy.
202	Hannibal is defeated at Zama, end of Second Punic War.
168	Roman Macedonian Wars—Greece and Macedonia fall to Rome.
146	Carthage and Corinth are destroyed; Rome controls all the Mediterranean.
52	Julius Caesar conquers Gaul.
49	Julius Caesar crosses the Rubicon, conquers Rome.
44	Julius Caesar is assassinated.
31	Augustus Caesar gains undisputed control of the Roman Empire.
68	Death of Nero, last of the Caesars.
313	Constantine issues the Edict of Milan—Christianity is recognized by Roman Empire.
410	Rome is sacked by Visigoth army.

AD Year	Event
451	Attila the Hun is defeated at the Battle of Chalons.
476	Collapse of the western Roman Empire.
598	Augustine of Kent converts the Saxons, becomes first Archbishop of Canterbury.
600	Frankish King Clovis converts to Christianity, France becomes Catholic.
732	Moslem invaders from Spain are driven out of France at the Battle of Tours.
800	Charlemagne is crowned first Holy Roman Emperor.
880	Alfred the Great saves Britain from the Danes (Vikings).
1066	Norman Conquest of Britain at Battle of Hastings.
1096	Heroes of the First Crusade capture Jerusalem.
1190	Richard I leads the Third Crusade.
1350	Black Plague
1431	Death of Joan of Arc, end of Hundred Years War.
1453	Fall of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire.
1492	Christopher Columbus discovers America.
1517	Martin Luther initiates the Protestant Reformation.
1534	Henry VIII marries Anne Boleyn, breaks with Rome.
1650	Peace of Westphalia—end of the Thirty Years War.
1783	Britain loses her colonies in the American Revolutionary War Revolutionary War
1789	Beginning of the French Revolution. King of France is overthrown.
1815	Napoleon is defeated at the Battle of Waterloo

AD Year	Event
300	St. George fights a dragon, then becomes a martyr.
425	Beowulf fights Grendel and returns home to become king.
501	Siegfried fights the Dragon Fafnir and begins his adventures.
520	Rise of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table.
780	Roland is killed at the Battle of Roncevalles Pass.
1000	Guy of Warwick, after many adventures, marries his lady-love Felice.
1000	El Cid conquers Valencia.
1190	Robin Hood and his Merry Men reside in Sherwood Forest during reign of Richard the Lion-heart.
1330	William Tell shoots an apple off his son's head.