Summary

0 – The Universe started as a very hot dot and expanded very quickly in the first second. After 380,000 years the universe cooled, atoms formed and light flowed freely.

13.7 Gya – Galaxies formed with black holes at their center and stars circling around. Some stars exploded in a supernova creating heavier elements needed to form planets.

4.6 Gya – The sun and earth formed. Eventually the surface cooled enough to form oceans filled with hydro carbons. One chemical combination formed a cell, the basis of biological life.

Section B – Biological 1,500 to 18 Mya

1,500 Mya – Single celled bacteria produced enough oxygen to allow multi-celled life to appear. Continents formed, merged and broke up. For a period, ice almost covered the earth.

500 Mya – Life moved onto land, first insects and then vertebrates. The largest mass extinction in history cleared the way for dinosaurs. Small mammals appeared.

165 Mya – The last super continent broke up into current continents. Dinosaurs kept growing, dominating all life until an asteroid impact. This allowed mammals to proliferate.

55 Mya –Modern mammals appeared including monkeys. High temperatures melted all the ice followed by an ice age. Grass appeared allowing new animals to prosper.

Section C – Pre-Human 18 to .225 Mya

18 Mya – Apes migrated from Africa to Asia, split into several lines and some migrated back to Africa. Great Apes split into Chimps and hominids. Cats, dogs, horses and whales appeared.

6 Mya – Hominids split from Apes and developed bipedal capability, large jaws and growing brain size including the speech area. They never left Africa .

2 Mya – H erectus developed sophisticated stone tools and a limited ability to use fire. They spread to Asia and Europe . An asteroid collision caused major extinctions.

675 Kya – Archaic humans made many innovations such as deliberate fire making, fishing, living in huts, blades, and pigments for color. Neanderthals appeared in Europe .

Section D – Oral History 225 to 8.5 Kya

225 Kya – Anatomically modern humans appeared in Africa. Human developed cultural traits such as long distance trade and vocal chords took their modern form.

75 Kya – Humans showed signs of abstract thinking, left Africa and populated all continents. Neanderthals disappeared. Last Ice Age reached its peak.

25 Kya – Agriculture was invented in the Middle East. Population grew dramatically. Villages grew into cities. Some people started specializing - fighters, priests, artisans, rulers.

Section E –Recorded History -6,600 to 1630

-6,600 – Major innovations: Writing, the wheel, copper, bronze, iron. Some cities dominated others, forming states and then empires. Hindu and Jewish religions started.

-900 – Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Confucianism, started and spread. Athenians were innovative in arts and science. Empires grew and collapsed. Trade routes established.

1000 – Six regions dominated – Mexico, Peru, Mongol/ Chinese, Muslim, Hindu and European. Chinese and Muslim most advanced until Renaissance in Europe.

Section F – Modern 1630 to Today

1630 – Western Europe grew rapidly in wealth and knowledge, lead by England, while other empires declined, or were conquered. The US split from England.

1840 – For the first time the world was interconnected through major innovations in travel, communication and industrialization. People migrated to cities or to the Americas.

1910 – There were two major wars. In between, growth in prosperity was followed by a world wide recession. Dictatorships grew.

1945 – Colonialism ended. The cold war between communist dictatorship and capitalist democracy involved nuclear arms. Men left earth. Computers appeared.

1991 – The cold war ended with American dominance. Moslem culture wars started. The internet, cell phone and computer connected individuals everywhere.

Future – Population growth ends. Will humans invent a new human species or populate the universe?

Postscript – How did it all start – the universe, life, and self consciousness?

**Gya= Billion years ago, Mya= Million years ago, Kya= thousand years ago, -6,600= 6,600 BC or BCE

Author: Paul Raynault Email: Paul@StudentWorldAssembly.org