istoryworld
All Events
An unimaginably large explosion from an unimaginably small particle - according to modern theory the first moment of the universe
Hydrogen and helium nuclei form in the first three minutes, with perhaps another 300,000 years before they combine with electrons to form atoms
As gravity exerts its pressure within parts of the expanding fireball, subnuclear particles merge into more complex elements
The first galaxies begin to form, as self-contained gravitational systems with gases gradually coalescing into stars
A new galaxy, the Milky Way, forms - and one of its stars is our sun
The new star settles down, while nuclear dust in the vicinity coalesces into planets and asteroids orbiting the sun
The earth condenses into a solid sphere, with an inner core which is extremely dense and hot
The earth's surface settles into a heaving turmoil of rock and water
Fossilized bacteria have been found in rock 3.5 billion years old in Africa
Single-celled water creatures, such as algae, begin the 2-billion-year process of evolving into slightly more complex forms of life
Sponges and jellyfish drift in the sea, to be joined later by more purposeful shrimps and lobsters
The earliest known creature with a skeleton evolves as a form of fish
Plants, previously living only in the seas and rivers, begin to establish themselves on land
Insects become the first creatures capable of living their full life span out of the water - and the first to master flight
Amphibians develop lungs, enabling them to live on land as well as in the water
Reptiles develop evolutionary advantages for adaptation to a wide range of environments
The entire land surface of the earth merges into a single continent, known as Pangaea, which after about 50 million years splits in two
The dinosaurs dominate the planet in a way that no previous creature has been able to
The process of continental drift, beginning 200 million years ago, results eventually in our present arrangement of six continents
Mammals begin to make their appearance
Archaeopteryx has the skeletal structure of a dinosaur and the feathers of a bird, intermediate between the two species
Primitive birds begin to feature in the fossil record
In a very short space of time the dinosaurs die out, for reasons as yet uncertain
Mammals evolve in many new forms on land and in the water, using opportunities made possible by the extinction of the dinosaurs
Australia becomes a separate land mass, isolating its living creatures. They evolve into many species unique to the area
