Timeline of human life on Earth

History Timeline of Life

		5 Trillion years ago The solar system forms
		15 Billion years ago The universe was born
		5 Billion years ago The Milky Way was born
		4 Billion years ago The Earth was born - Formation of the Earth and the Moon
		4.6 to 3.8 Billion years ago HADEAN From 'Hades' refering to the "hellish" conditions of the Earth. No evidence of life on earth. A mass of dust, elements and particles and volcanic eruptions. Earth developed gravity and formed the earth's crust.
		3.8 to 2.5 Billion years ago ARCHEAN The earliest known rocks formed
		2.5 Billion to 570 Million years ago PROTEROZOIC The first life began to appear as hard-shelled animals.
		570 Million years to the Present, PHANEROZOIC Abundant life and diverse animals
		570 Million years to 245 Million years, PALEOZOIC Ancient life such as fish, amphibians, and primitive reptiles
		245 Million to 65 Million years, MESOZOIC ERA The first mammals and birds appeared
		65 Million years to the Present, CENOZOIC ERA Mammals flourished and became dominant
		570 Million years to 505 Millions years, Cambrian Period Marine invertebrates (lacking a backbone) appeared, simple fish (big and small) with eyes, mollusks, crustaceans, sponges, worms, corals and aquatic algae. The first insects appeared.
		505 Million years to 438 Million years, Ordovician Period The origin of land plants Marine life flourished The first vertebrate fish appeared
		438 Million to 408 Million years, Silurian Period Fish developed jaws, scales and fins First air-breathing animals Mountains formed
		408 to 360 Million years Devonian Period The appearance of amphibians and the development of forests, ferns, fungi and seeds. Scorpions and spiders appeared. Amphibians evolved into small reptiles.
		360 to 320 Million years Mississippian Period The first winged insects appeared Ammonites (prehistoric sea creatures similar to modern squid living in coiled shells) appeared.
		245 to 208 Million years Triassic Period The ancestors of dinosaurs were the large reptiles, early mammals and mammal-like reptiles appeared with 'sails' on their backs.
		208 to 145 Million years Jurassic Period The "Age of the Dinosaurs". Huge creatures that walked on two-legs and had powerful claws and teeth. The pterosaurs the first true flying reptiles appeared. The first birds appeared.
		145 to 65 Million years Cretaceous Period The dinosaurs disappeared. The age of reptiles and the appearance of modern insects and flowering plants
		65 Million to 1.6 Million years ago, Many mammals developed including primitive whales, rodents, pigs, cats, and rhinos.
		2 Million to 4 Million years ago, Gelasian Pleistocene period Apes such as the gorilla and chimpanzee appeared Homo habilis, an upright East African hominid having some advanced humanlike characteristics Australopithecus is an extinct genus of hominids
		1.8 Million years ago Homo erectus meaning "upright man" appeared
		600,000 to 350,000 years ago Neanderthal (Homo neanderthalensis) an extinct species or subspecies of the genus Homo which is closely related to modern humans.
		350,000 years ago to present day Homo Sapiens - modern human

Timeline of Life   Timeline of Life Timeline History Timelines of Events provide fast facts and information about natural events in history.

Timeline of Life