3.3 million years · one continuous record
All of Human History
Every invention, discovery and turning point, laid out on a single coiling spiral — the centre is three million years ago, the rim is today. Drag to pan, scroll to zoom, or jump straight to a year.
In view · 3.3 million BCE – 2026
16 entriesPeopling of Australia
Occupation at Madjedbebe in Arnhem Land shows humans established across open water in Sahul.
Australia
Lapita voyaging into the Pacific
Lapita seafarers crossed open ocean to Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa with crops and livestock.
Oceania
Silk Road opens
Han envoy Zhang Qian's missions west linked China to Central Asia and beyond.
China
Polynesian wayfinding to Hawaii and Rapa Nui
Navigators read swells, stars and birds to settle the remotest islands on earth.
Oceania
Norse landfall at L'Anse aux Meadows
Greenlandic Norse built a timber and turf outpost in Newfoundland.
North America
Zheng He's treasure fleets
Ming admiral Zheng He led vast fleets to India, Arabia and East Africa.
China
Transatlantic contact
Columbus's voyages link the Americas and Eurasia permanently.
Atlantic
First circumnavigation
The remnant of Magellan's expedition, led by Elcano, returned to Spain.
Global
Liquid-fuelled rocket
Robert Goddard flew a small rocket burning petrol and liquid oxygen.
United States
Artificial satellite
Sputnik 1 orbits the Earth and beeps at the world.
Soviet Union
Human spaceflight
Yuri Gagarin orbits the Earth aboard Vostok 1.
Soviet Union
Moon landing
Apollo 11 lands Armstrong and Aldrin on the lunar surface.
United States and Moon
Hubble Space Telescope
An optical telescope placed above the atmosphere.
Low Earth orbit
Reusable orbital rockets
A Falcon 9 first stage lands vertically after delivering payload to orbit.
United States
First image of a black hole
The Event Horizon Telescope combined radio dishes worldwide to image M87's shadow.
Global
James Webb Space Telescope images
JWST returned infrared views of the earliest galaxies and exoplanet atmospheres.
Global