Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in the order they happened (called chronological order). It may be in the form of a list or a graphic design. A graphic timeline typically shows a long bar labelled with dates and usually events. But it can be other layouts as well.
Uses of timelines
Timelines are often used in education. They help students and researchers understand the order or chronology of historical events for a subject. A timeline can be used to visualize the time between events, durations (such as lifetimes or wars), and the overlap of events.
History
Timelines are particularly useful for studying history, as they convey a sense of change over time. Wars and social movements are often shown as timelines. Timelines are also useful for biographies.
Project management
Another type of timeline is used for project management. They are important to help team members to know what milestones need to be achieved. It also shows the time schedule. An example is showing a project timeline for a Systems development life cycle of a computer system.
Written for younger readers
Timeline, in simpler words
This version comes from Wikijunior, a set of books written for children aged 8 to 11. It is shorter and uses plainer language than the article above.
From Wikijunior: How Things Work
The technology of this book spreads over a huge period of time. Here is a timeline to order the inventions.
13.7 billion BC - Time
2.6 million BC - Wedge
3350 BC - Wheel
3000 BC - Ice Skates
2400 BC - Pulley
2000 BC - Lever
700 BC - Flush Toilet
1232 - Rocket
1790 - Sewing machine
1801 - Light Bulb
1945 - Nuclear Bomb
1952 - Laser
1973 - Mobile Phone
Where this page comes from
The article above is adapted from “Timeline” on Simple English Wikipedia, by its contributors. We removed reference markers, navigation boxes and tables, expanded measurement templates into readable numbers, and kept the prose otherwise intact. The simpler version is adapted from Wikijunior on Wikibooks.
Both sources are published under CC BY-SA 4.0, so this page is published under the same licence. You may share and adapt it, including commercially, as long as you credit the original and keep the same licence.
Worksheets, answer keys and printable layouts elsewhere on K5Print are our own work and are not covered by this licence.