Ten events spanning the history of the universe organized by powers of ten.
Memorize these ten dates as a framework for understanding deep time.
| Date Range | Date | Event | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1010 | tens of billions of years ago | 13-14 billion years ago |  | Universe began |
| 109 | billions of years ago | 4.5 billion years ago |  | Earth formed |
| 108 | hundreds of millions of years ago | 500 million years ago |  | First fossilized animals |
| 107 | tens of millions of years ago | 65 million years ago |  | Extinction of the dinosaurs |
| 106 | millions of years ago | 2 million years ago |  | First stone tools made |
| 105 | hundreds of thousands of years ago | 800 thousand years ago |  | First fires kindled |
| 104 | tens of thousands of years ago | 30 thousand years ago |  | First art |
| 103 | thousands of years ago | 5 thousand years ago |  | First writing |
| 102 | hundreds of years ago | 1492 |  | Columbus: east meets west |
| 101 | tens of years ago | 1969 |  | First people on the moon |
