Timeline - Prehistory to 1899

TREKCORE > TIMELINE > Events prior to the 20th Century (Prehistory to 1899)

15 Billion Years BC The formation of the universe known as the Big Bang. Quinn tries to hide the USS Voyager from Q in this time period. ("Death Wish")
     
8 Billion Years BC The Guardian of Forever is created ("since before your Sun burned hot in space" - Star Trek Chronology assumption based on "The City on the Edge of Forever")
     
4 Billion Years BC A humanoid race seeds DNA across the Alpha Quadrant on various planets including Qu'onos, Earth, Vulcan and Cardassia. ("The Chase")
     
3.5 Billion Years BC  Q takes Picard to visit Earth during this time, when the chemical building blocks of life are first forming in the primordial ooze. ("All Good Things")
     
2 Billion Years BC The Tagus civilization flourishes. The Tagus were a subject of particular interest to Captain Picard. ("QPid")
     
1 Billion Years BC  The galaxy-wide Slaver Empire is destroyed when one race revolts against the Slavers. Most intelligent life of this time is destroyed, and the only remnants of the Slaver Empire are stasis boxes and their contents. (One billion years before "The Slaver Weapon" - TAS)
     
300 Million BC A vessel crewed by insectoid beings is invaded by a magnetic organism. Trapped in orbit of Questar M17, the crew disable their own ship to prevent the spread of the entity. (300 million years before "Beyond the Farthest Star" - TAS)
     
100 Million BC A civilization in the D'Arsay system builds an automated craft designed to preserve their culture. ("Masks")
     
Millions of Years Ago  The Organians transform into beings composed of pure energy. ("Errand of Mercy," Star Trek Chronology, p. 2)
     
1 Million BC When the ruins surrounding the Guardian of Forever were built. ("City on the Edge of Forever" TOS)
     
600 000 BC The great T'Kon Empire goes extinct when their sun goes nova. ("The Last Outpost")

During this time period, Sargon's people explore the galaxy and establish colonies. ("Return to Tomorrow")
     
500 000 BC Civilization flourishes on Bajor. ("When humans were not yet standing erect" - "Ensign Ro")

Around this time, the star Exo begins to fade, and the Old Ones begin to move underground on Exo III. ("What Are Little Girls Made Of?")

A great cataclysm happens on Sargon's planet, tearing the atmosphere away from the world. The survivors' are placed in round canisters to preserve them, and are put beneath the surface of the planet. ("Return to Tomorrow")
     
30,000 BC The era when Neanderthal Man and Homo Sapiens Sapiens co-existed in Eurasia on Earth. ("Dear Doctor" - ENT)
     
c. 7625 BC The Dominion is founded, in the Gamma Quadrant. (10,000 years before "Dogs of War" - DS9)
     
c. 5000 BC The ancient Polynesians first leave the South East Asian area and slowly begin settling islands to the East. Samoa and Tonga were the main settlements. (historical accounts. The ancient Polynesians are depicted in the opening sequence of Enterprise) These events also occured in the Mirror Universe on Mirror Earth. (taken from opening sequence for "In a Mirror Darkly, parts one and two")
     
4641 BC The Shore Leave planet is established by an unknown alien race. (7009 years before "Once Upon a Planet." - TAS )
     
4000 BC  In ancient Babylon, the Sumerians began recording the cycles of the sun, the Moon, and the harvest. As their culture got more sophisticated, they built observation towers called ziggurats. From 300 feet up, they observed the movements of the Sun, Venus, and Mars. As new planets were discovered, they were given specific characteristics and a mythical god to rule over them. The heavens were divided into twelve sections, each governing a specific influence of daily life. This was the foundation of both modern astronomy and of astrology. (historical accounts, the zodiac appears in the opening sequence of "Enterprise") 
     
3834 BC A man named Akharin, an immortal, is born in a region of Earth later known as Mesopotamia. Akharin will lead hundreds of lives and be known as such men as Methuselah, Merlin, Abramson, Leonardo DaVinci, Johannes Brahms, Mr. Brack, and finally Flint. He will survive into the 23rd century. ("Requiem for Methuselah." TOS - Flint stated when he was born.)
     
2850 BC When propaganda about the Vulcan primal nature first originated, according to Tolaris. (5,000 years before "Fusion" - ENT)
     
2650 BC Great Pyramid at Giza, The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), is ordered built by the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu of the Fourth Dynasty to serve as a tomb when he dies. (In "Cold Front" (ENT) "Daniels" mentions this time period was visited by researchers from 2769.)
     
850 BC The monastery of P'Jem is constructed by Vulcans on a planet near Andorian space. At some point, it becomes a sanctuary for the practice of the Kolinahr discipline. "The Andorian Incident" (ENT). 3,000 years before the episode.
     
200s BC  In the third century, Archimedes (d. 212 BC) first speculates about the possibility of the Sun being the center of the cosmos and the Earth being one of the planets going around it. The change from thinking of the Earth as the center of the solar system to a heliocentric model is a key development in the understanding of the nature of the universe. (historical accounts)
     
320 AD The Vulcans achieve warp capability. (Star Trek Star Charts, p. 52)
     
370 AD On Vulcan, the time of the Great Awakening as the teachings of Surak, emphasizing logic and control of emotions, lead to a period of reformation. ("Gambit, Part II"). It was also a time of great violence. Surak himself was killed by radiation poisoning after coming into contact with nuclear fallout ("Awakening")
     

About 1,800 years before "The Forge" (ENT), which was set in 2154 and 2,000 years before "Gambit, Part II" (TNG) which was set in 2370.

In was at this time that a group of Vulcans left the planet to strike out on their own and form a new society. These are the ancient founders of the Romulan society, who no doubt left Vulcan in rebellion to Surak's teachings of logic and pacificism. ("Balance of Terror", Star Trek Encyclopedia)
     
c. 375 AD The Jem Hadar become the first line of defense for the Dominion. (2,000 years before "What You Leave Behind")
     
c. 420 AD The Romulan Star Empire is founded as the rebel Vulcans colonize the twin planets of Romus and Remus. (50 years after conflict with Surak - which is the length of time indicated in some fandom and novels.)
     
500s AD The Mayan culture arises on Earth. Kukulkan, a benevolent alien being, assists the Mayans in their development. The Mayans will survive as a culture into the 10th century. ("How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth." - TAS)
     
c. 650 AD The Vulcans begin interstellar travel. (1500 years before "The Forge")
     
870 Kahless defeats the tyrant Molor and unifies the Klingon nation on Qu'oNos. "Rightful Heir" (TNG). Fifteen centuries before the episode.
     
930 The Klingons achieve warp capability. (Star Trek Star Charts, p. 55)
     
1154  The Andorians achieve warp capability. (Star Trek Star Charts, p. 52)
     
1100s The Aztec culture begins on Earth. The Aztecs are nurtured by the long-lived alien being known as Kukulkan, and will fluorish into the 16th century. ("How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth." - TAS)
     
c. 1150 Tarquin is born. (1000 years before "Exile") Also, the spheres are first constructed in what would come to be known as the Expanse. (1000 years before "Chosen Realm")
     
1200s Within the Delta Triangle region of space, in a different space-time continuum, the Elysian council is formed. (1000 years before "Time Trap" -TAS)
     
1372 The Hur'q invade Qu'onos, the Klingon Homeworld, and pillage the planet. "The Sword of Kahless" (DS9). One thousand years before the episode (2372).

The Rumarie celebration, an anachronism from Vulcan's emotional past, is held for the last time. "Meld" (VGR). 1,000 years before the episode (2372)
     
1452  When Leonardo da Vinci was thought by historians to have been born. He is later revealed to be the man known as Flint. (sources: historical sources, Star Trek Encyclopedia, "Requiem for Methuselah" (TOS).) One of da Vinci's famous sketches is of a proposed flying machine (shown in opening credits of Enterprise). 
     
1543 Nicholas Copernicus, the famous astronomer, passes away. This same year his book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium ("On the Revolutions of the Celestial Orbs"), is published. In this book, Copernicus outlines the mathematical theory behind the orbits of the planets. (A heliocentric map of the solar system, reminiscent of Copernicus' drawings, appears in the opening sequence of Enterprise) 
     
1588 England defeats the Spanish Armada, an historic event that is a favorite of Malcolm Reed. (Future Tense - ENT)
     
1609 Galileo Galilei builds the first astronomical telescope. His observations about the moon, planets in the solar system, the sun, and individual stars in the Milky Way confirms Copernican theories. The sky is no longer the sole domain of mystics. (historical accounts, Enterprise exploration timeline)
     
1666 Sir Isaac Newton postulates laws of universal gravitation – linking celestial and earthly mechanics – and his three laws of motion, and develops calculus to discover and describe his theories. (Enterprise exploration timeline )
     
1675 The last time the dark book known as the Kosst Amojan was removed from the Bajoran archives prior to 2375. (700 years before "The Changing Face of Evil"
     
April 28, 1709 The second HMS Enterprize, of the British Royal Navy is completed at Plymouth, England and launched on this date. The prior Enterprise, captured from the French, was spelt with an "s". (Historical accounts. A rendering of one of the four vessels named HMS Enterprize appears in the opening credits of Enterprise) 
     
1692 The people of Megas-Tu are forced to leave Earth in Salem, Massachusetts, New England. ("The Magicks of Megas-tu." - TAS)
     
1750 Approximate time that Tarquin's last companion passed away. (Over 400 years before "Exile" - ENT)
     
August 1774 The fifth HMS Enterprize is launched at Deptford, England. It would serve as a convoy vessel for the English Navy throughout the Revolutionary War. She was eventually retired and broken up in 1807. (Historical accounts. A rendering of one of the four vessels named HMS Enterprize appears in the opening credits of Enterprise). 

The HMS Enterprize was also part of history in the Mirror Universe on the Mirror Earth. Given their propensity for violence, it seems likely the high seas were even more violent during the service of this Enterprize. (taken from opening sequence for "In a Mirror Darkly, parts one and two")
     
November 21,1783 The first recorded manned flight in a hot air balloon took place in Paris. Built from paper and silk by the Montgolfier brothers, this balloon was piloted on a 22 minute flight by two noblemen from the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. From the center of Paris they ascended 500 feet above the roof tops before eventually landing miles away in the vineyards. Local farmers were very suspicious of this fiery dragon descending from the sky. The pilots offered champagne to placate them and to celebrate the first human flight, a tradition carried on to this day. (hot air balloons are represented in the history of flight sequence in the opening credits of Enterprise)
     
1799 Henry Spencer of Baltimore, Maryland, builds a sailing ship, a schooner named Enterprise. (Enterprise exploration timeline)
     
1836 At the site of an old mission building in San Antonio called the Alamo, rebelling against the repressions of Mexico's self-proclaimed dictator, Santa Anna, a band of 189 Texas volunteers defied a Mexican army of thousands for 13 days of siege (from February 23 to March. 6). The Alamo defenders died to the last man, among them such storied names as William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. (basis of the holodeck program much used by O'Brien and Bashir - particularly in the 7th season of Deep Space Nine)
     
1851 The Suliban homeworld, in sector 3641, becomes uninhabitable. The Suliban become a nomadic people, existing in pockets throughout the Alpha Quadrant. ("Broken Bow" less 300 years)
     
1877 Giovanni Schiaparelli sees lines on Mars, which he calls canali – Italian for channels or furrows. Canali is translated as canals, suggesting they are not natural phenomena. Humans actively speculate about intelligent life on other worlds. (Enterprise exploration timeline)
     
1853 The war between the Denoblians and the Antarans ends. During the conflict, the Denoblians had inflicted 20,000,000 casualties on the Antarans. Dr. Phlox's grandmother lived through the final battles of this conflict. (300 years prior to "The Breach")
     
1863 The Scagarans abduct a group of humans from the American west and enslave them. (40 years prior to the Wright Brothers Flight - "North Star")
     
1864 The Scagarans take their human slaves to a colony planet located in what will come to be known as the Delphic Expanse. Within six months, the humans have rebelled, overthrown the Scagarans, and have destroyed the Scaragan space ship. Their leader, Cooper Smith, becomes a folk hero to the humans and a villainous figure to the surviving Scaragans. (date is speculation based on "North Star")
     
1865 Reconstructing their society based on what they remember from having lived in the Western United States, the now freed humans build buildings, create a civic society and create a set of laws to govern themselves. Key among these laws are specific prohibitions to prevent the surviving Scagarans from ever re-creating their technology or gaining any power whatsoever in society. For example, a law is passed banning the Scagarans from receiving any sort of education. (date is speculation based on "North Star".)
     
1893 Lt. Commander Data arrives from the future to investigate the invasion of 19th century San Francisco by life-forms from Devidia II in the 24th Century. ("Time's Arrow, Parts I and II")