World Timeline — an interactive history timeline and world map for the classroom

What is World Timeline?

World Timeline is a free-to-try interactive history timeline and world map for the classroom whiteboard. One giant, pannable timeline runs from the Stone Age to the Cold War — around fifty eras and over a hundred key events — and as you scroll, a world map lights up to show where each one happened. It's the where and the when of history on one screen, big enough for the whole class.

Why when AND where matters

Children meet history in separate topic boxes — the Egyptians one term, the Romans the next — and it's genuinely hard for them to see that some of these worlds overlapped. A timeline alone shows the order; a map alone shows the places. Put together, the surprises jump out: the Maya were building cities while the Anglo-Saxons were settling England, and the Ottoman Empire was still standing when the First World War began. World Timeline exists for exactly those moments.

What's on the timeline

• Around 50 eras — from the Stone Age, Ancient Egypt and the Indus Valley through Rome, the Vikings, the Mongols, the Ottomans and the Mughals to the World Wars and the Cold War.
• Over 100 key events — the first writing, the fall of Rome, Hastings, the Black Death, the printing press, Waterloo, the Moon landing era and everything between.
• Every region of the world — filter to the British Isles, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, East Asia or South Asia, or show it all at once.
• The story behind everything — tap an era or event and a picture and short summary load, with a link to read more.

How to use it in class

1. Launch it on the whiteboard and scroll to your period.
2. Filter to the region you're studying — or leave the world open and ask "what else was happening while the Romans were here?"
3. Tap an era or event for the picture and the story, and read it out.

World Timeline FAQ

Is World Timeline free?

Yes — it's free to try. Launch it and scroll.

What periods does it cover?

Around 12,000 years — the Stone Age to the Cold War, through roughly 50 eras and over 100 key events.

Does it show where things happened as well as when?

Yes — that's the point of it. The timeline is paired with a world map, and everything lights up in its place as you scroll.

Can I filter to the region we're studying?

Yes — the British Isles, Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, East Asia, South Asia, or the whole world.

Does it cover the primary history topics?

The classics are all there — Ancient Egypt, the Romans, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings, Ancient Greece, the Maya, the Victorians and the World Wars, with the rest of the world around them.

Where does the information come from?

Tap anything and a short summary and picture load from Wikipedia, with a link to read more.

Related apps

Teaching history? Play a round of Time Detectives, order events in the Timeline Game, or watch places change in the Map Time Machine.