Appendix G: Glance From The Far West

Here is a list of world events collected from various sources showing a very active and diverse world during the developments in the Book of Mormon. Some of these dates are approximated. Please let me know of a significant date you want added, or a correction to what is listed. Thank you.

• 28,000 BC: Neanderthals (230,000-28,000 years ago.) were as formidable as the Ice Age environment they lived in (Europe, Central Asia, Middle East).
• 20,000 BC:
  • Ice sheet that spread down across North America reached its maximum about 20,000 years ago.
  • Archaeologists have dug primitive stone tools and charcoal more than 20,000 years old from camp sites on New Guinea that were used during the last Ice Age. This happened when sea levels were lower and the distances between Australia, New Guinea and the other Indonesian islands were much less. Mainstream archeologists assume that Polynesians came from this early society.
• 13,000 BC: Experts suggest that Asiatic hunters followed herds of animals across a land-bridge connecting Siberia and North America. There's one suggestion of an even earlier date for this initial entry to America.
• 10,500 BC: There have been claims that a great civilization predates ancient dynastic Egypt -- one that existed some 10,500 years BC - and that this civilization was responsible for building the pyramids and sculpting the Sphinx.
• 10,000 BC: Neolithic Age: Ice Age glaciers retreat
• 9000 BC: Gold and copper were first discovered about 9000 to 7000 BC in form of nuggets.
• 7000 BC: Cultivation of sugar cane and banana in New Guinea
• 5500 BC:
  • Facts suggest people in Melanesia were voyaging in boats and trading in obsidian.
  • Copper smelted from malachite in Persia.
• 5000 BC: Artisans, 5000 to 4000 BC, could produce furnace temperatures high enough to transform copper ore into metallic copper.
• 4000 BC: Stonehenge was constructed.
  
• 3600 BC: There is documented evidence of an ancient advanced T'ai (Thailand) society 5600 years ago. The bronze age site near Ban Chiang may document the oldest bronze age culture on earth. On the Korat Plateau at Ban Chiang, near Udon in Issan (the northeast region of Thailand) are remnants of what is perhaps the earliest Bronze Age civilization on earth, dating to 3600 BC. The hamlet Ban Chiang is near Khon Kaen in the southern part of East Thailand. Between Korat, Udon (Lao border) & Ubon (Cambodian border).
• 3200 BC:
  • The history books generally point to 3200 BC as the approximate date when the pyramid of Khufu was under construction.
  • Radiocarbon dating in the early 1970s confirmed that the Skara Brae settlement in British Isle was inhabited for around 600 years, between 3200BC and 2200BC.
• 3000 BC:
  • Began of Indian civilization in the Indus River Valley. Harappan civilization.
  • Iron first forged by Sumerians
  • Egypt unified
  • Yam, oil palm cultivation in West tropical Africa
  • Early Minoan on Crete
  • Earliest reference to the city of Jerusalem
  • Potato cultivation in Peru
• 2879 BC: According to legends (KinhDuongVuong and HongBangThi), the Vietnamese ancestor was KinhDuongVuong.
• 2600 BC:
  • Gilgamesh: King of Uruk, "built the walls", Epic of Gilgamesh
  • First large temple mounds built in Peru
• 2500 BC - The time of Egypt's 4th Dynasty (2575 B.C. to 2467 B.C.) is believed to be the period when the great pyramids were built.
• 2000 BC:
  • Arrival of the Aryans into India
  • Ancient China's rule by dynasties began.
  • Babylonia (2000 - 323 BC) derives its name from the city Babylon (Babylonian, Bab-ilim or Babil, 'Gate of God'), one of the most important cities of the ancient world.
• 1800 BC: Hammurabi's law code
• 1700 BC: Thousands of archaeological finds in the Huang He, Henan Valley (the apparent cradle of Chinese civilization) provided evidence about the Shang dynasty, which endured roughly from 1700 to 1027 BC. The Shang dynasty (also called the Yin dynasty in its later stages) is believed to have been founded by a rebel leader who overthrew the last Xia ruler. Its civilization was based on agriculture, augmented by hunting and animal husbandry. Two important events of the period were the development of a writing system, as revealed in archaic Chinese inscriptions found on tortoise shells and flat cattle bones (commonly called oracle bones), and the use of bronze metallurgy. A number of ceremonial bronze vessels with inscriptions date from the Shang period; the workmanship on the bronzes attests to a high level of civilization.
• 1580 BC: Book of the Dead, term used to describe Egyptian funerary literature. The texts consist of charms, spells, and formulas for use by the deceased in the afterworld and contain many of the basic ideas of Egyptian religion. At first inscribed on the stone sarcophagi, the texts were later written on papyrus and placed inside the mummy case. The earliest collection, known as the Heliopolitan Recension, dates from the XVIII dynasty (1580-1350 BC). It also contains selections from the two previous collections of Egyptian religious literature, the Coffin Texts of the Middle Kingdom (c.2000 BC) and the Pyramid Texts of the Old Kingdom (c.2600 - 2300 BC).
• 1500 BC: Start of the Assyrian Empire
• 1200 BC:
  • The Israelites appeared in history.
  • Phoenicians imported tin from Britain; Phoenician alphabet of 22 consonants
  • The Olmecs were a culture of ancient peoples of the East Mexico lowlands.
• 1193 BC: Sack of Troy by Greeks
• 1020 BC: Saul becomes first king of Israel
• 1000 BC:
  • Iron used in Greece
  • Artifacts indicate the peopling of Samoa around 3000 years ago.
• 967 BC: Solomon builds his Temple
• 900 BC: Steel made in India and Caucasus
• 753 BC: Rome founded.
• 600 BC:
  • The Book of Mormon indicated that Lehi left the Middle East with his family. Their final destination was the Americas.
  • Phoenicians sail around the African continent
  • Confusius was alive during the period of 600-500 B.C.
  • The T'ai began following river valleys into Southeast Asia in about 600 BC. The T'ai also settled Burma and Vietnam & remain a dominate ethnic group in southwestern China, south of the Yangtze River (3 Gorges Dam fame). Chinese contact with T'ai (Thailand) and melding with the indigenous people.
• 585 BC: Greek philosopher Thales, founder of the Milesian school and who some think is the first man of science predicted the eclipse of the sun. He was probably of Pheonician origin and studied in Egypt.
• 563 BC: Siddhartha Gautama was born near the Himalayas. He was later became the Buddha, or "the enlightened one."
• 530 BC: Pythagoras, founder of the Pythagorean society, is credited as the originator of the Pytharorian theorem.
• 480 BC: The Battle of Thermopylae where a small Greek force, lead by King Leonidas of Sparta, blocked the invading Persian Empire and gave their retreating force time to re-group.
• 440 BC: Herodotus, the first historian in the modern sense, describes the wars between the Greeks and the Persians.
• 427 BC: Plato developed such distinct areas of philosophy as epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics.
• 400 BC:
  • The Chavin culture that preceeded Incas florished in an area that included modern Peru.
  • Experts divide the ancient Maya civilization into several time periods. The "Classic" Maya, range in time from 400 BC to AD900. The Classic Period is divided into: Early, Middle, and Late Classic. The first Maya who began monumental construction of temples and pyramids, accompanied by the production of art are called Early Classic.
• 384 BC, Aristotle, Greek philosopher and student of Plato, was born.
• 356 BC: Alexander the Great, was born on or around July 20, 356 BCE. The exact date may have been created after the fact to match the date of the burning of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Nevertheless, the date on which Philip heard news of the birth did coincide with the announcement to Philip of Parmenio's success in Illyria and the victory of his horse at the Olympic games. At 22. he lead an army that defeated the Persian king Darius in 334 BC. He died at 32 years old.
• 327BC: Alexander the Great invades northern India
• 300 BC:
  • Chinese complete Great Wall as defense against the northern nomads' invasion. Han dynasty overthrows Qin and develops its vast empire. Buddhism begins to spread north. Gandhara art type emerges and starts a new art style - Serindian. Paper first made in China.
  • The Nazcas inhabited the valleys of the south coast of Peru.
  • Euclid wrote Elements.
• 257 BC: (Vietnam) The Thuc Phan family and AuLac kingdom (257-207 BC). AnDuongVuong ThucPhan was the king of the Thuc kingdom whose territory was part of what is now North Vietnam today. The people of the Thuc kingdom were called AuViet. Wars and conquests occurred between AuViet and southern China for several years. In 206 BC, the kingdom of the Nam Viet dynasty extended from Vietnam to Canton. In 111 BC, the NamViet kingdom was invaded by the Han, was renamed GiaoChi and considered a province of China; first time under Chinese rule.
• 221 BC: China in unified under the First Emperor Qin (Ch'in) Shin Huang
  
• 166 BC: Qumran founded by priests from Jerusalem
• 100 BC: Mithridates, Parthian king, sends ambassadors to both Sulla and Wu-ti to provide an important link between Rome and China. Parthians defeat Romans at Carrhae. One of the most disastrous in Roman history.
• 55 BC: The Book of Mormon recorded that there was an adventurous soul by the name of Hagoth who built a large boat and traveled into the open sea.
• 51 BC: Cleopatra was queen of Egypt from 51 to 31 BC.
• 0 AD: Birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1 AD
  • The Hindu migration into Southeast Asia began in about the 1st century. The Indian / Hindu immigration followed the coast of the Andaman Sea south down the Malay Peninsula (to Indonesia) & east along the coast of the Gulf of Thailand (to Cambodia). The immigrants from 2 distant geographic regions melding with the indigenous people of a third distinct geographic region. The spread and natural convergence of people with extremely diverse genetic, cultural, lingual and religious backgrounds.
  • Silk was first seen in Rome about 1 AD.
  • Buddhism begins to spread from India into Central Asia. Kushan Empire of Central Asia. Sogdians trading on Silk Route. Xiongnu raids upset Chinese power in Tarim region. Chinese General Pan Ch'ao defeats Xiongnu and kept the peace in the Tarim Basin. The stability of the Silkroad popularizes the caravan trades into two routes - north and south. China sent the first ambassador to Rome from Pan Ch'ao's command, but he failed to reach Rome.
  • Graeco-Egyptian geographer, Claudius Ptolemy, writes his Geography, attempts to map the Silkroad.
• 32 AD: The resurrected Jesus appeared to his disciples in the Middle East and in the Americas.
• 40 AD: (Vietnam) The Chinese executed a high-ranking feudal lord. His window and her sister raised an army and led a revolt that compelled the Chinese governor to flee. They then proclaimed as Queens of the independent Vietnamese entity. In 43 AD, the Chinese counterattacked and defeated the Vietnamese. The Trung Sisters committed suicide threw themselves into Hat river rather than surrender. Vietnam was lost again to the Eastern Han (25-220); the Second Time Under Chinese Rule.
• 68 AD: Buddhism is introduced in China.
• 100 AD: "Dvipantara" or "Jawa Dwipa" kingdom was reported by Indian scholars to be in Java and Sumatra. Prince Aji Saka introduced writing system to Java based on scripts of southern India. Hindu kings ruled the area around Kutai on Kalimantan. "Langasuka" kingdom founded around Kedah in Malaya.
• 100 AD: The archaeological record around this time showed that the movement eastward across the Pacific continued, with the central archipelagos of East Polynesia being settled from these West Polynesian Migration Routes Polynesian centers. The Marquesas Islands were reached between 200 BC and 300 AD, and although the evidence is so far lacking, some archaeologists believe that the Cook and Society Islands may have been settled from West Polynesia even earlier.
  
• 220 AD: The Han continued to rule China after until the Three Kingdoms Period in China (220-265). In this period, Vietnam was the DongNgo's land.
• 248 AD: (Vietnam) A 19 year-old girl called TrieuThiTrinh, in 248 AD, led a revolt against the Chinese rule which compelled the Chinese Governor to flee, but the Chinese counterattacked and defeated the Vietnamese. TrieuThiTrinh was killed in a battle when she was only 23 years old. Vietnam was lost to the DongNgo Kingdom of China again.
• 265 AD: The Jin defeated others and unified China. GiaoChau (Vietnam) became the Jin's land.
• 290 AD: The mighty Rome Empire was divided into two sections, and the start of its decline.
• 312 AD: Roman Emperor Constantine became a Christian. Christianity became the official religion of Rome.
• 320 AD: The Golden Age of India began.
• 325 AD: Doctrinal arguments were settled by Church Councils, beginning with the Council of Nicea in 325 (which formulated the Nicean Creed).
• 400 AD:
  • Taruma kingdom flourished in West Java.
  • Mormon did his compilation of the Sacred records (some were translated by Joseph Smith and became the Book of Mormon).
  • Linguists estimate Easter Island's first inhabitants arrived around AD 400, and most agree that they came from East Polynesia. The archaeological record suggests a somewhat later date of settlement, between AD 700 and 800. The westward movement of people continued until Tahiti and the Marquesas Islands were reached, at least by 300 AD. Voyaging canoes moved southward, northward and southeast to ultimately inhabit Easter Island, Hawaii, and New Zealand, all in the short period of about 400 years. Then, from this nuclear region of East Polynesia, voyagers explored the length and breadth of the Polynesian triangle, reaching the distant islands of Hawai'i (by at least 400-500 AD), Easter Island (by about 400 AD), and New Zealand (around 1000 AD) to complete the settlement of Polynesia.
• 420 AD: Moroni, Mormon's son, bid farewell after hiding the Sacred records.
• 425 AD: Buddhism reached Sumatra. Records from these days in Indonesia are scarce, but we do know that sophisticated cultures already existed. The kings and cities of Sumatra and Java are mentioned in records from China, because ambassadors were sent there. Arabs and Persians knew about the area from traders, and even the Greeks and Romans had very distant reports. Much of our knowledge comes from stone buildings and inscriptions. By the time we start to get a clear history of Java and Sumatra, there are already great buildings in stone, fine sculptures, classical music and dance, much as we know them today.
• 500 AD: Srivijaya kingdom began near Palembang (Sumatra).
• 544 AD: (Vietnam) The Independent Country of VanXuan with the early Ly Dynasty (544-602). In 544, LyBi, a village chief, led a successful revolt against the Chinese and founded the independent kingdom of VanXuan. In 545 AD, the Chinese started counterattacking Vietnam. Because of internal conflicts between different feudal groups, the Vietnamese gradually retreated and lost the war in 602. Vietnam lost independence again, was now under the rules of The Sui, The Tang Dynasties; the third time under Chinese rule. More resistances continued (603-939)
• 570 AD: Prophet Muhammad was born in Makkah, present-day Saudi Arabia around 570 AD
• 600 AD:
  • Melayu kingdom flourished around present-day Jambi on Sumatra. Chinese records from around this time mention kingdoms at Jambi and Palembang on Sumatra, and three kingdoms on Java, a western kingdom related to the Taruma of inscriptions, a central kingdom called "Kalinga", and an eastern kingdom with a capital perhaps near Surabaya or Malang.
  • Most of the Roman Empire was Christian.
  • The city of Tiahuanaco, which reached the height of its political and architectural greatness about 600 AD, is the Andes' sacred center. (Sullivan, p.24)
• 670 AD:
  • Chinese traveller I Ching visited Palembang (on his way to India), capital of Srivijaya (Malay).
  • Hindu temples built in the high Dieng plateau of central Java.
• 686 AD: Srivijaya took the Melayu kingdom at Jambi, and sent an expedition against the kingdoms in Java. Stone tablets dated 683 and 686 from southern Sumatra and Bangka describe the military campaigns of Srivijaya against Melayu and Java. They are the oldest known writings in any Malayo-Polynesian language.
• 700 AD:
  • Suwawa kingdom flourished around 700 AD in North Sulawesi. By now, Srivijaya had also conquered Kedah, on the Malay peninsula.
  • In the early 700s the Moors - Arabs, Berbers, and other Muslim people from North Africa - invaded and occupied Spain.
• 722 AD: MaiThucLoan started a resistance against Chinese occupation. After taking over TongBinh (Hanoi now) - the capital city, He ascended the throne becoming king MaiHacDe. But the Tang was strong then. The Chinese counter-attacked and invaded Vietnam again.
• 732 AD: Sanjaya founded the Sanjaya line of princes in central Java.
• 770 AD: Sailendra King Vishnu (or Dharmatunga) began building Borobudur. This began the building activities on the plain of Prambanan.
• 771: The Franks power was at its greatest under Charlemagne ("Charles the Great," reigned 771-814)
• 782 AD: Sailendra (Java, Indonesia) king Vishnu was succeeded by Indra (or Sangramadhanamjaya).
• 790 AD: Sailendra kingdom attacked, defeated Chenla (today Cambodia), and ruled over Chenla for about 12 years.
• 791 AD: PhungHung raised an army and led a revolt against the Chinese. PhungHung and his army took over TongBinh (Hanoi today) gaining independence for Vietnam. PhungHung ascended the throne and ruled the country for 7 years before he died. His son-PhungAn succeeded his father for two years when the Chinese invaded Vietnam again.
• 794 AD: Japan's Emperor Kammu made the city of Heian (present-day Kyoto) the capital of Japan.
• 812 AD: Sailendra king Indra was succeeded by Samaratunga. In about 825 AD, Borobudur (Buddhist monument on Java) was completed under king Samaratunga. In about 835 AD, Samaratunga passed away. His young son Balaputra had the throne taken from him by the father of his sister's husband, Patapan of Sanjaya, who replaced Buddhism on Java with Hinduism. In about 838 AD, Patapan was succeeded by his son Pikatan (or Jatiningrat). In about 850 AD, Pikatan defeated forces of Balaputra, then resigned the throne to became an ascetic. He was succeeded by Kayuwani. Balaputra, claimant to the Sailendra throne, escaped to Sumatra and took power in Srivijaya. King Warmadewa ruled on Bali.
• 817 AD: The Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism traces its origin to the Indian adept, Guru Padmasambhava, who came to Tibet from what is now Pakistan.
• 850 AD: Fragments of canoes were found in caves and swamps. One such find appears to be from a deep-sea voyaging canoe. Dr. Yoshihiko Sinoto of Honolulu's Bishop Museum, found the remains of an ancient voyaging canoe that had been buried in the mud when a tsunami struck the island of Huahine, near Tahiti, sometime between 850 and 1100 AD.
• 898 AD: Sanjaya King Balitung held power in central Java.
• 900 AD: The Toltec civilization flourished in central Mexico from AD 900 to 1200.
  
• 907 AD: The Tang came back to Vietnam and imposed a worse regime than before. Also in China, the Tang gradually losed control of the country, that lasted five dynastic periods in China. Taking advantage of the situation, KhucThuaDu, from a rich and generous family, led a successful revolt against the Chinese proclaiming himself the Governor and was reluctantly recognized by the Tang king. KhucThuaDu established his government with Vietnamese officials only and dismissed all Chinese ones. When KhucThuaDu died (907), his son KhucHao succeeded him (907-917) and later KhucThuaMy (917-923).
• 910 AD: Sanjaya King Daksa succeeded Balitung in Mataram. He begins building the major Hindu temples at Prambanan. In 919 AD, Sanjaya King Tulodong succeeds Daksa; reigns until 921.
• 923 AD: Vietnam again was invaded by the Southern Han when KhucThuaMy was captured.
• 924 AD: Sanjaya King Wawa takes throne of Mataram, rules until 928. In 929 AD, Sanjaya King Mpu Sindok takes power. He moves the court from Mataram to East Java (near Jombang). A major eruption of Mount Merapi in 928 or 929 may have been the reason that the king of Mataram and many of his subjects moved east.
• 931 AD: (Vietnam) DuongDinhNge, one of KhucHao's former general, defeated the Chinese and took over DaiLa citadel (Hanoi now) proclaimed himself the Governor. Six years later, DuongDinhNghe was assassinated by one of his courtiers - KieuConTien.
• 936 AD: Otto the Great was crowned King of Germany in 936, and Holy Roman Empire in 962.
• 939 AD: When NgoQuyen-DuongDinhNghe's son in-law heard the news that his father-in-law had been assassinated, he brought his troops to DaiLa citadel and killed the assassin. In the same year, the Chinese brought their troops to Vietnam and tried to invade the country again. In December, 939, the Chinese were defeated and the Chinese prince-the General then was killed. NgoQuyen proclaimed himself the king of Vietnam and chose CoLoa (20 km North of Hanoi now) as the capital. In 944, NgoQuyen died. The struggle between feudal groups in the royal family for power creating unstable conditions in the country. In 965 Vietnam was in a turmoil when the king was killed in a battle. There were 12 main feudal lords fighting against one another.
• 947 AD: Sri Isana Tunggawijaya, daughter of Mpu Sindok, succeeded Mpu Sindok as ruler in East Java.
• 968 AD:
  • DinhBoLinh defeated other lords, re-unified the country (Vietnam) and proclaimed himself the emperor. HoaLu was set up as the capital of DaicoViet kingdom. In 979, DinhBoLinh was killed by one of his courtiers. The country was quickly turned into a turmoil. The royal court and the Queen mother decided to hand over the power to LeHoan, an influential general of the former king.
  • Jayavarman V, son of Rajendravarman II, succeeded the supreme throne after his father in 968 AD. He built a new capital at the vicinity of Angkor (Cambodia) and named it "Jayendranagari" with the meaning of "the Capital of the Triumphant Monarch", which implied his victory over the enemies.
• 975 AD: King Udayana of Bali, father of Airlangga, was born.
• 980 AD: (Vietnam) LeHoan was the army-in-chief of the former king. When the country was on the brink of a turmoil and threaten by invasion from the Song of China, the Queen Mother and the royal mandarins decided that there must be a good king to control the country and LeHoan was chosen. LeHoan ascended the throne and became king LeDaiHanh. In 980, the Song troops from China attacked Vietnam. LeDaiHanh commanded his troops and defeated the Chinese. That began a period where the Vietnamese always won over the Chinese each time they meet. LeDaiHanh was succeeded by his sons: LeTrungTong and LeLongDinh. LeLongDinh was a lustful and cruel king, when he died, his son was small. The royal court decided to select the talented general LyCongUan to be the king, which began the glorious Ly Dynasty.
• 985 AD: Dharmavamsa became king of Mataram (Indonesia). He conquered Bali and found a settlement in western Kalimantan. Dharmavamsa is also remembered for ordering the translation of the Mahabharata into Javanese. In 990 AD, Dharmavamsa and Mataram sent an army overseas to attack Srivijaya (Malay) and take Palembang. He failed. In 992 AD, King Chulamanivarmadeva of Srivijaya sent an ambassador to China to ask for protection against the forces of Dharmavamsa from Java.
• 1000 AD:
  • "But beginning in the seventh century AD, with the rise of the military state of Wari in the central Andes, near present-day Ayacucho, organized warfare first entered Andean life. By 1000 AD, Tiahuanaco would lie abandoned as a long, dark age descended upon the Andean peasantry." (Sullivan, p.25)
  • The powerful Mogul (Mongol) Empire began.
  • In the year 1000 AD, L'Anse aux Meadows, a site at the furthest end of the Northern Peninsula, Newfoundland, Canada, was the site of a Viking encampment, the only documented Viking site in North America. This is where Europeans first came to this continent. Leif Eiriksson might have slept here, along with 80 or so other Viking men and women.
    
• 1006 AD: Srivijaya attacked and destroyed the capital of Mataram. The palace is burned, and Dharmavamsa was killed. Airlangga (then 15 years old) escaped the destruction. Several years of chaos in eastern Java followed.
• 1010 AD: (Vietnam) Under the Ly Dynasty, DaiViet-Vietnam became a stable and prosperous kingdom. ThangLong (Hanoi) was chosen as the capital. The Chinese unsuccessfully attacked DaiViet many times. And for the first time in Vietnamese history, long-lasting peace was experienced by the Viet people. In 1224, the king gave up the power to be a Buddhist. He didn't have any son, so the princess succeeded the throne and became the Queen of DaiViet kingdom. In 1225, the Queen got married to TranCanh and handed over the throne to her husband that began the Tran Dynasty.
• 1017 AD: Rajendra Chola, king of Coromandel in India, attacked Srivijaya (Malay). The Chola dynasty was a mjor force in Southern India in the 19th century.
• 1019 AD: Airlangga ruled in eastern Java, founded Kahuripan kingdom, made peace with Srivijaya, and protected both Hindus and Buddhists. He extended his rule, over several years, to central Java, eastern Java, and Bali. He united areas that had fallen into disunity. Airlangga is remembered in today's Indonesia as a model of religious tolerance. He spent his early years living in the forests as an ascetic.
• 1025 AD: Rajendra Chola of southern India took Malay peninsula from Srivijaya for twenty years. Chola raiders attacked Jambi and other areas of Sumatra. Srivijaya was weakened due to Airlangga's influencing power of Kahuripan. Under Airlangga, the ports of the north coast of Java, especially Surabaya and Tuban, became large important trading centers for the first time. This was partly due to the weakening of Srivijaya, which made trading there unsafe. Around this time, Tumasik was a small kingdom on the site of today's Singapore. It may have been influenced by the newcomers from southern India. Also around this time, the Panai kingdom flourished in the Batak areas of northern Sumatra.
• 1030 AD: Airlangga married the daughter of Sangrama Vijayottungavarman, King of Srivijaya. In 1045 AD: Airlangga divided Kahuripan into two kingdoms, Janggala (around today's Malang) and Kediri (Indonesia), for his two sons, and abdicated to live the life of an ascetic. He passed away four years later.
• 1066 AD: William of Normandy invaded England.
• 1068 AD: Vira Rajendra, king of Coromandel, conquered Kedah from Srivijaya. More Chola raids occurred on Sumatra.
• 1095: For 200 years from 1095 to 1291, the Popes organized Crusades (Crusaders) to attack Muslims.
• 1117 AD: Kamesvara became king of Kediri (until 1130). He married a princess of Janggala and reunited the two kingdoms.
• 1135 AD: King Joyoboyo ruled in Kediri until 1157. Joyoboyo is remembered for a prophecy that Indonesia would be ruled by a white race for a long time, then a yellow race for a short time, then be independent. His reign was also a golden age of Old Javanese literature. During this time, Ternate was a vassal state of Kediri.
• 1137: Saladin (1137-93) was one of the greatest Muslim leaders to oppose the Christian knights.
• 1150 AD: The famous site Angkor Wat (Siem Rep) covering sizable land in northern Cambodia is consider by many to be part of Thailand based on the 1941 Tokyo Convention. The temple complex at Angkor, Cambodia was built for the king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation - first Hindu, dedicated to Vishnu, then Buddhist.
• 1163 AD: The Cathedral of Notre Dame, in Paris, France, was built from 1163-1250.
  
• 1200 AD: Experts suspect a massive collapse of Mayan society in the Copan valley. Ecological stress was the cause.
• 1206 AD: At the age of 42, Temujin took the title Universal Ruler, which translates to Genghis Khan, and he addressed his joyous supporters thanking them for their help and their loyalty. Like others, Genghis Khan's subjects saw themselves at the center of the universe, the greatest of people and favored by the gods. They justified Genghis Khan's success in warfare by claiming that he was the rightful master not only over the "peoples of the felt tent" but the entire world.
• 1215 AD: King John set his seal to the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215.
• 1221 AD: Ken Angrok, local ruler of Tumapel, defeated the forces of Kediri (Indonesia), and in 1222 AD founded the Singhasari kingdom as King Rajasa. His wife Putri Dedes, the daughter of a Buddhist priest, was stolen away by the governor of Tumapel (near Malang) on Java. Ken Angrok himself stole Putri Dedes away from her first husband to be his wife, but she was already pregnant, and her son (later King Anusapati) was actually the son of the governor, Tunggul Ametung. Eventually Ken Angrok conspired to have Tunggul Ametung killed so that he could become ruler of Tumapel. Tumapel paid tribute to Kediri until Ken Angrok became powerful enough to conquer Kediri for himself in 1222. The last ruler of Kediri, Kertajaya, was considered cruel and overbearing. Putri Dedes was long remembered as the mother of the royal line of Singhasari, and later Majapahit, Mataram, Yogya and Solo. In 1227 AD, Ken Angrok dies, and is succeeded by Anusapati.
• 1225 AD: Under the Tran Dynasty, DaiViet (Vietnam) became a very strong nation with the ever-glorious victory over the Mongol Yuan invaders. The Mongols, after pacifying China by establishing the Yuan Dynasty, came to DaiViet. They attacked DaiViet three times: 1258, 1285, 1288. But under the command of the Tran kings, the Mongol Yuan was defeated and they lost the drive to invade the country. Like previous dynasties, after its heyday, the Tran started to decline and was succeeded by another family.
• 1238 AD: The first independent Thai Kingdom, Sukhothai or "Dawn of Happiness", was established in 1238 in North Central Thailand. Thai city states flourished from the 12th - 17th centuries. Ancient stone castle like temples and walled cities provide an inspiring reminder to the level of advancement that the ancient Thai and Khmer civilizations attained.
• 1247 AD: Anusapati dies after a peaceful 20-year reign. Tohjaya, son of Ken Angrok by a concubine, becomes king of Singhasari. Tradition says that the kings of Singhasari during this period were all murdered by their successors, as part of the feud arising from Ken Angrok stealing away Putri Dedes.
• 1250 AD: Tohjaya is killed in a rebellion and replaced as king by by Wisnuwardhana, son of Anusapati.
• 1254 AD: Marco Polo (1254-1324), is probably the most famous Westerner traveled on the Silk Road. He excelled all the other travelers in his determination, his writing, and his influence. His journey through Asia lasted 24 years. He reached further than any of his predecessors, beyond Mongolia to China. He became a confidant of Kublai Khan (1214-1294). He traveled the whole of China and returned to tell the tale, which became the greatest travelogue.
• 1268 AD: King Wisnuwardhana of Singhasari dies, and is succeeded by Kertanegara. Kertanegara promotes a mixture of Hinduism and Buddhism.
• 1275 AD: Kertanegara begins a campaign to unite the various kingdoms around Sumatra and Java (whether by alliance or military conquest is debated). Historical records tell very different stories about Kertanegara. Some say that he was a drunkard and lustful; others that he was an ascetic and saint.
• 1281 AD: Muslims from Jambi send an embassy to Kublai Khan.
• 1284 AD: Kertanegara takes Bali for Singhasari. The last Warmadewa king of Bali is killed.
• 1289 AD: Kublai Khan sends messengers to Singhasari to demand tribute; Kertanegara slashes their faces and sends them home.
• 1290 AD: Kertanegara takes the Melayu kingdom on Sumatra around Jambi. Around this time, Kertanegara also took the Sunda area of western Java, uniting the entire island.
• 1292 AD:
  • Marco Polo visits Sumatra and Java.
  • Kublai Khan prepares invasion fleet of 1000 ships to take Java. Kertanegara is killed in a court rebellion; his son-in-law Wijaya retreats and founds a new court at Majapahit (today Trowulan), with the help of Arya Wiraraja, the local ruler of Madura. Bali breaks away from Singhasari under the Pejeng kings at Ubud. November Mongol fleet leaves for Java; lands at Tuban. Majapahit was one of the few countries of that time to defeat a Mongol invasion, along with Japan and Egypt. However, the Mongol fleet was hit by a typhoon along the way, and was refused permission to land in Champa (in today's Vietnam) to take on supplies. By the time the fleet reached Tuban, the army was sickened and weak.
• 1293 AD: Wijaya forms alliance with Mongol forces against the remainder of Singhasari in Kediri, led by Jayakatwang. March Combined force of Mongol/Chinese soldiers and Majapahit takes Kediri. Wijaya returns to Trowulan, then attacks the Mongols in a surprise attack. The Mongols retreat and leave Java. Wijaya is enthroned as king Kertarajasa Jayawardhana of new Majapahit. Wijaya being crowned King Kertarajasa of Majapahit, in a sculpture from that time. According to tradition, Vijaya married all four daughters of the former king Kertanegara. Some think that this tradition is actually symbolic, that the four daughters represent Bali, Madura, Sumatra (Jambi) and Kalimantan, the outlying areas dependent on the kingdom.
• 1295 AD: Rebellion against King Kertarajasa of Majapahit, led by Rangga Lawe, is put down. A rebellion against Kertarajasa, led by Sora, occured in 1298 AD. It lasted for two years before being suppressed.
• 1297 AD: Pasai in Sumatra converts to Islam. Sultan Malek Saleh is the first Muslim ruler in what is now Indonesia.
• 1309 AD: Jayanegara becomes king of Majapahit. In 1316 AD, a Rebellion led by Nambi, son of a former chief minister, was put down by Jayanegara. Some observers think that the rebellions against Majapahit were due to the ongoing policy of expansion. The Javanese members of the court disliked "outside" influences from Sumatra and other areas. In 1319 AD, a rebellion led by Kuti forced Jayanegara to flee the court for the countryside. An uprising against Kuti allowed Jayanegara to return to court. During the rebellion, Jayanegara was accompanied by a young leader, his bodyguard Gajah Mada. Gajah Mada slipped back into the city in disguise, and started a rumor that King Jayanegara had been killed. The news was very upsetting to the public who disliked Kuti, and who recommended to Gajah Mada to retake his throne. In 1328 AD, Jayanegara is assassinated, possibly with the help of Gajah Mada. Tribhuwana Wijayatungga Dewi, daughter of Kertarajasa, was titular head until 1350. Tradition says that King Jayanegara had stolen the wife of Gajah Mada. Gajah Mada, now a high-ranking minister, conspired to have a doctor kill the King on his sickbed, then turned around and had the doctor executed for this deed. Around this time, Odoric of Pordonone, a Franciscan monk from Italy, visited Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan. In 1330 AD, Gajah Madah becomes patih or chief minister of Majapahit, and ruled as regent.
• 1333 AD: Kingdom of Pajajaran was founded, with Pakuan as its capital (near today's Bogor). One of the few areas that were not conquered by Majapahit was the Sundanese area of West Java, the Kingdom of Pajajaran. It occasionally paid tribute to Majapahit, but was known for its independent behavior.
• 1334 AD: Hayam Wuruk was born to Tribhuwana Wijayatungga Dewi, heir to line of Majapahit.
• 1337 AD: The Hundred Years War between England and France lasted from 1337 to 1453.
• 1343 AD: Force under Gajah Madah defeated the Pejeng king of Bali, Dalem Bedaulu, and took Bali for Majapahit. Gajah Madah in a statue from the 1300s. With Gajah Madah as chief minister, the kingdom of Majapahit gained control or collected tribute from most of what is now Indonesia. He is remembered for the "Palapa Oath", saying that he would refuse to eat spices in his food (palapa) until all the islands around were united under one rule. Today in Yogyakarta, the university is named for him. Around this time, traditional chronicles say that Majapahit collected tribute from "Makassar, Gowa, Banda, Sumbawa, Ende, Timor, Ternate, Sulu, Seram, Manila, and Burni (Brunei?)". Palembang and Bali were also within Majapahit's sphere, but were more troublesome.
• 1345 AD: Arab traveller and writer Ibn Battuta visited Pasai on Sumatra. Ibn Battuta reported that the Muslims he met followed the madhhab or legal school of Shafi'i, which is the school followed by almost all Muslim Indonesians today.
• 1346 AD: The Black Death in Europe.
• 1347 AD: Adityavarman, king of Melayu or Jambi, ruled Minangkabau for Majapahit. Adityavarman had been kept at the court of Majapahit as a boy. When he came of age, he ruled over Melayu as a vassal of Majapahit, and extended the influence of Majapahit into the Minangkabau areas of Sumatra.
• 1350 AD:
  • (Thailand) At it's zenith the city state of Ayutthaya, 1350 - 1767, was among the largest & most cosmopolitan cities in the world.
  • Rajasanegara becomes King of Majapahit. Majapahit conquered the Islamic kingdoms of Pasai and Aru (later Deli, near Medan) in northern Sumatra. The poet Mpu Tantular of Majapahit, who lived about this time, is remembered for coining the motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Eka", which is Indonesia's national motto today. (The meaning is very similar to the United States' "E Pluribus Unum": "Unity in Diversity".)
• 1351 AD: Hayam Wuruk asked to marry the daughter of the King of Pajajaran. The King of Pajajaran agreed, and traveled to Bubat in eastern Java for the ceremonies. At the last minute, Gajah Mada insisted that the daughter be handed over as an act of tribute from a dependent king. The King of Pajajaran refused to submit, violence broke out, and the entire company from Pajajaran were killed. Pajajaran became a dependency of Majapahit for several years. In 1364 AD, Gajah Madah passes away. The many responsibilities that he handled were considered to be too burdensome for one normal person, so his duties were divided between four new government posts. Hayam Wuruk became King of Majapahit.
• 1368 AD: (China) Rivalry among the Mongol imperial heirs, natural disasters, and numerous peasant uprisings led to the collapse of the Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) was founded by a Han Chinese peasant and former Buddhist monk turned rebel army leader. Also, the Forbidden City was built.
• 1377 AD: Majapahit sent a navy against Palembang, a remnant of Srivijaya, and conquered it. The King of Palembang sent a courier to China, offered his kingdom to the emperor in exchange for protection. The Emperor of China accepted the offer, and sent officials in return, but by the time the officials got to Palembang, it had already been conquered by Majapahit, and they were executed.
• 1387 AD: Empu Jamatka found Banjarmasin.
• 1389 AD: Hayam Wuruk passed away and was succeeded by Wikramawarddhana. Another son of Hayam Wuruk, Wirabumi, disputed the succession. That marked the beginning of the decline of Majapahit.
• 1400 AD:
  • Aceh converts to Islam.
  • By 1400 AD, when the Incas solemnly arrogated destiny's mentle, the Andean peoples, now numbering in the millions, had run out of space and, so the Incas believed, out of time. Onces masters of one of the earth's most demanding ecosystems, the Andean peoples were now its prisoners. (Sullivan, p.22)
  • (Vietnam) On the decline of the Tran Dynasty, the Ho family got more and more influential and usurped power. In 1400, HoQuyLy dismissed the Tran king and proclaimed himself the king of DaiNgu kingdom. After ascending the throne, HoQuyLy instituted many positive policies to improve the economy: land and administrative system reforms across the country that limited land and servants owned by aristocratic families, reforming the taxes, issuing paper money, developing the Viet script-Nom, opening public hospitals using traditional medicine and acupunctures. However, those improvements didn't help gain publich supprot for the Ho family because of the way they usurped power - through violence and mass killings. That lack of public support was probably why the country was easily invaded by the Ming in 1407. From 1407 to 1414, there were consecutive revolts led by descendants of the Tran family trying to gain back power.
  • Based on recent DNA study (2007) of a chicken bone found in Chile, South America, Scientists are convinced that the Polynesians sailed to the Americas around 600 or 700 years ago.
• 1401 AD: War of succession began in Majapahit, lasted four years, with the rebellious forces led by Wirabumi. The power of Majapahit began to lessen. Paramesvara, a prince of Palembang (and descendant of the Sailendras), was driven from Palembang to Tumasik (today's Singapore), then ruled by a local chief under the King of Siam. Paramesvara killed the chief and took Tumasik for himself. Around this time, the kings of Gelgel began to rule as "dewa agung", or chief king, in Bali. Also around this time, Palembang fell under the control of Chinese pirates. In 1402 AD, Paramesvara was driven from Tumasik by the King of Pahang (or perhaps Patani), acting on behalf of the King of Siam. Paramesvara with his followers found Melaka on the west coast of Malaya. Paramesvara sent an ambassador to Beijing in 1404 AD, and received promise of protection from China.
• 1405 AD: Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho visits Semarang.
• 1406 AD: Wirabumi was executed, and his head was brought to the court of Majapahit. The war of succession ended.
• 1409 AD: Cheng Ho visited Melaka for the first time.
• 1411 AD: (Indonesia) Paramesvara visited Beijing on a state visit. In 1414 Paramesvara was converted to Islam, and took the name Iskandar Syah, after marrying the daughter of the Sultan of Pasai. Melaka was now an Islamic sultanate. Islam, one of Indonesia's five religions. The Islamic religion had been common among traders in Sumatra and Java for some time. The Singhasari and Majapahit kingdoms probably had a few Muslims involved in their courts. Large-scale conversions to Islam began when local kings adopted the new religion. Aceh and Melaka were among the first. Most of Java did not become Muslims until the early 1500s. (Today, over 85% of Indonesians are Muslims.)
• 1414 AD: First masjid founded on Ambon island.
• 1418 AD: (Vietnam) From 1418-1428, LeLoi from a prosperous peasant family led a successful revolt against the Ming for independence. In 1428, LeLoi ascended the throne beginning the Later Le Dynasty. The Later Le ruled the country until 1527 when overthrown by MacDangDung.
• 1419 AD: Iskandar Syah of Melaka visited China to ask for help against Siam. In 1424 AD, Iskandar Syah passed away at age 72. His son took the title Sri Maharaja, and immediately traveled to China to seek support. The son and grandson of Iskandar Syah included Hindu titles in their names; some scholars have interpreted this as meaning that Islam was not yet firmly established in Melaka.
• 1427 AD: Queen Suhita inherited the Majapahit kingdom from Wikramawardhana.
• 1432 AD: "About the year 1432, according to tradition, Wiraqocha Inca fortold the cataclysmic destruction of Andean civilization within five generations." (Sullivan, p.251)
• 1445 AD: Hindu revolt in Melaka against Islam was suppressed. The Thai attack on Melaka was driven back. In 1446 AD, Muzaffar Syah lead a successful coup in Melaka and took the throne.
• 1447 AD: Kertawijaya, brother of Suhita, became King of Majapahit. He converted to Islam on the advice of his wife, Darawati, a princess of Champa (in what is now Vietnam). Sunan Ampel, nephew of Kertawijaya, worked to spread Islam around Surabaya. Sunan Ampel in a traditional portrait. Sunan Ampel was the first notable member of the Nine Walis or Walisongo, Islamic teachers who worked to spread Islam around Java in the late 1400s and early 1500s. In 1451, King Kertawijaya was murdered and replaced by Rajasawardhana, who hindered the spread of Islam in Majapahit.
• 1451 AD: Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, the son of a wool merchant and weaver.
• 1456 AD: The Thai attack on Melaka by sea was driven back. Melaka's forces were led by Tun Perak. Bhre Wengker became king of Majapahit after three years of chaos. Around this time, Palembang converted to Islam. In 1459 AD, Muzaffar Syah of Melaka was succeeded by Raja Abdullah or Mansur Syah. Mansur Syah of Melaka conquers Kedah and Pahang from the Thais. The forces of Melaka were led by Tun Perak. Pahang became an Islamic sultanate under Melaka.
• 1460 AD: Kingdom of Aru (near Deli) on Sumatra gained independence.
• 1466 AD: Suraprabhawa became king of Majapahit. Kyai Demung found Sumenep on Madura; broke away from Majapahit control. In 1468 AD, (Indonesia) (court rebellion in Majapahit) Bhre Kertabhumi drove Suraprabhawa out of his court at Tumapel. Suraprabhawa moved his seat to Daha, near Kediri. Around this time, many Hindus from Majapahit left Java for Bali.
• 1471 AD: Bugis state of Wajo founded in Sulawesi.
• 1473 AD: Nicolas Copernicus was born in Poland
• 1474 AD: Francisco Pizarro, Spanish conqueror of Peru, was born.
• 1475 AD: Ternate and Tidore convert to Islam.
• 1477 AD: Ala'uddin Riayat Syah, son of Mansur Syah, became Sultan of Melaka. Tun Perak exercised great power in the Sultanate.
• 1478 AD: (Indonesia) Daha region under Girindrawardhana, a great-grandson of Kertawijaya, revolted. Majapahit kingdom fell into chaos. Bhre Kertabumi, King of Majapahit at Tumapel, fled to Demak. Girindrawardhana set himself up as ruler in Majapahit. Islamic Kingdom of Demak was founded by Raden Patah (or Fattah), a prince of Majapahit (son of King Kertawijaya by a Chinese wife).
• 1480 AD: Ferdinand Magellan, Portugese navigator who discovered the Philipine islands, was born.
• 1483 AD: Martin Luther, the reformer was born
• 1485 AD: Hernando Cortes, Spanish soldier and explorer, was born
• 1486 AD: Zainal Abidin becomes Sultan of Ternate (until 1500). Court of Majapahit moves to Kediri.
• 1488 AD: Mahmud becomes Sultan of Melaka.
• 1490 AD: The Portuguese, by the 1490s, had sailed around the southern tip of Africa and had landed in India.
• 1492 AD:
  • Christopher Columbus arrived at the new world.
  • The reconquest of Spain from the Moors was complete.
• 1498 AD: Tun Perak, military leader in Melaka (Malay), passed away. Sultan Mahmud of Melaka was considered to be a weak ruler. Tun Perak and his successors exercised the real power in the Sultanate. The last several years of Mahmud's time on the throne were spent in warfare with Siam, right up until the Portuguese conquest in 1511.
• 1511 AD: The first Europeans to reach Thailand were the Portuguese in 1511. Followed in rapid succession by the Dutch, the English, the Spanish, and the French traders.
• 1527 AD: (Vietnam) MacDangDung was a powerful general the Le Dynasty was declining. In 1527, MacDangDung usurped the throne, killed the king beginning the Mac Dynasty. The Mac power declined to its eventual distruction in 1688 by the Le-Trinh troops.
• 1532 AD: Sailing south, Pizarro landed at Tumbes (1532) and ascended the Andes to Cajamarca, where the Inca, Atahualpa, awaited him. Professing friendship, he enticed Atahualpa into the power of the Spanish, seized him, exacted a stupendous ransom, and then treacherously had him executed. The conquest of Peru was virtually completed by the capture of Cuzco.
• 1533 AD: When MacDangDung seized the power, many of the Le descendants had fled the country to escape the killings by MacDangDung. One of the Le descendants-LeDuyNinh fled to Laos and with the help from general NguyenKim proclaimed as king LeTrangTong that began the Post Le Dynasty. In 1540 from Laos, the Post Le troops attacked the Mac territory from the south. From 1545 in Vietnam there were two main forces: the South held by the Post Le and the North held by the Mac known as the Southern and Northern Dynasties Period with consecutive and destructive wars for nearly 50 years (1545-1592). This period ended only when the Mac was defeated by the Post Le troops commanded by general TrinhTung. The Mac continued to rule a small part in the Northern mountainous region until totally destroyed in 1688 by the Le-Trinh troops.
• 1564: Galileo Galilei was born on 15 Feb 1564 in Pisa.
• 1620: Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony.
• 1642: Isaac Newton, English mathematician, was born.
• 1722: Jocob Roggenveen, a Dutch Explorer, saw the Samoan Islands.
• 1728: James Cook, English Naval Officer and Explorer, was born.
• 1732: George Washington, the first president of the United States of America was born.
  
• 1758: Kamehameha I, the first king of a united Hawaii, was born.
• 1776: Declaration of Independence by the British American colonists.
• 1805: Joseph Smith, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and translator of the Book of Mormon, was born.
• 1809: Charles Darwin, Theory of Evolution originator, was born.
• 1830:
  • First Edition of the Book of Mormon was published.
  • Joseph Smith organized a Church, now The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
  • John Williams & Charles Barff of the London Missionary Society arrived in Samoa and brought missionaries
• 1841: New Zealand (Aotearoa) became a British colony. (Independence in 1931.)
• 1842: Crazy Horse, Dakota Indian chief (Ta-sunko-witko), was born.
• 1870: Mr. Powell collected stories from Samoa that included the 'Solo Ole Va'
• 1879: Renowed Physicists Albert Einstein, discover of Special and General Relativity, was born.
• 1883: The Explosion of the Krakatoa Volcano in Indonesia caused massive damages along coastal areas in Southeast Asia.
• 1919: The Hawaiian Temple (first temple outside of the continental United States) was dedicated by LDS Church President Heber J. Grant on November 27th.