Almanac: Timelines and Calendars

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A timeline is a line that shows events in order from the earliest to the latest. It helps us understand when things happened and what came first. For example, a timeline of Indian independence would s…

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We need timelines to arrange events in order. This helps us understand which event happened first and how one event may have caused another. For example, knowing that India became independent in 1947 …

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BC stands for 'Before Christ'. It is used to show years before the birth of Jesus Christ. For example, 500 BC means 500 years before Jesus was born. In timelines, BC years go backwards — so 500 BC com…

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AD stands for 'Anno Domini', which means 'In the year of our Lord'. It counts the years after the birth of Jesus Christ. For example, AD 2024 means 2024 years after Jesus was born. AD years move forwa…

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BCE means 'Before Common Era' and CE means 'Common Era'. These are modern terms used instead of BC and AD. They mean the same thing but are more neutral. For example, 500 BCE is the same as 500 BC, an…

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Historians now use BCE and CE to be more inclusive of all religions and cultures. BC and AD are based on Christianity, but BCE and CE mean the same thing without referring to religion. This makes hist…

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A decade is a period of 10 years. For example, the years 2011 to 2020 make one decade. We often use decades to talk about history, like 'the 1980s'.

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A century is 100 years. For example, the 1900s (1901–2000) is the 20th century. The year 1947 falls in the 20th century. We are now in the 21st century (2001–2100).