Timelines of History

Presented by Ken Polsson, Victoria, BC, Canada.

Last updated: 2024 January 15.

These are the various topics I am continually researching as a hobby.

From 1995 to 2005, these were strictly timelines. Chronological listings of events for about seven major topics. In 2006, I did some work on my timeline-generating software to allow a single database to easily generate timelines for smaller related topics. For example, the personal computer timeline now has offshoots for Apple Computers, IBM, Amiga, and Commodore 64. Other major topics have similarly been split.

Another thing I started was to assemble lists of "pop culture references". For some of my topics, I now have lists of the occurances of the topic in TV shows and movies. For example, when The Simpsons does a parody of Disney's Mary Poppins film, that's a Pop Culture reference. I've been having great fun watching shows on the computer and saving images of the references.

And one more thing that I started just for Corvettes, is a list of racing successes. I have a separate list of any major race where a Corvette placed 1st, 2nd, or 3rd. There have been a lot!

Something combining all timeline data is Ken P's Today in History. This Web page will detect today's date, and display a list of all events from all timeline topics for the day. I also generate a larger This Day in History using the World History and other databases.

On to the timeline topics...

  • Personal Computers
  • Walt Disney Company
  • Chevrolet Corvettes
  • Video Games
  • Coins
  • World War II
  • Sweden
  • A & W Root Beer
  • Oak Island Treasure Hunt
  • World History
  • Sports
  • Space Exploration
  • Gambling
  • Extreme Weather
  • Earthquakes and Volcanos
  • Earth Impacts
  • Notable Births
  • Notable Deaths
  • Television
  • The Assassination of US President Kennedy
  • Passenger Liners and Cruise Ships
  • Dow Jones Industrial Average
    I am always working on refining them, adding documented events, and extending their range and depth.

    vvv advertisement vvv

    ^^^ advertisement ^^^

    Computers

    This is the daddy of them all. The one that got me started in doing timeline research: microcomputers, or personal computers as they became more commonly know after the IBM Personal Computer.

    My Chronology of Personal Computers is completely free on the Web. This timeline incorporates over 5,000 events, and can be printed on hundreds of pages.

    Here are some smaller related computer timelines that I have constructed:


    Walt Disney

    The next big timeline topic is The Walt Disney Company. This timeline of one company quickly grew to become larger than the entire personal computer timeline, with over 8,000 events! I have read books and magazines to get all the details of film releases, theme park attractions, personnel changes, and thousands of big and little decisions since the early days of Walt's talents in 1919.

    The Chronology of The Walt Disney Company is completely available on the Web, with the full version available for a fee in a large PDF file of hundreds of formatted pages.

    Disney characters are a popular topics for postage stamps of many countries. I have assembled a list of Walt Disney on Postage Stamps here.

    Additional spin-off timelines cover the complete details of Disney's first two theme park areas:


    Chevrolet Corvettes

    I am a big fan of the Corvette. I remember the first time as a young teenager when I learned that the Corvette was made by General Motors, I was amazed that a company with a dull name and image could have produced such a radical car. Few North American cars share the exotic looks of world-class sports cars. The Corvette has survived corporate neglect, budget cuts, and competition to remain one of America's few true sports cars.

    I owned a 1976 L-82 Corvette for ten years, and hope to own a few more in the future. I would like to try a 1984-87 style, and a 1960 red with white coves, eventually settling on a early 1970s model. In the meantime, I'll have to be content with researching the history in books and magazines.

    The Chronology of Chevrolet Corvettes gives you over 2,000 entries, with details of the development of every model since 1953. The work of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the brave racing attempts of the Grand Sport Corvettes, the numerous showcars, and the races, they're all here. Any major race involving a Corvette has a place in this timeline. Auction events that include Corvettes are here too, so we can see the prices rise over the years to the first million dollar Corvette.

    To see the top-three finishes of Corvettes in all races known to me, Corvette Racing Successes is what you're after.

    I also have a web site of Corvettes on Postage Stamps.

    And finally, Chevrolet Corvette References in Pop Culture documents the movie and TV appearances of our favorite car.


    Video Games

    I grew up with video games. I longed for the Pong and Breakout games at Sears, and bought an Atari 2600. I remember paying something like $50-70 for my first cartridge: Defender. I paid my share of quarters on weekends in the early 1980s on Dig-Dug, Time Pilot, Defender, Asteroids, Space Duel and countless others. My kids (and me!) now play GameCube and PlayStation 2, and my son routinely beats me at just about any game now. Arrg!

    So, yes, I have an extensive Chronology of Video Game Systems. All the home TV-based and handheld systems are there, including as many non-North American releases as I can find. Hundreds of game releases too, as well as dozens of standalone arcade machines. Releases of arcade games are hard to find. There just weren't magazines devoted to them like we have now for home systems. Note that I do not include computer games in here, only dedicated video game systems and software.


    Coins

    My Chronology of Canadian Coins details the processes, decisions, and announcements of the whole history of decimal coins in Canada. For now I have left out early penny tokens, and decimal coinage of the British North America colonies.

    I also collect stamps, and have recently started topical collecting. I have started a web site to list all world Coins on Postage Stamps, Disney on Postage Stamps, and Corvettes on Postage Stamps.

    For some 30 years, I have collected not just coins and stamps, but unrelated items that incorporate the design of a coin, stamp, or paper money in them. You've seen coffee mugs with a $20 bill wrapped around the side, but have you seen $100 bill toilet paper or a dollar coin cigarette lighter? Visit Ken P's Coin/Stamp/Bill Novelties to see these and many more.


    World War II

    I would have to call this my most ambitious timeline. I was born some 20 years after the war, and my Dad served briefly in the Swedish Army during the war. I have had a fascination with this war, as it seemed like such a clear-cut Good versus Evil war. I have learned a lot, and continue to, as there is a lifetime of books and magazines devoted to the topic. While I cover the war years of 1939 to 1945 in day-to-day detail, I also include relevant information on pre- and post-war events. Current magazines (and books) continue to uncover new details, so this Chronology of World War II is not a static timeline.

    Sweden

    My dad was born in Sweden, and came to Canada in the 1950s. I have visited the country a few times. What better way to learn more about the country, than to give it my timeline treatment. I don't have a lot of books available to me, but what I have found at the library gave a rather good first cut at a comprehensive Chronology of Sweden. I am now continuing to enhance the timeline from various magazines and newspaper archives.

    A & W Root Beer

    Perhaps the most obscure timelines of mine are the twin timelines of
    Chronology of A & W Root Beer (Canada) and
    Chronology of A & W Root Beer (USA). I have always loved the thick glass mugs, even more that the food at the A&W Restaurants. Did you know A&W has produced glass mugs for their restaurants since about 1919? I have about 130 different mugs in my collection, and even have a large Mug Shots Web site devoted to sorting out all the varieties of glass mugs known to exist. There is no other list of mugs anywhere that I know of, so I continue to add more as they pop up on eBay.


    vvv advertisement vvv

    ^^^ advertisement ^^^

    Link to Ken P's home page.

    vvv advertisement vvv

    ^^^ advertisement ^^^
    History Timelines Postage Stamps Today in History
    PCs Video Games Timeline Today
    Amiga World Silly This Day
    Apple Space Coins Sports
    Commodore 64 Impacts Corvettes Disney
    Processors Sports Cruise Ships USA
    Corvettes Gambling Disney Music
    World War II Weather Errors PC and Game
    Sweden Earthquakes Novelties TV and Movies
    A&W USA Births Finder Anniversaries
    A&W Canada Deaths
    Postage Stamps Dow Jones Coins Chevrolet Corvettes
    Walt Disney Co. Television Timeline: Canada Timeline
    Disneyland Cruise Ships Timeline: USA Racing Success
    Walt Disney World Oak Island Timeline: World On Stamps
    Disney Cruise Line Killing JFK Novelties Pop Culture
    Canada coins On Stamps
    USA coins Other
    World coins Mug Shots(A&W)
    Stuff For Sale

    Privacy Policy

    kpolsson.com does not collect or share personal information. I have better things to do. There are links to advertiser sites that are beyond my control, from which I may receive a placement fee or a sale commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.