How to Make Timelines
- 1). Write a list of events in chronological order. Include the year, title, and a brief description for each event. Example: "1781, Battle of Yorktown, Americans defeat the British; end the Revolutionary War." Write the description in the present tense.
- 2). Use a ruler to draw a straight horizontal line that is 10 inches long. (Timeline lengths can vary.)
- 3). Add a ¼-inch vertical mark at each end of the horizontal line. Then insert ¼-inch vertical marks at equal intervals on the line. The number of intervals can vary. For this example, insert 4 marks, each two inches apart.
- 4). Choose a time span for your list of events. The time span should encompass all the dates in your list. If a list includes the dates 1728, 1743, 1776 and 1781, the time span could be 1700 to 1800.
- 5). Write the beginning date of the time span below the vertical mark at the far left of your timeline. Write the end date of the time span below the vertical mark at the far right.
- 6). Write dates below each mark in the timeline. The dates should all have the same number of years separating them. For example, a timeline with a beginning date of 1700 and an end date of 1800 could have interval dates separated by 20 years: 1720, 1740, 1760 and 1780.
- 7). Place a small dot on the timeline that shows when the first event on your list took place. For example, an event that took place in 1743 would have a dot slightly after 1740. Repeat for all the other events in your list.
- 8). Use a ruler to draw a vertical line upward from each dot. Write the year, title and description of each event at the top of the vertical line for that event.