Timeline

The Jovian squid (*Jovia regnis europae*) likely evolves into an intelligent being on Europa. Trapped under the ice for millenia, this alien species develops massively on an intellectual level. Their entire civilization rises to its peak and begins a slow decline before the first mammals even shuffle out of their dens after the end of the Mesozoic.

At the peak of Europan civilization, they have escaped their moon's surly bonds and travel space with technology still not yet understood by contemporary people. It is likely that this peak lasted some three thousand years. Some time toward the end of it, the "psychic epoch" occurred. The consciousnesses of all Jovians were entangled on a quantum level, possibly due to an experiment, interaction with even higher-level extraterrestrials (extra/transdimensional beings, gods, etc.), or some other unknown cause. Previously, while abstract concepts like intelligence were independently emergent, the new state of being meant all consciousnesses were instantaneously projected into the brains of intelligent creatures from one central, unknown point. Humans would not be (knowingly) connected to this network, referred to as the Noosphere, until discovery (and consumption) of Jovians in the early 2120s. The nature of this Noosphere, its purpose, and its relation to the development of concepts like intelligence and free will, are still poorly understood.

**~200,000 BC**

The genetically neutral human (*homo sapiens*) emerges in Africa from progenitor species, and eventually spreads through much of Afro-Eurasia due to their nomadic lifestyle.

**~10,000 BC**

Humans begin to settle in various places throughout the world, developing agriculture and becoming a progressively more sedentary species. Other humans remain nomadic for millennia afterward, and others never truly settle.

**~4000 BC**

The first human states, centralized political entities with territories and laws, emerge. This coincides with wider-spread adoption of agriculture, as those with an excess of food can leverage this basic resource to coerce the labor and assistance of others. This causes a feedback loop, which eventually makes states the most powerful organizations: states form due to excess resources and a need to protect them, then use this power to accumulate more resources, growing larger to protect these new resources.

These ancient civilizations are known to have recognized Mercury, Venus, the Moon, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, under many different names.

### Classical period (4000 BC - 500 CE)

**~2000 BC - 1 CE**

The classic progenitor states emerge throughout the world. While these polities are vastly different and widespread through the world, their influence on the rest of human society and culture remains, especially in terms of philosophy, religion, language, and eventual national borders.

**~500 CE**

The civilization of the Jovians is believed to have completely collapsed by this point, leaving only scattered nomadic groups that appear, to the first human colonists thousands of years later, to be not much more than animals.

### Postclassical period (500 - 1500)

**~1380**

A massive impact on Venus dramatically increases its rotational period, from hundreds of days to about a week. The resulting environmental change dramatically changes Venus' reputation with humanity, and it becomes a focus of speculation and fiction along with Mars for centuries to come. Centuries later, Galileo is able to accurately depict much of the planet's surface.

**1492 - 1868**

The ***Contact Era***. This era is characterized by colonialist civilizations going out to exert influence and power on other groups, largely for monetary gain. This results in the devastation of many cultures - many at least partially, some totally. The Age of Sail allows connectivity with all of Earth for the first time in recorded history, facilitating the spread of everything from foods and technologies to writing and ideas. Humans will continually iterate on connectivity to make it faster and easier. It also spreads disease rapidly to previously isolated groups, who have no immunity and have their populations leveled as a result; this will become a staple of intercontinental contact throughout this period. It is bookended by two major events relating to the spread of Western influence: the Columbian expedition to the Caribbean on one end and the beginning of the Meiji Restoration on the other.

Two new planets are discovered as well: Uranus in 1781 and Neptune in 1846.

### Modern period (1500 - 2000)

**1904 - 1945**

The ***World Wars Era***. This era is characterized by previously-established civilizations jockeying for power against one another - which had started much earlier, but slowly began to build into larger and larger conflicts, facilitated by the rapid improvement of technology and political ideology. At the start is the Russo-Japanese War, one of the first conflicts of the 20th century, a touchstone in the decline of both Imperial China and Russia, and the rise of imperial Japan as a world power to be feared by stagnant European states. It played a significant role in the agitation of these powers into World War I, and the even more destructive World War II, both of which encompassed miniature wars within them across much of the planet Earth. World War I saw the rise of the Soviet Union, one of the largest and most powerful powers in Earth's history, which brought sweeping societal upheaval and the adoption of Marxism-Leninism by many states throughout this century. The resolution of World War I directly leads to World War II, which is precipitated with the rises of modern Empire of Japan, Nazi Germany, and the Kingdom of Italy, who seek to greatly expand their territory and dominate neighboring territories in a bid for global control. This is eventually put down by the collective effort of many nations, most notably the previously isolationist United States. These are still the most destructive conflicts in human history. This era is bookended with the end of World War II and the development of nuclear weapons, which are used on Japan as the end to a lengthy firebombing campaign.

**1936 - 1937**

Spain's Civil War is met with fervent international response after the rise of Nazism in 1933, and the Francoist uprising is soon quelled by a collective effort. However, the weakened Republican state eventually gives way to a popular referendum and Syndicalist-run Spain emerges as the first state of its kind. This ideology influences and lays roots in many states through the world, though its outreach is limited in Europe and Asia by World War II. Its strongest adherents will be found in North America.

**1945**

The United Nations is founded in order to prevent global catastrophes like the earlier World Wars. It eventually expands to include every nation on Earth save for very few micronations. It is led by a Security Council, whose permanent members are initially the victors of the Second World War; this expands in 1968 to include the war's losing parties (Germany, Italy, and Japan) and then again in 1995 to include rising nations at the time (Brazil, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and South Korea).

**1945 - 1991**

The ***Cold War*** and ***First Space Race*** Eras. The longer of the two, the Cold War was a low-level conflict and general tension between the United States and the Soviet Union due to ideological differences and the buildup of nuclear weapons, much more powerful than the ones used on Japan. This long-running state of being shaped the outlook and culture of multiple generations. The smaller conflict within it was the Space Race - a technological competition which existed as a side effect of the development of missile technology. Space vessels, first autonomous and later crewed, were sent to the orbit of Earth, as well the other major bodies of the Solar System, though humans only walk on the Moon during this period. Much effort is put to researching the possible habitability of Mars and Venus during this time. The Soviet Union launches the first object, and later the first person in space, but the US puts the first person on the Moon. The Cold War ends with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, which ushers in a hegemonic, but relatively peaceful ten years.

**1949**

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO, is founded as a defensive pact, initially against the Soviet Union and its influenced states. When the Soviet Union signs the Warsaw Pact in 1955, these two organizations remain at odds with one another for decades.

The aftermath of World War 2 and the ongoing Chinese Civil War resolves with Communist victory under Mao Zedong. This new People's Republic of China rapidly industrializes the previously agrarian imperial nation over a few mere generations, seeing progress as a worthy goal regardless of the pitfalls along the way. China becomes a dominating power across the world and later the System after a grueling century of humiliation.

**1991**

The Soviet Union collapses after years of mismanagement, giving way to the modern Russian Federation.

**1993**

The European Union is founded as a political, economic, and defensive alliance, many of its members sharing a currency, the Euro, which grows to be one of the mot universally used currencies in the world, alongside the US dollar, the yen, the yuan, and the pound sterling.

**1995**

The Internet is fully commercialized, spearheading its widespread adoption by humans in the years to follow.

### Postmodern period (2000 - 2210)

**2025 - 2068**

The ***Reform*** and ***Second Space Race*** Eras. Growing dissatisfaction with the state of being in the early 21st century led to widespread unrest. Many citizens pushed for higher levels of freedom and equality, and governments pushed back - some allowed referendums after much outcry, while others doubled down with violence. The United States broke up, but reformed under the new title of the United Syndicalist States, admitting new members into what it referred to as its "Greater Union"; by the Kontemps, its decentralized nature and open border policy meant its nominal territory stretched across both American continents. Whereas the first Space Race was competitive, the second was collaborative; Moon colonization was started by a multinational alliance, and twin missions to Mars and Venus were preceded by an array of probes and robots. Humans touched down on Mars in 2035, and Venus in 2042. Because of the distance and slow speed of travel in the 21st century, these first missions had to be permanent outposts, and were sent with constant resupply in mind. The expense, and in some minds, the futility of keeping people on far flung planets when they couldn't fend for themselves, directly led to the Awakening Program and Project UP/Lift.

**2050 - 2058**

The Awakening Program is started as a direct response to the dangers of space travel and terraforming. By splicing human and insect DNA, a seemingly-simple species of creatures, initially termed Awakened by their creators, are able to work and survive in the low-or-no-oxygen environments of hostile planets and moons. These insectoids, part of "Generation 0" by modern terminology, were usually the size of human children, with tremendous strength for their size due to their exoskeletons. Along with orchestrated bombardments from the Asteroid Belt and other techniques, these Generation 0 Awakened are indispensable in the efforts to make these future habitats livable in the first place. However, they are effectively slaves, a pattern that will continue until the Kontemps centuries later.

**2060**

With the success of the Awakening Program's first iteration, the concept of "intelligent pets" comes to the forefront of scientists who previously worked on designer babies and genetic enhancements for humans. Project UP/Lift first seeks to take canines, felines, and avians and significantly boost their intellect to just below human levels - eventually, patrons could design Uplifted (or "Lifts") from almost any species and make them as smart or smarter than themselves, for additional money. Unlike Awakened, Uplifted remain in their original form for the most part. Paws are made more flexible and given opposable thumbs, often by extending the dewclaw. Like Awakened, however, Uplifted were not considered humans at their inception.

### Spacefaring period (2210 - 2322)

**2210**

Subphotonic travel, spaceflight at 1% the speed of light or more, is achieved for the first time by the crew of White Dog 7, an experimental Chinese vessel. The craft, intended to skip past Saturn, instead breaks up as it passes, likely due to a micrometeorite impact at relativistic speed.