Chronicles of Earth: 230 Million Years in 365 Days

Dinosaurs appeared 230 million years ago and went extinct some 66 million years ago. For nearly 165 million years, these prehistoric beasts roamed the face of this earth. Modern humans arrived approximately 200,000 years ago, a mere 0.2 million years in comparison to the dinosaurs' era. Yet, in our fleeting existence, we have wrought great changes upon the Earth. With wars and rumours of wars, and at the rate we’re damaging the planet, we might not even survive long enough to look back and say we’ve been here for 0.3 million years. That is a very short lifespan.

If, in the distant future, another life form were to rise and sift through the annals of Earth's history, they might stumble upon the remnants of our civilization. They would ponder our brief existence on this planet and, much like we ponder the fate of the dinosaurs, they would ask: "What did these beings do to ensure their own demise in such a short span of time?"

Image source: Chicago Children's Museum.

To gain some perspective, let us imagine the entire 230 million years condensed into a single calendar year, with today marking the start of a new year and serving as our point of reference.

12 AM, January 1st, and the clock strikes new year. Dinosaurs would emerge on the face of this earth, marking a new era in the planet’s 19-year history. Earth, in its youthful state, forms a symbiotic bond with these majestic creatures, evolving alongside them until a fateful separation. For 9 incredible months, these magnificent creatures would roam the planet Earth, evolving and thriving in a world that was theirs. This is the same Earth we tread upon today, under the same sky that once witnessed the 'Reign of the T-Rex' and the Pteranodon's graceful flight. The ocean, brimming with ancient life forms, was ruled by the mighty Megalodon. They roamed the same lands we tread today, breathed the same life-giving atmosphere, and swam in the same oceans that grace our world.

Then one fateful morning, on September 18th at precisely 6:15 AM, destiny took a decisive turn. The Chicxulub Impactor, a colossal asteroid 10 kilometres in diameter, hurtled through space and collided with Earth. In an instant, ancient life met its abrupt end. This marked the conclusion of a 9-month epoch where Earth nurtured a primitive yet majestic form of life. The age of dinosaurs had come to an end.

After the cataclysm that brought an end to the reign of the dinosaurs, Earth descended into a period of tranquil hibernation for two more months. Then, on December 21st, a new epoch began. Around 2:40 AM, in the heart of the African continent, the first ancestors of humans and apes emerged. Four days later, on what would be known as Christmas Day, these beings learned to walk upright. By December 28th at 5:26 PM, they had learned to control fire and constructed their very first shelters.

On December 30th, around 10:11 PM, Homo Sapiens would make their grand entrance onto the stage of history. They rested through the night, awakening on December 31st at noon to witness a cognitive revolution that birthed abstract thinking, intricate forms of communication, and the genesis of communal living. By 10:53 PM that same day, Homo sapiens had embarked on planting their inaugural crops during the agricultural revolution. Somewhere in Waghi Valley, they had just begun digging drainage swamps. It would eventually be recognized as the Kuk Early Agricultural World Heritage Site. Meanwhile, on the island of Flores in Indonesia, the smallest known species of Homo, Homo Floresiensis, quietly slipped into extinction.

An hour later at 11:40 PM, a colossal empire ascends to power in Mesopotamia: The Akkadian Empire. Just seven minutes afterwards, the dawn of major religions and philosophies begins to illuminate the collective consciousness of humanity, shaping moral and spiritual paths. Then, as the clock strikes 11:57 PM, Christopher Columbus reaches the shores of America, Galileo pioneers the early telescope, Newton discovers gravity, and the scientific revolution erupts, ushering in groundbreaking discoveries in science and medicine that transform our understanding of the universe. A mere minute later, at 11:58 PM, the industrial revolution unfolded.

At 11:59:00 PM, the world had witnessed two world wars, mastered conquests of land, sea, and air, and created the atomic bomb. In the final 8 seconds before midnight, Apollo 11 launched its mission to the moon, and Neil Armstrong set foot on the lunar surface. Still at 11:59 PM, just six seconds before midnight, the internet was born, and only 2 seconds ago, most millennials in their twenties today were learning how to walk. And as a minute passes from now - according to this scale - 500 years will have already slipped into the future.

This compresses 230 million years into 365 days. By this scale, the Big Bang would have occurred just 19 years ago. In that condensed year, within a mere 20 minutes, humanity has built vast civilizations, established intricate systems of governance, economics, and religion, and witnessed both the ravages of war and the enduring scars of our exploitation of the Earth. It's a fleeting moment compared to the nine-month reign of the dinosaurs. This reflection prompts me to consider that Earth has existed, exists now, and will persist long after our time. Let's care for our planet and strive to make a positive impact during our brief tenure here.