The Stages of Everything
May 20, 2026 at 17:32:51.810
The following section explores the key stages of the universe's development and the accelerating pace of complexity over time. These percentages are calculated in real-time based on the current moment.
Original calculations made on August 11th, 2011. Updated in 2026 to reflect scientific progress. Now updating live.
Modern Humans
First Anatomically Modern Humans300,000 BC
Agriculture Begins10,000 BC
First Cities4,000 BC
Invention of Writing (beginning of recorded history)3,400 BC
Steam Power (Watt patents improved steam engine)1769 AD
First use of electricity (Volta invents electrical battery)1800 AD
First Electronic Computer1946 AD
Invention of the internet and beginning of the information age1990 AD
Release of ChatGPT and beginning of the intelligence age2022 AD
We were Hunter Gatherers for the previous
96.018099568782%
of Human History
We have had Agriculture for
3.981900431218%
of Human History
We have had Cities for
1.995319060829%
of Human History
We have had Written Language for
1.796660923790%
of Human History
We have had Steam Power for
0.085221073201%
of Human History
We have had Electricity for
0.074957069454%
of Human History
We have had Computers for
0.026616922774%
of Human History
We have been in The Information Age for
0.012048659391%
of Human History
We have been in The Intelligence Age for
0.001149942896%
of Human History
Percent of Human History (step chart)
(This timeline is just for Homo sapiens. The broader Homo genus, which includes species like Neanderthals, Denisovans, Homo erectus, and Homo floresiensis that coexisted alongside our ancestors, has existed for the past 2,500,000 years. If we use that timeframe instead, human civilisation starting with agriculture represents just the most recent 0.5% of Homo genus history.)
Earth
Formation of Earth4.55 billion years ago
Simple Cells (bacteria/prokaryotes)3.80 billion years ago
Photosynthesis3.00 billion years ago
Complex cells (Eukaryotes)2.00 billion years ago
Multicellular Life1.00 billion years ago
Simple Animals600.0 million years ago
Complex Animals550.0 million years ago
Homo Genus2.5 million years ago
Modern Humans300,000 years ago
We have had Simple Cells for
83.5164463215598673%
of Earth's History
We have had Photosynthesis for
65.9340365696525268%
of Earth's History
We have had Complex Cells for
43.9560243797683512%
of Earth's History
We have had Multicellular Life for
21.9780121898841756%
of Earth's History
We have had Simple Animals for
13.1868073139305054%
of Earth's History
We have had Complex Animals for
12.0879067044362966%
of Earth's History
We have had The Homo Genus for
0.0549450304747104%
of Earth's History
We have had Modern Humans for
0.0065934036569653%
of Earth's History
We have had Cities for
0.0001318680731393%
of Earth's History
Percent of Earth's History (step chart)
(Dating early life is challenging. The earliest undisputed stromatolite fossils are ~3.5 billion years old, though geochemical evidence suggests life may have existed 3.8 billion years ago. Oxygenic photosynthesis by cyanobacteria eventually led to the Great Oxidation Event ~2.4 billion years ago, which transformed Earth's atmosphere and made complex life possible.)
The Universe
The Big Bang13.80 billion years ago
Matter Domination Era13.80 billion years ago
Hydrogen and Helium Atoms form13.80 billion years ago
First stars form13.60 billion years ago
First Galaxies form13.30 billion years ago
Earth forms4.55 billion years ago
First life forms3.80 billion years ago
First multicellular life1.00 billion years ago
First complex animals550.0 million years ago
Homo Genus starts2.5 million years ago
First cities6,000 years ago
We have had Matter for
99.99964473635556528%
of Existence
We have had Hydrogen and Helium atoms for
99.99723169323163534%
of Existence
We have had Stars for
98.55071016650822563%
of Existence
We have had Galaxies for
96.37679744224701477%
of Existence
We have had Earth for
32.97100965129503137%
of Existence
We have had Life for
27.53622784064200422%
of Existence
We have had Multicellular Life for
7.24637574753736953%
of Existence
We have had Complex animals for
3.98550666114555324%
of Existence
We have had The Homo Genus for
0.01811593936884342%
of Existence
We have had Cities for
0.00004347825448522%
of Existence
Percent of Existence (step chart)
(Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that galaxies may have formed even earlier than previously thought—possibly as early as 200-400 million years after the Big Bang. The universe's age of 13.8 billion years is measured with remarkable precision of ±1% using the cosmic microwave background radiation left over from the recombination epoch.)