Surprising Historical Timelines: Oxford Predates the Aztec Empire and Other Chronological Revelations
By
Colin Schultz,Meilan Solly
Summary
This article presents a collection of historical facts designed to challenge readers' conventional understanding of the timeline of world history. It highlights surprising chronological juxtapositions — such as the University of Oxford being older than the Aztec Empire, the Great Pyramid being closer in time to Cleopatra than to today, and the fax machine being invented before the first transcontinental railroad — to illustrate how our mental timelines can be distorted. The piece uses these examples to encourage a more nuanced and accurate perspective on historical chronology.
Source
Hacker NewsSurprising Historical Timelines: Oxford Predates the Aztec Empire and Other Chronological Revelationssmithsonianmag.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledTeaching in Oxford, England, began no later than 1096. Tenochtitlán, the capital of the Aztec Empire, was founded in 1325.
The historical timeline you keep in your head might not be as accurate as you think
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BCE — closer in time to Cleopatra (who lived around 30 BCE) than to the present day.
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