Determine where you want your time period to begin and end. For example, if you want to list significant time periods of the United States, you may begin the timeline around 1600 and go through to present day.
List the events you want to show during your time period. For example, if you are creating a timeline for the Civil War, you will want to include major battles or other significant political events to create a well-rounded picture of the period.
List each event with the specific date if possible. Start with the earliest date and move through the time period to the ending or present date.
Categorize time periods by common theme and then the date. For example, when listing the Modern Era (18th through 20th century) significant time periods and dates would be listed as following:
Industrial Revolution (18th and 19th centuries)
Romantic Era (1850 to 1920)
World War I (1914 to 1918)
World War II (1939 to 1945)
Cold War (1945 to 1989)
Information Age ( 1970 to present day)