8500 - 560 BC
Invention of the wheel
520 BC - 1474
Acceleration of trade along the Silk Road, dominated by the Mongol Empire
Development of large trading empires in Africa, South of the Sahara
China starts closing up
1474 - 1740
Heyday of the triangular trade between Europe, Africa and America
1740 - 1945
Construction of the Rocket, one of the first steam engines
Opening of the Suez Canal
The second industrial revolution
Panama financial scandal
Launch of the Ford Model T in the United States
First international passenger air service
1945 to the present
Bankruptcy and restructuring of General Motors
