Ever thought about the historical backdrop when your favorite musician was
born, or how their birth year compares to other artists?
to-scale timeline does just that, aligning the birth
years of renowned artists with significant events from the same period. Not
only does it put these artists in a broader historical context, but it also
allows for a comparative view, showing when one artist entered the world
relative to others. From essential political shifts to technological
breakthroughs, this timeline offers a snapshot of the landscape these
musicians stepped into.
1678: Antonio Vivaldi
The Treaty of Nijmegen ends the Franco-Dutch War.
1685: Johann Sebastian Bach
James II of England and VII of Scotland becomes king.
1756: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
The Seven Years' War begins.
1770: Ludwig van Beethoven
The Boston Massacre occurs in colonial America.
1797: Franz Schubert
The First Coalition forms against France, leading to the Napoleonic
Wars.
1810: Frederic Chopin
The Mexican War of Independence begins.
1813: Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi
Napoleon's Grand Army is defeated in the Battle of Leipzig.
1833: Johannes Brahms
The Slavery Abolition Act is passed in the United Kingdom.
1840: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
The First Opium War between Britain and China begins.
1843: Edvard Grieg
The first major wagon train heads for the American Pacific Northwest.
1868: Scott Joplin
The 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is adopted.
1882: Igor Stravinsky
The Triple Alliance forms between Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy.
1899: Duke Ellington
The Spanish-American War ends.
1901: Louis Armstrong
The first Nobel Prizes are awarded in Stockholm, Sweden.
1903: Bing Crosby
The Wright brothers make the first powered flight in Kitty Hawk, NC.
1915: Frank Sinatra
The first large-scale use of poison gas in WWI at Ypres, Belgium.
1917: Ella Fitzgerald
The Russian Revolution begins.
1918: Leonard Bernstein
World War I ends with the signing of the armistice.
1926: Tony Bennett
The first demonstration of television by John Logie Baird.
1930: Ray Charles
First FIFA World Cup takes place in Uruguay.
1932: Johnny Cash
The Great Depression begins with the Wall Street Crash.
1933: Willie Nelson
Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated as the 32nd president of the US.
1935: Elvis Presley
The Social Security Act is signed into law in the U.S.
1936: Buddy Holly
The Spanish Civil War begins.
1939: Tina Turner
World War II begins with Germany's invasion of Poland.
1940: John Lennon
Battle of Britain during WWII.
1941: Bob Dylan, Paul Simon
Attack on Pearl Harbor; U.S. enters World War II.
1942: Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Barbra Streisand
The Battle of Stalingrad during World War II begins.
1943: Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Mick Jagger, George Harrison
World War II: The Battle of Stalingrad begins.
1944: Diana Ross
World War II: D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy.
1945: Eric Clapton, Bob Marley, Rod Stewart, Neil Young
World War II: The United Nations is established.
1946: Freddie Mercury, Dolly Parton, Cher
UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) is
established.
1947: David Bowie, Elton John, Carlos Santana
The Truman Doctrine is announced to contain communism.
1948: James Taylor, Robert Plant
The World Health Organization (WHO) is founded.
1949: Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Lionel Richie
NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is established.
1950: Stevie Wonder
The Korean War begins.
1951: Phil Collins
The first color television broadcast takes place in the US.
1953: Cyndi Lauper
DNA's double helix structure is discovered by Watson and Crick.
1958: Madonna, Michael Jackson, Prince, Andrea Bocelli
NASA is founded.
1959: Sade
The Antarctic Treaty, which sets aside Antarctica as a scientific
preserve, is signed.
1960: Bono
The first successful kidney transplant is performed.
1962: Axl Rose
The Cuban Missile Crisis occurs between the US and the Soviet Union.
1963: Whitney Houston, George Michael
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I Have a Dream" speech.
1967: Kurt Cobain
The first human heart transplant is performed by Dr. Christiaan
Barnard.
1968: Céline Dion
Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee.
1969: Mariah Carey, Gwen Stefani, Jennifer Lopez
The first human moon landing: Apollo 11.
1977: Shakira
The New York City blackout lasts for 25 hours.
1978: John Legend
The Camp David Accords are signed by Egypt and Israel.
1979: P!nk, Nora Jones, Adam Levine
The Iranian Revolution results in the fall of the Shah.
1980: Christina Aguilera
Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state.
1981: Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys
The first IBM personal computer is introduced.
1982: Kelly Clarkson
The Falklands War begins between the UK and Argentina.
1983: Amy Winehouse
The U.S. embassy in Beirut is bombed, killing 63 people.
1984: Katy Perry
Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister of India, is assassinated.
1985: Bruno Mars
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the leader of the Soviet Union.
1986: Lady Gaga
The Chernobyl nuclear disaster occurs in the USSR.
1987: Kendrick Lamar
The DNA first is used to convict criminals.
1988: Rihanna, Adele
The Lockerbie bombing: Pan Am Flight 103 is destroyed over Scotland.
1989: Taylor Swift
The Berlin Wall falls, leading to the end of the Cold War.
1991: Ed Sheeran
The dissolution of the Soviet Union officially occurs.
1992: Miley Cyrus, Sam Smith
The Bosnian War begins following the declaration of independence.
1993: Ariana Grande
The European Union's Single Market is officially completed.
1996: Lorde
Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, is born.
2001: Billie Eilish
The September 11 terrorist attacks occur in the U.S.
