green

Moments in history that’ll up-end your sense of historical timelines

Among the pyramids, woolly mammoths, space travel, iPhones and Picasso are some weird overlaps that feel impossible – take a look at this fascinating gallery and these strange-but-true facts

Maddison Brennan-MillsMaddison Brennan-Mills
2 min read
July 2, 2026 - 6:30PM
Kids News
Print
The pyramids were going up while woolly mammoths still wandered around Siberia. Yes, really. Picture: AI generated/Gemini AI
The pyramids were going up while woolly mammoths still wandered around Siberia. Yes, really. Picture: AI generated/Gemini AI
More from History

READING LEVEL: GREEN

Truth is often stranger than fiction and historical timelines are full of chronological* intersections and brain-bending anomalies*. Expect the unexpected in this crazy collection of weird, wonderful and occasionally woeful* moments in history, as this gallery may scramble your brain and fire up your internal fact-checker. Enjoy!

The pyramids were going up while the last of the woolly mammoths were still alive. Yes, really. National Geographic Kids confirms that the last known group of woolly mammoths “survived until about 1650BC – over a thousand years after the Pyramids at Giza were built.” Picture: Canva
The pyramids were going up while the last of the woolly mammoths were still alive. Yes, really. National Geographic Kids confirms that the last known group of woolly mammoths “survived until about 1650BC – over a thousand years after the Pyramids at Giza were built.” Picture: Canva
Most woolly mammoths died out at the end of the Pleistocene* era, but according to Russian palaeontologists*, a stubborn Arctic population held on at Wrangel Island off the coast of northeast Siberia until around 1650 BCE. Picture: Smithsonian
Most woolly mammoths died out at the end of the Pleistocene* era, but according to Russian palaeontologists*, a stubborn Arctic population held on at Wrangel Island off the coast of northeast Siberia until around 1650 BCE. Picture: Smithsonian
That's roughly 1000 years after the Great Pyramid of Giza was finished. Picture: Canva
That's roughly 1000 years after the Great Pyramid of Giza was finished. Picture: Canva
But there’s more surprises in store. The famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than to the building of the pyramids. The Great Pyramid went up around 2500 BCE. Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 51 to 30BC, making her a relative spring chicken in historical terms. Picture: Getty
But there’s more surprises in store. The famous Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra, lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than to the building of the pyramids. The Great Pyramid went up around 2500 BCE. Cleopatra ruled Egypt from 51 to 30BC, making her a relative spring chicken in historical terms. Picture: Getty
The last active ruler of Ancient Egypt, famed for her great beauty, Cleopatra died in 30 BCE, but the legend of one of the best-known women in history may well live forever. Picture: Canva
The last active ruler of Ancient Egypt, famed for her great beauty, Cleopatra died in 30 BCE, but the legend of one of the best-known women in history may well live forever. Picture: Canva
The first iPhone landed in 2007. Yes, it took less than 20 years for a single device to completely change human existence as we know it. Picture: Getty
The first iPhone landed in 2007. Yes, it took less than 20 years for a single device to completely change human existence as we know it. Picture: Getty
As peculiar as it may seem, Cleopatra will always be about 400 years closer to Steve Jobs than to the slaves who built Egypt’s pyramids. Picture: Getty
As peculiar as it may seem, Cleopatra will always be about 400 years closer to Steve Jobs than to the slaves who built Egypt’s pyramids. Picture: Getty
The surprises don’t stop there. Did you know that Oxford University is hundreds of years older than the Aztec Empire? Picture: Canva
The surprises don’t stop there. Did you know that Oxford University is hundreds of years older than the Aztec Empire? Picture: Canva
It’s true. Teaching at Oxford was already happening in some form around 1096. Photo: Oxford University
It’s true. Teaching at Oxford was already happening in some form around 1096. Photo: Oxford University
Whereas Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, wasn't founded until 1325, by which time Oxford had been setting essays for over 200 years. Pictures: Canva
Whereas Tenochtitlán, now Mexico City, wasn't founded until 1325, by which time Oxford had been setting essays for over 200 years. Pictures: Canva
And while putting a samurai, the Pope and Galileo into the same sentence sounds like the start of a joke, a Japanese samurai really did visit the Pope while the great Italian astronomer* and physicist* Galileo was facing the Inquisition*. Picture: Canva
And while putting a samurai, the Pope and Galileo into the same sentence sounds like the start of a joke, a Japanese samurai really did visit the Pope while the great Italian astronomer* and physicist* Galileo was facing the Inquisition*. Picture: Canva
Between 1613 and 1620, a samurai named Hasekura Tsunenaga sailed from Japan to Mexico and on to Europe. Picture: supplied/file image
Between 1613 and 1620, a samurai named Hasekura Tsunenaga sailed from Japan to Mexico and on to Europe. Picture: supplied/file image
He met Pope Paul V in Rome in 1615, which was happening … Picture: supplied
He met Pope Paul V in Rome in 1615, which was happening … Picture: supplied
… right as Galileo landed himself in boiling hot water with the Roman Catholic Church for suggesting that the Earth orbits the sun. Picture: History.com
… right as Galileo landed himself in boiling hot water with the Roman Catholic Church for suggesting that the Earth orbits the sun. Picture: History.com
Then there’s Harvard University in the US, which is weirdly older than calculus. Picture: Canva
Then there’s Harvard University in the US, which is weirdly older than calculus. Picture: Canva
America's oldest university was founded in 1636. Picture: Harvard University/supplied
America's oldest university was founded in 1636. Picture: Harvard University/supplied
But Harvard’s first students were spared calculus studies entirely, as Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz didn't separately develop the branch of mathematics that studies continuous change and motion until the late 1600s. Picture: Canva
But Harvard’s first students were spared calculus studies entirely, as Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz didn't separately develop the branch of mathematics that studies continuous change and motion until the late 1600s. Picture: Canva
And if you’ve ever stopped to wonder if American Founding Father George Washington had a favourite dinosaur, the answer has to be no, because Washington had no idea that dinosaurs had ever existed. Picture: Canva
And if you’ve ever stopped to wonder if American Founding Father George Washington had a favourite dinosaur, the answer has to be no, because Washington had no idea that dinosaurs had ever existed. Picture: Canva
The first US President, who led the group that wrote the United States Constitution and led the army that defeated Great Britain in the War of Independence, died in 1799. Picture: Canva
The first US President, who led the group that wrote the United States Constitution and led the army that defeated Great Britain in the War of Independence, died in 1799. Picture: Canva
But it wasn’t for another quarter of a century that the first dinosaur fossil was found. That fossilised Megalosaurus wasn't officially named until 1824 — so the word “dinosaur” never reached Washington. Picture: Canva
But it wasn’t for another quarter of a century that the first dinosaur fossil was found. That fossilised Megalosaurus wasn't officially named until 1824 — so the word “dinosaur” never reached Washington. Picture: Canva
Still in the animal kingdom, it’s crazy to consider that Harriet the Tortoise was a bestie for both Charles Darwin and Australia’s own Steve Irwin. Picture: supplied
Still in the animal kingdom, it’s crazy to consider that Harriet the Tortoise was a bestie for both Charles Darwin and Australia’s own Steve Irwin. Picture: supplied
The renowned British naturalist and father of evolutionary theory, Darwin (1809-1882) famously collected Harriet from the Galápagos Islands back in 1835. Picture: Australia Zoo
The renowned British naturalist and father of evolutionary theory, Darwin (1809-1882) famously collected Harriet from the Galápagos Islands back in 1835. Picture: Australia Zoo
Harriet outlived Darwin and Irwin, clocking over 170 years of life after eventually landing at Australia Zoo, where she was cared for by the Irwin family and zoo staff until she died of old age in 2006. Picture: Australia Zoo
Harriet outlived Darwin and Irwin, clocking over 170 years of life after eventually landing at Australia Zoo, where she was cared for by the Irwin family and zoo staff until she died of old age in 2006. Picture: Australia Zoo
Harriet even lived long enough to meet Steve Irwin’s two kids, Bindi and Robert Irwin. Picture: Australia Zoo
Harriet even lived long enough to meet Steve Irwin’s two kids, Bindi and Robert Irwin. Picture: Australia Zoo
As we’ve already seen, the chronology of tech developments can be very surprising and here’s another one for you. The early days of the fax machine were happening at the same time as the American frontier was being forged along the Oregon Trail. Picture: Canva
As we’ve already seen, the chronology of tech developments can be very surprising and here’s another one for you. The early days of the fax machine were happening at the same time as the American frontier was being forged along the Oregon Trail. Picture: Canva
In 1843, the first big wagon train set off on the brutal slog out across the American west, while over in Europe, Alexander Bain was quietly patenting the world's first electric fax machine. Picture: file image
In 1843, the first big wagon train set off on the brutal slog out across the American west, while over in Europe, Alexander Bain was quietly patenting the world's first electric fax machine. Picture: file image
While the model pictured came much later than Bain’s original, the principles of the fax machines he patented survived. Picture: History.com
While the model pictured came much later than Bain’s original, the principles of the fax machines he patented survived. Picture: History.com
Meanwhile, those settlers putting down roots in the American Wild West were doing so at the same time as Queen Victoria was reigning over the United Kingdom just across the Atlantic. Picture: English Heritage/Getty
Meanwhile, those settlers putting down roots in the American Wild West were doing so at the same time as Queen Victoria was reigning over the United Kingdom just across the Atlantic. Picture: English Heritage/Getty
British high society ladies were sipping tea and wearing corsets … Picture: Canva
British high society ladies were sipping tea and wearing corsets … Picture: Canva
… while cowboys, outlaws and lawmen were brawling in saloons across the American frontier. Picture: supplied
… while cowboys, outlaws and lawmen were brawling in saloons across the American frontier. Picture: supplied
Nintendo’s launch in Japan overlapped with the Eiffel Tower’s construction in France and the birth of Coca-Cola in the United States. Picture: composite/Canva
Nintendo’s launch in Japan overlapped with the Eiffel Tower’s construction in France and the birth of Coca-Cola in the United States. Picture: composite/Canva
Coca-Cola was invented in 1886. Picture: supplied
Coca-Cola was invented in 1886. Picture: supplied
Three years later, in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris. Do you think the workers celebrated with a game of Nintendo and a refreshing glass of Coke? Picture: supplied
Three years later, in 1889, the Eiffel Tower was finished in Paris. Do you think the workers celebrated with a game of Nintendo and a refreshing glass of Coke? Picture: supplied
It’s possible, because that same year, Nintendo opened in Japan selling playing cards, not consoles. Picture: supplied
It’s possible, because that same year, Nintendo opened in Japan selling playing cards, not consoles. Picture: supplied
The fateful sinking of the Titanic and the fall of China's Qing Dynasty happened in the same year. Picture: composite/Willy Stöwer/Smithsonian
The fateful sinking of the Titanic and the fall of China's Qing Dynasty happened in the same year. Picture: composite/Willy Stöwer/Smithsonian
In February 1912, the last Emperor of China abdicated, ending more than 2000 years of imperial rule. Picture: Getty
In February 1912, the last Emperor of China abdicated, ending more than 2000 years of imperial rule. Picture: Getty
Two months later, in April 1912, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Picture: Getty
Two months later, in April 1912, the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic. Picture: Getty
And consider this: the Ottoman Empire was still around during the Roaring Twenties. Picture: Getty
And consider this: the Ottoman Empire was still around during the Roaring Twenties. Picture: Getty
Dating back to the 13th century, the Ottoman Empire* was not officially dissolved by the Allies until 1922, following the end of World War I. Picture: Getty
Dating back to the 13th century, the Ottoman Empire* was not officially dissolved by the Allies until 1922, following the end of World War I. Picture: Getty
By then, we already had flappers, jazz and the first Hollywood studios. Picture: Getty
By then, we already had flappers, jazz and the first Hollywood studios. Picture: Getty
Speaking of Hollywood, iconic starlet Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926, just weeks after the birth of the baby girl who would become Britain’s longest reigning monarch: the late Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: Getty
Speaking of Hollywood, iconic starlet Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926, just weeks after the birth of the baby girl who would become Britain’s longest reigning monarch: the late Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: Getty
Young Jewish victim of the Nazi Holocaust Anne Frank and American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr had more than their tragic, premature deaths in common. Not only will their brave work and poignant words live forever, these two were actually born in the same year: 1929. Picture: Getty
Young Jewish victim of the Nazi Holocaust Anne Frank and American civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr had more than their tragic, premature deaths in common. Not only will their brave work and poignant words live forever, these two were actually born in the same year: 1929. Picture: Getty
This historical intersection is both mind-boggling and devastating. The founding of fast food giant McDonald's and the arrival of the first prisoners at the notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz happened just weeks apart. Picture: Getty
This historical intersection is both mind-boggling and devastating. The founding of fast food giant McDonald's and the arrival of the first prisoners at the notorious Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz happened just weeks apart. Picture: Getty
Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, on May 15, 1940. Picture: Getty
Richard and Maurice McDonald opened the first McDonald's in San Bernardino, California, on May 15, 1940. Picture: Getty
Less than a month later, on June 14, 1940, the first mass transport of prisoners arrived at Auschwitz. Starvation was a deliberate strategy in the Nazi genocide* against the Jewish people during World War II. Picture: Holocaust Museum
Less than a month later, on June 14, 1940, the first mass transport of prisoners arrived at Auschwitz. Starvation was a deliberate strategy in the Nazi genocide* against the Jewish people during World War II. Picture: Holocaust Museum
Advances in aviation were rapid, especially when you consider that we went from the first powered flight in 1903 to the first human walking on the moon in just 66 years. Picture: Getty
Advances in aviation were rapid, especially when you consider that we went from the first powered flight in 1903 to the first human walking on the moon in just 66 years. Picture: Getty
The Wright brothers managed their first short flight on December 17, 1903, when the American siblings Orville and Wilbur’s powered aeroplane took flight for 12 history-making seconds, travelling 36m at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Picture: Library of Congress
The Wright brothers managed their first short flight on December 17, 1903, when the American siblings Orville and Wilbur’s powered aeroplane took flight for 12 history-making seconds, travelling 36m at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Picture: Library of Congress
America was also the first country to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first human being to walk on the lunar surface. Given the two events were just 66 years apart, plenty of people were alive to see the first plane and the first lunar walk. Picture: Getty
America was also the first country to land on the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first human being to walk on the lunar surface. Given the two events were just 66 years apart, plenty of people were alive to see the first plane and the first lunar walk. Picture: Getty
Indeed, Orville Wright himself lived to see both the atomic bomb and supersonic flight. Picture: Getty
Indeed, Orville Wright himself lived to see both the atomic bomb and supersonic flight. Picture: Getty
The co-inventor of the aeroplane died in 1948, just three years after the atomic bombings or Hiroshima and Nagasaki swiftly brought the Second World War to an end. Picture: supplied
The co-inventor of the aeroplane died in 1948, just three years after the atomic bombings or Hiroshima and Nagasaki swiftly brought the Second World War to an end. Picture: supplied
Wright lived to witness both the devastating impact of aeroplanes in wartime, including dropping atomic bombs, but he was there for a win too, as when fellow pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947. Sadly, Orville’s brother Wilbur died aged just 45 in 1912, although not in an aviation accident but from typhoid*. Picture: Getty
Wright lived to witness both the devastating impact of aeroplanes in wartime, including dropping atomic bombs, but he was there for a win too, as when fellow pilot Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier in 1947. Sadly, Orville’s brother Wilbur died aged just 45 in 1912, although not in an aviation accident but from typhoid*. Picture: Getty
The great Spanish-born artist Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 around the same time as the birth of the Wild West in America but he lived until 1973, meaning he lived through both World Wars and was around for the moon landing. Picture: Getty
The great Spanish-born artist Pablo Picasso was born in 1881 around the same time as the birth of the Wild West in America but he lived until 1973, meaning he lived through both World Wars and was around for the moon landing. Picture: Getty
The band Pink Floyd released their seminal album The Dark Side of the Moon the same year Picasso died, just four years after the success of the Apollo 11 moon mission. Picture: supplied
The band Pink Floyd released their seminal album The Dark Side of the Moon the same year Picasso died, just four years after the success of the Apollo 11 moon mission. Picture: supplied
Star Wars came out, meanwhile, the same year France last used the guillotine* for capital punishment*. Picture: Lucasfilm/Canva
Star Wars came out, meanwhile, the same year France last used the guillotine* for capital punishment*. Picture: Lucasfilm/Canva
George Lucas' space epic first hit cinemas in May 1977. It still holds up pretty well but it was completely mind-blowing for kids at the time. Picture: Lucasfilm
George Lucas' space epic first hit cinemas in May 1977. It still holds up pretty well but it was completely mind-blowing for kids at the time. Picture: Lucasfilm
Last but not least, it may also surprise you to know that sharks are older than trees. Picture: Canva
Last but not least, it may also surprise you to know that sharks are older than trees. Picture: Canva
Sharks first turned up in the fossil record around 400 million years ago, already nailing the apex predator* credentials with fierce chompers. Picture: Canva
Sharks first turned up in the fossil record around 400 million years ago, already nailing the apex predator* credentials with fierce chompers. Picture: Canva
Trees, on the other hand, didn't take root on land until about 50 million years later. No wonder sharks are so, er, long in the teeth. Picture: Canva
Trees, on the other hand, didn't take root on land until about 50 million years later. No wonder sharks are so, er, long in the teeth. Picture: Canva

POLL

GLOSSARY

  • woeful: very bad or very unpleasant
  • Pleistocene: between around 1.8 million and 11,000 years ago, in which modern humans first appeared and the northern hemisphere experienced an ice age
  • palaeontologists: specialist who studies fossils to determine the structure and evolution of extinct animals and plants
  • astronomer: scientist who studies the stars, planets, and other natural objects in space
  • physicist: scientist who studies matter and energy and the effect that they have on each other
  • genocide: certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group
  • Inquisition: former special court or tribunal appointed by the Catholic Church to discover and suppress heresy (any belief or opinion contrary to religious dogma) and to punish heretics (people whose opinion is opposite or against that of official or popular opinion)
  • chronological: following the order in which a series of events happened
  • anomalies: people or things that are different from what is usual, or not in agreement with something else
  • typhoid: a serious infectious disease spread by dirty water and food, causing a high body temperature, red spots on the upper body, severe pains in the bowels and sometimes death
  • guillotine: a device, invented in France, consisting of a sharp blade in a tall frame, used in the past for cutting off the heads of criminals as a form of capital punishment
  • capital punishment: punishment which involves the legal killing of a person who has committed a serious crime such as murder
  • Ottoman Empire: the former Turkish Empire in Europe, Asia, and Africa, which lasted from the late 13th century until the end of World War I
  • apex predator: an animal that kills and eats other animals but is not normally eaten by any other animals

EXTRA READING

Ghost jobs you’ve never heard of

Why the T. Rex had small arms

Through Sir Attenborough’s eyes

QUICK QUIZ

  1. Teaching at Oxford University had begun in some form by what year?
  2. Japan, France and America overlapped in the 1880s thanks to three new icons that have stood the test of time – what were they?
  3. When was Picasso born?
  4. In what year did Star Wars first hit cinemas?
  5. Which apex predator is older than trees?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Which ones scramble your brain?
Which three facts are the most surprising (or brain scrambling) for you?

Write your top three, in order from the absolutely most surprising fact first. Next to each one, write a paragraph explaining exactly why you chose it, why it is so surprising and what you might have thought about it before reading the story.

Time: allow at least 30 minutes for this activity
Curriculum Links: English, History

2. Extension
Why are timelines so important in helping us understand all history, including science and technology? Use information from the story to help you to write a detailed answer to this question.

Time: allow at least 25 minutes on this activity
Curriculum Links: English, History

VCOP ACTIVITY
Stretch your sentence
Choose a “who” or “what” from the gallery – a person, animal or object. Write down your choice.

Add three adjectives to describe them better.

Now add a verb to your list. What are they doing?

Add an adverb about how they are doing the action.

Using all the words listed, create one descriptive sentence.

More related stories