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TimeTime is a dimension where events can be mapped based on when they occur. Just as distance measures how far two locations are from one another on a map, duration measures how far two events are from one another in the time dimension. Without this dimension, we would not be able to contrast events and observe change in the universe. Historically, time intervals have been quantified by counting the repeating motion between events, such as the apparent motion of the sun in the sky. Replacements involving consistent motion that repeats more frequently—swinging pendulums, vibrating crystals, and oscillating atoms—enabled more precise plotting of events along the time dimension. While three-dimensional motion through space is possible in any direction, our perception is that time flows only from the past to the future. The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy, or disorder, of the universe cannot decrease, preventing certain events from occurring after others and imposing this "arrow of time." However, relativity combines time and space into a single structure—spacetime—and just as all of space exists, so does all of time, making perceptions of the past, present, and future illusory. The theory also explains why the passage of time slows the more one moves through space and the stronger the gravity one experiences. By contrast, time is considered a background parameter in quantum physics, independent of one's motion or location, contributing to the incompatibility of quantum mechanics with general relativity.Explore Time

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Watch a time-lapse of hard coral growth, which forms coral reefsOver several weeks in an aquarium, these staghorn coral polyps grew and produced new polyps as they deposited calcium carbonate, which forms the basis of coral reefs. At the 0:28 mark, you can see coral growth healing a damaged branch. Peter Kragh Time crystals are systems of atoms organized into periodic patterns of motionUnlike traditional crystals—whose atomic structures cause them to look identical no matter how you look at them in space—time crystals exhibit this behavior through time, where the motion of atoms will bring them to the same positions relative to one another regularly. IFLScience Time seems to stop for objects at the event horizon of black holesAt that location, the warping of space-time is so severe that the entirety of an object's space-time motion is solely through space, leaving it immobile in the time dimension. Faraway observers looking at the object would see it appear frozen before slowly dimming and reddening. NASA Time disappears when encompassing all quantum configurations across the universeThe Wheeler-DeWitt equation, a modified version of the Schödinger equation—the formula that describes the evolution of the quantum configuration of a system—describes the quantum state of space-time across the universe. The transformation causes the variable of time to disappear, suggesting it is not a fundamental, physical parameter of the cosmos. Quanta Magazine Time dilation explains that movement through space affects the passage of timeAccording to special relativity, everything in the universe moves through space-time at the speed of light. Just as turning from north to northwest on a road reduces one's northward motion, moving through space leaves less of this speed to move through time, causing an object to age more slowly. Live Science Time may be an emergent, rather than a fundamental, property of the universeSome theories of everything—mathematical models that try to explain all aspects of the universe, including quantum phenomena and gravity—do not incorporate time. If a time-neglecting version of such a theory were ever validated, it might suggest that time is a feature that emerges from our limited perception of the universe. TED-Ed Time magazine ran a cover story titled 'The End of the World as We Know it?' in January 1999In January 1999, Time published a dramatic Y2K cover with apocalyptic imagery and dire headlines. The portrayal likely exacerbated public fear and magnified the crisis in the popular imagination, turning a technical issue into a cultural panic. Time A smooth, scrollable timeline of every 'SNL' cast memberStarting from season 1 in 1975, scroll through the years of the show's comic actors in this well-designed visual record and get a sense of their relative endurance on the show. Stop to click and read more on that season's highlights or the specific career arc of the actor. Kayla Plunkett The extreme precision of atomic clocks magnifies gravitational time dilationScientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have constructed clocks made out of stacked strontium atoms, which show differences in the passage of time across just a millimeter of height consistent with predictions from general relativity, where atoms closer to Earth's center tick off time more slowly. National Institute of Standards and Technology See a timeline of the Declaration's creationThis National Archives timeline walks through the Declaration’s creation step by step—from early calls for independence to drafting, approval, and final signatures—highlighting the key moments that led to the Colonies’ break from Britain. National Archives Understanding time dilationThe faster you go, the slower time ticks for you. And the stronger the gravitational field acting on you, the slower time ticks for you. These phenomena – collectively called time dilation – were first explained by Albert Einstein’s theories of general and special relativity. In this 11-minute video, beloved astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson explains them to comedian Chuck Nice. StarTalk Is time travel really possible?The laws of physics, as currently understood, don’t categorically reject the possibility of time travel. But, scientists are skeptical, especially when it comes to traveling to the past. Hopping between past, present and future would require the world to have some wacky yet-to-be-discovered physical properties like negative mass, negative energy, and infinite density. Time travel also introduces philosophical questions about free will, causality, and chronology. Scientific American See a timeline of the IRS's history, including the introduction of standard deductions and the digitization of the filing processThe Commissioner of Internal Revenue was created in 1862 to take over federal tax collection after the President enacted a temporary income tax. That agency eventually became today's Internal Revenue Service. Internal Revenue Service A timeline of the Rockefeller familyThe Rockefeller family timeline (as it relates to the business world, at least) starts in 1839 with John D. Rockefeller’s birth. In the nearly 200 years since, his offspring have gotten involved in everything from the Watergate scandal to the McCormick & Company spice business. PBS Explore a timeline of US dependence on oil from 1850 to 2023Oil dependence began with the rise of oil as a commodity, followed by an era of geopolitical competition for the resource after World War II. The domestic fracking boom, which started around 2006, was driven by a desire to reduce the nation's dependence on international adversaries for energy. Council on Foreign Relations Timeline of women in labor historyIn 1866, newly freed black women working as laundresses in Jackson, Mississippi, formed a union and went on strike for higher wages. But it wasn't until 1974, that the Coalition of Labor Union Women was founded as America's only national organization for union women. Want to find out more about the history of women in the labor movement? Click here for the full timeline. AFSCME See a timeline of the tumultuous relationship between Cuba and the US since 1959Only 90 miles separate Cuba from the US, yet Cold War hostility froze relations for decades. This timeline traces six decades of tension, from revolution and missile crisis to renewed hardline US policies reintroduced in 2025 Council on Foreign Relations See a timeline of the major moments in Soviet historyBeginning with Lenin’s return to Russia from Germany in 1917 and ending with Gorbachev’s resignation on December 25, 1991, this timeline outlines the significant domestic and foreign policy developments that led to the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. BBC News A timeline of computer historyThe earliest computers bear little resemblance to the computing devices that most people rely on today. This timeline graphic from the Computer History Museum tracks their evolution, from the early days of bulky mainframes that only experts generally used through to the personal computing revolution and on to the modern mobile era. Readers will learn important context ahead of the next major computing platform shift. Computer History Museum That time British slavers killed enslaved people and filed for insurance reimbursementIn 1781, a British slave ship tossed 132 enslaved Africans overboard, leaving them to drown. This 52-minute podcast explores the context behind the massacre and its implications. The slavers of the ship named Zong sought insurance reimbursement for... BBC A timeline of Russia-North Korea relationsNorth Korea and Russia have often had aligned interests, yet their relationship has experienced many highs and lows. Al Jazeera’s explainer outlines the key events defining Russia-North Korea relations. Russia and North Korea were allies during... Al Jazeera English That time two journalists raced around the world in 80 daysIn 1889, Journalist Nellie Bly, née Elizabeth Jane Cochran, set sail on a journey around the world to compete with Phileas Fogg, the protagonist of the 1872 fiction novel "Around the World in Eighty Days." This short video explains how competing... Drunk History That time Hitler opened the Olympic Games in Nazi GermanyThis two-minute clip from archival footage shows Nazi leader Adolf Hitler opening for the Olympic Games in 1936. Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 and quickly began a racist campaign that morphed into the Holocaust. For the two weeks Nazi Germany hosted the Summer Olympics in 1936, the regime attempted to camouflage its antisemitic and expansion plans, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. This also was the first instance of the Games' now-iconic torch run. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum A Timeline of the Dust BowlA term coined in 1935, by AP reporter Robert Geiger, the Dust Bowl was a period of severe drought and dust storms that hit the Great Plains region of the United States during the 1930s. The drought was caused by a combination of factors, including natural climate variability and human activities such as overgrazing and poor farming practices. Causing widespread economic hardship and social disruption, and forced many people to leave their homes. See a timeline and in-depth overview of one of the biggest disasters in modern US history here. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Timeline: the Kurds’ quest for independenceThe Kurds have a long history of fighting for rights and regional autonomy across the Middle East. After WWI, when the Middle East was reconfigured, the Kurds were dispersed across the new borders of previous Ottoman territories. The idea of an... Council on Foreign Relations A timeline of US relations with IranOnce allies, Iran and the United States have experienced a growing tension in the four decades since the Islamic Revolution. In 1953, US and British intelligence agencies assisted in a military coup, ousting Iranian Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadeq,... Council on Foreign Relations Timeline: the Middle East conflictDuring the First World War, Western and Arab powers negotiated the future political status of Arab lands. Since WWI, a complex history of political, economic, and social events have fueled tension and violence between Israel and Palestine. This timeline, compiled by Al Jazeera, highlights important global events defining conflict in the Middle East from 1915 to 2007. Al Jazeera English A time-lapse of the British empire's rise and fallSeries of maps depicting the rise and fall of the British Empire from 1492 to the present day. YouTube A timelapse of sprouting seedsGermination is the process where an organism sprouts from a seed or spore. This timelapse captures the process in an inspiring, two-minute video so you can see the whole story of the seed quickly. YouTube A timeline and visuals on TikTok's rapid growthThe app that would become TikTok is known as Douyin in China, and this article recounts its history, acquisition of rival Musical.ly, and rebranding ahead of its lightning growth. One visualization shows how quickly TikTok reached 1B users. Influencer Marketing Hub A timeline of US immigration lawsThe United States began regulating immigration soon after it won independence from Great Britain, and the laws since enacted have reflected the politics and migrant flows of the times. Here's a timeline of key immigration laws from 1790 to 2014, according to the Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center That time General Ulysses Grant barred Jewish residents from the war zoneIn 1862, General Ulysses S. Grant issued an order that banned all "Israelites" (meaning Jews) from a military zone consisting of parts of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Mississippi. After much outcry, the order was rescinded by President Abraham Lincoln and Grant feebly explained it was a misunderstanding. Learn more about this odd bit of history here, POLITICO Time to settle every internet debate, everIt’s time to settle the endless internet debates. A timeline of the conflict since 1991The current crisis has been decades in the making stretching back to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Council on Foreign Relations Explore a timeline of NASA's exploration of MarsNASA has studied Mars extensively over 60 years using telescopes, orbiters, and rovers. From April 2021 to January 24, the Ingenuity helicopter completed its technology demonstration objective by flying more than 17 kilometers above the Martian surface. NASA Timeline of cancer research milestonesWhile cancer remains incurable, there's been so much progress in its treatment over the last two decades. Nature provides an abridged history of milestones and major triumphs in cancer research and treatment. Start in the year 2000, and see how much has changed in the first quarter of the new millennium Nature Waste time, explore the worldLand Lines is an experiment that lets you explore real Google Earth satellite imagery through gesture. Chrome Experiments James Beard completed his first cookbook in 1940Beard began his culinary life as a caterer, but soon began compiling recipes for a cookbook that he published in 1940. Nine years later, he'd have his own cooking school. PBS Whitman left school at 11 to help his familyThe poet's family was poor and moved several times during his childhood. At 11, his father removed Whitman from school so he could work to support the family. PBS Salvador Dalí once conned Yoko OnoA quirky story often told about Salvador Dalí claims that in 1969, Yoko Ono offered him $10,000 for one of his famous mustache hairs. Allegedly wary of occult intentions, Dalí instead sent her a blade of grass. While the tale is debated, it fits neatly into Dalí's eccentric public image and his later-life reputation for turning playful stunts into profitable moments. 1440 Hitchcock's career began shortly after World War INearly 60 years after beginning in the silent film era in 1919, Hitchcock produced his last film, "Family Plot," in 1976. Over his decades-long career, Hitchcock brought a literary sensibility to previously maligned genres like thrillers and innovated numerous camera techniques. Alfred Hitchcock Festival Some colonies were centuries-old before they broke from BritainThe revolution did not happen overnight, but was a culmination of centuries of settlement, policies, and war in North America. This timeline provides key, fascinating events from the 1600s through the Revolution in a smooth, easy-to-read interface. Annenberg Learner Country music can be traced back to Colonial AmericaThe genre begins with the folk music of the Colonial settlers, blending the area’s regional sounds, including gospel, African spirituals, and Anglo-Saxon, Scottish, and Celtic ballads. Library of Congress Andrew Jackson was the first and only president to eliminate the national debtAfter Jackson slashed spending and began selling federal land, the government was accumulating more money than it was spending. The situation was unprecedented, but it didn’t last. Too much money was being printed and land prices rose to unsustainable levels. Within a year, the economy tumbled into a depression. NPR Coachella's early years were seen as a success story for alternative cultureThis oral history of Coachella is from 2007, providing an interesting snapshot of the festival before it became an international pop attraction. Along with interesting stories about the fest’s chaotic first year, the artists interviewed (like Moby and the Flaming Lips’ Wayne Coyne) frame the festival as a success story for alternative art. It wouldn’t stay that way for long, of course, but reading the interviews now offers a fascinating look back at Coachella’s cultural evolution. URB Oral history and artifacts suggest the Wampanoag inhabited the area for 12,000 yearsBy 1621, Native Americans had been interacting with European explorers along the coasts for hundreds of years. European adventurers, including Giovanni da Verrazzano, mapped the coastline as early as 1524, as this timeline from the National Museum of the American Indian explains. Smithsonian Institution Explore an interactive history of Google search trends This interactive allows users to browse for the most searched topics on Google Search since 1999 and provides noteworthy statistics. Topics are sorted by categories, including athletes, movies, reality TV, dog breeds, and sauces. Google Trends Burning Man began as a small gathering on a San Francisco beachBurning man started in 1986 as a gathering for 20 people. In 2023, more than 74,000 attendees became a part of Black Rock City and got caught in the rain. Burning Man Chart decades of US–Russia nuclear diplomacyOver the Cold War and into the 21st century, US and Soviet/Russian leaders repeatedly agreed to cap arsenals, curb missile deployment, and share ongoing inspections—creating decades of transparency. But in recent years, strained tensions have led to the expiration of arms treaties. Council on Foreign Relations Congress often uses stopgap bills to keep the government runningWhen lawmakers fail to pass a full budget, they rely on continuing resolutions to fund the government temporarily. This guide explains how CRs are enacted, how they function, and why they disrupt normal operations. 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