November 2, 2025
Dear Educator
We know how challenging it can be for students to grasp the intricate web of history, international relations and how it all connects to current events. These topics can often feel like a series of isolated facts or dates, leaving students just memorizing without clearly understanding the ‘big picture.’
This is where the humble, yet powerful, timeline steps in.
CFR Education offers over a dozen timelines to help your students contextualize events—to see not just what happened, but when it happened in relation to everything else. Keep reading to learn about the range of timelines CFR Education offers, including:
Essential Events Before 1900, Between 1900 and 1945 and Since 1945
- The History of Nuclear Proliferation
Whether you’re covering what led up to World War II, tracking geopolitical changes that have led to current-day bilateral relations, or looking for a way to place today’s headlines into a historical context, these timelines are for you.
Happy learning,
Caroline Netchvolodoff
Vice President, Education
Council on Foreign Relations