History of the World of Avatar

The Avatar World has an extensive history dating back many thousands of years. This article lists historical events in a timeline.

The history of this world can be roughly divided into two parts, the time before the Avatar and the time of the Avatar. Prior to the Avatar's incarnation, the four elements were not yet separate, and people bent the energy within themselves. Eventually, the world was split into the four nations and people began bending the four elements. At the same time, the Avatar came into being.

The most notable historical event that took place during the adventures of Team Avatar was the Hundred Year War. The major event highlighted during the time of Korra's Team Avatar is the Anti-bending Revolution. Some time before and during Korra's era, the term "modern" was used to describe how the world of Avatar came into an industrial age.

Dates
To further clarify the often confusing timeline in Avatar: The Last Airbender, this timeline and other articles date events as years before Sozin's Comet (BSC) and years after Sozin's Comet (ASC). 0 ASC is the year Sozin's Comet arrived to begin the Hundred Year War and serves as an epoch for the dating system.

Further notes about the system:
 * 0 ASC began in winter, but with spring coming soon. This satisfies both the solar calendar and the Chinese Lunar Calendar. Sozin's Comet arrived at the end of the eighth month (solar or Chinese) of that year, in order to satisfy the "end of summer" term used by Roku.
 * Aang emerged from the iceberg during winter in late 99 ASC and the final battles of the war occurred in the eighth month of 100 ASC.
 * Almost all characters turned their present ages in 99 ASC, as no birthdays except for Yue's have been shown in the series. For example, Katara turned fourteen years old in 99 ASC and was nearly fifteen by the end of the War.
 * The only birthdays known to have occurred are those of Yue, who turned sixteen in early 100 ASC, in late winter, and of Iroh's son, Lu Ten, who was of unknown age when killed during the war, but whose birthday was during the spring.
 * As Toph's birthday is unknown, Toph could have turned twelve in either 99 ASC or 100 ASC. Therefore, her given year of birth (88 ASC) may be inaccurate.
 * Dating for some of the events between Aang's awakening at the South Pole and Aang's arrival at the North Pole may be inaccurate, as it is unknown whether the Solar calendar or Chinese Lunar calendar is being used.

Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac is also included. It revolves around the mathematical cycle of twelve animals. The animals are listed here in order.

Era names
On the second ring of Wan Shi Tong's calendar, sixteen era names are visible. However, it is unclear how these are used in the dating of the Avatar world. The era during the date of the eclipse was the Ri Wu era.
 * Note: These definitions are very loosely based on the characters, as many of the combinations are difficult to understand. Some of the characters are no longer used in modern Chinese.

The first character in these two-character words has a radical (one of the 214 ideographic elements in Chinese writing used in combination with phonetics to form thousands of different characters) that represents one of the four elements, and rotates in the order air, then water, then earth, and then fire.
 * 气 – the "air" radical, used in characters related to gas
 * 氵 – the "three drops of water" radical, used in characters related to liquid
 * 土 – the "earth" radical, used in characters related to dirt, earth, mineral, etc.
 * 火 – the "fire" radical, used in characters related to fire, heat, etc.

The current Ri Wu era, for example, uses the air radical (气). This system might therefore be based on the Avatar Cycle, with the era changing upon the death of each Avatar. If this is the case, then Aang would be living during the Ri Wu (Superior military) Era, Roku during the Zhuo Guang (Brilliant light) Era, Kyoshi during the Yuan Zheng (Bastion of righteousness) Era, and so on. This would also mean Korra would be living during the Chun Tai (Honest and exalted) Era.

Before war (Unknown – 1 BSC)

 * c.19,830 BSC - Era before the Avatar
 * Rava, the spirit of balance and peace, begins to duel with her counterpart, Vatu, the spirit of darkness and chaos.


 * Unknown date before c. 9830 BSC
 * People bend the energy within themselves rather than the four elements.
 * Tui and La assume mortal forms as koi fish.
 * Wan Shi Tong brings his library from the Spirit World into the physical world.
 * Humans begin to build their cities on the shells of lion turtles in order to be safe from dangers of the Spirit Wilds. Whenever the people have to venture into the wilds to collect food, the lion turtles bestow upon the hunters the ability to control fire.


 * c. 9830 BSC - Year of the Tiger
 * Wan, the first Avatar, is born into the world.
 * Wan ignorantly helps Vatu escape from Rava.
 * Wan steals the element of fire from a lion turtle to help insight rebellion and steal food from the Chu family so that he and other poor people can eat.
 * Wan befriended the spirits and developed the Dancing Dragon technique.


 * Unknown date before 312 BSC
 * The four elemental bending arts are discovered, and the people split into four nations, divided by the elements. The Air Nomads learn airbending from the flying bison, the Sun Warriors learn firebending from the dragons, Oma and Shu become the first earthbenders by observing the badgermoles, and the Water Tribes learn waterbending by observing the pull of the moon on the ocean tides.
 * Following a civil unrest, the Water Tribe – which was originally centered around the North Pole – splits into two groups: one stayed at the North Pole, while the other group went out to settle the South Pole. Relations with their sister tribe were later healed, and the two tribes would gather together at annual New Moon celebrations.
 * A group of waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe construct a large city out of ice in order to unite the various tribes inhabiting the North Pole region.
 * A large group of waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe, who are wandering through the Earth Kingdom, discover the Foggy Swamp and, comfortable with the large amount of water there, decide to stay, forming the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Southern Water Tribe never learns of this offshoot and the Foggy Swamp Tribe itself later forgets its own origins.
 * The Sun Warriors gradually fade into obscurity as their civilization declines, leaving many ruins across their island archipelago. The Sun Warriors are believed to have gone extinct, though in reality a handful hiding in the ruins would continue their culture for centuries. The art of firebending, however, was passed on to the other inhabitants of the islands. These would gradually coalesce into the "Fire Nation". Originally the Fire Nation was a spiritual people ruled by Fire Sages, much as the Air Nomads were led by their monks. Over time, however, one sage rose to prominence above the others, ruling the Fire Nation as a sovereign, and the office became hereditary, beginning the line of Fire Lords.
 * The vast Earth Kingdom is gradually united under the political authority of the city-state of Ba Sing Se. The King of Ba Sing Se becomes Earth King, overlord of all of the smaller kingdoms within the Earth Kingdom, some of which retain their own hereditary lordship.
 * Avatar Yangchen of the Air Nomads is born in the Western Air Temple, after the death of her predecessor. Her reign as Avatar is a peaceful one, due to her fierce dedication to keeping balance and serving the world. She dies around 345 BSC, and Avatar Kuruk is born in the Northern Water Tribe.
 * Avatar Kuruk tries to kill Koh, the Face Stealer, as revenge for stealing the face of his fiancée Ummi. This event is confusing to place chronologically, as if Koh's description of the event is taken literally, it would have happened c. 800-700 BSC, over three hundred years before Kuruk's death.


 * 312 BSC – Year of the Dragon
 * Avatar Kuruk dies; Avatar Kyoshi of the Earth Kingdom is born.


 * c. 270 BSC – Year of the Dog
 * Avatar Kyoshi kills the warlord Chin and founds Kyoshi Island; the War of Chin the Conqueror ends with the victory of the Earth Kingdom government. The 46th Earth King restores his reign over the whole Earth Kingdom, though civil unrest begins to spread on the continent. The day of Chin's death is remembered as Avatar Day in Chin Village and Kyoshi Day on Kyoshi Island.


 * Sometime after this event, a peasant uprising in Ba Sing Se spurs Kyoshi to create the Dai Li. In the process, the Earth Kingdom is turned into a constitutional monarchy.


 * 82 BSC – Year of the Horse
 * Avatar Kyoshi dies at age 230; Avatar Roku of the Fire Nation is born.
 * Fire Lord Sozin is born the same day as Roku.


 * 66 BSC – Year of the Dog
 * Avatar Roku is confirmed as Avatar at his sixteenth birthday, and leaves the Fire Nation to master the elements.


 * c. 58 BSC – Year of the Horse
 * Fire Lord Sozin ascends the throne, following the death of his father.


 * 55 BSC – Year of the Rooster
 * Avatar Roku destroys the Fire Temple on the winter solstice while stuck in the Avatar State during his training.


 * 54 BSC – Year of the Dog
 * Avatar Roku returns to the Fire Nation after twelve years of travel and marries Ta Min, a noblewoman from the Capital.


 * 50 BSC – Year of the Tiger
 * Guru Pathik is born.


 * 37 BSC – Year of the Rabbit
 * Avatar Roku discovers the first Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom and confronts Fire Lord Sozin. Roku and Sozin engage in battle, resulting in Roku destroying part of the Fire Nation Royal Palace.


 * 12 BSC – Year of the Dragon
 * Avatar Roku is killed while fighting a volcanic eruption at age seventy; Avatar Aang of the Air Nomads is born.


 * c. 2 – 1 BSC
 * Aang and his eccentric childhood friend Bumi would slide down the Omashu delivery system for fun.
 * Aang played with his friend Kuzon in the Fire Nation.

War years (0 – 100 ASC)

 * 0 ASC – Year of the Dragon
 * Avatar Aang is confirmed as Avatar at the age of twelve, four years earlier than normal, because the monks were fearful of a possible war. The monks decided to send Aang to the Eastern Air Temple to continue his training. Distraught and confused by his destiny, he flees from the Southern Air Temple with his flying bison, Appa. Upon getting caught in a storm and being pulled underwater, Aang enters the Avatar State and encases himself in ice near the South Pole.
 * Fire Lord Sozin begins his war on the other nations. He uses the power of a comet, later renamed Sozin's Comet in his honor, to launch a genocidal attack on the Air Nomads in an attempt to kill the Avatar. All of the Air Nomads are killed except for Aang.
 * c. The city of Taku is destroyed by the Fire Nation.
 * Azulon is born.


 * 15 ASC – Year of the Goat
 * A battle between the Fire Navy and the Northern Water Tribe results in the capture of Fire Navy troops and uniforms.


 * 20 ASC – Year of the Rat
 * Fire Lord Sozin dies at age 102; Fire Lord Azulon ascends the throne.


 * c. 35 ASC – Year of the Rabbit
 * Iroh is born to Fire Lord Azulon and his wife, Ilah, and becomes the Crown Prince.


 * 39 ASC – Year of the Goat
 * Jeong Jeong of the Fire Nation is born.


 * 40 ASC – Year of the Monkey
 * c. The Fire Nation begins raids on the Southern Water Tribe, destroying its city, and systematically capturing its waterbenders.
 * c. Hama is taken prisoner by the Fire Nation.


 * c. 75 ASC – Year of the Goat
 * Kuei is born to the 51st Earth King, becoming heir to the throne of the Earth Kingdom.


 * c. 79 ASC – Year of the Pig
 * The 51st Earth King dies. Kuei becomes the 52nd Earth King. Because of the new Earth King's youth, Long Feng is appointed Regent of Ba Sing Se, and becomes the Earth King's most trusted advisor. Taking advantage of his position, Long Feng suppresses knowledge of the war from the young prince and takes complete control of the city.


 * 82 ASC - Year of the Tiger
 * Hahn of the Northern Water Tribe is born.


 * 83 ASC – Year of the Rabbit
 * Jet of the Earth Kingdom is born.
 * Prince Zuko is born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa.


 * 84 ASC – Year of the Dragon
 * Princess Yue is born to Chief Arnook of the Northern Water Tribe and his wife. A sickly infant, Yue is healed by the Moon Spirit, Tui, by having some of its life spirit infused within her.
 * Sokka is born to Chief Hakoda and Kya of the Southern Water Tribe.
 * Suki is born on Kyoshi Island.
 * Mai of the Fire Nation is born to a Fire Nation nobleman and his wife.
 * Kori Morishita is born to Mayor Morishita and his wife.


 * 85 ASC – Year of the Snake
 * Princess Azula is born to Prince Ozai and Princess Ursa.
 * Katara is born to Chief Hakoda and Kya of the Southern Water Tribe.
 * Ty Lee and her six identical sisters are born into a noble Fire Nation family.
 * Ho Tun is born.


 * 87 ASC – Year of the Goat or 88 ASC – Year of the Monkey
 * Moo-Chee-Goo-Chee-La-Poo-Chee the Third is born.
 * Toph Beifong is born to Lao Beifong and Poppy Beifong of Gaoling.


 * 92 ASC - Year of the Rat
 * Penga is born.


 * c. 94 ASC – Year of the Tiger
 * Iroh begins his legendary Siege of Ba Sing Se.
 * The Southern Raiders attack the Southern Water Tribe in an attempt to kill the last Southern waterbender. Chief Hakoda's wife Kya sacrifices herself to save eight-year old Katara, the true final waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.


 * 95 ASC – Year of the Rabbit
 * Iroh breaks through the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.
 * Iroh's son Lu Ten is killed in the siege of Ba Sing Se, causing Iroh to end the operation after six hundred days.
 * Fire Lord Azulon dies at age ninety-five; Fire Lord Ozai ascends the throne.
 * Princess Ursa, Ozai's wife, disappears shortly after Azulon's death.
 * Prince Zuko becomes Heir to the throne of the Fire Nation.


 * 97 ASC – Year of the Snake
 * Prince Zuko is banished to capture the Avatar after an Agni Kai with his father, Fire Lord Ozai. He is accompanied by his uncle, Iroh.


 * 98 ASC - Year of the Horse
 * Tom-Tom of the Fire Nation is born to a Fire Nation nobleman and his wife.


 * 99 ASC – Year of the Goat
 * Avatar Aang is awakened from one hundred years of suspended animation by Katara and Sokka.
 * Prince Zuko locates the Avatar and begins to hunt him down after his first attempt to apprehend him fails and causes much damage to the village of the Southern Water Tribe.
 * There is a massive jail break at a Prison rig for earthbenders, and all inmates escape.
 * Avatar Roku informs Aang on the winter solstice that Sozin's Comet will arrive by summer's end, telling him that Ozai must be defeated by the time of its arrival.
 * The Fire Sages are accused of treason and imprisoned by Admiral Zhao.
 * The village of Gaipan is destroyed and the villagers evacuate.


 * 100 ASC – Year of the Monkey
 * The Fire Nation is repelled at the Battle for the Northern Air Temple, but they acquire an experimental war balloon in the aftermath.
 * The Fire Nation attacks the Northern Water Tribe, but is repelled by Aang after he fuses with the Ocean Spirit, La, in anger at Admiral Zhao for killing the Moon Spirit, Tui.
 * La kills Admiral Zhao in retaliation for Tui's death.
 * Princess Yue sacrifices her life to become the Moon Spirit. This is made possible by the small bit of spirit that Tui infused within her to bring her to life as a baby.
 * Omashu falls to the Fire Nation.
 * An attempt to break through Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall, using a giant drill and led by Princess Azula, fails.
 * Ba Sing Se falls to the Fire Nation through an internal coup d'état led by Princess Azula and the Dai Li.
 * Avatar Aang is slayed by Azula, and subsequently brought back to life by Katara with Spirit Water.
 * High-security prisoner General Iroh is imprisoned by Princess Azula and the Dai Li.
 * Dai Li operative Joo Dee is appointed Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator of Ba Sing Se by Princess Azula.
 * The Fire Nation establishes administrative control of the Serpent's Pass by establishing a fortified bridge.
 * First day of the eighth month: An attack on the Fire Nation Capital led by Avatar Aang during a solar eclipse in an attempt to defeat the Fire Lord fails, leaving many of the Fire Lord's enemies imprisoned.
 * During the eclipse, King Bumi liberates Omashu from the Fire Nation.
 * Prince Zuko betrays the Fire Nation and joins the Avatar's quest to oust Fire Lord Ozai.
 * General Iroh breaks free from the Fire Nation Capital City Prison.
 * Sometime after the first day of the eighth month: Sozin's Comet returns, enhancing the firebenders' powers one hundred-fold.
 * Fire Lord Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King and appoints Azula as Fire Lord.
 * The Order of the White Lotus, led by General Iroh, frees Ba Sing Se from Fire Nation rule in the Liberation of Ba Sing Se, effectively liberating the entire Earth Kingdom.
 * Aang meets an ancient lion turtle, the world's oldest living being, and learns the secret of energybending.
 * Prince Zuko and Katara defeat Azula during her coronation as Fire Lord in the Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai. This causes Azula to lose her remaining sanity.
 * Utilizing Sozin's Comet, Ozai launches a major attack on the Earth Kingdom with his armada of Fire Nation airships in an attempt to decisively end the war with a sheer display of force and destruction.
 * An attack launched by Toph, Sokka, and Suki succeeds in destroying the armada while Aang battles Ozai.
 * Avatar Aang defeats Ozai through the use of the Avatar State, and uses energybending to strip him of his firebending.
 * Phoenix King Ozai is imprisoned for various war crimes.
 * Prince Zuko ascends to the throne as Fire Lord, vowing to the Nations that he will dedicate his rule to rebuilding the world with the help of the Avatar.

After war (100 ASC – Present)

 * 100 ASC - Year of the Monkey
 * The Harmony Restoration Movement is launched.


 * 101 ASC - Year of the Rooster
 * Toph founds the Beifong Metalbending Academy.
 * A crisis at Yu Dao causes Fire Lord Zuko to remove his support from the Harmony Restoration Movement, threatening to plunge the world once again into war.
 * Avatar Aang averts the war, with the notion that the nations can live together in peace.
 * Aang forms the Air Acolytes from the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club.


 * 102 ASC - Year of the Dog
 * Zuko begins his search for Ursa, enlisting Azula's help.


 * Between 102 – 119 ASC
 * Aang and Katara marry and have three children: Bumi, a non-bender; Kya, a waterbender; and Tenzin, an airbender.
 * Aang and Zuko establish the United Republic of Nations, a fifth nation with Republic City as its capital.
 * The Fire Nation gifts a large statue of Aang to Republic City as a symbol of peace and goodwill.
 * Toph travels the world to teach metalbending.


 * 115 ASC - Year of the Pig
 * Gommu is born.


 * 119 ASC - Year of the Rabbit
 * Tenzin, the youngest son of Aang and Katara and the only airbender among their children, is born;
 * Lightning Bolt Zolt is born.


 * 120 ASC - Year of the Dragon
 * Lin Beifong is born;
 * Hiroshi Sato is born.
 * Around the same time, the cabbage merchant founds Cabbage Corp.


 * 128 ASC - Year of the Rat
 * Yakone is placed on trial for his crimes against Republic City. After attempting an escape, he loses his bending to Avatar Aang.


 * 130 ASC - Year of the Tiger
 * Shiro Shinobi is born;
 * Saikhan is born.
 * Noatak, eldest son of Yakone and later known as the revolutionary Amon, is born.


 * 133 ASC - Year of the Snake
 * Tarrlok, youngest son of Yakone, is born.


 * 135 ASC - Year of the Goat
 * Pema is born;
 * Equalist protester is born.


 * 138 ASC - Year of the Dog
 * Hiroshi Sato founds Future Industries.


 * 144 ASC - Year of the Dragon
 * Noatak at 14, runs away after defending Tarrlok from Yakone and bloodbending them both.


 * 151 ASC - Year of the Rooster
 * Tonraq, next-in-line for the Northern Water Tribe chiefdom, leads a battalion against an invasion of their home by barbarians. He destroys a spirit forest in the process, resulting in his banishment by the tribal chief, his father.
 * Unalaq takes Tonraq's position as next-in-line.
 * Tonraq settles in the South Pole.


 * 152 ASC - Year of the Rat
 * Mako is born;
 * Asami Sato is born.


 * 153 ASC - Year of the Ox
 * Avatar Aang dies; Avatar Korra of the Southern Water Tribe is born.


 * 154 ASC - Year of the Tiger
 * Bolin is born.


 * 157 ASC - Year of the Snake
 * The Order of the White Lotus visits Korra's family at the South Pole and confirm Korra's claim to be the Avatar.


 * 158 ASC - Year of the Horse
 * Hiroshi Sato's wife is killed during a robbery of the Sato estate by the Agni Kai Triad.
 * Skoochy is born.


 * 160 ASC - Year of the Monkey
 * Mako and Bolin's parents are killed by a rogue firebender.
 * Jinora, the eldest child of Tenzin and Pema, is born.


 * 163 ASC - Year of the Pig
 * Ikki, the youngest daughter of Tenzin and Pema, is born.


 * 165 ASC - Year of the Ox
 * Meelo, the first son of Tenzin and Pema, is born.


 * 167 ASC - Year of the Rabbit
 * Fire Lord Zuko passes the title of Fire Lord to his daughter and becomes an ambassador for peace.


 * 170 ASC – Year of the Horse
 * Korra goes to Republic City in order to begin her airbending training with Tenzin.
 * Unrest appears in Republic City against benders.
 * The Pro-bending Arena is destroyed by an Equalist attack.
 * Tarrlok kidnaps Korra after overpowering her with bloodbending.
 * Amon removes Tarrlok's bending.
 * The Equalists launch an attack on Republic City.
 * Amon removes Lin Beifong's bending.
 * Rohan, Tenzin and Pema's second son, is born.
 * Avatar Korra's bending is taken away by Amon.
 * Korra learns and uses airbending on Amon after losing her other bending abilities to him.
 * Amon is exposed as a waterbender from the Northern Water Tribe.
 * Avatar Aang's spirit restores Avatar Korra's bending with energybending.
 * Avatar Korra learns energybending from Avatar Aang's spirit.
 * Tarrlok kills himself and Amon while crossing the Mo Ce Sea.
 * Avatar Korra restores Lin Beifong's bending.


 * 171 ASC - Year of the Goat
 * Bolin becomes captain of the Fire Ferrets.
 * Avatar Korra and Mako leave the Fire Ferrets, and two new members join.
 * Asami Sato takes over Future Industries.
 * Mako becomes a Republic City police officer.
 * Bumi resigns as a commander in the United Forces and retires to life on Air Temple Island with Tenzin and his family.
 * The United Republic Council is disbanded and the United Republic elects President Raiko in its place.
 * The Glacier Spirits Festival is celebrated in the Southern Water Tribe.
 * Unalaq and his children travel to the Southern Water Tribe, where he convinces Korra to become his student in spiritual matters.
 * A banquet is held to honor Chief Unalaq in the Southern Water Tribe.
 * Korra journeys to the heart of the South Pole and re-opens a dormant spirit portal on the winter solstice.

Trivia

 * The era names found on Wan Shi Tong's calendar were devised by S. L. Lee and based on traditional Chinese models.