History of the World of Avatar

The Avatar World has an extensive history dating 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. The shape of the world before the Avatar's incarnation is not known, and can roughly be equated with a golden age as featured in Hellenistic and Taoist mythologies. What is known about this time is that the four elements were not yet separated, the Avatar was not yet existent, and people bent the energy within themselves. At some point, people split into the four nations and began bending the four elements; at the same time, the Avatar came into being, although how exactly this transition happened is completely unknown.

The most notable historical event in its relation to the adventures of Team Avatar is the century-long war.

Dating
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 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 emerges from the iceberg in late 99 ASC, during Winter, 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 is now nearly fifteen.
 * The only birthday that is known to have occurred is that of Yue, who turned sixteen in early 100 ASC, in late winter.
 * As we do not know Toph's birthday, 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 which calendar is being used, solar or Chinese Lunar.

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

It should be noted that 100 ASC, the year the War ended, was a Year of the Monkey.

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 combination 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.

Before War (Unknown – 1 BSC)

 * Era before the Avatar
 * People bend the energy within themselves rather than the four elements.
 * Tui and La assume mortal forms as Koi fish.
 * 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 Fire Nation learns firebending from the dragons, Oma and Shu become the first earthbenders, learning the bending art from badgermoles, and use their earthbending to find each other in dark tunnels., , and the Water Tribes learn waterbending by observing the pull of the moon on the tides.


 * Avatar Era
 * The "Avatar" is born into the world, one person who can bend all four elements. The Avatar Cycle begins.


 * Unknown date before 312 BSC
 * At some point, 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. Whatever dispute led to the Southern Water Tribe leaving the North is unknown, but relations with their sister tribe were later healed, and the two tribes would gather together at annual New Moon celebrations.
 * At some later point, a larger group of waterbenders from the Southern Tribe, who were wandering through the Earth Kingdom, discovered the Foggy Swamp, and comfortable with the large amount of water there, decided to stay, forming the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The Southern Water Tribe never learned of this offshoot, and the Foggy Swamp tribe itself forgot its own origins.
 * The original firebenders, 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 eventually dies. Avatar Kuruk of the Water Tribe is born in the Northern Water Tribe.
 * Avatar Kuruk tries to kill Koh, the Face Stealer, as revenge for stealing the face of his wife 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. Being as Kyoshi was the oldest Avatar at two hundred thirty years of age at death, it is possible that Koh's sense of timing is off, or that time runs differently in the Spirit World.


 * 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 Chin the Great and founds Kyoshi Island; The day 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 her to create the Dai Li.


 * 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 on 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.


 * 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, 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.
 * Prince Azulon is born to Fire Lord Sozin and his wife and he becomes Heir to the throne.
 * c. The city of Taku is destroyed by the Fire Nation.


 * 15 ASC – Year of the Ram
 * 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
 * Prince Iroh is born to Fire Lord Azulon and Fire Lady Ilah, and becomes the Crown Prince.


 * 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.
 * Jeong Jeong of the Fire Nation is born.


 * c. 75 ASC – Year of the Ram
 * 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.


 * 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. Soon after her birth, Yue is healed by the Moon Spirit, Tui, by having some of it's 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.


 * 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.


 * 87 ASC – Year of the Ram or 88 ASC – Year of the Monkey
 * Toph Beifong is born to Lao Beifong and Poppy Beifong of Gaoling.

Toph is only introduced in early 100 ASC. She may have turned twelve in 99 ASC or 100 ASC so this is approximate.


 * 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.

This date is from the ASN interview with Mike & Brian
 * 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 Siege at Ba Sing Se after 600 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.


 * 99 ASC – Year of the Ram
 * 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.
 * 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.


 * 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 acting as the Avatar of the Ocean Spirit, La, after Admiral Zhao kills the Moon Spirit.
 * 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'etat 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.
 * 1 August/1st Day of 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 failed invasion, 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 Prison.
 * Fire Lord Ozai crowns himself Phoenix King and appoints Azula as Fire Lord.
 * Ozai launches a major attack on the Earth Kingdom with his armada of Fire Nation airships in an attempt to end the War with a victory on his part.
 * Some time after 1 August/1st Day of eighth Month: Sozin's Comet returns, enhancing the firebenders' powers one hundred-fold.
 * 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.
 * An attack launched by Avatar Aang's group succeeds in destroying the Fire Nation Air Force.
 * Prince Zuko and Katara defeat Azula during her coronation as Fire Lord in the Comet Enhanced Agni Kai. Her defeat causes Azula to lose her remaining sanity.
 * 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
 * The Harmony Restoration Movement is launched.


 * 101 ASC
 * 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.


 * Somewhere between 104 – 153 ASC
 * Aang and Katara marry and have three children, the youngest, Tenzin, an airbender.
 * Aang and Zuko found Republic City.
 * 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.
 * Toph has a daughter, Lin Beifong, who becomes chief of police in Republic City.


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


 * 170 ASC – Year of the Horse
 * Korra seeks out Tenzin in order to begin her airbending training.
 * Unrest appears in Republic City against benders.

Trivia

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