About Timeline Dates:Since people started writing history, they’ve needed a way to identify events in time. The terms BC and AD were first used by a monk in about 525 AD. Its starting point was the year in which Jesus was born. Anything that happened before Year One is referred to as happening BC “Before Christ.” Anything after that date is said to have occurred AD “Anno Domini,’ literally “in the year of the Lord,” i.e., after the birth of Jesus. The traditional way of writing BC and AD dates is to put AD in front of the date and BC after it. For example, Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Joan of Arc was executed in AD 1431. Another way of notating dates is by using the notations BCE and CE. BCE stands for “Before Common Era.” CE stands for “Common Era.” In this notation, Julius Caesar died in 44 BCE; Joan of Arc in CE 1431.

For CountryReports timelines all dates are AD unless the year is followed by a notation of BC.