Things You'll Need:
- Microsoft Word Staples or glue
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Step 1
Make note of important dates regarding your subject. A timeline cannot encompass every possible historic event, even with a narrow topic. The idea is to position the most relevant events in your timeline.
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Step 2
Consider using Microsoft Word or another word processing software program with the same general features. OpenOffice.org Writer or WordPerfect are two examples. Open the Microsoft Word software program and on the "File" menu choose "New." Choose "Page Setup" and set your page orientation to landscape. This will give you more room with which to work.
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Step 3
Choose the "Word Art" tool to create a title for your timeline. Create a text box with the "Text Box" command, type the title of your timeline, then click and drag to size the title to your preference. Use the "Font" formatting features to choose your font style and color.
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Step 4
Draw a rectangle with the "Drawing" menu in Word. Click and drag the rectangle until it fills the width of the page from margin to margin. This is where you will place your timeline information. If you want the rectangle to be a specific color, click "Fill" and select the color.
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Step 5
Use the "Line" tool to draw a vertical line in the rectangle to separate events in your time line. The lines should be spaced in length to represent the length of time between your events. Events that lasted longer will take up more space than shorter time periods.
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Step 6
Include a brief description of each event and be sure to include the relevant historic dates in bold. Choose a simple font like Times New Roman and size it to fit your timeline. The number of events you fit on each page will be determined by the length of the descriptions of the events.
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Step 7
Print the pages of your finished timeline and staple or glue them together to display the timeline in its entirety.
