The Indiana Jones Timeline / Chronology

DIrishB

New member
Junior Jones said:
Actually, I don't remember a specific claim within the game (the marketing is another story) that this is their first meeting. When they meet in the game, Indy says something like "Who the hell are you?"

If you just ignore this line, there's no timeline conflict. Or, my theory is that Wu Han was standing in a shadow and Indy just didn't recognize his old friend and they caught up with each other later in an offscreen scene.

Could be. I like my theory better though...they knew each other, but were playing it otherwise for an unrevealed reason. Makes them both seem more professional and experienced in the adventuring game.

Either way, I can live with this timeline hiccup. Better than the historical inaccuracies Lucas created when blending together the YIJC episodes into the DVD release versions, anyway.
 

Plaristes

New member
Another little bit of timeline info I just noticed: Ryder Windham's recent young adult novelization of Raiders says that the scene where Indy is having trouble spelling "Neo-lithic" near the beginning of the film is "less than a week after" the events in Peru at the Chachapoyan temple.
 

Crack that whip

New member
Plaristes said:
Another little bit of timeline info I just noticed: Ryder Windham's recent young adult novelization of Raiders says that the scene where Indy is having trouble spelling "Neo-lithic" near the beginning of the film is "less than a week after" the events in Peru at the Chachapoyan temple.

I'd certainly assume that, given that his conversation with Marcus at the end of that scene makes it sound as though he's just gotten back.

I'm curious about the Journal dates cited by Plaristes (and previous dates for those adventures listed in various sources). Are they supported by anything specific from the making of the movies, or were they just wholly conjured up out of thin air? Since the beginning of my fandom I've always tended to think of all the periods in which the stories in the movies take place are in the latter portions of their respective years (1912, 1935, 1936 and 1938), for various reasons, but the various published sources differ - though they also differ from one another, despite being jointly officially licensed by Lucasfilm and ostensibly written in accord with one another.
 

DIrishB

New member
Plaristes said:
Another little bit of timeline info I just noticed: Ryder Windham's recent young adult novelization of Raiders says that the scene where Indy is having trouble spelling "Neo-lithic" near the beginning of the film is "less than a week after" the events in Peru at the Chachapoyan temple.

Thats what I've always assumed. I know other sources stated that months passed between those scenes, but that never sat right with me. Given how Indy related the story of his adventure in Peru (and losing the Idol), it seemed not only to happen recently, but furthermore, if months had passed between the opening scene and the scene at the college, I'm sure Indy would've cabled or even called Marcus to fill him in. After all, the college was financing the adventure (if I remember correctly) and would probably want to be kept in the loop when possible.

Crack that whip said:
I'd certainly assume that, given that his conversation with Marcus at the end of that scene makes it sound as though he's just gotten back.

Exactly. I look at the Peru adventure as occurring just before school started in August or September of 1936. I'm still unsure of how much time might pass during the latter portion of the movie, but I think its safe to assume the events don't span more than a month.

I'm curious about the Journal dates cited by Plaristes (and previous dates for those adventures listed in various sources). Are they supported by anything specific from the making of the movies, or were they just wholly conjured up out of thin air? Since the beginning of my fandom I've always tended to think of all the periods in which the stories in the movies take place are in the latter portions of their respective years (1912, 1935, 1936 and 1938), for various reasons, but the various published sources differ - though they also differ from one another, despite being jointly officially licensed by Lucasfilm and ostensibly written in accord with one another.

Very true. Given the different dates from the Lost Journal, the Ultimate Guide, the various RPGs adventures, novelizations, etc, I don't think any one date from those can be taken as fact. I think any evidence for assigning a specific month(s) for the film(s) to take place should be left up to events in the films themselves (school being in session, the seasons, historical events, etc). As far as I know, other than the year reference at the start of each film, there's no specific reference to the time of the year they're taking place.
 

Crack that whip

New member
I'm glad we agree! :)

I personally go with all the movie adventures taking place at some point in the second halves of their years partly because in all instances it would narrow the gap between Indy's age in the story and the real-life age of the actor playing him at the time of shooting (whether Ford or Phoenix).

Also, with Raiders of the Lost Ark in particular, Indy's departure from San Francisco must be really late in the year, both because the Golden Gate bridge appears complete (it was actually finished in early '37, but I think there was enough of it there in December '36 to look more or less finished from a distance), and because Indy's "tail" on the plane is reading the November 30, 1936 issue of LIFE.
 

DIrishB

New member
Crack that whip said:
I'm glad we agree! :)

I personally go with all the movie adventures taking place at some point in the second halves of their years partly because in all instances it would narrow the gap between Indy's age in the story and the real-life age of the actor playing him at the time of shooting (whether Ford or Phoenix).

Also, with Raiders of the Lost Ark in particular, Indy's departure from San Francisco must be really late in the year, both because the Golden Gate bridge appears complete (it was actually finished in early '37, but I think there was enough of it there in December '36 to look more or less finished from a distance), and because Indy's "tail" on the plane is reading the November 30, 1936 issue of LIFE.

Very interesting points. I honestly hadn't considered either of those pointers (mainly because I didn't remember the Golden Gate Bridge thing in reference to its completion...which I recently learned was early 1937 while trying to come up with a date for the upcoming Indy video game "Staff of Kings").
 

mattzilla2010

New member
DIrishB said:
As for the Temple of the Forbidden Eye ride, there are dates covering the course of a year from the temple's discovery (July 1935) by Indy through its opening to tourists (when the actual events of the ride itself takes place). So I think my date of July, 1936 is accurate given that info, at least for the events in the ride itself.

I was just at Disneyland 2 weeks ago, and I noticed that the video you see while in line for the ride says that Indy discovered the temple sometime in 1934, and it opened to tourists in 1935.

I hope this is helpful.
 

DIrishB

New member
mattzilla2010 said:
I was just at Disneyland 2 weeks ago, and I noticed that the video you see while in line for the ride says that Indy discovered the temple sometime in 1934, and it opened to tourists in 1935.

I hope this is helpful.

Huh...that is helpful. All other info I found online concerning the ride had placed it as Indy discovering it in 1935 and opening it to tourists in 1936.

Thanks, Mattzilla! I'll adjust that.

Also, I'll be posting an updated timeline soon here in the thread.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
DIrishB said:
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Daredevils of the Desert (October, 1917)
Instruments of Chaos Starring Young Indiana Jones (October, 1917)
Lao Che said:
Is that even physically possible within the space of one month? *edit* Gaza > Palestine(?) > Egypt, Tibet, India, England > Germany
The problem with this episode is that the events are condensed. The assualt on Gaza was in the spring of 1917.
DIrishB said:
Thats a good point. The Young Indy video game was one of those arbitrarily placed (well, almost) mentions I was talking about.
The charge at Beersheba happened on the 31st of October so it would make more sense to put "Instruments of Chaos"
before "Palestine, 1917". Anyway, nice work, DIrishB! I'll peruse it some more and let you know of any other suggestions.

Plaristes said:
Since I think you've mentioned you don't have a copy, here are a few dates from Indiana Jones: The Ultimate Guide that are inconsistent with your timeline. I'm not sure how seriously one should take these dates, since the UG contradicts the recent Lost Journal and it actually even contradicts itself in places (Short Round is born in 1926, yet manages to be 11 years old in 1935 :confused: )
The contradictions and inconsistencies in both those books are plenty. They are very nice publications and
I enjoy them immensely but the amount of mistakes is downright shameful!:eek:
 

DIrishB

New member
Stoo said:
The problem with this episode is that the events are condensed. The assualt on Gaza was in the spring of 1917.
The charge at Beersheba happened on the 31st of October so it would make more sense to put "Instruments of Chaos"
before "Palestine, 1917". Anyway, nice work, DIrishB! I'll peruse it some more and let you know of any other suggestions.

God, I wish Lucas had just left them alone and released them as individual episodes instead of editing them together.

When in the Spring of 1917 was the assault on Gaza? Just a specific month. I've been doing some research, but can't find any specifics on it.

The contradictions and inconsistencies in both those books are plenty. They are very nice publications and
I enjoy them immensely but the amount of mistakes is downright shameful!:eek:

The Indy timeline is a true mystery. Thanks for the info, though, Stoo. I'm using it to update my timeline to reflect dates as accurately as possible while still keeping them in the new order Lucas wanted with the edited DVD release versions. I'll be posting a new one here in the thread soon, so you'll see those dates corrected (as much as possible, anyway).

By the way, Stoo, PM me your email so I can send you the Cite de la Foundre scans.
 
Last edited:

DIrishB

New member
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - My First Adventure (May - July, 1908)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Passion For Life (September, 1908)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - The Perils of Cupid (November, 1908)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Travels with Father (January, 1910)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Journey of Radiance (January - March, 1910)
"Indy in China: The Runaway Adventure" (March, 1910)
Young Indiana Jones and the Titanic Adventure (April, 1912)
Young Indiana Jones and the Pirates' Loot (June, 1912)
Young Indiana Jones and the Phantom of the Klondike / Indiana Jones Jr et le Fantôme du Klondike (July, 1912)
Young Indiana Jones and the Lost Gold of Durango (August, 1912)
Young Indiana Jones and the Radioactive Bulb / Indiana Jones Jr et l'Ampoule Radioactive (November, 1912)
Young Indiana Jones and the Sacred Meteorite / Indiana Jones Jr et le Météorite Sacrée (March, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Plantation Treasure (April, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Tomb of Terror (June, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Mountains of Superstition (July, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Child Lama / Indiana Jones Jr et l'Enfant Lama (August, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Princess of Peril (August, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Violin of the Metropolitan / Indiana Jones Jr et le Violon du Metropolitan (September, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Bermuda Triangle / Indiana Jones Jr et le Triangle des Bermudes (September, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Ghostly Riders (October, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Circle of Death (December, 1913)
Young Indiana Jones and the Journey to the Underworld (January, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Ruby Cross (March, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Gypsy Revenge (May, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Secret City (June, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Mountain of Fire (October, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Face of the Dragon (October, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Eye of the Tiger (December, 1914)
Young Indiana Jones and the Spectre of Venice / Indiana Jones Jr et le Spectre de Venise (January, 1915)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Spring Break Adventure (February - March, 1916)
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - Mid Atlantic, April 1916 (April, 1916)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Love's Sweet Song (April - May, 1916)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Trenches of Hell (August - September, 1916)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Demons of Deception (September - October, 1916)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Phantom Train of Doom (November, 1916)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Oganga, the Giver and Taker of Life (December, 1916 - January, 1917)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Attack of the Hawkmen (February - March, 1917)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Adventures in the Secret Service (March, 1917)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Espionage Escapades (April, 1917)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Daredevils of the Desert (April - November, 1917)
Instruments of Chaos Starring Young Indiana Jones (November, 1917)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Tales of Innocence (November, 1917 - June, 1918)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Masks of Evil (September, 1918)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Treasure of the Peacock's Eye (November, 1918 - January, 1919)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Winds of Change (May, 1919)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Mystery of the Blues (April - May, 1920 [1950])
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Scandal of 1920 (June - July, 1920)
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones - Hollywood Follies (August, 1920)
 

DIrishB

New member
Indiana Jones and the Peril at Delphi ([1920] October, 1922)
Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Pyramid / Indiana Jones et le Secret de la Pyramide (April, 1923)
Indiana Jones and the Dance of the Giants (June, 1925)
Indiana Jones and the Seven Veils ([1925] March - April, 1926)
Indiana Jones Adventures RPG - "On Ice" (August, 1926)
Indiana Jones and the Genesis Deluge ([1917] April, 1927)
Indiana Jones and the Unicorn's Legacy ([1786 - 1924] May - June, 1928)
Indiana Jones and the Interior World ([1928] April, 1929)
Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates (January, 1930)
Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates and Other Tales RPG - "The Revenge of Evil" (January, 1930)
Indiana Jones and the White Witch (February, 1930)
Indiana Jones and His Desktop Adventures (June, 1930)
Indiana Jones and the City of Lightning / Indiana Jones et la Cité de la Foudre (October, 1930)
Indiana Jones Adventures, Vol. 1 (December, 1930)
Indiana Jones and the Feathered Serpent / Indiana Jones und die Gefiederte Schlange (July, 1932)
Indiana Jones and the Philosopher's Stone (March, 1933)
Indiana Jones and the Curse of Horror Island (June, 1933)
Indiana Jones and the Giants of the Silver Tower (June, 1933)
Indiana Jones Adventures RPG - "The Kweichow Exodus" (August, 1933)
Indiana Jones and the Dinosaur Eggs (October - December, 1933)
Indiana Jones and the Hollow Earth (February, 1934)
Indiana Jones and the Cult of the Mummy's Crypt (June, 1934)
Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx (September, 1934)
Indiana Jones and the Shrine of the Sea Devil #1 (January, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Rising Sun RPG (February, 1935)
Indiana Jones Adventures RPG - "The Carlisle Incident" (March, 1935)
Indiana Jones Adventures RPG - "The City of Dreams" (May, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Cup of the Vampire (May, 1935)
Indiana Jones Adventure - Temple of the Forbidden Eye (June, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - "Prologue" (July, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Sky Pirates and Other Tales RPG - "The Adventure of the Second Horn" (September, 1935)
Indiana Jones - Magic & Mysticism: The Dark Continent RPG (September, 1935)
Indiana Jones in the Lost Kingdom (October, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb (November, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom RPG - "The Search for Nurhachi" (December, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (December, 1935)
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom RPG - "Day of the Dark Light" (May, 1936)
Indiana Jones and the Legion of Death (May, 1936)
Indiana Jones and the Cursed Book of Magic / Indiana Jones et le Grimoire Maudit (June, 1936)
Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Gods #1-4 ([1931] July, 1936)
Raiders of the Lost Ark RPG - "Silver Horus" (August, 1936)
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (August, 1936)
Indiana Jones in Revenge of the Ancients (September, 1936)
The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones #1-34 (October, 1936 - January, 1937)
The World of Indiana Jones RPG - "The Jewel of the Ancients" (January, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Staff of Kings (January, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Tomb of the Templars RPG (February, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Golden Vampires RPG (March, 1937)
"Indiana Jones and the Wrath of Hecate" RPG - Shadis #36 (May, 1937)
"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Seth" RPG - Cryptych Vol. 2, #1 (June, 1937)
"Legend of the Long Knife" RPG - Adventures Unlimited #3 (July, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Eye of the Fates (August, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Arms of Gold #1-4 (October, 1937)
"Tomb of Turases III" RPG - Shadis #17 (October, 1937)
Indiana Jones and the Dragon of Vengeance (June, 1938)
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ([1912] August, 1938)
Indiana Jones - Thunder in the Orient #1-6 (September, 1938)
Indiana Jones and the Gold of Genghis Khan (November, 1938)
Indiana Jones and the Lost Treasure of Sheba (December, 1938)
Indiana Jones and the Longship of the Gods / Indiana Jones und das Schiff der Götter (March, 1939)
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (May, 1939)
Indiana Jones and the Ape Slaves of Howling Island (July, 1939)
Indiana Jones and the Mask of the Elephant (August, 1939)
Indiana Jones and the Sargasso Pirates #1-4 (September, 1939)
Indiana Jones and the Legacy of Avalon / Indiana Jones und das Erbe von Avalon (September, 1940)
Indiana Jones and the Pyramid of the Sorcerer - The Untold Adventures (March, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Golden Fleece #1-2 (April, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Labyrinth of Horus / Indiana Jones und das Labyrinth des Horus (May, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Sword of Genghis Khan / Indiana Jones und das Schwert des Dschingis Khan (June, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Gold of El Dorado / Indiana Jones und das Gold von El Dorado (June, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Secret of Easter Island / Indiana Jones und das Geheimnis der Osterinseln (October, 1941)
Indiana Jones and the Lost People / Indiana Jones und das Verschwundene Volk (August, 1943)
Indiana Jones and the Treasure of Monte Cassina (May, 1944)
Indiana Jones and the Spear of Destiny #1-4 ([1938] March, 1945)
Indiana Jones and the Iron Phoenix #1-4 (September, 1946)
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine: Official Strategy Guide - "Introduction, Barnett College, 1947" (March, 1947)
Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine (March, 1947)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (May, 1957)
 
Last edited:

DIrishB

New member
Here's an updated version of the timeline. Dissect it, let me know if anything else needs re-arranging or adjustment for its date. Not too many changes, but a few additions and re-arrangement.
 

Dr.Tyree

New member
Busy guy.

This is a great undertaking you are...undertaking...

Poor Indy doesn't seem to rest. oddly, though (save chasing the Golden Fleece) he seems to have a break in the "1"'s of each decade... nothing in 1911, 21, 31, 51, I'm assuming 61...

probably looks forward to that...:sleep:
 

DIrishB

New member
Dr.Tyree said:
This is a great undertaking you are...undertaking...

Why thank you...I think.

;)

Poor Indy doesn't seem to rest. oddly, though (save chasing the Golden Fleece) he seems to have a break in the "1"'s of each decade... nothing in 1911, 21, 31, 51, I'm assuming 61...

probably looks forward to that...:sleep:

:D

I noticed that as well.
 

Stoo

Well-known member
Stoo said:
The problem with this episode is that the events are condensed. The assualt on Gaza was in the spring of 1917.
The charge at Beersheba happened on the 31st of October so it would make more sense to put "Instruments of Chaos"
before "Palestine, 1917". Anyway, nice work, DIrishB! I'll peruse it some more and let you know of any other suggestions.
DIrishB said:
God, I wish Lucas had just left them alone and released them as individual episodes instead of editing them together.

When in the Spring of 1917 was the assault on Gaza? Just a specific month. I've been doing some research, but can't find any specifics on it.
I completely agree with you about releasing them as individuals but even the original airing of this episode had the events
crammed together. Although "Palestine, October 1917" (& Daredevils of the Desert) begins during Mar/Apr, Indy is NOT present
for the main Battles of Gaza, so sorry for any confusion!:eek: However...Indy's contact in Cairo might have come anywhere
between May-Sept. Room to play with...
DIrishB said:
Here's an updated version of the timeline. Dissect it, let me know if anything else needs re-arranging or adjustment for its date.
Not too many changes, but a few additions and re-arrangement.
Amazing job, all around, Irish! Love it.(y)
One thing, though...Something's missing...something crucial...something '50s!:eek::whip:
 

metalinvader

Well-known member
DIrishB said:
Here's an updated version of the timeline. Dissect it, let me know if anything else needs re-arranging or adjustment for its date. Not too many changes, but a few additions and re-arrangement.


Amazing,Absolutely amazing.Talk about a labor of love!
 

DIrishB

New member
Stoo said:
I completely agree with you about releasing them as individuals but even the original airing of this episode had the events
crammed together. Although "Palestine, October 1917" (& Daredevils of the Desert) begins during Mar/Apr, Indy is NOT present
for the main Battles of Gaza, so sorry for any confusion!:eek: However...Indy's contact in Cairo might have come anywhere
between May-Sept. Room to play with...

Ah, ok, that does free up some months. I'll fix that on my version.

Amazing job, all around, Irish! Love it.(y)
One thing, though...Something's missing...something crucial...something '50s!:eek::whip:

50's? Are you talking about the 1950 portions of Mystery of the Blues? I just placed those in brackets with the present day events (1920) in that episode listing. For clarity's sake I'm just lumping in flashbacks or flashforwards with the main storyline's events (Last Crusade has dates for both 1912 and 1936) as the main marker for timeline placement.

If not, let me know. I can't think of anything else 50's besides Crystal Skull.

metalinvader said:
Amazing,Absolutely amazing.Talk about a labor of love!

You should see my Ultimate Marvel Universe Timeline. That one I've been working on and updating for like 4 years, and its gotten pretty massive. Don't know if you're into comics, but if you like timelines check it out for fun.
 

Crack that whip

New member
DIrishB, if I may ask, what's your rationale for using the "new" Young Indy instead of the "old" one - simply that it's more current / up-to-date in reflecting Lucas' intentions, or something beyond that?
 
Top