Timeline
| YEAR | EVENT |
| 4000 BC | Bartering is common method of trade |
| 500 BC – AD 400 | Greek agoras dominate Mediterranean commercial life |
| 210 BC – AD 1450s | The Silk Road is an important trade route between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia |
| 100 BC – AD 476 | Roman Forums are leading centers of commercial activity |
| AD 600s | Paper money becomes common in China during the Tang Dynasty |
| 1400s | Markets become centerplace of trading, including a number of prominent souks in the Middle East |
| 1602 | The Dutch East India Corporation was founded, progenitor of the modern corporation |
| 1760s – 1840s | The height of the Industrial Revolution |
| 1780s | Palais-Royal opens in Paris as first arcade |
| 1786 | First advertising agency – William Taylor – opens |
| 1844 | French Industrial Exposition of 1844 is predecessor to World's Fairs |
| 1851 | The Crystal Palace is constructed as part of the Great Exhibition of 1851 |
| 1852 | Bon Marché opens in Paris as world's first department store |
| 1859 | A&P opens in the United States as first chain store |
| 1867 | First industrial assembly line is used by the meatpacking industry in Chicago |
| 1893 | World Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, making use of a “midway” and “anchor” exhibits as forerunners of shopping malls and amusement parks |
| 1911 | Hollywood produces its first film shot by Nestor Motion Picture Company |
| 1913 | First Bollywood film produced – Raja Harishchandra by Dadasaheb Phalke |
| 1916 | Market Square opens in Chicago |
| 1923 | Country Club opens in Kansas ... |
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