Timeline of the Life of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

1881    May 1              Born at Sarcenat, the family estate in Orcines, close to
                                   Clermont-Ferrand, France

                         

1899    March 20         Enters Jesuit noviciate   - Aix-en-Provence

             

1902    October           First year as a scholastic -Jersey          

             

            October           Geological field trip in Jersey    

                         

1905    August             Leaves for Egypt for required three years teaching in Jesuit
                                    college, Cairo

             

1909    October           First year of theology    - Hastings

 

            October           Geological field trip with Pere Pellotier - The Weald; Jersey

                         

1911    August 24         Ordained priest - Hastings

             

1912    October           Begins course under Marcellin Boule at the Museum of Natural

                                     History, Paris

                         

            October           Studies phosphorites in Quercy

                                     

1914    July                  Field trip with Jean Boussac- Alpes du Dauphine

             

            August              Begins tertianship - Canterbury

 

            December        Called up for service with medical corps - Clermont     

 

1915    January           Stretcher-bearer in the 8th Moroccan Light Infantry

                                     

            May                 Ypres Sector   

             

            June                  Transfers to 4th combined regiment of Zouaves and Light
                                     Infantry        

                         

            August              Arras District   

             

            August 29         Mentioned in divisional orders

                                     

            September 1     Croix de Guerre

                                     

1916    January           In billets behind the line - Nieuport-Ville           

 

            March 24         From this date onwards drafts numberous writings

                       

            April 24            Finishes La vie cosmique - Dunkirk sector        

 

1919    July                 Passes certificate in geology, Paris         

 

1920    March             Passes certificate in zoology,Paris

             

            June                Preparation of doctoral thesis in geology at the Institut
                                   Catholique

                         

            July                  Excavations near Rheims in connection with thesis -Rheims

             

1922    March 22         Oral examination for doctoral thesis                  

 

            March 22         Assistant Professor of Geology

                                     

1923    April 6              To China via Suez, Ceylon, Sumatra, Hong Kong, Shanghai

                         

            May                 Joins Pere Emile Licent, S.J.     - Tientsin

             

            June                  First field trip with Licent - Ordos

             

            August 6           Writes Mass on the World in the Ordos Desert

                         

1924    April                  Field trip with Pere Licent - Eastern Mongolia

                         

            August               Joins Professor George Barbour - Kalgan

                         

            September        Returns to France by sea - Shanghai

                         

            October           Resumes courses at Institut Catholique, Paris

                         

            October           Gives retreats for students of Grandes Ecoles

                                     

1926    April                 Leaves for China with Pere Licent and Pere Lejay

             

            November        Drafts treatise on spirituality - Tientsin

             

            December        Visited by Professor Alfred Lacroix of the Museum of Natural
                                    History - Peking

 

1927    May-July          Field trip with Licent - Dalai-Nor (Tari N.)       

             

1929    February          Return to China via Jibuti and Ceylon               

 

            April                Accepts post as scientific adviser to Peking Geological Service.
                                   Lives with Lazarist Fathers. Works with Dr.
                                   Davidson Black and Dr. Wong Wen Hao at Chou-Kou-Tien    

             

            December 2     Pei-Wen-Chung, Director of Excavations at Chou-Kou-Tien,
                                    discovers the first Sinanthropus skull
                                    Chou-Kou-Tien (with C.C. Young)

 

1930    February          Trip with Barbour - Shensi, Shansi       

             

            May                 Joins Chapman Andrews expedition - Mongolia, Gobi Desert

                         

1931    January           Trip to USA to make arrangements for Citroen expedition - 
                                    New York, Chicago

 

            February          Return to China via Hawaii and Japan from San Francisco        

 

            May 8             Joins expedition - Kalgan, Gobi Desert 

 

1932    January 1          With the Divine Word Fathers - Liangchow (Kansu)    

             

            September        Return to France for four months - Paris           

             

1933    February          Leaves for fifth journey to China           

             

            July                  Trip to USA via Pacific route - San Francisco, Washington, New York

             

            July                  Attends International Congress of Geology in Washington         

             

1934    May                 Yangtze Expedition, and trip to Central Asia with Barbour -
                                   Yangtze, Hunan, Tsinling Mts.

                         

1935    May                  Return to France - Paris          

 

            September        Departure for India to join Helmut de Terra - Red Sea,
                                     Kashmir           

 

 December       To Java at invitation of Von Koenigswald -Batavia, Bandung,
                                    Sangiran 

 

1936    January             Return to China via Hong Kong and Shanghai - Peking 

             

1937    February          Trip to USA across Pacific via Honolulu - Philadelphia 

 

            April                 Return to France via Atlantic route -New York

             

            August 6           Leaves for China from Marseilles on board the
                                     D'Artagnan                   

 

            December        To Burma to join Helmut de Terra - Rangoon

             

1938    March              Arrival in Java with Helmut de Terra; stays with Von
                                    Koenigswald - Batavia, Bandung, Surakarta, Trinil, La Solo

    

            May                Return to China - Peking           

             

            June               Begins The Phenomenon of Man

                                     

            September        Leaves for USA via Pacific route - Vancouver, New York

                         

            November        Returns to France via Atlantic route                  

 

1939    June                 Return to China via USA

                         

            August 30         Arrival in China where he stays until 1946 -       Peking 

 

1940    May                 Sets up Institute of Geobiology with Pere Pierre Leroy, S.J.      

                         

            June                 Finishes The Phenomenon of Man                    

             

            June                 Publishes several papers on Chou-Kou-Tien    

                         

1941    March 3           Lectures at French Embassy on 'The Future of Man as seen by
                                   a Paleontologist'

                       

1942    November        Exposition of law of complexity - consciousness                      

 

1943                           Founds journal Geobiologia - Peking    

 

1946    May                 In France. Various activities, including lectures - Paris   

             

1947    June 1              Heart attack - Paris     

 

1948    March             Sixth trip to USA - New York

                         

            June                Return to France - Paris

                         

            August             Stays with his brother, Joseph    at Les Moulins 

             

            October           Seeks ecclesiastical approval for publication of The
                                    Phenomenon of Man and for appointment to Chair at
                                   College de France - Rome

                         

            November        Return to France after negative response to both requests -
                                    Paris

                         

1949    February          Lectures at Sorbonne on Groupe Zoologique humain - Paris

             

            October           Attends International Congress on Philosophy of Science – Paris

           

1951    July                  Leaves for South Africa. Breaks journey in England, joins
                                    Barbour. Barbour flies to South Africa, Teilhard sails
                                   from Southampton - London

                         

            August 28         Visits sites of Australopithecus, finds with Barbour and van
                                     Riet Lowe - Johannesburg, Pretoria, Kimberley,
                                      Dry Harts Valley

                         

            October           Visits Hopefield site with Dr. J. Goodwin - Cape Town

             

            November        Return to USA via Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro - New York

                         

            December        Accepts research post with Wenner Gren Foundation offered
                                   by Dr. Paul Fejos

                                     

1952    July                 Trip across USA - Chicago

             

1953    July                  Second South African trip                    

 

1954    June                 In France - Paris          

 

            June                 Lecture on Africa and origins of man -Paris

             

            July                  Visits Lascaux with Pere Leroy. Last visit to birthplace

             

            August              Return to USA - New York

             

1955    April 10            Dies on Easter Day