The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Consumption and Consumer Studies

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 ...