This is a time line chart that pinpoints when certain key events occurred prior to the beginning of the story. These events all have something that affect the main story line one way or another. Be warned that there are ENORMOUS SPOILERS contained within the table so unless you have played the game or don't care about spoiling yourself, DO NOT read it. Otherwise, go ahead and check it out! =P And let me just make it clear to those that are reading this to spoil themselves: I am not responsible for your disgruntlement in finding out something that you didn't want to know just yet because you want to find out for yourself while playing the game ...

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How to read the chart
There are 7 headings (that should be quite clear in what they are representing. =P): Year, Age, Incident/Event, Cloud, Tifa, Aerith, and Sephiroth.
Year: This is a countdown that begins 30 years prior to the present.
Age: This column remains blank until you reach the year when Cloud is born.
Incident/Event: Major/"consequential" events noted.
Cloud: All events that affect Cloud personally are noted here.
Tifa: All events that affect Tifa personally are noted here.
Aeris: All events that affect Aeris personally are noted here.
Sephiroth: All events that affect Sephiroth personally are noted here.
Other Things You Need To Know
* (The asterik)
Any number of asteriks beside a sentence means that there is a footnote about it at the bottom of the table. If you know Japanese and can decode Japanese text on Web pages, please help! ^^
? (The question mark)
This denotes uncertainty of time of event. (That is, "Did this event happen during this time?")

And finally, this chart has been revised to reflect the American translations of the names except Aerith's name. =P Heck, I usually go by the Japanese translations of all the names. However, I'll make an exception this time for all of them but Aerith-chan's name. =P I like Aerith more than Aeris, so there.
· · · · · · ·
Years Age Incident/Event Cloud Tifa Aerith Sephiroth
-30 - Jenova discovered.
Jenova Project begins.		 - - - -
-29 - Introduction of SOLDIER? Injection of Jenova cells into Lucresia and embryo. - - - If that's correct, birth is around this time.
-28 - Vincent goes into stasis sleep? - - - -
-27 - Approxmiate time when Jenova is identified as being an Ancient. Gast leaves for Cosmo Canyon* - - - -
-26 - - - - - -
-25 - - - - - -
-24 - Approxmiate time when Gast is at the Icicle Lodge? - - Gast & Ifalna get married? -
-23 - - - - - -
-22 - Gast dies. - - Aerith is born & 20 days after her birth, she and her mother are taken to Midgar. -
-21 0 - Cloud is born. - - -
-20 1 - Tifa is born. - -
-19 2 - - - - -
-18 3 - - - - -
-17 4 - - - Ifalna & Aerith escape to Slum area. Ifalna dies. -
-16 5 Yuffie is born. - - - -
-15 6 - - - - -
-14 7 - - - - -
-13 8 - Nibel Mountain accident. Tifa's mother dies; Nibel Mountain accident. - -
-12 9 - - - - -
-11 10 - - - - -
-10 11 - - - Zack leaves home. -
-9 12 - - - - -
-8 13 - Meets Tifa at the Water Tower. Cloud makes decision to leave home. - - -
-7 14 - Cloud leaves Nibelheim and goes to Midgar. - Zack becomes aquainted with Aerith? -
-6 15 - - - Zack sends out letter to his parents. -
-5 16 War ends. After the Nibelheim incident, the Sephiroth Copy project begins. Makoro investigation in Nibelheim. Father dies. Wounds from Sephiroth heal. Master Zangan helps her to get to Midgar. Whereabouts of sweetheart Zack is unknown. And so, Makoro investigation fails, and Jenova is seen. Sephiroth goes to the ShinRa mansion to read the files and data there. Out of anger, he burns Nibelheim. Cloud throws him into the pit of Makoro. Here after, his whereabouts are unknown
-4 17 Marine is born - - - -
-3 18 Destruction of North Corel - - - -
-2 19 - - - - -
-1 20 - - - - -
NOW 21 Main story Protagonist and former SOLDIER who is now at Midgar making a living working as a mercenary. Starts work with the anti-aggression group Avalanche of the Slum #7 Bar. A flower seller in Midgar Starting the Reunion

Footnotes
* Approxmiate time when Jenova is identified as being an Ancient. Gast leaves for Cosmo Canyon.
この頃？ジェノバが古代種でないと判明。ガストがコスモキャニオンで愚痴る)
-- The translation is almost complete but the translator wasn't completely sure if the Gast part was right since he wasn't looking at this page. ^^;; My stupid dictionary gives a VERY weird translation to the 2 kanji right after the "Gast ga Cosmo Canyon de" part. -_- So if someone could verify this ...?

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