General
Population: Perhaps 1-10 million*
- Chronology: Oldest known solar calendar in France (20K BC)
Possible lunar calendars in Israel and Jordan (20K BC)
- Climate: Glaciation begins (25K BC)
Tioga glacial maximum in ice age as sea 130 meters lower than present era (20K BC)
- Entertainment: Clay statuettes found (27-23K BC)
- Science: Extinction of Neanderthals (26K BC)
- Technology: Fishing wedge (25K BC)
Bow and arrow develop (25 - 20K BC)
Atlatl invented (20K BC)
First known map drawn on bone (20K BC)
Africa
- Namibia: Cave drawings (24K BC)
Americas
- General: Probable crossing of Bering land bridge (28K BC)
- North America: Carved animal bone (25K BC)
Mastodons plentiful (20K BC)
- South America: Cave dwellers in Brazil (25K BC)
Asia
- East: Settlements in the north-east (20K BC)
Europe
- General: Clay figures of women and animals (27K BC)
Clay houses created (24K BC)
- France: Simple musical instruments (25K BC)
Lascaux paintings created (28-20K BC)
- Poland: Ivory boomerang created (21K BC)
- Spain: Extinction of Neanderthal at Gibraltar (24K BC)
Cave paintings created (20K BC)
Pacific
- Australia: Evidence of early humans, stone tools, and cremations (28-20K BC)
- New Zealand: Taupo volcano eruption (24K BC)