1596 — Birth of Descartes at La Haye.
1606 — Enters college at La Flèche.
1614 — Leaves La Flèche, studies law at Poitiers.
1616 — Graduates from Poitiers.
1618 — Soldier under Maurice of Orange. Compendium Musicae (unpublished).
1619 — Nov. 10: Dreams mark turning-point in vocation.
1620 — Travels in Europe. Cogitationes Privatae, Olympica (unpublished).
1628 — Rules for the Direction of the Mind (uncompleted, unpublished).
1633 — Condemnation of Galileo. The World and Treatise on Man prepared for publication but withdrawn.
1637 — Discourse on Method, Dioptrics, Geometry, Meteorology, first published work.
1640 — Death of Descartes’ daughter and father.
1641 — Meditations, with Objections, and Replies.
1644 — Principles of Philosophy.
1645 — Search for Truth (unpublished, date uncertain).
1647 — Notes against a Program published without Descartes’ permission. Discourse on the Human Body (unfinished, unpublished, as were other anatomical works).
1648 — Interview with Burman.
1649 — Passions of the Soul published. Birth of Peace, a ballet on the Peace of Westphalia written for the Queen of Sweden.
1650 — Death of Descartes in Sweden.