Approximately 5,200 (3,200 BC) years ago cosmic chaos began when a giant interloper entered our solar system and smashed into the largest planet, Jupiter. Such was the force exerted upon Jupiter (enough to blast the Earth into smithereens many times over) it caused an apocalyptic explosion which resulted in the birth of Venus as well as unimaginable quantities of space debris (including our Moon). The impact was of such high velocity that it caused a SOLAR-SYSTYEM-WIDE catastrophe and a 200-300 year Dark Age on Earth.
With the first two links we have corroboratory evidence linking the genesis of chaos with geological evidence here on Earth. I will tie in further dates, such as the global DA of 1,200 BC caused by Venus as it crossed the obit of Earth to begin its journey to its current location (second rock from the sun) at a later date.
Something happened 5,200 (3,200 BC) years ago
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/quelcoro.htm
The sudden beginning, did something happen in 3,114 BC (5,200 years ago)? Why did the first great civilisations collapse suddenly and at the same time around 2200 BC?.
http://personal.eunet.fi/pp/tilmari/
There are several other very interesting links from this page.
Geological evidence 4,800 years ago.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/11/14/healthscience/web.1114meteor.php
Global catastrophes 2300 BC & 1200 BC
http://www.alphagalileo.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=readRelease&Releaseid=10622
Collapse of the Old Kingdom Approx 2,200 BC The ‘First Dark Age,’
http://www.geotimes.org/apr05/feature_NileFloods.html#authors
Meteor clue to end of Middle East civilisations
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2001/11/04/wmet04.xml&sSheet=/news/2001/11/04/ixhomef.html%255C
CCNet SPECIAL: COLLAPSE OF EARLY BRONZE AGE CIVILISATIONS: HAS THE SMOKING GUN BEEN FOUND?
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/ccc/cc110501.html
Scientists at Cardiff University in the UK believe they have discovered the cause of crop failures and summer frosts some 1,500 years ago - a comet colliding with Earth.
http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20040104154407data_trunc_sys.shtml
Impact Cratering on Earth
http://www.unb.ca/passc/ImpactDatabase/essay.html
Greek Dark Ages
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Dark_Ages
Dark Age Greece (history for kids, also useful for the likes of me).
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/greeks/history/darkages.htm
Egypt in the Third Intermediate Period Approx. 1100 BC
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/history/thirdinter.htm
A Brief History of Chariot Warfare and Its Effects on the Catastrophe of ca 1200 B.C.
http://filebox.vt.edu/users/bhollenb/EDCI5314/portfoliobkh/html/History_of_Chariot_Warfare.html
1200 BC – War, Climate Change, and Cultural Catastrophe
http://www.nuid.ie/archaeology/news/1200bc/
Ancient Egypt Cities Leveled by Massive Volcano, Lava Find Suggests
http://www.archaeologynews.org/link.asp?ID=184723
Comet smashed into Germany in 200 BC
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_25-10-2004_pg6_9
Discovery of crater indicates meteorite impact in Sahara
http://www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2006/march/crater.htm
Possible Source of Libyan Desert Glass Discovered
http://www.planetary.org/news/2006/0303_Egyptian_Impact_Site_Possible_Source.html
Comets and the Bronze Age Collapse
http://abob.libs.uga.edu/bobk/bronze.html#birdfoot
Dark Ages in history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Ages_in_history
COLLISIONS 0 - 1799 AD
http://www.webspawner.com/users/NOUGHTTO/
Not so recent … or are they???
Were the First Americans Wiped Out By an Asteroid?
http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/stone-age-asteroid-may-have-wiped-out-life-in-america
Comet blamed for 6th century 'nuclear winter'
http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0402/07darkages/
Collision with comet may have hastened first plague epidemic
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/collision-with-comet-may-have-hastened-first-plague-epidemic-568761.html
Tsunamis from Impacts
http://earthweb.ess.washington.edu/tsunami2/deposits/downloads/report%20drafts/DRAFT%20-%20Impact%20Tsunamis%20-%20Abbott.doc
Diamonds tell tale of comet that killed off the cavemen
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/may/20/internationalnews.internationalnews
Fantastic Floods: About 15,000 years ago, in the waning millennia of the Ice Age, a vast lake known as Glacial Lake
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megaflood/fantastic.html
Cosmogenic mega-tsunami in the Australia region: are they supported by Aboriginal and Maori legends?
http://ro.uow.edu.au/scipapers/42/
Tsunami Swamped England 400 Years Ago
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/05/070507-tsunami-britain.html
Where did all the sand in the Sahara desert come from? I wonder ... It wasn’t there 6,000 years ago?