The science of genetics has been the recipient of information from many unrelated fields of science as well as those closely related, such as cytology and evolutionary biology. Genetics, cytology, and evolutionary biology are endeavors that tend to link biochemistry, geology, all of biology, and many other sciences in an all-encompassing theory of life on this earth. Correspondingly, change in our knowledge in any of these areas advances our knowledge in the others. Thus, it is quite hard to create a chronological list of the historic events that have had an impact on genetics. Even an attempt to describe the most important or most directly associated events is difficult. This list is not meant to be inclusive. The chronology in A Dictionary of Genetics by R. C. King, W. D. Stansfield, and P. K. Mulligan (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006) is an excellent source of information. We have drawn some of our ideas from their much more comprehensive historical presentation. Our list is not extensive for the last few years. This is not because of a lack of important research, but rather an inability to step back and observe from a distance the numerous events as they unfold. The history of genetics continues to be written at a dazzling pace.

The formal rules of genetic transmission and knowledge of DNA and gene action are fairly modern advances. Yet several examples indicate that an appreciation of inheritance has a long history.