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An unofficial timeline of the story of Arthur. Specific years, such as 2024, are not used. Instead, all events are dated by their distance from Arthur Read's 3rd grade year, and only that year is divided into months. Each event shall be cited with a reference.

4.54 billion years ago[]

2,000 years ago[]

200 years ago[]

  • Mrs. Lapp's great-great-great grandfather came to America.[3]

150 years ago[]

123 years ago[]

Over 100 years ago[]

100 years ago[]

87 years ago[]

75 years ago[]

1955[]

60 years ago[]

51 years ago[]

1952[]

  • An alien sighting occurred in Elwood City.[13]

40 years ago[]

37 years ago[]

Over 30 years ago[]

  • The Virtues of Science was made.[16]

30 years ago[]

25 years ago[]

20 years ago[]

Almost 20 years ago[]

16 years ago[]

13 years ago[]

10 years ago[]

9 years ago[]

8 years ago[]

7 years ago[]

5 years ago[]

4 years ago (Arthur's preschool)[]

3 years ago (Arthur's kindergarten)[]

2 years ago (Arthur's 1st grade)[]

  • Buster began keeping a School Lunch Almanac.[55]
  • Sue Ellen began keeping a diary.[56]
  • Buster took Binky's juice box.[57]
  • Cousin Mo' dressed up Arthur as a baby at the family reunion. (July)[49]
  • Arthur paid for his first comic book with his own money.[58]

1 year ago (Arthur's 2nd grade)[]

  • D.W. first imagined Nadine Flumberghast.[59]
  • Kate Read was born.[60]
  • Muffy transferred to Lakewood Elementary School.[61]
  • Arthur went into the scariest house in town, Tibbles' mansion. (October 31st)[62]
  • Arthur got his glasses.[63] (November)[64]
  • Prunella had Mr. Ratburn in 3rd grade.[65]
  • Arthur got a valentine from a secret admirer, and hoped it was from Sue Ellen. (February 13-14)[66]
  • Binky visited the Elwood City Science Museum & Exploratorium for the first time and found it boring.[67]
  • Arthur and Muffy planned their 8th birthday parties on the same day.[68]
  • Prunella won the spelling bee.[69]
  • Binky went to Camp Meadowcroak.[70]
  • Prunella wrote a country song for her story and got an A+.[71]
  • Francine and Brain's French history report.[citation needed]
  • Francine drank a glass of juice in the summer.[citation needed]
  • Rubella babysat the Tibble twins.[72]
  • Buster sprayed his tuba spit value, Francine broke her drum stick, and Binky got his tongue tied up during the concert.[73]
  • The Read Family Reunion takes place, and Arthur is afraid of what Cousin Mo' has in store for him this year.[74]
  • Muffy won the Strawberry Dessert Contest.[75]

Arthur's 3rd grade[]

August[]

  • Unknown date
    • Buster tries to save his Dark Bunny toy from the teacher's lounge. [76]

September[]

  • Unknown dates
    • Arthur and D.W. find Starry Moony in Grandma Thora's attic.[77]
    • The Tibble twins try to be well-behaved for their grandmother, since they forgot about Grandparents Day last Sunday.[78]
    • Buster receives a mysterious box of chocolates from a secret admirer, and tries to identify the person so he can thank them.[79]
    • Arthur, Francine, Brain, Muffy, and Buster compete in a bowling tournament.[80]
    • Francine's cousin Seth celebrates his Bar Mitzvah.[80]
    • D.W. learns to write her name and gets a library card.[81]
    • Mid-September: Timmy and Tommy Tibble try to show Mrs. Tibble how much they appreciate her after they miss Grandparents' Day.[82]
  • (circa) 1st
    • Buster and Arthur compete over who is a better magician.[83]
    • D.W. gives all of her toys to the Tibbles, who wreck most of them.[84]
  • 19th
    • International Talk Like A Pirate Day
  • 21st

October[]

  • Unknown date
  • 31st
    • D.W. has a bad case of hiccups that she can't get rid of.[87]

November[]

  • 13th
    • A leaky roof forces Arthur to study in Buster's room.[88][note 2]
  • Thanksgiving
    • Francine plagiarizes a paper about the Pilgrims.[89]
    • Arthur has to be the turkey in the school play.[90]
    • Pal get lost; Aunt Minnie visits the Read residence; Mr. Ratburn's class rides a float in the holiday parade.[91]

December[]

  • 25th
    • Arthur's family celebrates Christmas in a different way than he had planned. Other families celebrate the holidays in their own ways.[92]
  • 31st/January 1st
    • Arthur tries to stay up until midnight to see the new year.[93]

January[]

  • Jenna's birthday.[94]
  • Day after Jenna's birthday
    • Ladonna experiences her first blizzard.[95]

February[]

  • Unknown date, (before Valentine's Day)
    • Arthur and his friends try to invent a new holiday to cure their boredom.[96]
  • 2nd
    • Buster reads his horoscope, which says "you will find a hidden talent".[97]
  • 15th

March[]

  • 1st
    • D.W.'s birthday.[99]
  • 7th
  • 10th
    • The class goes on a trip to the Elwood City Science Museum & Exploratorium, but Binky finds most of it boring, since he had already gone on the trip last year.[101]
  • 16th-17th

April[]

  • Unknown date
    • Arthur punches D.W., eventually leading to the "de-founding" of the Tough Customers.[103]
  • Unknown date
    • D.W. buys a shark tooth and pretends it is her own, "tricking" the tooth fairy[104].
  • Unknown date
    • Buster creates a podcast.[105]
  • 1st
    • Binky takes Arthur's favorite pen, so he gets him back with an April Fools prank.[106]
  • 9th
    • A fire burns the teacher's lounge at Lakewood Elementary.[56]
    • Arthur's father has a catering job at Lakewood Elementary. [107]
  • 10th
  • 16th
    • A false fire alert happens at Mighty Mountain.[56]
    • Sue Ellen gets a new journal from Muffy.[109]
    • Arthur's father has a catering job at the aquarium. [110]
  • 18th
    • Sue Ellen gets an idea to paint a mural on the side of Lakewood about the events of the fire. [111]
  • 22nd
    • Prunella learns how giving away extra clutter can help others too.[112]
      • Within the time of this story, Arthur, Buster, Francine, and Brain try to create their own country.[113]

May[]

  • Unknown dates
    • Francine and Brain get into a huge argument during a soccer game.[114]
    • George accidentally breaks a class woodworking project. [115]
    • D.W. eats a green potato chip and thinks she will die from it.[116]
  • Unknown date, (right after Mothers Day)
    • Muffy and Fern team up to sell greeting cards.[117]
  • 1st
  • 5th
    • Sue Ellen decides to become a vegetarian.[119]
      • During the same time frame: D.W. fakes losing her voice. [120]
  • 15th
    • Brain sees the Carlsaganids meteor shower. [121]
  • 16th
  • 17th
  • 23rd
    • Brain and Buster compete in the practice round of the Math-a-thon. [124]
  • 25th
  • 26th
    • Arthur goes against Grandma Thora in a marbles championship.[127]

June[]

  • Early June
  • Unknown date
    • Fern feels sad, but no one knows why.[129]
  • 2nd
    • Mrs. MacGrady finally returns to work after recovering from cancer.[130]
  • 8th - 10th
  • 14th - 16th
    • Buster and the Read family go to the beach, where Buster finds a note in a bottle that he thinks to be from Atlantis.[132]
  • 15th
    • Buster convinces everyone that he will still feel OK on the Father's Day picnic even though his parents are divorced. [133][note 3]
  • 22nd
    • The last day of the school year.[134]

July[]

August[]

  • Unknown date
    • In the last week of summer break, Arthur tries to find his list of things to do over the summer.[137]
    • Buster attempts to launch a model rocket with his friends. [138]
  • 8th
    • Buster returns from Camp Meadowcroak. [139]
  • 21st
    • The Elwood City Tech Expo takes place.[140]

1 year later (Arthur's 4th grade)[]

5 years later (Arthur's 8th grade)[]

7 years later (Arthur's 10th grade)[]

  • A space probe will reach Saturn and send pictures of it back to Earth.[143]

20 years later[]

  • Arthur and his friends meet up at the Sugar Bowl Cafe:[144]
    • Buster tells Arthur about Kate's written story assignment.
    • Bud parks his motorcycle in a no parking zone, and D.W. writes him a traffic ticket.
    • Muffy is running for mayor of Elwood City.
    • Francine wears her company's latest style of sneakers as a trial.
    • George works at the renovated Sugar Bowl Cafe.
    • Binky delivers a weather forecast on television.
    • Arthur reveals his first graphic novel to his friends.

100 years later[]

2118[]

  • Buster and his dog dig up Brain's time capsule.[146]

References[]

  1. “… The age of the Earth is 4.54 billion years…” - Narrator to Arthur Read, "Arthur's Number Nightmare"
  2. Sue Ellen's Scrapbook (PBS Kids website)
  3. "So in the 200 years since my great-great-great grandfather came to America, the outside world has changed, but our farm hasn't changed nearly as much."Mrs. Lapp, "Buster's Amish Mismatch"
  4. "...and that's how, 150 years ago, your great-great-grandfather Gustav came to own this farm."Dave to Arthur Read and D.W. Read, "Grandpa Dave's Old Country Farm"
  5. "Actually, it was only 123 years ago."Arthur Read, "On This Spot"
  6. "It was a gift from my great-grandfather to my great-grandmother. It's been in the family for over 100 years."D.W. Read remembering what Jane Read had said, "The Tattletale Frog"
  7. "Elwood City Turns 100!"
  8. "We're the world champions-- and it only took 87 years! "Buster Baxter, "The Curse of the Grebes"
  9. "75 years ago, a man came to these shores with a dream in his heart. It was my great-grandfather: Edsel E. Crosswire."Muffy Crosswire, "Arthur and the True Francine"
  10. "I found this sandwich inside. It's from 1955!"Buster Baxter, "Background Blues"
  11. "This is a bottle of Piccadilly's grape. They haven't sold these in over 60 years."Theodore Read, "The Rhythm and Roots of Arthur"
  12. "I'll say it's old. It's 51 years, 3 months, and 7 days old."Captain Jack, "Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea"
  13. "I did read that there was an alien sighting here in 1952" — Brain, Elwood City Turns 100!
  14. "I estimate that it's over 40 years old."
    "That's how old my mom is! That's ancient!"
    Alan Powers and Muffy Crosswire, "Arthur's Treasure Hunt"
  15. "Caught in the Crosswires"
  16. "That film is over 30 years old, but it's just as inspiring as when I first saw it. "Nigel Ratburn, "Ants in Arthur's Pants"
  17. "Yes, after 30 years of teaching kindergarten."Francis Haney, "Brain's Shocking Secret"
  18. 18.0 18.1 Unfinished
  19. No Acting, Please
  20. "When I was young, I felt that way but now I'm almost 20, and I've realized winning doesn't always make you happy."Trevor, "Muffy's Soccer Shocker"
  21. "Sally's 16, D.W., that's 12 years older than you."Jane Read, "Crushed"
  22. "Well, Catherine is turning 16; whatever I give her has to be perfect."Francine Frensky, "Surprise!"
  23. "All I know is, you turn 13, you go to Temple, recite prayers and people call you an adult."Francine Frensky, "Francine's Split Decision"
  24. "I'm 13. You think I want to play with a plastic cow?"Alberto Molina, "To Tibble the Truth"
  25. "The Butler Did... What?"
  26. "Happy Anniversary"
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 "But Binky has three other 9 year olds to help him!"Buster Baxter, "Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?"
  28. "Prunella Gets It Twice"
  29. "The Good Sport"
  30. 30.0 30.1 "Arthur's Birthday"
  31. "The Ballad of Buster Baxter"
  32. "Francine's Split Decision"
  33. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-brain1
  34. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-sueellen1
  35. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-george1
  36. "Best Wishes" - There are 8 candles on her birthday cake.
  37. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-fern1
  38. "Based on a True Story"
  39. "Desperately Seeking Stanley"
  40. "Plus, you did have an imaginary friend when you were about three. Some creature named Oswald, or something like that."Bailey, "The Friend Who Wasn't There"
  41. "When Lucas Hanson barfed in our fifth-grade math class..."
    "I know-- everybody called him "Lucas Pukus."
    "Still do, and that was five years ago. "
    Catherine Frensky and Francine Frensky, "Vomitrocious"
  42. "D.W.'s Perfect Wish"
  43. "D.W., Bossy Boots"
  44. "But James is three weeks younger than me."D.W. Read, "D.W. and Bud's Higher Purpose"
  45. "Bully for Binky"
  46. http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/tradingcards/cards.html#pg-tibbles1
  47. "Brain Freeze"
  48. "...And this is when we were 4." — Arthur to Buster, "Besties"
  49. 49.0 49.1 49.2 "Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe" - The calendar transition shows it was July.
  50. "1001 Dads"
  51. "Castles in the Sky"
  52. "For the Birds"
  53. "Just the Ticket" - Francine says in her phone call to Arthur: "Remember when I played their first single in kindergarten for Show and Tell?"
  54. "Arthur's Dummy Disaster"
  55. "The Great MacGrady" - Arthur says so in the opening sequence.
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 "April 9th"
  57. "Crime and Consequences"
  58. "Tales of Grotesquely Grim Bunny"
  59. "D.W.'s Imaginary Friend" - Also: Nadine said in "Baby Steps" that D.W. was 3 when she first imagined her.
  60. "Arthur's Baby" and "D.W.'s Baby"
  61. "Arthur and the True Francine"
  62. Arthur's Halloween
  63. "Arthur's Eyes"
  64. In the book, the calendar on Mr. Marco's desk says November.
  65. "Arthur and the Real Mr. Ratburn"
  66. Arthur's Valentine - despite Mr. Ratburn being the teacher in "Sue Ellen Moves In," the book shows Arthur is still in Mr. Marco's class.
  67. "No. I did this exact same field trip last year."Binky Barnes to Arthur Read, "The World of Tomorrow"
  68. "Arthur's Birthday" - the 8 candles, and the 8 birthday hugs and kisses.
  69. "I won last year with the word 'endurance'."Prunella Deegan to Francine Frensky, "Arthur's Spelling Trubble"
  70. "I was here last year and it's always boys against girls."Binky Barnes, "Arthur Goes to Camp"
  71. "Last year, a kid wrote a country song for her story and got an A+."
    "Really?!"
    "And that kid was me!"
    Prunella Deegan and Arthur Read, "Arthur Writes a Story"
  72. "Arthur Babysits"
  73. Arthur vs. the Piano
  74. "Arthur's Cousin Catastrophe" - The calendar transition for the past 3 years shows the reunion takes place in July.
  75. "How the Cookie Crumbles"
  76. "Buster the Lounge Lizard" - A calendar flashes by with the month of August during a transition. 3rd grade year because the kids are in Mr. Ratburn's class this episode.
  77. "Bats in the Belfry," Buster says the month when D.W. shows the calendar.
  78. "Mind Your Manners" - Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, meaning it is in September.
  79. "Buster's Secret Admirer" - Fern said it was September.
  80. 80.0 80.1 "Half a ham sandwich; it was my lunch when we won that bowling tournament in September."Buster Baxter, "Ants in Arthur's Pants"
  81. "D.W.'s Library Card" - In Arthur's room, the calendar says September.
  82. "Mind Your Manners" - This episode takes place around mid September, as D.W. states that Grandparents' Day was "last Sunday," and Grandparents' Day is always the first Sunday after Labor Day, which is always the first Monday in September.
  83. "Do You Believe in Magic" - It was D.W.'s half-birthday, which "D.W.'s Perfect Wish" revealed to be March 1st, so 6 months away is September 1st.
  84. "Never, Never, Never" - It was D.W.'s half-birthday, which "D.W.'s Perfect Wish" revealed to be March 1st, so 6 months away is September 1st.
  85. "S.W.E.A.T."
  86. "Brother, Can You Spare a Clarinet?" The logic for this month being that Arthur said his birthday isn't for 7 months, and "Arthur's Birthday" tells that his birthday is in May.
  87. "Hic or Treat" - It was Halloween, which is on October 31st.
  88. "On November 13, Arthur Read was asked to leave his own bedroom. That request came from his mother." — Narrator, "Opposites Distract"
  89. "Francine's Pilfered Paper"
  90. Arthur's Thanksgiving
  91. "An Arthur Thanksgiving"
  92. Arthur's Perfect Christmas
  93. "Arthur's New Year's Eve"
  94. "Besides, wishing for snow in January is like wishing for a pop quiz in Mr. Ratburn's class: it's bound to happen sooner or later."Binky Barnes, "Best Wishes"
  95. "Waiting for Snow" - The same scenes at the end are used in "Best Wishes."
  96. "The Long, Dull Winter" - At the end, they say that Valentine's Day is coming up.
  97. "Framed!"
  98. "Dad's Dessert Dilemma"
  99. "D.W.'s Perfect Wish"
  100. "Nerves of Steal" - Buster crosses off the days on a calendar.
  101. "The World of Tomorrow" - Thruster said the date was March 10, 2203; to which Binky exclaimed "You mean I've been asleep for 200 years?!"
  102. "Bitzi's Break-up" - In the scene where Buster returns Muffy's magazine, a "Happy St. Patrick's!" banner is briefly visible in the hallway. St. Patrick's Day is March 17th.
  103. "Arthur's Big Hit" - When Buster calls Arthur in the hallway, the bulletin board has Earth Day information. Earth Day is April 22nd.
  104. In this episode, Jane states that D.W.'s birthday was last month. D.W.'s birthday is March 1st, so that would place the events in "D.W. Tricks the Tooth Fairy" in April.
  105. "Cereal" - National Librarian Day
  106. Arthur's April Fool - It happened this year because it mentions Mr. Ratburn.
  107. "April 9th?! Oh no... I completely forgot I have to cater a breakfast at Arthur's school! "David Read, "April 9th"
  108. "And tomorrow, we're going to school at Mighty Mountain!"Buster Baxter, "April 9th"
  109. This occurs right before the fire alarm is pulled.
  110. "It's April 16th?! Oh no. The aquarium luncheon is today!"David Read, "April 9th"
  111. "April 9th" - Before she gets the idea, she reads aloud the date while writing a diary entry.
  112. "Prunella the Packrat" - Earth Day is April 22nd.
  113. "Kidonia" - Buster obtained Yamlet at the beginning of "Prunella the Packrat" and cut it into fries at the end of the episode. Because Yamlet is still in one piece, "Kidonia" happens within the story of "Prunella the Packrat."
  114. "I need you to help me write a letter to Santa."
    "In May?"
    D.W. Read and Arthur Read, "The Big Blow-Up"
  115. "Crime and Consequences" - During the scene where Binky is interrogating Buster, the calendar in Buster's room reads May.
  116. "D.W., you're watching Christmas videos in May?" — Arthur Read, "The Chips are Down"
  117. "Fernlets by Fern"
  118. "The Great MacGrady" - after the moving goulash splatters on Buster, the calendar transition has the 1st crossed off, before it crosses off the 2nd and 3rd.
  119. Mrs. MacGrady says it is Cinco de Mayo, which takes place on May 5th.
  120. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" - A desk calendar can be seen which says May 5th when Arthur and his mother are talking.
  121. "Brain Sees Stars" - Brain's calendar reads May 15th.
  122. "Fernlets by Fern" - As Mother's Day is the 2nd Sunday in May, it gives enough space for her birthday on the 16th to be in the same month. This makes sense, because it shortens the span of the episode from 1 month to 1 week.
  123. "Binky vs. Binky" - The date is written on Binky's progress card.
  124. "It's a No-Brainer" - In Brain's fantasy, Mr. Ratburn reads the date and time as "May 23rd, 4:53 pm".
  125. 125.0 125.1 "Arthur's Birthday" - NOTE: This was not the episode/book "Arthur's Birthday" because in that episode/book they were turning 8.
  126. "Muffy Goes Metropolitan" - The festival is May 25th, which Muffy says is tonight.
  127. "Arthur Loses His Marbles" - Buster's video camera reads May 26th, but in a few shots mistakenly says May 24th.
  128. "Shelter from the Storm]]" - During the storm cleanup, Arthur says, "It's only early June."
  129. "The Case of the Girl with the Long Face" - The calendar in the library says June.
  130. "The Great MacGrady" - Buster says the date when he is writing in his journal right before he confronts Skip Bitterman and Mrs. MacGrady returns.
  131. "D.W.'s New Best Friend" - Tour dates on billboard and mail flyer.
  132. "Buster Baxter and the Letter from the Sea" - Calculating 51 years, 3 months, and 7 days after March 9, 1960.
  133. "1001 Dads" - Third grade year because Mr. Ratburn offers to attend the picnic with Buster.
  134. "Desert Island Dish" - As Buster crosses off June 15th from his locker calendar, he says there are only 7 more days until summer vacation.
  135. "Home Sweet Home" - On the day the bus comes to Buster's Condo, the calendar transition shows that the 25th is circled.
  136. 136.0 136.1 "The Long Road Home" - George writes on a calendar.
  137. "The Short, Quick Summer"
  138. "Buster Spaces Out" - Mentioned that it's the last weekend before school starts."
  139. "Home Sweet Home"--Buster's mother mentions that the trip will be "only for two weeks."
  140. "A Cloudy Day" - The date of the expo is shown to be "08.21" on Muffy's tablet.
  141. "Arthur's First Day"
  142. "The Contest"
  143. "The probe won't get to Saturn for seven years! How can I stand waiting seven years to see photos of Saturn?"Alan Powers, "Buster's Growing Grudge"
  144. "All Grown Up"
  145. "Was life really like that 100 years ago?"3W, "Background Blues"
  146. In "Brain and the Time Capsule," there's a time skip from 2018 to 2118. The year is explicitly shown.

Notes

  1. This is disputed. Due to the events of "Brain's Shocking Secret," some argue his age is actually 9, and the trading cards are superseded by the newer episode. Others argue that it is possible for him to have been a year ahead and still the same age as his current classmates.
  2. Two dates are specified in "Opposites Distract": November 13 in the sitcom fantasy, and May 10 on Arthur's history report. Even though November 13 is part of a fantasy, it is most likely the true date of the events of this episode, as the rest of the episode seems to take place in the fall with many characters wearing heavy jackets and leaves are falling from the trees.
  3. This does not make sense as it occurs during the same time when Buster is at Atlantis. The Father's Day picnic could have been on a different day and not actually on Father's Day, but this is not likely.
  4. There are a few continuity errors with this. First, this occurs before "Buster Spaces Out," when El Boomerang is still lost as it is seen in space. In addition, the kids are seen at school with Mr. Ratburn despite spending months off in June and August. Their school could be on an odd system, however--perhaps make up days because of the blizzard.


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