---
title: "The last time — the natural world"
description: "5 things in the natural world that happened once and have not happened since, with the date and what actually took place."
url: https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/nature/
site: "At One Place"
---

# The last time: the natural world

5 closed last occurrences in the natural world, most recent first.

| Question | When | What | Could it change? |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| When did Vesuvius last erupt? | March 1944 | A major eruption during the Allied occupation of Italy | Yes |
| When did the last thylacine die? | 7 September 1936 | At Hobart Zoo, Tasmania | No |
| When did the last passenger pigeon die? | 1 September 1914 | Martha, at Cincinnati Zoo | No |
| When did the last ice age end? | About 11,700 years ago | The end of the Younger Dryas cold period | No |
| When did the Earth's magnetic poles last reverse? | About 780,000 years ago | The Brunhes–Matuyama reversal | No |

- [When did Vesuvius last erupt?](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/vesuvius/) — March 1944
- [When did the last thylacine die?](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/thylacine/) — 7 September 1936
- [When did the last passenger pigeon die?](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/passenger-pigeon/) — 1 September 1914
- [When did the last ice age end?](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/ice-age/) — About 11,700 years ago
- [When did the Earth's magnetic poles last reverse?](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/magnetic-reversal/) — About 780,000 years ago

## Related pages

- [Space](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/space/)
- [Science and measurement](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/science/)
- [Countries and borders](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/nations/)
- [Technology that stopped](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/technology/)
- [Everyday things](https://atoneplace.net/the-last-time/everyday/)