The History Today site offers a time-line that makes clear some interesting simultaneities (if that's a word). The above link should bring up the Fifth Century B.C. Sure enough, there is the building of the Parthenon, but what was going on in Africa at the same time? Well, apparently the Bantu-speaking peoples begin to expand from their west African homeland, and Taruga in Nigeria flourished as an ironworking centre.

And in China? China broke into competing kingdoms in the ‘Warring States’ period, and Confucius died. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, died in India just four years before him.

No, it doesn't prove anything, and it probably won't help get Year 9 through their Classical Civ. GCSE, but it broadened my horizons.

History Today also offers a dictionary of historical people and events. Bear in mind that it's a dictionary, not an encyclopedia, so the entries are short. Themistocles gets four or five lines, Cato three or four. I entered 'Gaugamela' and was shown the entry for Alexander, so the search facility doesn't look just for the headline words.