How to create a timeline with LaTeX?

Question

In history-books you often have timeline, where events and periods are marked on a line in the correct relative distance to each other. How is it possible to create somethin

Answer 1

Tim Storer wrote a more flexible and nicer looking timeline.sty (Internet Archive Wayback Machine link, as original is gone). In addition, the line is horizontal rather than vertical. So for instance:

\begin{timeline}{2008}{2010}{50}{250}
  \MonthAndYearEvent{4}{2008}{First Podcast}
  \MonthAndYearEvent{7}{2008}{Private Beta}
  \MonthAndYearEvent{9}{2008}{Public Beta}
  \YearEvent{2009}{IPO?}
\end{timeline}

produces a timeline that looks like this:

2008                              2010
 · · April, 2008 First Podcast    ·
       · July, 2008 Private Beta
           · September, 2008 Public Beta
                · 2009 IPO?

Personally, I find this a more pleasing solution than the other answers. But I also find myself modifying the code to get something closer to what I think a timeline should look like. So there's not definitive solution in my opinion.