History of Coral in Timeline

By Popular Timelines Editorial Team · Updated: August 7, 2025

Corals are marine invertebrates belonging to the Anthozoa subphylum within the Cnidaria phylum. They exist as colonies of identical polyps. Certain coral species are crucial reef builders in tropical oceans, secreting calcium carbonate to create a hard skeleton, contributing significantly to the formation of coral reefs.

1911: End of Qing Dynasty

In 1911, the Manchu or Qing Dynasty ended, marking the height of red coral's popularity in China, where it was almost exclusively reserved for the emperor's use.

1998: Worldwide coral reef death due to increased water temperature

In 1998, 16% of the world's reefs died as a result of increased water temperature.

2018: Evidence of phylosymbiosis between corals and their tissue and skeleton microbiomes revealed

A study published in 2018 revealed evidence of phylosymbiosis between corals and their tissue and skeleton microbiomes. The coral skeleton showed the strongest evidence of phylosymbiosis.

2019: Sanger sequencing capable of reproducing biologically relevant diversity

In 2019, Goldsmith et al. demonstrated Sanger sequencing was capable of reproducing the biologically relevant diversity detected by deeper next-generation sequencing, while also producing longer sequences useful to the research community for probe and primer design.

2020: Coral species identification and endangerment

In 2020, there were 2175 identified separate coral species, 237 of which are currently endangered. Adaptation and delineation continue to occur in species of coral in order to combat the dangers posed by the climate crisis.