1999 Dan Buettner organizes expedition to Blue Zones area of Okinawa
2000 Michel Poulain and Gianni Pes publish first article describing the Blue Zones area of Sardinia
2004 Michel Poulain and Gianni Pes publish research on Sardinia
2005 “Secrets to Long Life” cover story for National Geographic first identifies Okinawa and Loma Linda as Blue Zones areas—by Dan Buettner
2005 Dan Buettner first trademarks Blue Zones term in the United States
2006 First National Geographic expedition to Nicoya Peninsula, Michel Poulain leads verification effort, Dan Buettner leads overall team
2007 Second National Geographic expedition to Nicoya (“Blue Zones Quest”) to search for longevity explanation. Led by Dan Buettner, with Michel Poulain, Gianni Pes
Nov 2007 National Geographic publishes expeditions findings, first describing Nicoya as a Blue Zones Area—by Dan Buettner
2008 First National Geographic expedition to Ikaria, Greece. Michel Poulain leads demographic verification; Dan Buettner leads overall team
2008 Blue Zones: Lessons from World’s Longest-Lived People, describes Blue Zones Areas in Sardinia, Okinawa, Loma Linda and Nicoya—by Dan Buettner
2009 Second National Geographic expedition to Ikaria, Greece. Led by Dan Buettner, with Michel Poulain and Gianni Pes
2009 National Geographic publishes Ikaria findings first describing Ikaria as a Blue Zones Area—by Dan Buettner
2009 Dan Buettner launches first Blue Zones Project in Albert Lea, Minnesota.
2010 Michel Poulain, Gianni Pes and Luis Rosero Bixby publish research on Blue Zones regions
2012 “Island Where People Forget to Die” appears in New York Times describing Ikaria in detail—by Dan Buettner
2015 Blue Zones Solutions: Lessons on Living and Eating from the World’s Longest Lived People describes meta analysis of Blue Zones Areas Diets—by Dan Buettner
