3RD CENTURY: The Rosary traces its roots to early Christian prayer traditions that used repetitive prayers and counting methods. The Desert Fathers of Egypt used stones and prayer ropes to keep track while praying the 150 Psalms. Repetitive prayers such as the "Jesus Prayer" (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me”) were also prayed on the beads. The "Our Father" was likewise prayed 150 times using beads.

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EARLY 12TH CENTURY: St. Albert the Great began the practice of praying 150 "Hail Mary" daily.

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1214: St. Dominic devoted himself to spreading the Rosary and encouraged Catholics to pray it together in groups.

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EARLY 1400s: ​Dominic of Prussia (a Carthusian monk, not to be confused with the earlier St. Dominic) developed the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries, helping the faithful meditate on the lives of Jesus and Mary.

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1571: During the papacy of Pope Pius V, Christians prayed the Rosary for victory against the Ottoman forces at the Battle of Lepanto. After the unexpected Christian victory, the Pope established the Feast of Our Lady of Victory on October 7.

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1597: The first recorded use of the word “Rosary” was published.

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1889: Pope Leo XIII, who wrote 12 encyclicals on the Rosary, encouraged Catholics to add the “To Thee, O Blessed Joseph” prayer after the Rosary for the protection of the Church.

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1917: The Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to three shepherd children in Fátima, Portugal, urging the world to pray the Rosary daily. She also introduced what is popularly known as the "Fatima Prayer" to be prayed at the conclusion of each decade of the Rosary:
“O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those in most need of Thy mercy.”

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2002: Pope John Paul II offered the optional Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary. He also declared October 2002 to October 2003 to be "Year of the Rosary".