One of the joys of being a Mac user is the amount of care that many software producers put into the aesthetics of their products. I wrote about this before in the context of Delicious Library, and I've just found another utility which made me say, "Oooh. That's pretty!"

It's Timeline, from Bee Documents, which does just what it says on the tin. It helps you draw timelines. It doesn't provide you with a huge number of options or a great degree of control, but it's really easy to use and produces lovely output.

(Click for a larger view)

I think Edward Tufte would approve.

If you want to plot the progress of your patents, or the history of the Ottoman Empire, or just see how large a proportion of your life you really spent as an undergraduate, I'd recommend it.

There are some nice tutorials which give you ideas about how to make your timelines look good when incorporated in other design or presentation packages.

And it has a cute icon, too.