refining my timeline idea

instead of having the text fill the spaces between the dates im going to use simple transparencies to indicate coverage. I need to figure out the spaces between the dates and then fill it with transparencies. Darker = more coverage, lighter = less coverage. Im going to try to make it clean and waterlike using helvetica type. I want to print on the epson so im going to aim for 22 in wide.
the problem im having with the timeline is the gap between the first date 50,000 bc and that most of the other dates are 1800's and 1900's. To show the distance of how long ago 50,000 was compared to the more current dates i was thinking about putting the line of waves on a curve and having 50,000 off in the distance small, then the 1900's (where most of the points are) would be large and in front. this solves the problem of showing the distance of how long ago 50,000 bc without the gap between taking up most of the page, and now the page can be focused on more current dates.

the dates go 50,000BC then 2000BC then 300 ad all the way up to the 2000's. Even though the dates are coming at a curve from the distance i want to make sure the distance from 2000BC to 0 and 0 to 2000 are about equal.