diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
index 470ce3baf..e60031b32 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/topic-timeline.js.es6
@@ -31,6 +31,11 @@ createWidget('timeline-last-read', {
   }
 });
 
+function timelineDate(date) {
+  const fmt = (date.getFullYear() === new Date().getFullYear()) ?  'long_no_year_no_time' : 'timeline_date';
+  return moment(date).format(I18n.t(`dates.${fmt}`));
+}
+
 createWidget('timeline-scroller', {
   tagName: 'div.timeline-scroller',
 
@@ -46,11 +51,7 @@ createWidget('timeline-scroller', {
     ];
 
     if (date) {
-      const format = (date.getFullYear() === new Date().getFullYear()) ?
-                     'long_no_year_no_time' :
-                     'timeline_diff_year';
-
-      contents.push(h('div.timeline-ago', moment(date).format(I18n.t(`dates.${format}`))));
+      contents.push(h('div.timeline-ago', timelineDate(date)));
     }
 
     return [ h('div.timeline-handle'), h('div.timeline-scroller-content', contents) ];
@@ -230,7 +231,7 @@ export default createWidget('topic-timeline', {
     return [ h('div.timeline-controls', controls),
              this.attach('link', {
                className: 'start-date',
-               rawLabel: moment(createdAt).format(I18n.t('dates.timeline_start')),
+               rawLabel: timelineDate(createdAt),
                action: 'jumpTop'
              }),
              this.attach('timeline-scrollarea', attrs),
diff --git a/config/locales/client.en.yml b/config/locales/client.en.yml
index 7b4a2739b..c1e650e8c 100644
--- a/config/locales/client.en.yml
+++ b/config/locales/client.en.yml
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ en:
         millions: "{{number}}M"
     dates:
       time: "h:mm a"
-      timeline_start: "MMMM YYYY"
-      timeline_diff_year: "MMM YYYY"
+      timeline_date: "MMM YYYY"
       long_no_year: "MMM D h:mm a"
       long_no_year_no_time: "MMM D"
       full_no_year_no_time: "MMMM Do"