TIMELINE Some historical events chosen (more or less) at random
DATE EVENT
217 Year of oldest Pueblo roofbeam that can be dated 400 Heyday of Moundbuilders in Mississippi valley 725 Casa Grande, an Indian fort and large irrigation works built - Arizona 850 Norsemen defeat Irishmen, eject them from Iceland 985 Eric the Red colonizes Greenland 1000 Leif, Eric's son, builds dwelling on NE coast of Newfoundland 1000 Tiahuanaco civilization in Peru, widespread planting of potatoes, corn 1056 Beginning of the democratic Pataria movement in Milan 1100 Mayan civilization reaches it's heighth in Central America 1215 King John seals Magna Carta at Runnymede. But not made law until 1297 1225 Magna Carta reissued for third time in definitive form 1254 Birth of Marco Polo, explorer who will bring pasta to Italy from China 1297 Magna Carta confirmed by Edward I, enters English statute rolls as law 1325 Toltec empire defeated by Aztecs in Mexico 1327 Aztecs establish Mexico City 1332 Parliament divides into two houses 1347 Bubonic plague in Europe; originated in India, 1332. 75 million deaths 1364 Aztecs build their capital at Tenochtitlan, Mexico 1438 Inca rule begins in Peru 1441 Portugese sailors enter slave trade with African Negroes at Cape Blanc 1450 The League of Nations established at Onondaga, NY. 1st true democracy 1451 Birth year of both Cristoforo Columbo and Amerigo Vespucci 1492 Columbus departs Palos, Spain, in Santa Maria. Hopes to find Indies 1494 Spain and Portugal divide New World in Treaty of Tordesillas 1497 John Cabot makes landfall in Newfoundland, claims it for England 1498 Cabots explore as far south as Hatteras 1499 Ojeda explores Venezuelan coastline 1500 Fernandes explores Labrador 1500 Pedro Alvarez Cabral claims Brazil for Portugal 1501 Gaspar Corte-Real kidnaps 57 Indians in Newfoundland 1501 Rodrigo de Bastidas explores Central American coast & Caribbean 1507 Lands of the New World named for Amerigo Vespucci by Waldseemuller 1510 Spain begins settlements in Jamaica. Two years later in Cuba 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa names large body of water as "Pacific" 1513 Juan Ponce de Leon lands in Florida 1519 Hernando Cortes begins assault on Mexico, defeats the Aztecs 1519 Cortes brings Arabian horses to America from Spain 1519 Domenico de Pineda explores Gulf of Mexico from Florida to Vera Cruz 1520 Magellan navigates through the straits from Atlantic to Pacific 1521 Guam, where America's day begins, explored by Magellan 1524 Giovanni da Verrazano explores Hudson River and New York harbor waters 1526 Spanish attempt colonization of Cape Fear; it lasts only a few months 1528 Panfilo de Narvaez invades Florida from Cuba, wars with Indians 1531 Spain invades Peru 1534 Jacques Cartier explores coast of Labrador 1535 Jacques Cartier explores St. Lawrence River, trades with Huron Indians 1536 Pedro de Mendoza founds Buenos Aries 1538 Bogota settled by Quesada 1539 First printing press set up in the New World - at Mexico City 1540 Coronado begins trek north from Mexico to Zuni territory 1540 Coronado's troops discover the Grand Canyon 1541 Hernando de Soto explores Mississipi River valley and Gulf Coast 1542 Cabrillo explores in area of San Diego 1544 Sebastian Cabot publishes map of the world with remarkable detail 1555 First tobacco taken from America to Spain 1555 Rio de Janeiro colony established by the French 1558 Reign of Elizabeth I begins; ends in 1603 1562 French establish trading post in South Carolina, erect monument in FL 1562 John Hawkins begins slave trade between Guinea and West Indies 1564 French Huguenots try to start colony at Jacksonville; are killed by Spain 1565 Spanish found St. Augustine, FL. First European colony in the west 1572 Francis Drake attacks Spanish harbors in the Americas 1576 Martin Frobisher puts his name on Frobisher's Bay, Canada 1577 Sir Francis Drake begins explorations of west coast 1581 Franciscan friars begin missionary work in "New Mexico" 1584 Walter Raleigh knighted by Virgin Queen for naming new colony for her 1585 English attempt colony at Roanoke Island, NC, but have Indian trouble 1587 New colony established at Pamlico Sound. It disappeared within 2 yrs 1588 English defeat Spanish armada of King Philip II 1590 Galileo describes the law of falling bodies 1598 Colonists landed on Sable Island 1598 Don Juan de Onate claims all of New Mexico for Spain 1601 Colony of Tadoussac founded 1602 Cape Cod named by Bartholemew Gosnold, English navigator who found it 1604 Trading post established at Port Royal, Nova Scotia 1606 First charter granted to the Virginia Company, named after Virgin Queen 1607 Captain John Smith first encounters Iroquois in Chesapeake Bay 1607 Jamestown founded 1608 Champlain founds village of Quebec 1609 Champlain makes war against the Iroquois, 1st use of guns on Indians 1609 Henry Hudson explores river valley named for him 1609 East Anglia Puritans leave England for Leiden, Holland for 10 year stay 1609 Dutch establish Fort Orange, now known as Albany, NY 1609 Henry Hudson explores east coast for Netherlands 1609 Santa Fe, New Mexico settled 1609 Kepler describes planetary motions and laws 1610 Henry Hudson discovers Hudson's Bay 1610 Thomas West, 3rd Lord de la Warr rescues Jamestown colony from starvation 1612 England colonizes Bermuda 1612 French explorers discover Lake Huron 1613 John Rolfe, husband of Pocahontas, cross-breeds tobacco successfully 1614 Captain John Smith explores New England coasts 1614 Thomas Hunt kidnaps 24 Indians from Cape Cod area, sells them as slaves 1615 French trade with local Indians on Georgian Bay 1616 Captain John Smith publishes "A Description of New England" 1616 Pocahontas visits England, poses for portrait; dies on homeward voyage 1616 White settlers introduce small pox to New England. Many Indians die 1619 Black slavery Zntroduced at Jamestown by Dutch traders 1619 First legislative assembly in America, in Virginia, July 30 1620 Slide rule invented by Oughtred, in England 1620 Puritan Pilgrims land at Plymouth Colony, write Mayflower Compact 1621 Pilgrims have first contact with Indian, who greets them in English! 1623 Champlain's expedition trades for furs with Indians on Lake Superior 1624 Indians barter away Manhattan for about $24.00 1624 Virginia becomes a royal colony 1628 English Parliament enacts Petition of Right 1629 Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions for New Netherland granted 1629 Puritans settle Boston area, call themselves The Massachusetts Bay Co. 1630 Puritans hang John Billington, a murderer; a first for the colony 1630 Boston founded as a town by English Puritans 1632 "Oyster War" begins between VA and MD; continues today 1634 Jean Nicolet explores Lake Michigan shore and Wisconsin 1635 Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts for espousing democracy 1636 First college in the colonies, later named after Rev. John Harvard 1636 Providence Plantations founded in Rhode Island by Roger Williams 1637 Pequot War in Connecticut and Rhode Island 1638 Swedish colony, near Wilmington, DE, introduces log-cabin building 1639 The Fundamental Orders unite three communities in "Connectecotte" 1639 Harvard College sets up first printing press in colonies 1640 First English book published in colonies is Bay Psalm Book; Cambridge 1641 "Body of Liberties" adopted in Massachusetts; precurses Bill of Rights 1642 Pascal invents an adding machine 1643 Invention of the barometer 1643 New England Confederation founded. These are first 4 colonies to unite 1644 First bicameral legislature formed in Massachusetts 1645 First ironworks, at Saugus, MA 1647 Massachusetts School Law requires schoolmaster in towns of 50 families 1648 Iroquois defeat the Hurons, drive them into Canada, north of the Lakes 1649 First Assembly in Maryland. Enacts Toleration Act, freeing religion 1653 Iroquois defeat the Erie Nation, extend influence into o-he-you. (Ohio) 1656 New Netherland Council passes ordinance restricting religion 1657 Rhode Island Assembly adopts freedom of religion 1657 John Washington jumps ship in Virginia, buys land 1661 William Penn deceives Delaware Indians, effectively steals Pennsylvania 1664 Dutch give up control of New Amsterdam, it is renamed New York 1669 LaSalle explores Ohio River valley 1670 Newton gives the world The Calculus 1670 Grant from Charles II leads to settlement of Charleston, SC 1673 Iroquois drive Mosopelea Indians from Southwestern Ohio 1673 Marquette and Jolliet explore northern part of Mississippi valley 1675 Indian "King Phillip" begins retaliatory war against white invaders 1676 Bacon's Rebellion wages vigilante war against Indians in Virginia 1676 First formally declared Day of Thanksgiving June 29 1679 Settlements in what is now New Hampshire proclaimed a royal colony 1679 Habeas Corpus Amendment Act in England 1680 Pueblo Indians get horses from Spanish; first Plains Indians to do so 1681 Province of Pennsylvania chartered 1682 LaSalle explores Mississippi River, claims river valley for France 1684 Charles II annuls 1629 charter of Massachusetts colony 1684 Cotton Mather coins the term "Americans" for colonists 1685 Louis XIV cancels Edict of Nantes, thousands flee to the colonies 1688 First written protest against slavery, by Mennonites in Germantown, PA 1689 English Parliament enacts Bill of Rights, provides religious freedom 1690 First newspaper banned in the colonies is Publick Occurences, in Boston 1691 Plymouth becomes part of royal colony of Massachusetts 1692 Witch hunts in Salem, MA; 19 die 1693 William and Mary becomes second college in the colonies 1695 Freedom of the press comes to England. Censorship abolished 1696 Habeas Corpus Act suspended in England 1697 Penn proposes a Plan of Union for the English Colonies in America 1699 Woolens Act. 1701 French establish new trading post, call it "Ponchartrain" on de Troit 1701 Yale becomes the third college in the colonies 1703 Benjamin Franklin born in Boston 1707 Scotland and England join to become Great Britain 1709 First Copyright Act, in Britain 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; French Acadians (Cajuns) driven from Nova Scotia to LA 1714 Shawnee establish themselves in western Ohio, driven there from MD 1715 Tuscarora Indians join League of Five Nations, making it Six Nations 1720 Birth of Ottawa Indian war chief Pontiac, near Detroit 1721 Dr. Zabdiel Boylston introduces smallpox vaccinations, in Boston 1723 Benjamin Franklin leaves Boston for Philadelphia 1728 Vitus Bering explores straits which now bear his name 1728 First American steel made in Hartford, CT 1732 Benjamin Franklin publishes Poor Richard's Almanac 1732 George Washington born in Virginia on February 22; dies in 1799 1732 Hat Act forbade manufacture in colonies of hats made with local fur 1732 First stagecoach route connects Burlington to Perth Amboy 1733 Sugar Act, a revenue enhancement scheme for Britain 1733 Georgia becomes 13th colony; founded by James Oglethorpe 1734 Hamilton defends Zenger in freedom of the press landmark case 1735 John Adams, 2nd President, born October 30; dies July 4, 1826 1736 Patrick Henry born May 29 1737 John Hancock born January 23 1738 The Great Awakening begins, reshaping religious policies everywhere 1738 British traders begin working shores of Lake Erie, compete with French 1738 Future King George III born. Declaration of Independence mentions him 1739 In North Carolina, there is large insurrection by blacks 1740 English Parliament allows naturalization of colonists after 7 years 1740 Philadelphia is largest city in America. Population 13,000 1741 Vitus Bering claims Alaska for his native Russia 1743 Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President, born April 13; dies July 4, 1826 1743 American Philosophical Society founded by Benjamin Franklin 1744 King George's War begins. France joins war effort against England 1746 College of New Jersey, now called Princeton Univ., founded 1747 New York State Bar Association is first in this continent 1748 "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" appears in New England Primer 1748 Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle ends King George's War 1749 England recognizes slavery and plantation system in the south 1749 George Washington becomes land surveyor at age 17 1750 Cumberland Gap discovered, named by Thomas Walker. Westward ho begins 1750 First American coal mine opens in Virginia 1750 Iron Act. 1751 James Madison, father of our Constitution & 4th President, born. d.1836 1751 Liberty Bell ordered from England. 50th anniversary Charter of Privs 1752 Benjamin Franklin goes out to "fly a kite". A shocking experience! 1752 First general hospital opens in Philadelphia 1753 George Washington explores western Pa; delivers ultimatum to French 1754 Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union remarks on Iroquoian League 1754 French and Indian War begins 1754 Major Washington loses battle of Fort Necessity 1755 Braddock's defeat at Pittsburgh; Washington makes Lt Colonel 1755 Irish immigrant, Jackson, born at sea, will become 7th President 1757 Daniel P. Custis dies, leaves his White House plantation to wife Martha 1758 James Monroe, 5th President, born in Virginia; dies in 1831 1759 George Washington weds Martha Custis, honeymoons at The White House 1760 Final subjugation of Canada by England 1760 George III becomes King of England. Colonial population 1.6 million 1762 Benjamin Franklin redesigns the harmonica, making it a musical instrument 1762 Spain acquires Louisiana from France 1763 French and Indian War ends 1763 Pontiac begins seige of Detroit, now a British fort 1763 Treaty of Paris. England gains Canada and most French land east of MS 1763 Vigilantes known as Paxton Boys massacre peaceful Conestoga village 1764 Mozart writes his first symphony, at age eight 1764 Currency Act. 1764 Revenue Act. Taxation without representation introduced in Boston 1765 Britain tries to raise funds with The Stamp Act 1765 Stamp Act Congress meets in Albany, NY; first inter-colony Congress 1765 Quartering Act requires housing British troops in private homes 1766 Stamp Act repealed by England in response to Colonial boycotts 1766 Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon draw the line at MD & PA border 1767 John Quincy Adams, 6th President, born July 11; dies 1848 1767 Daniel Boone crosses Appalachians, keeps heading west 1767 Townshend Duties pile it on higher and deeper, create Customs Office 1768 Colonies circulate letter complaining of taxation; Assemblies dissolved 1768 Birth of Tecumseh, near Dayton, OH 1768 New York Chamber of Commerce established 1769 Pontiac murdered by another Indian, near St. Louis 1770 Boston Massacre. Five dead, six wounded on March 5 1770 Townshend Acts repealed, except for that on tea 1772 Samuel Adams at Boston Town Hall Meeting publishes list of rights 1773 To save nearly bankrupt East India Company, Parliament tries a Tea Act 1773 Boston Tea Party. 342 chests of tea go into the drink 1773 Wm. H. Harrison, 9th President, born Dec 5 in VA, moves to OH; d. 1841 1774 Intolerable Acts include the Coercive Acts 1774 British close the port of Boston in retaliation for tea party 1774 Virginia Conventions begin. Lead to First Continental Congress 1774 First Continental Congress convenes, in Philadelphia, Sept 5 1774 Declaration and Resolves of First Continental Congress Oct 14 1775 Of the 3,500 pysicians in the colonies, only 400 are MD by degree 1775 Patrick Henry says "Give me liberty or give me death!" 1775 Fights at Lexington and Concord follow "the 18th of April, in '75" 1775 Battle of Breed's Hill mistakenly named after nearby Bunker Hill 1775 Postal system created. Benjamin Franklin is first Director 1775 Second Continental Congress, again in Philadelphia 1775 Washington accepts promotion to General & Commander In Chief June 16 1775 Declaration on Taking Up of Arms, issued July 6 1775 Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, declares Martial Law November 7 1775 Virginians defeat British at Great Bridge; British bombard Norfolk 1776 General Court of Massachusetts fires Governor, requests he leave 1776 Common Sense written by Thomas Paine 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights on June 12; written by George Mason 1776 Virginia State Constitution adopted June 29, will be model for all states 1776 Declaration of Independence drafted by Tom Jefferson, with John Adams 1776 Nathan Hale regrets having "but one life to lose", September 22 1776 Christmas present for Washington at Trenton: 918 German prisoners 1777 General Gates defeats General Burgoyne at Saratoga, NY 1777 Congress adopts the American flag with thirteen stars and stripes 1777 Washington's Continental Army winters at Valley Forge 1778 France declares war on England, becomes ally of America 1778 Englishman Capt. James Cook explores west coast of North America 1779 Capt. Cook explores Hawaii until his murder by natives there 1779 British surrender to Americans at Vincennes 1779 John Paul Jones, in Bon Homme Richard, defeats Pearson, in Serapis 1780 Death of John Logan, Cayuga Indian Chief. Who will mourn for Logan? 1780 Benedict Arnold attempts to betray West Point 1781 Articles of Confederation go into effect; were drafted in 1777 1781 Cornwallis surrenders to Washington and the allies at Yorktown, VA 1782 Ninety-six Moravian Christian Indians massacred at Gnaddenhutton, OH 1782 First U. S. President born in "The United States" is Van Buren, Dec 5 1783 First daily newspaper is Pennsylvania Evening Post 1783 Treaty of Paris signed Sept 3. Borders of The United States established 1784 Benjamin Franklin invents bifocals 1784 Treaty of Ft. Stanwix; Iroquois cede rights north and west of Ohio R. 1784 Taylor, 12th President, born; dies 1850 1786 Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts forcibly closes court systems 1786 Annapolis Convention concludes September 14, suggests Phila convention 1787 Constitutional Convention opens May 25; concludes business Sept 17 1787 Northwest Ordinance adopted July 13 by Continental Congress 1787 United States Constitution framed, sent to Congress and states 1787 Federalist Papers begin publication in newspapers 1788 New Hampshire is 9th state to ratify Constitution. It is now the law 1788 First settlement in Ohio is Marietta, named for Marie Antoinette 1789 French Revolution. Declaration of Rights August 26th 1789 George Washington & John Adams elected as first President & VP 1789 The Judiciary Act specifies numbers of federal courts and judges 1789 Mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty; survivors establish Pitcairn Is. colony 1790 Tyler, 10th President, born; dies 1862 1790 Death of Benjamin Franklin April 17 1790 First national census finds 3,929,214 persons eligible to be counted 1790 Supreme Court meets for the first time; John Jay is Chief Justice 1791 John Carroll of Baltimore made first Roman Catholic Bishop in U.S.A. 1791 Federal capital to be established in swamplands on the Potomac 1791 First ten Amendments are Bill of Rights that go into effect this year 1792 Congress names the Dollar as our unit of currency; proposer: Jefferson 1792 New York Stock Exchange organized 1792 Political parties formed; Republicans (to be Democrats) & Federalists 1793 Cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney 1793 General Anthony Wayne begins campaign against Indians in SW Ohio 1793 John Hancock dies October 8 1793 War between England and France. U.S.A. declares neutrality 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers, near Toledo, OH. General Wayne v. Indians 1794 Jay's Treaty requires withdrawal of British troops from U.S.A. 1794 Whiskey Rebellion over excise tax in western Pennsylvania 1795 11th Amendment limits some Federal Judicial power somewhat 1795 Pinckney's Treaty with Spain opens navigation on Mississippi River 1795 Treaty of Greenville, OH opens up much of Ohio to settlement by whites 1795 Washington poses for Stuart's portrait, which is now on our dollar bill 1795 Polk, 11th President, born; dies 1849 1796 Washington retires, gives Farewell Address to the nation 1796 John Adams President, Tom Jefferson Vice President, 71-68 vote margin 1796 Moses Cleaveland reaches mouth of Cuyahoga River on July 22 1796 E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One; added to American coins 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts. Soon to be repealed 1798 Department of the Navy established after 4 years of having a Navy 1798 Washington comes out of retirement to be Commander In Chief of Army 1798 XYZ Affair, so named after three anonymous French trouble makers 1799 French Revolution ends. Napolean becomes ruler of France 1799 Patrick Henry dies June 6 1799 George Washington dies in Mount Vernon December 14, from quinsy 1800 House elects President Jefferson after electoral college tie with Burr 1800 Spain returns Louisiana to France 1800 Congress establishes Library of Congress 1800 Fillmore, 13th President, born; dies 1874 1801 First stone building in Northwest Territory is Ohio capitol, Chillicothe 1801 Tripolitan War begins; ends in 1805 1803 Louisiana Purchased for $15 million. Lewis & Clark to begin exploration 1803 Ohio enters the Union. Paperwork completed 1953 1803 Atomic theory first published 1804 Ohio University at Athens is first institute of higher learning in NWT 1804 12th Amendment changes Presidential election rules 1804 Osceola born in Tallassee village in Alabama; will lead 2nd Seminole War 1804 Vice President Aaron Burr kills Alexander Hamilton in duel 1804 Pierce, 14th President, born; dies 1869 1807 Robert Fulton, in "Clermont", steams up Hudson River 1808 Congress outlaws importing slaves from Africa 1808 Andrew Johnson, 17th President, born; dies 1875 1809 Abraham Lincoln, 16th President, born in Kentucky February 12; dies 1865 1810 Census counts 7,239,881 persons in United States 1811 Madison allows 20-year charter of Bank of the United States to lapse 1811 Wm. H. Harrison fights Indians at Tippecanoe, near Indianapolis 1811 New Madrid, MO earthquake Dec 16, forecast months before by Tecumseh 1812 War declared on England June 18, day after England repealed the cause 1813 Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry "meets" British in Lake Erie Sept 10 1813 Tecumseh defeated in battle near Detroit, in Ontario 1814 City of Washington captured and burned by British 1814 Francis Scott Key observes battle of Fort McHenry at Baltimore Sept 14 1814 Treaty of Ghent ends War of 1812 on December 24 1815 Andrew Jackson defeats British at New Orleans Jan 8, after war ends 1815 Napolean meets his "Waterloo" on June 18 1815 Village of Cleaveland officially incorporated in Ohio 1816 Capitol of Ohio moves to Columbus 1816 Second Bank of the United States chartered 1817 Work begins on Erie Canal 1818 Anglo-American Convention fixes 49th parallel as border with Canada 1819 SS Savanah makes transatlantic crossing under steam propulsion, a first 1819 Florida ceded by Spain to the United States 1820 Missouri Compromise forbids slavery above 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude 1820 Federalist Party dissolves; without opposition, Jefferson Dems disband 1822 Grant, 18th President, born in Ohio; dies 1885 1822 Hayes, 19th President, born in Ohio; dies 1893 1823 Monroe Doctrine given to Congress December 2 1824 House of Representatives elects John Q. Adams president 1825 Erie Canal completed 1826 Jefferson, then Adams, die on 50th anniversary of Declaration, July 4 1827 Ohio Canal opened for business 1828 Noah Webster publishes "American Dictionary of English Language" 1828 George Worthington Co. founded in village of Cleaveland 1828 Baltimore & Ohio railroad, first designed for passengers & freight 1829 Arthur, 21st President, born; dies 1886 1829 Estate of James Smithson funds Smithsonian Institution 1831 Samuel F. Smith writes "My Country, 'tis of Thee" 1831 Nat Turner leads slave revolt at Southhampton 1831 Garfield, 20th President (and 3rd in a row from Ohio), born; dies 1881 1832 Abe Lincoln enlists in Illinois militia to fight Sac and Fox Indians 1832 Jackson vetoes rechartering of 2nd Bank, causes birth of Whig Party 1832 Jackson supporters counter with rebirth of Jefferson Democratic Party 1833 Benjamin Harrison, 23rd President, born; dies 1901 1833 City of Cleveland buys its first fire engine for $285 1834 Death of Lafayette, Revolutionary War hero on two continents 1834 Charles Babbage demonstrates "analytic engine", a computer 1835 U.S.A. becomes debt free (briefly) for only time in history 1836 The Alamo. 6000 Mexicans defeat 190 Americans in 12 days on March 6 1837 Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th President, born; dies 1908 1837 Sitting Bull born, dies in 1890 1837 Concord Hymn, by Emerson, commemorates battle of Concord NH in 1775 1837 Rush-Bagot Treaty with Canada creates world's longest open border 1838 Osceola dies in prison after being tricked by false white flag 1838 Trail of Tears. Thousands of Indians forced from their homes & die 1838 Black Hawk, famous Sac warrior, dies of old age 1839 Abner Doubleday invents baseball at Cooperstown, NY 1839 Railway Express Co. founded in Boston 1840 Chief Joseph born near Wallowa, OR. Becomes great chief of Nez Perce' 1841 Wm. H. Harrison catches cold at Inauguration, dies a month later 1842 Crazy Horse born in South Dakota 1842 Plain Dealer Publishing Co. founded in Cleveland 1842 Webster-Ashburton Treaty defines Canadian-U.S. frontier 1843 McKinley, 25th President (5th from Ohio), born; dies 1901 1844 Samuel F. B. Morse opens telegraphic link between Baltimore and D.C. 1845 U. S. Naval Academy opens at Annapolis, MD 1845 Texas is annexed; war with Mexico follows 1846 Large crack in Liberty Bell gets too bad to permit ringing any more 1846 Potato famine in Ireland. Many flee to America for survival 1847 Brigham Young leads his followers into Salt Lake City, UT area 1847 Thomas Alva Edison born in Milan, OH February 11; dies in 1931 1847 American troops fight their way into the Halls of Montezuma in Mexico 1848 Treaty of 1848 gets CA, NM, AZ, NV UT, parts of CO and WY for the Union 1848 Cornerstone laid for the Washington Monument 1849 There's G O L D in them thar hills! Invasion of California begins 1849 Eastern Michigan University founded 1853 Gadsden Purchase brings some Mexican territory into U.S.A. 1853 Commodore Matthew Perry opens trade routes with Japan 1854 War between Cleveland and Ohio City settled by annexation of latter 1854 Kansas - Nebraska Act. Provides springboard for Abe Lincoln 1854 Republican Party formed in Ripon, WI 28 February, under John Fremont 1854 George Boole writes on theories of logic and probabilities 1855 Soo Canal opens upper Great Lakes to commercial navigation 1855 Longfellow uses name of real Six Nation's hero Hiawatha in mythical poem 1856 Wilson, 28th President, born; dies 1924 1856 Western Union Telegraph Co. established in Cleveland 1856 Cocaine extracted from cocoa beans, but has no legitimate use 1857 Dred Scott decision handed down by Supreme Court 1857 Transatlantic cable begins; completed in 1866 1857 Taft, 27th President (7th from Ohio), bo9n; dies 1930 1858 Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President, born; dies 1919 1859 Abolitionist John Brown leads assault on armory at Harper's Ferry 1859 Colonel Robert E. Lee, U. S. Army, commands troops at Harpers Ferry 1859 Drake puts down first oil well in U.S.A., Titusville, PA 1860 Annie Oakley born in Darke County, Ohio log cabin 1860 Edwin C. Higbee opens store on Cleveland Public Square 1860 South Carolina becomes first state to secede from Union, December 20 1861 Confederate States adopt Provisional Constitution, February 8 1861 Civil War begins at Fort Sumter, Charleston, SC, April 12 1861 Ohioan Generals Grant, Sherman and Sheridan ride off to war 1861 Congress enacts first income tax August 2, on incomes more than $800 1861 U. S. Navy's first aircraft carrier launches hot air balloon Aug 3 1861 First Congressional Medals of Honor awarded, to Union Navymen 1862 The Homestead Act. 1862 Duel between Merrimac and Monitor March 8; CSS Merrimac withdrew 1862 Ohioans LTC R. B. Hayes and Sgt Wm. McKinley saw action at Antietam 1863 The Emancipation Proclamation. 1863 The Gettysburg Address dedicated to more than two score thousand dead 1864 Lincoln posed for photograph which appears on $5 bill, Feb 9 1864 "In God We Trust" put on American coins for the first time April 22 1864 Massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians at Sand Creek, CO 1864 Lincoln proclaims last Thursday in November to be Thanksgiving Day 1865 13th amendment abolishes slavery 1865 Lee surrenders to Grant at Appomattox on Palm Sunday, April 9 1865 Lincoln shot by Boothe April 14, dies next day 1865 Confederate Army surrenders at Shreveport, LA; Civil War ends May 26 1865 Last shot of Civil War fired by CSS Shenandoah in Bering Sea, June 22 1865 Harding, 29th President (8th from Ohio), born; dies in 1923 1866 Ohio briefly adopts state motto: "Imperium in Imperio" 1866 Congress recognizes the Metric system of measurements 1866 Alfred Nobel invents something that is "dynamite" 1867 British North American Act creates the Dominion of Canada 1867 US buys Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million 1868 14th amendment prohibits voting discrimination, among other things 1868 House impeaches President Johnson. Senate acquits him by one vote 1869 Transcontinental railroad completed; Ogden, UT wins the golden spike 1869 Cleveland's first professional baseball team is The Forest City's 1870 "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea", in a nuclear submarine 1870 15th Amendment gives blacks the right to vote 1870 John D. Rockefeller founds Standard Oil Company, in Cleveland, OH 1870 Robert E. Lee dies, October 12 1871 Mrs. O'Leary's cow blamed for Chicago fire 1872 Coolidge, 30th President, born; dies 1933 1874 Hoover, 31st President, born; dies 1964 1876 Custer makes history books at Little Big Horn in Montana 1876 Liberty statue presented by France, construction requires ten years 1876 Does the name "Alexander Graham" ring a bell? Telephone invented 1877 Crazy Horse dies in a Nebraska prison from stab wounds 1878 First electric street lighting anywhere is on Cleveland Public Square 1880 Case School of Applied Science established in Cleveland 1881 Garfield assassinated. Arthur moves into the presidency 1882 F. D. Roosevelt, 32nd President, born; dies 1945 1883 First American skyscraper soars into Chicago skies, 10 stories 1883 Indonesian volcano Krakatau blows it's top; 35,000 die 1884 Truman, 33rd President, born; dies 1972 1884 First "World Series" played 1889 Jefferson Davis dies at age 81 on December 6 1890 Eisenhower, 34th President, born; dies 1969 1890 Massacre at Wounded Knee 1892 Pledge of Allegiance published. Changes made in 1954 1895 "America the Beau:iful" written by Katherine Lee Bates 1898 Spanish - American War. Teddy Roosevelt rough-rides his way into Cuba 1900 Boxer Rebellion against foreigners in China begins 1901 McKinley assassinated, Theodore Roosevelt moves into presidency 1902 State of Ohio authorizes a state flag on May 9 1902 First 4-H Club anywhere is in Springfield, OH 1903 Wright brothers prove they are right for aviation at Kitty Hawk, NC 1904 Chief Joseph dies in exile in Washington state, fighting no more, forever 1904 Ohio adopts Scarlet Carnation as state flower to honor McKinley 1908 L. B. Johnson, 36th President, born; dies 1973 1909 NAACP founded by W. E. B. DuBois 1911 Reagan, 40th President, born 1912 Garrett Morgan of Cleveland invents the gas mask 1912 SS Titanic hits iceberg, 1503 lives lost 1913 Harriet Tubman, heroine of underground railroad, dies; buried in Ohio 1913 Nixon, 37th President, born 1913 Ford, 38th President (1st non-elected), born 1913 16th Amendment establishes income tax 1913 17th Amendment changed election rules for Senators 1914 World War I begins 1915 SS Lusitania sunk 1917 Kennedy, 35th President, born; dies 1963 1917 Russian Revolution; they enjoy brief democracy for only time in history 1918 The American's Creed adopted April 3 1918 Armistice ends WW I on 11th hour of 11th day of 11th month 1919 18th Amendment introduces prohibition of intoxicating liquors 1920 19th Amendment brings women the vote 1923 Garrett Morgan of Cleveland invents traffic signals 1924 Carter, 39th President, born 1924 Bush, 41st President, born 1925 First municipal airport in the world is Hopkins, at Cleveland, OH 1929 Great Depression begins after bank and stock failures 1931 The National Anthem finally adopted by Congress March 3 1932 20th Amendment established starting date for Presidency & Congress 1933 21st Amendment repeals prohibition amendment 1933 Ohio adopts the Cardinal as the "Official Bird" 1939 Bill of Rights finally ratified by Massachusetts, Georgia & Connecticut 1941 December 7, the Day of Infamy, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, HI 1945 World War II ends; first in Europe, then in Japan 1945 United Nations chartered in San Francisco; later moves to NYC 1947 Transistor invented at Bell Labs, in New Jersey 1950 North Korea invades South Korea 1951 22nd Amendment limits president to two terms. 1st proposer: Jefferson 1953 Most hostilities end in Korea, 38th parallel becomes DMZ 1953 Ohio adopts the Buckeye as the "Official Tree" 1959 Ohio adopts new Official Motto: "With God, All Things Are Possible" 1960 23rd Amendment granted Electoral College representation to DC 1962 Ohioan John Glenn is first U. S. astronaut to orbit earth 1962 Military aid begins in South Vietnam 1963 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. announces "I Have A Dream" on August 28 1963 John F. Kennedy assassinated, Johnson moves into presidency 1964 24th Amendment killed "poll taxes" 1965 Ohio Flint adopted as the Official Gem Stone of the state 1967 25th Amendment allows President to step aside temporarily, then resume 1968 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. murdered in Memphis 1969 Ohioan Neil Armstrong took one small step for a man, onto the moon 1971 26th amendment gives 18 year olds the vote 1973 Vice President Agnew forced to resign, Ford becomes 1st non-elected VP 1974 Nixon resigns in disgrace, Ford moves into the presidency 1975 The fall of Saigon, South Vietnam 1980 Mount St. Helens volcano erupts 1981 First female Supreme Court Justice is Sandra Day O'Connor 1984 Geraldine Ferraro is first serious female Vice Presidential candidate 1986 First true community computer system goes online in Cleveland, Ohio 1986 Rutan and Yeager took a one-tank-trip around the world 1986 Shuttle "Challenger" exploded on takeoff, 7 astronXuts perished 1989 Ohio adopts new words to official State Song
Prepared by Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net - aa300) Distributed by the Cybercasting Services Division of the
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