| 1775 | |
| |
| |
| |
| | 10 Nov:
A resolution is approved calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore.WHS USNI |
|
| |
| |
| | 31 Dec:
After nearly a month, Continental forces, under command of Montgomery and Arnold, are soundly defeated after attacking Québec.CMoH SIMag |
|
| 1776 | |
| | 7 Apr:
The American warship Lexington captures the first British warship of the American Revolution, the HMS Edward.RW DoD |
|
| | 4 Jul:
The United States is founded when the Second Continental Congress declares its independence from Great Britain.USHistory USNA |
|
| | 10 Aug:
Word of America's Declaration of Independence finally reaches London.TXSAR OSA |
|
| | 27 Aug:
The British defeat the Americans in the Battle of Long Island.BB MtVernon |
|
| |
| | 28 Oct:
British and Hessian troops under Howe meet Americans under Washington in the Battle of White Plains.MtVernon BB |
|
| |
| | 26 Dec:
Washington gets his first major victory at Trenton.MtVernon BB |
|
| 1777 | | 3 Jan:
Washington defeats the British in the Battle of Princeton.MtVernon BB |
|
| |
| | 17 Oct:
British troops surrender at Saratoga.Saratoga AoC |
|
| 1778 | |
| |
| 1779 | |
| |
| | 23 Sep:
Capt. John Paul Jones, considered the father of the United States Navy, on board the Bonhomme Richard, defeats the H.M.S. Serapis off the coast of England.OTF MM&P |
|
| 1780 | | 3 Feb:
The first mass murder in America changes the way criminals are perceived.Courant CTMag |
|
| | 4 May:
The American Academy of Arts & Sciences is founded.TiS AAoA&S |
|
| | 21 Sep:
Treasonous American General Benedict Arnold, believing that he was unrewarded for his military successes, meets with British Major John Andre to discuss handing over West Point to the British.NCC LoC |
|
| 1781 | | 5 Jan:
Richmond, Virginia is captured and burned by American traitor and British general Benedict Arnold.AMN VAMoH&C |
|
| | 17 Jan:
the American militia, led by Colonel Daniel Morgan, defeat the British under Lt. Colonel Banastre Tarleton in the Battle of Cowpens.BB fold3 |
|
| | 19 Oct:
Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown.AoC LoC |
|
| 1782 | | 7 Aug:
The Purple Heart is established by General George Washington at Newburgh, New York.NPHHoH USArmy |
|
| 1783 | |
| |
| |
| 1784 | |
| | 3 Jun:
The United States Army is established when Congress votes to form the 1st American Regiment for national service.USArmy HFS |
|
| | 21 Aug:
Benjamin Franklin makes mention of, in letters, bi-focal eyeglasses he had invented earlier about 1780.eNotes AS |
|
| |
| 1785 | | 7 Jan:
The first international flight occurs when Blanchard and Jeffries fly a balloon across the English Channel.StratoCat SI |
|
| | 6 Jul:
Congress adopts "dollar" as the U. S. currency name.LoC LCC |
|
| 1786 | | 8 Jun:
The first advertisement for commercially-made ice cream in the U. S. is published in the New York Post Boy.NYTimes OAA |
|
| | 8 Aug:
The value of a dollar is established by the U. S. Congress.LoC USHouse |
|
| 1787 | |
| | 17 Sep:
The U. S. Constitution is signed by 38 of the 41 delegates present at the Constitutional Convention.LoC CC |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1788 | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| 1789 | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| | 29 Sep:
The U. S. Congress passes the act that officially establishes the army under the Constitution.LoC NCC |
|
| | 3 Oct:
Washington issues his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation.USNA MtVernon |
|
| |
| 1790 | |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| 1791 | |
| |
| |
| |
| | 15 Dec:
The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution are ratified; collectively known as the Bill of Rights.LoC USNA |
|
| 1792 | |
| |
| |
| 1793 | | 18 Sep:
The cornerstone to the U. S. Capitol building is laid by George Washington.USSenate AoC |
|
| 1794 | |
| | 1 Aug:
The Whiskey Rebellion occurs after Congress attempts to levy an excise tax on distilled goods.ABT PSU |
|
| | 26 Aug:
U. S. President Washington decides it's time to put down the Whiskey Rebellion.ORO LoC |
|
| 1796 | |
| |
| |
| 1797 | | 10 Mar:
Thomas Jefferson presents a scientific paper on a Megalonyx fossil to the American Philosophical Society that is considered the first American contribution to vertebrate paleontology.USNA SA |
|
| | 21 Oct:
USS Constitution, "Old Ironsides", is launched.MassMoments UCM |
|
| 1798 | | 14 Jul:
The Sedition Act becomes federal law, endangering liberty in the fragile new nation.OurDocs BoRI |
|
| 1800 | | 24 Apr:
President John Adams approves $5,000 for the purchase of "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress" - the Library of Congress.LoC FedReg |
|
| | 1 Nov:
John Adams moves into the White House, the first President to do so.Whitehouse WHHA |
|
| |
| 1801 | |
| 1802 | |
| |
| 1803 | |
| |
| | 31 Aug:
Meriwether Lewis begins a 982 mile voyage down the Ohio River to pick up William Clark.L-C NPS |
|
| |
| |
| 1804 | | 26 Mar:
U. S. Congress allows for the "voluntary" removal of Indians east of the Mississippi River to Louisiana Territory in exchange for land, setting the stage for the Trail of Tears.Avalon USNA |
|
| | 14 May:
Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and the Corps of Discovery begin their westward expedition.USArmy USBoR |
|
| | 11 Jul:
Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton have a pistol duel. Burr is unscathed, Hamilton dies the next day from his injuries.PBS LoC |
|
| 1805 | | 18 Nov:
Lewis and Clark reach the Pacific.L&C |
|
| 1806 | | 23 Sep:
Lewis and Clark complete their expedition.NPS SIMag |
|
| 1807 | | 2 Mar:
Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves is passed through the U. S. Congress in order to stop any new slaves being brought into the country.Avalon USState |
|
| 1808 | |
| |
| 1810 | |
| 1811 | | 16 Dec:
A powerful earthquake, along with a strong aftershock, strike near New Madrid, Missouri.USGS SIMag |
|
| 1812 | | 23 Jan:
The second powerful earthquake strikes the New Madrid, Missouri area.USGS SIMag |
|
| |
| | 11 Feb:
Massachusetts Governor Elbridge Gerry signs a bill that creates oddly-shaped voting districts in several parts of the state, the birth of "gerrymandering".MassMoments LoC |
|
| |
| |
| |
| | 19 Aug:
USS Constitution captures HMS Guerriere in a battle off the coast of Nova Scotia earning the nickname "Old Ironsides".USNavy MM |
|
| 1813 | |
| | 10 Sep:
The U. S. Fleet defeats the British Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie.OHC NPS |
|
| | 26 Oct:
Canadian troops and their Mohawk allies win an important victory over invading American forces in the Battle of the Châteauguay.NPS MC |
|
| 1814 | |
| | 13 Sep:
Francis Scott Key writes the Star-Spangled Banner.SIMag LoC |
|
| |
| 1815 | | 8 Jan:
An American force of 3000 men defeats a British force of around 8000 men in the Battle of New Orleans - even though the War of 1812 was already over with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent.HBoNO LoC |
|
| 1816 | |
The previous year, Mt. Tambora erupted producing so much ash and gas the sunlight was blocked from warming the earth causing the "Year Without Summer".USGS |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1817 | |
| 1818 | |
| |
| |
| 1819 | |
| 1820 | |
| 1821 | |
| | 16 Nov:
The Santa Fe Trail opens for business.NPS SFT |
|
| 1822 | |
| | 30 Sep:
Joseph Marion Hernández, born José Mariano Hernández, becomes the first Hispanic elected to Congress.USHouse USCongress |
|
| 1824 | | 11 Mar:
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is established.BIA USNA |
|
| 1825 | |
| | 26 Oct:
The Erie Canal is completed.EC LoC |
|
| 1828 | |
| 1830 | | 26 Mar:
The first printed copies of the Book of Mormon are available for sale in Palmyra, New York.DN PBS |
|
| | 6 Apr:
Joseph Smith and his followers organize the Church of Christ, the Mormon Church.LDS PBS |
|
| | 28 May:
The Indian Removal Act is signed into law.LoC SI |
|
| | 28 Aug:
The superiority of steam-power is demonstrated when the first American built locomotive, Tom Thumb, races a horse-drawn B&O rail car.FHWA B&ORRM |
|
| | 6 Dec:
The United States Naval Observatory is established, first as the Depot of Charts and Instruments.USNA NASA |
|
| 1835 | | 28 Dec:
300 Seminole warriors attack U. S. troops beginning the Second Seminole War.SemTribe DBS |
|
| 1836 | | 25 Feb:
Samuel Colt patents his revolver.CTHist TSHA |
|
| | 23 Mar:
The first powered coin press begins production at the Philadelphia Mint.NN NGC |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1837 | |
| | 25 Feb:
Thomas Davenport receives a patent for the first practical DC electric motor.W I R E D MagLab |
|
| 1839 | | 24 Feb:
William Otis receives a patent for his steam shovel, a device that will shape the world.Google Books MFSW |
|
| 1840 | | 20 Jun:
Samuel Morse patents a system of dots and dashes used for telegraph communication - Morse Code.W I R E D SIMag |
|
| | 2 Dec:
William Henry Harrison is elected the 9th president of the United States of America. He dies of pneumonia on 4 Apr 1841 - the first President to die in office.PG USEA |
|
| 1841 | | 4 Apr:
John Tyler becomes the 10th president of the United States of America upon the death of President William Henry Harrison. He serves from 1841 - 1845.WH LSU |
|
| 1842 | |
| |
| 1843 | | 1 Feb:
MONY, the oldest continuous writer of insurance policies in the U. S. begins operation.FU 1Lib |
|
| 1844 | | 6 Jun:
The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is founded in London.YMCA VCU |
|
| |
| 1845 | |
| |
| | 28 Aug:
The first issue of Scientific American is published.SA SI |
|
| |
| 1846 | | 4 Feb:
Brigham Young and 3000 Mormons leave Nauvoo, Illinois on the first leg of their journey, heading for Utah.PBS NPS |
|
| |
| | 13 May:
President James K. Polk signs a declaration of war against Mexico.UVA USState |
|
| | 10 Aug:
The Smithsonian Institute is founded.SI USNA |
|
| | 10 Sep:
Elias Howe Jr. patents his sewing machine.ASME SI |
|
| |
| 1847 | | 4 Jan:
Samuel Colt makes the first sale of his revolver to the U. S. government.History.com UTX |
|
| |
| | 9 Mar:
The American military attack the Mexican city of Veracruz.SotS UTA |
|
| | 5 Apr:
Brigham Young leads the first Mormon wagon train bound for Utah on the final leg of their journey.Utah NPS |
|
| | 5 May:
The American Medical Association is founded.NEJM AMJMS |
|
| 1848 | |
| |
| |
| 1850 | |
| |
| |
| 1851 | | 12 Aug:
Isaac Merritt Singer is granted a patent for a sewing machine.SI PG |
|
| | 22 Aug:
The yacht America wins the first America's Cup.LoC NYYC |
|
| | 24 Dec:
A fire at the Library of Congress destroys nearly two thirds of the books purchased from Thomas Jefferson.LoC AoC |
|
| |
| 1852 | | 16 Feb:
Henry and Clement Studebaker found a blacksmith and wagon building business, the company that will eventually produce that famous car.MotorTrend SILib |
|
| | 20 Mar:
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin is published.NCC SIMag |
|
| |
| 1853 | | 1 Apr:
The first professional U. S. fire department is established in Cincinnati, Ohio.CFD CO.gov |
|
| |
| 1855 | | 8 Mar:
The first train crosses the Niagara Railway Suspension Bridge, the first such bridge in the U. S..NFT NG |
|
| 1856 | |
| |
| 1858 | | 30 Mar:
The first pencil with a built-in eraser is patented.Haaretz GAF |
|
| |
| | 16 Jun:
Abraham Lincoln kicks off his bid for the U. S. Senate with what will come to be known as the "House Divided" speech.PBS NPS |
|
| 1859 | |
| | 21 Mar:
The charter is approved and signed for the first zoo in the U. S..PhillyMag AZA |
|
| |
| |
| 1860 | | 3 Apr:
The Pony Express mail delivery service is established.PX NPX |
|
| |
| | 20 Dec:
Confederate States begin to secede from the Union.Tulane SI |
|
| 1861 | |
| | 4 Feb:
The Confederate States of America is formed.CWH LoVA |
|
| | 18 Feb:
Jefferson Davis becomes the President of the Confederate States of America.ACW LoC |
|
| |
| | 12 Apr:
Fort Sumter is attacked.
NPS
LoC |
|
| | 21 Jul:
The first major land battle of the Civil War occurs, the first Battle of Bull Run.USSenate ABT |
|
| | 5 Aug:
President Abraham Lincoln imposes the first income tax in order to afford the Civil War.NCC NPS |
|
| |
| 1862 | | 9 Mar:
The first naval engagement between ironclad ships, the USS Monitor fights the CSS Virginia to a draw.ACW NPS |
|
| | 8 Apr:
John D. Lynde receives the first patent for an aerosol dispenser.DC GooglePatents |
|
| |
| |
| | 1 Jul:
The Revenue Act of 1862 establishes the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, what will become the IRS in 1918.USNA Treasury |
|
| | 4 Nov:
Dr. Richard Gatling patents the machine gun ushering in the age of high powered weaponry.IN GooglePatents |
|
| |
| | 13 Dec:
Confederate forces under Robert E. Lee defeat the Union forces under Ambrose Burnside, who abandoned his campaign 2 days later.LoC ABT |
|
| | 26 Dec:
38 members of the Sioux nation are executed in Mankato, Minnesota in the largest mass hanging in U. S. history.UNA UDM |
|
| 1863 | | 1 Jan:
The Emancipation Proclamation is issued.USNA OurDocs |
|
| | 3 Mar:
The National Academy of Sciences is established.NAS Harvard |
|
| |
| |
| |
| | 17 Sep:
The Battle of Antietam gives the Union a "victory", even though it is militarily a draw.ABT NPS |
|
| | 3 Oct:
Lincoln issues his Thanksgiving Day Proclamation establishing Thanksgiving as the last Thursday in November.NPS WAPO |
|
| | 19 Nov:
President Abraham Lincoln delivers the Gettysburg Address.LoC  |
|
| 1864 | | 17 Feb:
The Confederacy H. L. Hunley sinks the USS Housatonic and becomes the first submarine in the world to sink an enemy ship.ACW Hunley |
|
| |
| | 15 Nov:
Sherman begins his March to the Sea after burning Atlanta.LoC OHC |
|
| 1865 | | 1 Feb:
President Abraham Lincoln signs the 13th Amendment which abolishes slavery and involuntary servitude.LoC OurDocs |
|
| | 9 Apr:
Lee surrenders to Grant at the Appomattox Court House ending the Civil War.LoC USNA |
|
| | 14 Apr:
President Abraham Lincoln is shot by John Wilkes Booth at Ford's Theatre.LoC Ford's |
|
| | 15 Apr:
President Abraham Lincoln dies after being shot by John Wilkes Booth the previous day.PBS LoC |
|
| |
| | 2 Jun:
Confederate forces west of the Mississippi sign the terms of surrender, officially ending the Civil War.NPS DC |
|
| | 19 Jun:
Union soldiers land at Galveston, Texas with news that the Civil War was over and that the enslaved were now free.SI PBS |
|
| 1866 | |
| 1867 | |
| |
| 1868 | | 23 Jun:
Christopher Sholes patents the first practical typewriter.USNA SI |
|
| |
| | 28 Jul:
The 14th ammendment is adopted guaranteeing citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the United States.ABAJ OurDocs |
|
| 1869 | | 10 May:
The first transcontinental railroad is complete when the Union and Central Pacific Railroads join rails in Promontory Summit, Utah.W-F CA |
|
| |
| |
| 1870 | | 9 Feb:
President Ulysses S. Grant signs a joint resolution of Congress authorizing the Secretary of War to establish a national weather service.NOAA NWS |
|
| |
| | 22 Jun:
The U. S. Department of Justice is established.USNA DOJ |
|
| | 1 Nov:
The National Weather Service makes its first forecast.NWS PBS |
|
| 1872 | | 10 Apr:
Nebraskans plant more than a million trees on the first Arbor Day.LoC ArborDay |
|
| |
| 1874 | | 7 Nov:
The first depiction of the Republican party as an elephant appears in Harper's Weekly in a Thomas Nast cartoon.SIMag LoC |
|
| 1876 | | 2 Feb:
The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, which comes to be more commonly known as the National League is formed.Reds SABR |
|
| | 7 Mar:
Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone.USNA PBS |
|
| | 10 Mar:
Alexander Graham Bell makes the first telephone call, telling his associate "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you".LoC W I R E D |
|
| | 25 Jun:
Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer and all of his men are killed in the Battle of Little Big Horn.SIMag NPS |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1877 | | 8 Jan:
Crazy Horse and his warriors fight their final losing battle against the U. S. Cavalry in Montana.History.com ICT |
|
| | 13 Mar:
15 year old Chester Greenfield of Farmington, Maine patents the earmuff.MIT ME |
|
| | 6 May:
Due to constant harassment by the U. S. Army and a shortage of food, Crazy Horse finally surrenders.ALMCC AHC |
|
| | 24 Jul:
For the first time, federal troops are used against striking workers.POLITICO WVCulture |
|
| | 5 Sep:
Crazy Horse is killed.CHM NPS |
|
| 1878 | |
| | 19 Feb:
Thomas Edison patents the phonograph.LoC Signals |
|
| 1879 | | 18 Feb:
A design patent is granted for the Statue of Liberty.GIZMODO MIT |
|
| |
| 1880 | | 27 Jan:
Thomas Edison receives his patent for the incandescent light bulb.OurDocs USNA |
|
| | 2 Nov:
James Abram Garfield is elected the 20th president of the United States of America. Garfield is wounded by an assassin's bullet on 3 Jul 1881 and dies on 19 Sep 1881.USEA USHouse |
|
| 1881 | | 21 May:
Clara Barton and associates establish the American Red Cross.RedCross WH |
|
| | 20 Jul:
Sitting Bull surrenders.NPS ESD |
|
| | 19 Sep:
Chester Alan Arthur becomes the 21st president of the United States of America upon the death of President Garfield. He serves from 1881 - 1885.LoC POTUS |
|
| 1882 | |
| 1883 | |
| 1884 | | 16 Jun:
The first amusement-park roller coaster ride in America opens at Coney Island.W I R E D WB |
|
| | 13 Oct:
The Greenwich meridian is officially adopted globally as the prime meridian, the imaginary north-south line where the longitude is 0 degrees.W I R E D MAA |
|
| |
| | 1 Nov:
Greenwich Mean Time is adopted universally when the International Meridian Conference meets in Washington, DC.GMT OFA |
|
| |
| 1885 | | 28 Feb:
The American Telephone and Telegraph Company, or AT&T, is chartered in New York.A-C GPM |
|
| | 17 Jun:
The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor on board the French Navy ship Isère.NPS IBTimes |
|
| 1886 | |
| | 4 Sep:
Geronimo finally surrenders in Skeleton Canyon, Arizona.AO ICT |
|
| | 28 Oct:
The Statue of Liberty is dedicated.SoL NPS |
|
| 1887 | | 2 Feb:
Groundhog Day! Six more weeks of winter if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow.GD 3RP |
|
| | 8 Feb:
The Dawes Act grants land to individual Native Americans.OurDocs PBS |
|
| |
| |
| 1888 | | 27 Jan:
The National Geographic Society is incorporated. WHP |
|
| | 11 Mar:
The Great Blizzard of March 1888 or the Great White Hurricane, hits the northeastern United States.HI LoC |
|
| | 22 Sep:
The National Geographic Society begins publishing its magazine. Biblio |
|
| |
| | 9 Dec:
Statistician Herman Hollerith's computing device is installed at the U. S. War Department.RJ GoogleBooks |
|
| 1889 | | 22 Apr:
At noon, the Oklahoma Land Rush is on.OHS NCM |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| 1890 | |
| |
| | 11 Oct:
The Daughters of the American Revolution is founded.DAR FairPark |
|
| | 15 Dec:
Sitting Bull is killed during a confrontation with Indian police in Grand River, South Dakota.ICT SI |
|
| | 29 Dec:
On Wounded Knee Creek, near the Pine Ridge agency, the Seventh Cavalry of the U. S. Army opens fire on an encampment of Big Foot's band of Miniconjou Sioux killing nearly 300 of the original 350 men, women, and children.LoC ICT |
|
| 1891 | | 17 Aug:
U.S. Government rainmaking experiments begin in Texas.SIMag |
|
| 1892 | | 1 Jan:
Ellis Island Immigration Station opens.EI LoC |
|
| | 19 Apr:
Charles Duryea becomes the first American to build and sell a gasoline-powered automobile.Hemmings DPL |
|
| |
| | 27 Sep:
Book matches receive a patent.PSU Hagley |
|
| 1893 | |
| 1895 | | 11 Jun:
The first U. S. patent for a gasoline-driven automobile by a U. S. inventor was issued to Charles E. Duryea of the Duryea Motor Wagon Co. in Springfield.USNA HFM |
|
| | 27 Jun:
The first rail system in the U. S. using electric locomotives begins operating in Baltimore.HMdb A-R |
|
| | 26 Aug:
Water is diverted from Niagara Falls to begin the first large scale generation of electricity.SI BAH |
|
| | 28 Nov:
The first American automobile race takes place in Chicago.LoC THF |
|
| 1896 | |
| | 11 Aug:
Harvey Hubbell of Bridgeport, Connecticut receives a patent for the first on-and-off pull chain, electric light bulb socket.CTHist F-a-G |
|
| |
| 1897 | | 7 Mar:
The first bowl of flaked corn is served by Dr. John Kellogg at his sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan.W I R E D F&W |
|
| | 20 Aug:
World Mosquito Day marks the discovery of the malaria parasite.Mosquito EM |
|
| |
| 1898 | | 15 Feb:
"Remember the Maine!" The U.S.S. Maine explodes in Havana harbor after striking a mine. 260 sailors are lost leading to the Spanish-American War.SIMag LoC |
|
| |
| |
| | 25 Apr:
Spanish-American War: War is formally declared between the United States and Spain.LoC PBS |
|
| | 1 Jul:
Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders make the charge up San Juan Hill.PBS USArmy |
|
| | 30 Jul:
William Kellogg, understanding the value of the flaked cereal served at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, invents Cornflakes.TiS WCSA |
|
| 1899 | |
| | 2 Nov:
The Boxer Rebellion, an uprising against foreigners in China, occurs.TW GoogleBooks |
|
| 1900 | |
| | 11 Apr:
The U. S. Navy acquires its first modern submarine, the Holland, designed by Irish immigrant John P. Holland, propelled by gasoline while on the surface and by electricity when submerged.LoC DoD |
|
| 1901 | |
| |
| | 14 Sep:
Theodore Roosevelt becomes the 26th president of the United States of America upon the death of President McKinley. He serves 1901 - 1909.LoC NCC |
|
| 1902 | | 4 Mar:
The American Automobile Association is established in Chicago.AAA C&R |
|
| |
| |
| 1903 | | 18 Jan:
The first two-way transatlantic wireless communication occurs.CapeCod TRC |
|
| |
| | 15 Jul:
The newly formed Ford Motor Company takes its first order.Ford HF |
|
| |
| | 17 Dec:
The Wright brothers fly the first gas-powered, human-controlled, heavier-than-air aircraft.NASA LoC |
|
| 1904 | |
| |
| 1905 | | 5 Aug:
Teddy Roosevelt gathers up the Russian and Japanese peace delegates in Oyster Bay, herds them aboard the yacht Mayflower, and heads off to Portsmouth.GoogleBooks GLIAH |
|
| |
| 1906 | |
| | 24 Sep:
President Roosevelt establishes the first National Monument, Devils Tower in Wyoming.NPS NPF |
|
| | 3 Nov:
The distress signal S.O.S. becomes the worldwide standard at the 2nd International Radiotelegraphic Convention.SIMag GA&C |
|
| 1907 | | 28 Aug:
UPS is founded in Seattle, Washington as the American Messenger Company.LHoF ST |
|
| | 22 Oct:
Ringling Brothers buys Barnum & Bailey's merging the two circus superpowers.BH LoC |
|
| |
| |
| 1908 | | 26 Jul:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is founded.FBI USNA |
|
| | 29 Dec:
A patent is granted for a 4-wheel automobile braking system.365DoM BH |
|
| 1909 | | 5 Feb:
The first synthetic plastic, Bakelite, is announced to the world by its inventor, Leo Baekeland, during a presentation to the American Chemical Society in New York City.PN NYTimes |
|
| | 12 Feb:
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People,or NAACP, is founded.NAACP LoC |
|
| | 7 Apr:
Americans Robert Peary and Matthew Henson become the first non-native men to reach the North Pole.USNA Bowdoin |
|
| |
| 1910 | | 8 Feb:
The Boy Scouts of America is incorporated.LoC BSA |
|
| 1912 | |
| |
| | 6 Mar:
The Oreo cookie is born.VN NA |
|
| | 12 Mar:
The Girl Scouts are founded in Savannah, Georgia.GS GHS |
|
| |
| |
| 1913 | | 31 Oct:
The first transcontinental highway, the Lincoln Highway, is dedicated.DOT ILH |
|
| 1914 | |
| |
| | 15 Aug:
The Panama Canal opens to traffic.GovInfo PC |
|
| | 1 Sep:
Martha, the last passenger pigeon, dies at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden.SI Audubon |
|
| 1915 | | 7 May:
The RMS Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat.1stWW LoC |
|
| 1916 | | 11 Feb:
Emma Goldman, an American anarchist and feminist, advocate of free speech, the eight-hour work day and birth control, is arrested in New York City before giving a lecture on family planning.LoC PBS |
|
| | 15 Mar:
General John Pershing leads an invasion of Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa.1stWW USArmy |
|
| | 6 Jul:
"Uncle Sam" is created by James Montgomery Flagg as the cover of Leslie's Weekly.TIME DoD |
|
| 1917 | |
| |
| | 26 Nov:
The National Hockey League is founded.NHL |
|
| 1918 | | 9 Jan:
The last battle of the American Indian Wars occurs at the Battle of Bear Valley.RCH BYU |
|
| | Feb:
The Spanish Flu pandemic kills at least 3% of the World's population.VLib npr |
|
| | 21 Feb:
The last known Carolina Parakeet dies in captivity at the Cincinnati Zoo.Audubon USC |
|
| | 11 Mar:
At Fort Riley in Kansas, one of the first cases of what will become known as the Spanish Flu is recorded.WHO ACEP |
|
| | 19 Mar:
Time Zones and Daylight Savings Time are established by the Standard Time Act.POLITICO USDoD |
|
| | 16 May:
The Sedition Act of 1918 is passed curtailing the free speech rights of U. S. citizens during time of war.ZEP MTSU |
|
| | 27 Aug:
U. S. Army forces trade shots with Mexican troops and their German advisors in the only battle of World War I fought on American soil.BYU Tucson |
|
| |
| | 29 Sep:
Allied forces break through the Hindenburg Line.NCDCR AWM |
|
| | 8 Oct:
Acting Corporal Alvin C. York kills 28 Germans and takes 132 of them as prisoners in the Battle of the Argonne.GWPDA SgtYork |
|
| | 7 Nov:
Dr. Robert Hutchings Goddard demonstrates tube-launched solid-propellant rockets at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland, the forerunners to the bazooka.ESA AFHF |
|
| |
| 1919 | |
| | 8 May:
The Navy's NC-4 flying boat makes the first successful transatlantic flight.SI A&SMag |
|
| | 4 Jun:
The 19th Amendment is passed by Congress giving women the right to vote.OurDocs ZEP |
|
| |
| | 16 Sep:
The American Legion is issued a federal charter by the U. S. Congress.AL ALP224 |
|
| | 2 Oct:
U. S. President Woodrow Wilson suffers a stroke that will leave him incapacitated until the end of his presidency.PBS JNS |
|
| 1920 | | 18 Aug:
With the passing of the nineteenth amendment, women win the right to vote.USCensus OurDocs |
|
| | 2 Nov:
Warren Gamaliel Harding is elected the 29th president of the United States of America. He dies of a heart attack in San Francisco on 2 August 1923. USEA LoC |
|
| 1921 | | 26 Apr:
The first U. S. weather report to be broadcast on the radio is made from station WEW in St. Louis, Missouri.Current MBA |
|
| | 31 May:
A white mob attacks residents, homes and businesses in the predominantly black affluent Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma. SIMag TH |
|
| | 21 Jul:
Brigadier General William "Billy" Mitchell demonstrates the ability of aircraft to sink enemy warships.CoF SI |
|
| | 25 Aug:
The Battle of Blair Mountain, striking coal miners take on strike breakers and police.WVU CH |
|
| 1922 | |
| | 21 Nov:
Rebecca Latimer Felton of Georgia takes the oath of office becoming the first woman to serve in the U. S. Senate.USSenate |
|
| 1923 | | 18 Jun:
The first Checker Cab rolls off the assembly line in Kalamazoo, Michigan.AH Hagerty |
|
| |
| | 24 Dec:
A U. S. national Christmas tree is lit for the first time.NPS WHHA |
|
| 1925 | |
| | 10 Jul:
Jury selection begins for the Scopes Monkey Trial.npr MTSU |
|
| 1926 | | 23 Jun:
The first Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is administered.PBS SIMag |
|
| 1927 | |
| | 23 Aug:
Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti die in the electric chair.ZEP MA |
|
| |
| 1928 | |
| | 18 Nov:
Mickey Mouse makes his silver screen premier in Steamboat Willie.MoMA TIME |
|
| 1929 | | 29 Oct:
The Great Depression in the United States begins with the crash of the stock market, Black Tuesday.TIME BT |
|
| 1930 | | 12 May:
The first planetarium in the U. S., the Adler Planetarium, opens to the public.Adler CCT |
|
| | 15 May:
The first female flight attendant takes off.AJC UAHF |
|
| | 24 Jun:
Preliminary testing of what will later become Radar begins.I&T GoogleBooks |
|
| | 9 Aug:
Betty Boop makes her first appearance.VN KF |
|
| 1932 | |
| | 1 Mar:
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., the 20-month-old son of the famous aviator and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, is kidnapped during the night.FBI CM |
|
| | 8 Nov:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected the 32nd president of the United States of America, 1933 - 1945. He died in office on 12 April 1945.USEA |
|
| 1933 | | 25 Feb:
The USS Ranger, the first purpose-built aircraft carrier, is launched at Newport News, Virginia.NI&SHM USNavy |
|
| | 12 Mar:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt's first "fireside chat" is broadcast.npr MC-UVA |
|
| |
| | 22 Jul:
American aviator Wiley Post lands at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, completing the first solo flight around the world in 7 days, 18 hours, and 49 minutes.A&SMag PopMech |
|
| | 17 Oct:
Albert Einstein, his wife, his assistant and his collaberator/assistant arrive in New York harbor aboard the Westernland on his way to Princeton.IRC EDN |
|
| |
| 1934 | | 23 May:
Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are ambushed and killed by police officers in Louisiana ending their crime spree.FBI TXArchive |
|
| | 15 Aug:
Otis Barton and William Beebe make the first deep sea dive in their Bathysphere.NOAA APS |
|
| 1935 | |
| | 14 Aug:
The Social Security Act is passed establishing a system of old-age benefits.SSA OurDocs |
|
| | 15 Aug:
The Social Security Act becomes law.OurDocs USNA |
|
| | 17 Dec:
The Douglas DC-3, the most successful passenger airliner ever, takes its first flight.A&S AFMag |
|
| 1936 | | 23 Nov:
The first issue of Life Magazine is published.LIFE WHP |
|
| 1937 | |
| | 2 Jul:
Amelia Earhart disappears on her quest to be the first person to fly around the world.TIME USNA |
|
| | 21 Dec:
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first animated full-length movie, premieres.History.com Disney |
|
| 1938 | | 24 Feb:
The first nylon-bristled toothbrushes, the first modern toothbrushes, go on sale.W I R E D SM.UK |
|
| 1939 | | 13 May:
The first commercial broadcast FM radio station goes on the air.WDRC tRH |
|
| | 28 Jun:
Pan Am's Dixie Clipper makes its inaugural passenger flight from New York to Europe.CFB Airways |
|
| |
| |
| 1940 | |
| | 26 Oct:
The P-51 Mustang takes its maiden flight with test pilot Vance Breese.MM DW |
|
| 1941 | | 30 Oct:
FDR approves $1 billion in Lend-Lease aid for the USSR.USState JVL |
|
| | 31 Oct:
Mt. Rushmore is completed.NPS |
|
| | 1 Dec:
The Civil Air Patrol is established.GovInfo CAP |
|
| | 7 Dec:
The forces of the Japanese Empire attack the U. S. Fleet while it lies at anchor at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.USNavy NPS |
|
| |
| | 26 Dec:
Thanksgiving is established as the 4th Thursday in November.USNA LoC |
|
| 1942 | | 14 Jan:
FDR orders that "enemy aliens" must register with the government.History.com UCSB |
|
| | 19 Feb:
President Roosevelt signs Executive Order 9066 resulting in the forcible internment of people of Japanese ancestry. USNA OurDocs |
|
| | 18 Apr:
Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle leads an air raid against Tokyo and other Japanese cities in retaliation for the attack on Pearl Harbor.USNavy SIMag |
|
| | 13 Aug:
The Manhattan Project begins.AHF NWWIIM |
|
| | 9 Sep:
A submarine-based Japanese seaplane fire bombs the Oregon forest.SitOS USDA |
|
| | 21 Sep:
The B-29 Superfortress takes its maiden flight.AFHF MoF |
|
| |
| 1944 | | 23 Apr:
Sikorsky's R4 helicopter becomes the first used in a combat role.A&SMag VTOL |
|
| | 6 Jun:
D-Day - allied forces begin the invasion of continental Europe.USArmy IWM |
|
| | 9 Aug:
The first poster of Smokey the Bear is created.StB TIME |
|
| | 25 Oct:
Kamikaze are used en masse for the first time against Allied forces in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.NNAM AFMag |
|
| | 16 Dec:
The Battle of the Bulge, a surprise offensive by the German Army pushes Allied forces back through Belgium and Luxembourg.USArmy PBS |
|
| | 27 Dec:
The federal government takes control of Montgomery Ward.UCSB AHC |
|
| 1945 | | 25 Jan:
Fluoridation is introduced to drinking water.W I R E D ADA |
|
| |
| |
| | 7 May:
Germany unconditionally surrenders, effectively ending World War II in Western Europe. Soviet surrender terms were signed the next day.DoD USHMM |
|
| |
| | 16 Jul:
"Trinity", the first atomic bomb, explodes in the early morning hours near Alamogordo.B B C DoE |
|
| | 28 Jul:
A B-25 Mitchell bomber, flying from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, crashes into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building killing 14 people. NYCR&I npr |
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
| | 26 Sep:
The first American soldier is killed in Vietnam.History.com ANC |
|
| | 24 Oct:
The United Nations is established.UN USState |
|
| |
| | 5 Dec:
U. S. Navy Flight 19, consisting of 5 Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, disappears in the Bermuda Triangle off the coast of Florida, never to be seen again.Navy NASFM |
|
| | 6 Dec:
The microwave oven is invented by Percy Spencer of the Raytheon Corporation.NASA Web+ |
|
| 1946 | | 13 Feb:
ENIAC, the first Electrical Numerical Integrator And Calculator, is unveiled at the University of Pennsylvania’s Moore School of Electronics.KurzweilAI AA |
|
| | 8 Mar:
The Bell Model 47 becomes the first helicopter to be certified for civilian use.GoogleBooks TW |
|
| | 16 May:
Jack Mullin gives the first public demonstration of a professional quality tape recorder in the U. S..MoB LATimes |
|
| | 8 Aug:
The first true intercontinental bomber, the B-36, makes its first flight.SACM FAS |
|
| 1947 | | 7 Jul:
The Roswell Incident occurs.Space RAM |
|
| | 18 Sep:
The CIA is established through the National Security Act of 1947.HSDL USNA |
|
| |
| | 26 Sep:
Personnel from the Army Air Forces are transferred from the Department of the Army to the Department of the Air Force.USAF |
|
| | 5 Oct:
President Harry Truman makes the first-ever televised presidential address from the White House.History.com |
|
| |
| | 20 Oct:
The House Un-American Activities Committee opens an investigation of communism in Hollywood.N TIME |
|
| | 24 Nov:
The "Hollywood 10" are charged with contempt by the U. S. Congress.ABAJ CUNY |
|
| 1949 | | 26 Feb:
The first non-stop round-the-world flight takes place in a Boeing B-50A, the Lucky Lady II, lasting 94 hours and 1 minute.AFMag PBS |
|
| | 4 Apr:
NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is founded.USNA Avalon |
|
| 1950 | | 31 Jan:
President Truman announces plans for the U. S. to develop the hydrogen bomb.PBS AHF |
|
| | 14 Mar:
The FBI Ten Most Wanted list makes its debut.FBI CMag |
|
| | 25 Jun:
Korean War: The United States (as part of the United Nations) and South Korea vs. North Korea and Communist China 1950-1953.PBS USNA |
|
| | 24 Jul:
Cape Canaveral launches its first rocket.W I R E D CoF |
|
| | 2 Oct:
The comic strip Peanuts is first published.TIME GoComics |
|
| |
| 1951 | | 31 Mar:
UNIVAC I, the first commercially produced computer, is delivered to the United States Census Bureau.Census ETHW |
|
| | 10 Nov:
Mayor M. Leslie Downing of Englewood, New Jersey and Mayor Frank Osborne of Alameda, California make the first direct-dialed, transcontinental telephone call.CSL BH |
|
| | 20 Dec:
A nuclear reactor produces useful electricity for the first time. DoE APS |
|
| 1952 | | 15 Apr:
The Boeing B-52 Stratofortress makes its first flight and is still in service today.KAFB Boeing |
|
| | 3 May:
The first airplane lands at the North Pole.HC ASN |
|
| |
| | 20 Sep:
Geneticists Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase publish their conclusion that DNA is where life's hereditary data is found.OSU RUP |
|
| | 4 Nov:
Dwight David Eisenhower is elected the 34th president of , 1953 - 1961.USEA |
|
| 1953 | | 26 Mar:
The success of the polio vaccine is announced on the radio.NIH WAPO |
|
| | 19 Jun:
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg are executed after being convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.SI JWA |
|
| |
| |
| | 30 Dec:
The first color televisions go on sale in the U. S..S&V EoaG |
|
| 1954 | | 15 Feb:
The governments of Canada and the U. S. agree to jointly build a line of radar stations in defense against a possible air Soviet attack, the DEW (Distant Early Warning) line.1370th T&G |
|
| |
| | 17 May:
The United States Supreme Court unanimously rules for school integration in the landmark initiative, Brown v. Board of Education.OurDocs SI |
|
| | 14 Jun:
President Dwight D. Eisenhower signs a bill inserting the words "under God" into the Pledge of Allegiance.tGLIoAH CNY |
|
| | 16 Aug:
Sports Illustrated makes its debut.SI SHT |
|
| | 24 Aug:
U. S. President Eisenhower signs the Communist Control Act into law, making the Communist Party illegal.UCSB IA |
|
| | 11 Sep:
The first broadcast of the Miss America pageant occurs.IMDb Tango |
|
| | 18 Oct:
The first transistor radio, the Regency TR1, is introduced to the world.PBS EDN |
|
| | 30 Nov:
A meteorite crashes through the roof and strikes a napping Ann Hodges in Sylacauga, Alabama, the only documented injury from an extra-terrestrial object.Space SIMag |
|
| | 23 Dec:
The first successful human organ transplant occurs.npr NIH |
|
| 1955 | | 12 Apr:
Jonas Salk announces his polio vaccine to the world.UMich CDC |
|
| | 17 Jul:
The happiest place on Earth, Disneyland opens.DD T&L |
|
| | 19 Aug:
Hurricane Diane becomes the first storm to top $1 billion in damages in the U. S..NEHS NWS |
|
| | 1 Dec:
Seamstress Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat to a white man and is arrested for violating racial segregation laws.LoC THF |
|
| | 5 Dec:
The labor organizations AFL and CIO merge to form one.AFL-CIO SI |
|
| 1956 | | 29 Jun:
The Federal-Aid Highway Act authorizes funding for an interstate highway system.DOT USNA |
|
| | 23 Jul:
While gathering data on aerodynamic heating, "Fastest Man Alive", Pete Everest, achieves a speed of Mach 2.87 at 68,000 feet in the Bell X-2 rocket plane setting the world aircraft speed record.NASA ChiTrib |
|
| |
| | 13 Sep:
IBM introduces the first computer hard disk drive.RN EDN |
|
| 1957 | | 27 Sep:
Capelinhos Volcano - a volcano begins erupting off the west coast of Faial, Azores lasting 13 months, causing an economic disaster and forcing a mass migration to the United States.PAJ PM |
|
| 1958 | | 31 Jan:
Explorer I, the first U. S. satellite, is launched into earth orbit.NASA SI |
|
| | 5 Feb:
A B-47 accidentally drops an unarmed thermonuclear bomb at the mouth of Georgia's Savannah River.npr AA |
|
| | 17 Mar:
Vanguard 1, the first solar-powered satellite, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| | 2 Apr:
U. S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower calls for a civilian National Aeronautics and Space Agency to oversee the US space program, NASA.NASA SCD |
|
| |
| | 29 Jul:
President Eisenhower authorizes creation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).DDE-PL NASA |
|
| |
| 1959 | |
| | 3 Feb:
Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, J. P. Richardson (The Big Bopper) and their pilot, Roger Peterson, are killed in a plane crash in an Iowa corn field.RollingStone VN |
|
| | 17 Feb:
Vanguard II, the first weather satellite, is launched.SI NASA |
|
| | 9 Mar:
The Barbie doll is introduced at the International Toy Fair in New York.JWA BM |
|
| | 9 Apr:
NASA announces its picks for the first U. S. astronauts, known collectively as the "Mercury Seven".NASA Space |
|
| | 8 Jun:
Missile Mail - 3,000 pieces of mail are delivered by a cruise missile fired from a U. S. Navy submarine.W I R E D SI |
|
| | 7 Aug:
The United States launches Explorer 6, the first satellite to take and transmit images of the Earth.NASA KSC |
|
| |
| 1960 | | 23 Jan:
The bathyscaphe Trieste takes the world\'s deepest dive into the Marianas Trench off the coast of Guam setting a record that stands for 40 years.NHHC EarthSky |
|
| | 1 Apr:
The first weather satellite, TIROS-1, goes into orbit.NASA SI |
|
| | 13 Apr:
The first navigation satellite, Transit 1b or NavSat, is put into orbit by the U. S. Navy.NPS LAAFB |
|
| | 9 May:
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration approves the birth control pill.W I R E D PP |
|
| | 16 May:
The laser is demonstrated.SA APS |
|
| |
| | 24 Sep:
The first nuclear powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, is launched in Newport News, Virginia.USNavy VNEC |
|
| |
| 1961 | | 25 Jan:
John F. Kennedy delivers the first presidential news conference to be broadcast live on television.History.com JFKLib |
|
| | 10 Feb:
The Niagara Falls hydroelectric project, the largest water-driven power complex in the world, goes into service.W I R E D WNYC |
|
| | 1 Mar:
The Peace Corps is established by executive order.OurDocs JFKLib |
|
| |
| | 5 May:
Alan Shepard, on board the Freedom 7, becomes the first American to journey into space.NASA SIMag |
|
| | 25 May:
President John F. Kennedy announces before Congress, the goal of sending an American to the Moon before the end of the decade.NASA JFKLib |
|
| | 22 Sep:
The Peace Corps becomes a permanent federal agency.OurDocs JFKLib |
|
| | 29 Nov:
Enos becomes the first chimp to orbit the earth.NASA |
|
| 1962 | | 20 Feb:
John Glenn becomes the first American to orbit the Earth.NASA USNA |
|
| | 6 May:
A ballistic missile with a live nuclear warhead is fired from a U. S. submarine for the first time.npr AHF |
|
| | 20 Aug:
The first nuclear-powered commercial ship, NS Savannah begins its maiden voyage.SSMaritime NSSavannah |
|
| | 12 Sep:
President John F. Kennedy, speaking at Rice University, challenges America to reach the Moon within the decade.NASA USNA |
|
| |
| | 15 Oct:
The Cuban Missile Crisis; CIA analysts, using photographs taken by a U2 spy plane, discover Soviet missile bases under construction in Cuba.AA GWU |
|
| 1963 | | 10 Apr:
USS Thresher is lost with all hands during deep diving tests.USNavy AL |
|
| | 12 Jun:
American civil rights activist Medgar Evers is assassinated in Jackson, Mississippi.ZEP FBI |
|
| |
| |
| | 28 Aug:
Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his "I have a dream" speech.VLib npr |
|
| | 30 Aug:
The hotline established between the United States and Soviet Union goes live.VOA SIMag |
|
| | 22 Nov:
President John Fitzgerald Kennedy is assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas.JFKLib USNA |
|
| | 22 Nov:
Lyndon Baines Johnson, Vice President, is sworn in as the 36th president of the United States of America aboard Air Force One upon the death of President John F. Kennedy, 1963 - 1969. Whitehouse UVA |
|
| | 24 Nov:
Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald during a live television broadcast.LoC UNT |
|
| | 17 Dec:
The Clean Air Act becomes law.MM USNA |
|
| 1964 | | 11 Jan:
The U. S. Surgeon General declares that cigarette smoking is bad for your health.NIH CDC |
|
| | 7 Feb:
The Beatles invade America.PHD TIME |
|
| | 9 Feb:
The Beatles appear on the Ed Sullivan Show.ES AP |
|
| | 2 May:
BASIC (an early computer language) is invented by John George Kemeny and Tom Kurtz of Dartmouth College.W I R E D DiTH |
|
| 1965 | | 6 Apr:
Intelsat I, the first commercial satellite, is launched bringing the world the phrase "Live, via satellite".SN NASA |
|
| | 3 Jun:
Astronaut Edward White becomes the first American to walk in space.NASA Space |
|
| | 6 Aug:
The Voting Rights Act is signed guaranteeing African Americans the right to vote.OurDocs USNA |
|
| | 30 Nov:
Ralph Nader’s “Unsafe at Any Speed” hits the bookstores.Nader SI |
|
| | 15 Dec:
Gemini 6, piloted by Wally Schirra and Tom Stafford, pulls within 0.3 meters (1 foot) of Gemini 7, piloted by Frank Borman and Jim Lovell, marking the first time in history that two vehicles had maneuvered to meet in space.SI NASA |
|
| 1966 | | 13 Jan:
Robert C. Weaver is selected to head the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development - the first black presidential cabinet member.NCC BHD |
|
| | 30 May:
Surveyor I, the first U. S. spacecraft to touchdown on an extraterrestrial body, is launched.NASA SFI |
|
| | 13 Jun:
Your Miranda Rights are established by the U. S. Supreme Court.LoC USCourts |
|
| | 1 Jul:
Medicare begins taking enrollments.SSA NIH |
|
| | 23 Aug:
The first photograph of the Earth from the Moon is taken by the Lunar Orbiter I.NASA Space |
|
| 1967 | | 15 Jan:
The Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the first Super Bowl.L I F E NFL |
|
| | Aug:
Amana introduces the first practical consumer microwave oven.GoogleBooks |
|
| | 30 Aug:
Thurgood Marshall becomes the first African American to be confirmed as a Supreme Court justice.USNA SCH |
|
| | 17 Sep:
The Who appear on American television for the first time.IMDb RollingStone |
|
| | 3 Oct:
U. S. Air Force Colonel William J. "Pete" Knight, piloting the X-15 rocket plane, achieves a world record speed of Mach 6.7.NASA |
|
| 1968 | |
| | 23 Jan:
North Korea attacks and seizes the USS Pueblo in international waters, holding the crew captive for 11 months.NHHC SIMag |
|
| | 31 Jan:
The Tet Offensive begins; North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces attack every major city in South Vietnam after declaring a truce.SIMag USArmy |
|
| | 16 Feb:
The first 9-1-1 emergency call is made in Haleyville, Alabama.NENA LEM |
|
| | 16 Mar:
Members of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division enter the Vietnamese village of My Lai and begin to massacre of over 300 apparently unarmed civilians including women, children, and the elderly.PBS SIMag |
|
| |
| | 18 Jul:
Noyce and Moore incorporate N M Electronics, soon to become Intel.FU CHM |
|
| | 26 Aug:
The Democratic Convention takes place against a backdrop of violence between Vietnam War protesters and Chicago Police.CNN SIMag |
|
| | 14 Oct:
The first live telecast from a manned U. S. spacecraft is sent from Apollo 7.NASA MZTV |
|
| |
| | 12 Nov:
In a unanimous decision, the U. S. Supreme Court rules that the Arkansas statute against the teaching of evolution was to protect a particular religious view, and was therefore unconstitutional.Findlaw Justia |
|
| | 17 Nov:
With just 65 seconds left to play, NBC switches off an NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and New York Jets in favor of the movie Heidi.History.com |
|
| 1969 | | 16 Jul:
Apollo 11, the first manned mission to land on the Moon, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| | 20 Jul:
Neil Armstrong walks on the moon.NASA Space |
|
| | 15 Aug:
The Woodstock Music & Art Fair begins. Woodstock BWC |
|
| | 2 Sep:
The first node of the ARPANET, the first version of the internet, goes into service.npr W I R E D |
|
| | 12 Nov:
Reporter Seymour Hersh breaks a shocking story about a massacre in the South Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai.IP A-H |
|
| 1970 | | 13 Apr:
At 10:06 pm EST, an oxygen tank aboard the Apollo 13 Service Module explodes, crippling the space craft.NASA Space |
|
| | 4 May:
Members of the Ohio National Guard fire into a crowd of Kent State University demonstrators, killing four and wounding nine.KSU ABJ |
|
| | 5 Oct:
NET becomes PBS.WNET |
|
| | 17 Nov:
The patent for the computer mouse is granted to Doug Engelbart.SU GooglePatents |
|
| | 2 Dec:
The Environmental Protection Agency begins operation.EPA NF |
|
| 1971 | |
| | 30 May:
Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to orbit another planet, is launched.NASA Space |
|
| |
| | 18 Jun:
Federal Express Corporation is founded in Little Rock, Arkansas.CH CNN |
|
| | 5 Jul:
The 26th amendment is signed lowering the voting age to 18.Gallup SI |
|
| | 31 Jul:
Apollo 15 astronauts Dave Scott and James Irwin take the first extraterrestrial ride in the Lunar Rover.A&SMag NASA |
|
| |
| | 14 Nov:
Mariner 9 arrives at Mars.NASA |
|
| 1972 | | 17 Jun:
Police arrest five men for breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate Hotel Complex in Washington, D. C.USNA FBI |
|
| | 18 Oct:
The Clean Water Act becomes law.Scarce EPA |
|
| | 19 Dec:
The last Apollo lunar-landing mission ends.NASA FJ |
|
| 1973 | |
| | 27 Feb:
The Wounded Knee siege begins and lasts 71 days.ICT USMarshalls |
|
| | 3 Apr:
The first cell phone call is made.AARP GWR |
|
| | 14 May:
The Skylab space station is launched into orbit by a Saturn V booster.NASA Space |
|
| |
| | 10 Oct:
U. S. Vice President Spiro T. Agnew resigns after pleading no contest to income tax evasion.Nation USHouse |
|
| | 17 Oct:
OPEC oil embargo begins.C-SPAN MW |
|
| 1974 | | 2 Jan:
Due to the oil shortages and price increases caused by the OPEC embargo, President Nixon signs into law a national speed limit of 55 mph in order to force drivers to conserve fuel.History.com OSTI |
|
| |
| |
| |
| 1975 | | 8 Jan:
Ella T. Grasso, the first women elected governor in her own right in the United States, begins serving her term in office.NGA WLHS |
|
| |
| | 30 Jul:
Jimmy Hoffa disappears.TIME TMM |
|
| 1976 | |
| 1977 | | 19 Jun:
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline begins operation.OSTI JPT |
|
| | 11 Jul:
The supercomputer CRAY-1A, serial number 3, is delivered to NCAR, the National Center for Atmospheric Research.CISL SketchFab |
|
| |
| | 23 Aug:
The Kremer Prize for the first sustained (mile-long) human-powered flight is claimed by the Gossamer Condor.SI CAOHP |
|
| 1978 | | 11 Aug:
The first successful transatlantic crossing in a balloon, the Double Eagle II, takes place.SI |
|
| | 18 Nov:
Members of the People's Temple commit murder and more than 900 die by mass suicide in the jungle of Guyana.SDSU WRSP |
|
| 1979 | | 12 Jun:
The Gossamer Albatross becomes the first fully human-powered aircraft to cross the English Channel.AVInc SI |
|
| 1980 | |
| | 18 May:
Earthquakes trigger a landslide and a cataclysmic eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State.USAF USGS |
|
| | 1 Jun:
CNN, the first 24-hour news channel, begins broadcasting.CNN MLRC |
|
| | 7 Jun:
The first U. S. solar power plant, located at the Natural Bridge National Monument in Utah, is dedicated.NPS SJC |
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| 1981 | | 20 Jan:
The Iran hostage crisis ends.USNA WHHA |
|
| | 5 Jun:
The first research into the epidemic AIDS, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, is published.CDC HIV |
|
| | 7 Jul:
Sandra Day O'Connor is nominated by President Ronald Reagan as a U. S. Supreme Court justice and she will become the first women to hold that position.POLITICO SCOTUS |
|
| | 1 Aug:
MTV airs its first broadcast.BCB VH1 |
|
| | 25 Sep:
Sandra Day O'Connor takes her seat as U. S. Supreme Court Justice - the first woman to do so.CULaw SI |
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| 1982 | | 8 Jan:
AT&T agrees to be broken up.FR Yale |
|
| | 2 Dec:
Barney Clark receives the first permanent artificial heart implant, the Jarvik-7, invented by Robert K. Jarvik.NYTimes SIMag |
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| 1983 | |
| | 18 Jun:
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.NASA EarthSky |
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| |
| |
| 1984 | | 7 Feb:
Astronaut Bruce McCandless becomes the first to perform an untethered spacewalk.NASA SI |
|
| | 11 Apr:
Astronauts from the space shuttle Challenger retrieve and repair the Solar Max satellite while in orbit.W I R E D ESA |
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| 1985 | | 19 Nov:
Mikail Gorbachov and Ronald Reagan meet for the first time.POLITICO USState |
|
| | 20 Nov:
Microsoft releases its first version of Windows.c|net PC |
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| 1986 | |
| | 14 Dec:
Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, in the Voyager are the first to fly around the world without stopping or refueling.SI NASA |
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| 1987 | | 19 Jun:
The U. S. Supreme Court strikes down the 1981 Louisiana “Creationism Act” claiming it unconstitutionally endorses religion.Cornell NCSE |
|
| | 3 Jul:
In a little over a day, Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand complete the first Atlantic crossing in a hot air balloon.LT GN |
|
| 1988 | | 7 Mar:
The Writers Guild of America goes on strike, beginning the age of "Reality TV".WAPO History.com |
|
| | 23 Jun:
James Hansen of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies initiates the global warming discussion.ZEP SEJ |
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| |
| 1989 | | 23 Mar:
Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons announce their discovery of cold fusion, an energy production process that's never been duplicated, at the University of Utah.SIMag IE |
|
| | 24 Mar:
The Exxon Valdez runs aground on the Alaskan coast creating one of the worst environmental disasters.AK EPA |
|
| | 17 Dec:
The first episode of the Simpsons airs on FOX.NME npr |
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| |
| 1990 | | 25 Apr:
The Hubble Space Telescope is deployed from the space shuttle Discovery.NASA HS |
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| 1991 | | 10 Sep:
Nirvana releases "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ushering in the age of Grunge.Biography billboard |
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| 1992 | |
| | 23 Nov:
The world's first smartphone, the IBM Simon, is introduced at COMDEX in Las Vegas.Techverse ScienceInfo |
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| 1993 | | 26 Feb:
A massive truck bomb explodes in the parking garage of the World Trade Center, the first attempt by Islamist extremists to destroy buildings in America.
USState FBI |
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| 1995 | | 19 Apr:
Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols set off a bomb that destroys the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, killing 168 people, including 8 federal marshals and 19 children.OKCNM FBI |
|
| | 29 Jun:
The first U. S. space shuttle docks with the Russian space station Mir.NASA CCSSC |
|
| 1996 | | 3 Apr:
The "Unabomber", Ted Kaczynski, is arrested by the FBI.FBI HSDL |
|
| | 28 Jul:
Two men find part of a 9000 year old human skull in the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington - Kennewick Man.BM Earth |
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| 1997 | |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | | 27 Apr:
Vermont is the first state to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples.USC DN |
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| |
| 2001 | |
| | 15 Feb:
The Human Genome Project publishes its results to date in the journal Nature.Genome Nature |
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| |
| |
| | 22 Dec:
Richard Reid fails in his attempt to blow up a flight from Paris to Miami with explosive material in his shoes.CNN Flying |
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| 2003 | | 1 Feb:
Space Shuttle Columbia is destroyed upon reentry killing all on board.FBI Space |
|
| | 19 Mar:
The U. S., along with coalition forces, begins its "shock and awe" campaign against Saddam Hussein and Iraq.npr NT |
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| |
| 2004 | | 4 Feb:
Facebook is founded by Mark Zuckerberg.Facebook FV |
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| |
| 2005 | | 3 Mar:
Steve Fossett completes the first non-stop, non-refueled, solo flight around the world in 67 hours and one minute in the GlobalFlyer.AAHS NASA |
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| |
| 2007 | | 4 Jan:
U. S. Representative Nancy Pelosi becomes the first woman Speaker of the House.VOA USHouse |
|
| | 11 Mar:
Daylight Savings Time is extended - beginning 3 weeks earlier (2nd Sunday in March) in the year and ending 1 week (1st Sunday in November) later.TT T&D |
|
| | 12 Oct:
Al Gore shares the Nobel Peace Prize for his work on climate change education.NP Science |
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| 2008 | | 28 Sep:
SpaceX successfully launches the first privately-developed liquid fuel rocket, Falcon 1, into Earth orbit.Space NASA |
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| |
| 2009 | | 7 Mar:
The Kepler Space Observatory, a spacecraft designed to search for other Earth-like planets, is launched at Cape Canaveral, Florida.NASA Space |
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| 2010 | | 8 Dec:
SpaceX successfully returns the Dragon capsule back to earth after the launch and orbit of the Falcon 9 rocket - a first for a private company.PS NASA |
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| 2011 | | 2 May:
Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the terror attacks of 9/11, is killed in Pakistan.WhiteHouse TheAtlantic |
|
| | 8 Jul:
The Space Shuttle Atlantis is launched in the final mission of the U. S. Space Shuttle program.Space NASA |
|
| | 21 Jul:
The space shuttle program comes to a close with the final touch down of Atlantis.NASA Space |
|
| 2012 | | 29 Oct:
Hurricane Sandy becomes Superstorm Sandy after moving up the east coast of the U. S. and takes a left turn towards shore that devastates many of the communities along the mid-Atlantic, especially New York and New Jersey.NASA LiveScience |
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| 2013 | | 15 Apr:
Two bombs detonate within seconds of each other at the finish line of the Boston Marathon killing 3 people and injuring more than 140.TIME DNI |
|
| | 1 Oct:
The Affordable Care Act goes into effect.NIH RMHP |
|
| 2015 | | 26 Jun:
The United States Supreme Court makes the determination that gay marriage is legal in all fifty states.CNN HRW |
|
| | 21 Dec:
SpaceX brings the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket back to Earth for a soft touchdown at Cape Canaveral, Florida after delivering a payload of 11 commercial satellites into orbit.Space.com SA |
|
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | | 25 Aug:
Hurricane Harvey makes landfall in Houston, Texas and drops between 40 and 61 inches of rain across the area.HHMag Weather |
|
| | 20 Sep:
Destructive Hurricane Maria, with winds as high as 175mph, makes landfall in Puerto Rico.NASA Weather |
|
| | 1 Oct:
A gunman opens fire on a crowd of concertgoers in Las Vegas, Nevada, killing 58 people and injuring 546.CBSNews JEMS |
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| 2018 | | 9 Aug:
The U. S. announces plans for a new branch of the military - Space Force!WAPO S&S |
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| 2019 | | 24 Sep:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announces the first formal impeachment inquiry of the 45th President of the United States.NYT CNN |
|
| | 18 Dec:
America WINS! The Crime Boss in the White House is IMPEACHED!CNN CBS |
|
| 2020 | | 6 Feb:
The first U. S. death known to be from COVID-19 pandemic occurs in Santa Clara County, California.npr CNN |
|
| | 29 Feb:
The U. S. and the Taliban sign an agreement for ending the war in Afghanistan.VOA CNN |
|
| | 11 Aug:
Presidential candidate Joe Biden selects Kamala Harris as his running mate.NYT BP |
|
| | 7 Nov:
Joe Biden becomes the 46th president of the United States after he and Kamala Harris are declared winners of the 2020 election.CBS WAPO |
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| 2021 | | 6 Jan:
Insurrectionist members of the cult whose leader occupies the White House, force their way into the Capitol building in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 U. S. Presidential election.Vox WAPO |
|
| | 13 Jan:
For the first time in U. S. history, the Insurrectionist-in-Chief is impeached for the second time during his 4 year presidency.CNN NBCNews |
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| 2023 | | 30 Mar:
The twice impeached, former squatter of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue adds to his criminal resumé with an indictment - another first, I might add - he received in New York City over hush money payments to a porn star. Happy days are here again!CNN npr |
|
| | 8 Jun:
The twice impeached, indicted, sexual abuser and former squatter of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue again adds to his criminal resumé, this time with a federal indictment - another first - he received in Florida containing 37 charges related to classified documents found at Mar-a-lago.CNN npr |
|
| | 1 Aug:
The twice impeached, twice indicted, rapist and former squatter of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue again adds another bullet to his criminal resumé - a federal indictment related to the January 6th insurrection.DoJ CBS |
|
| | 14 Aug:
The twice impeached, thrice indicted, rapist and former squatter of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue again adds another bullet to his criminal resumé - this time an indictment in the state of Georgia regarding his attempt to steal the election there.AP Reuters |
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| 2024 | |
| | 21 Jul:
Joe Biden decides to end his run for re-election. He then endorses Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee.POLITICO B B C |
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United States
