1507 "America" first used for New World in Martin Waldseemueller's short
geographic
. . . . treatise, Cosmographiae Introductio.
1535 Jacques Cartier sails up St. Lawrence River, claims new lands for
France.
1540 Garcia Lopez De Cardenas, scout for Coronado's expedition to New
Mexico, discovers
. . . . "the Grand Canyon of Colorado" (now in Arizona).
1562 First French colonizers land in Florida near St. Augustine.
1565 Spanish forces destroy French Huguenot colony, founded first
permanent white colony
. . . . at St. Augustine, Florida and occupy peninsula.
1607 Jamestown founded in Virginia, first permanent English settlement in
America.
1609 Exploration of Hudson River by Henry Hudson, sailing for the Dutch
East India
. . . . Company.
1613 Pocahontas taken hostage by British to compel release of colonists
held by her father;
. . . . she later married John Rolfe and returned with
him to the royal court in England.
1619 First negroes brought to Virginia for slave labor.
1620 Pilgrims land at Plymouth, found Plymouth Colony.
1638 American (originally Finnish) log cabin introduced to New World by
Swedish settlers.
1652 First mint in America established in defiance of English colonial
law in Boston.
1664 British take New Amsterdam from Dutch, rename it New York.
1704 First successful newspaper in colonies, Boston News-Letter, appears
for the first time as
. . . . a weekly.
1759 British defeat French at Quebec, signaling end of French power in
North America.
1763 Peace treaty signed between British and French. (see above)
1767 Parliament passes Townshend Acts to raise revenue in the Colonies.
. . . . Mason-Dixon line drawn.
1770 Boston Massacre; British troops fire on Americans.
1773 Boston Tea Party, mob dumps East India Company tea into harbor.
1774 Parliament passes first Intolerable Act as reprisal for the Boston
Tea Party.
. . . . First Continental Congress held in Philadelphia.
1775 Minutemen engage British column near Lexington MA; Gen George
Washington
. . . . assumes command of troops and lays siege to Boston. War
begins.
1776 Declaration of Independence adopted by Congress at Philadelphia.
1781 Cornwallis surrenders to Washington at Yorktown; American
independence assured.
1787 U.S.Constitution is adopted at Philadelphia.
. . . . Northwest Ordinance passed by Congress, sets pattern for creation of new states.
1789 First session of U.S. Congress held; Washington inaugurated
1st President.
1791 First 10 amendments to Constitution: Bill of Rights declared in
force.
1800 Capital moves from Philadelphia to Washington D.C.
1803 Louisiana Purchase: America pays France $15 million; area of U.S.
doubled.
1804 Lewis and Clark expedition
. . . . Adoption of the 12th Amendment (manner of electing President and Vice President).
1807 Trial of Aaron Burr for treason.
1812 Declaration of War on Great Britain.
1813 Captain Perry defeats British fleet on Lake Erie; Americans burn
York (Toronto).
1814 British invade Washington, burn Capitol and White House.
. . . . Treaty of Ghent signed.
1815 Battle of New Orleans, Americans victorious under Andrew Jackson.
1820 Missouri Compromise; slavery excluded from territory north of
southern border
. . . . of Missouri.
1823 Monroe Doctrine set forth in President Monroe's annual message to
Congress.
1825 Erie Canal between Hudson River and Lake Erie completed.
1836 Massacre of Texans at the Alamo.
. . . . Texas gets independence from
Mexico after Battle of San Jacinto.
1845 Republic of Texas annexed to Union.
1848 Mexican War ends, U.S. acquires entire Southwest and California
. . . . (where gold is discovered).
1853 Gadsden Purchase, 20 million acres purchased from Mexico, last
addition made
. . . . to present continental U.S. boundaries.
1856 Slavery question leads Kansas to state civil war; John Brown leads
masacre
. . . . of proslavery families along Pottawatomie Creek.
1857 Dred Scott decision.
1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates held during campaign for Illinois Senate
seat.
1860 Abraham Lincoln elected 16th president.
1861 Fort Sumter bombarded by Confederate guns; Civil War begins.
1863 Union victory at Gettysburg.
. . . . Emancipation Proclamation.
1865 Lee surrenders; Civil War ends.
. . . . President Lincoln assassinated.
1867 Alaska purchased from Russia
1868 Impeachemnt proceedings against President Andrew Johnson.
1869 Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads joined at Promonitory
UT.
. . . . Continent spanned.
1872 Yellowstone becomes first national wilderness.
1873 William "Boss" Tweed convicted on 204 charges of fraud in NY.
1876 First Centenial Celebration.
. . . . Custer's last stand at Little Big Horn MT.
1880 First major gold strike found in Alaska.
1881 President Garfield assassinated in Washington D.C.
1883 Civil Service established by Pendleton Act.
1890 Sherman Anti-trust Act passed by Congress.
1893 Hawaii established as a U.S. protectorate after revolution deposes
Queen Liliuokalani.
1894 First gas Horseless Carriage exhibited in Chicago.
1898 Spanish-American War begins soon after "Maine" is blown up at
Havana.
. . . . Victorious U.S. acquires Puerto Rico, Philippines & Guam.
. . . . Spain relinquishes Cuba.
1901 President McKinley shot at Buffalo NY.
. . . . Theodore Roosevelt becomes 26th president.
1903 Wright brothers fly their airplane at Kitty Hawk NC.
1909 Robert Peary & party of 18 reach the North Pole.
1912 Titanic hits iceberg and sinks.
1913 BEGINNING OF
INCOME TAX (16th Admendment).
1914 Opening of Panama Canal.
1917 U.S. declares war on Central Powers & joins Allies in WWI.
1918 General Pershing leads A.E.F. to victory in France.
. . . . WWI ends.
1920 Women get to vote (19th admendment).
. . . . First day of Prohibition (Alcohol consumption illegal.)
1925 First woman govenor: Mrs Wm B. Ross (WY).
1927 Lindbergh flies NY to Paris, non-stop.
1929 Stock market crash, worst U.S. depression begins.
1933 Franklin D. Roosevelt assumes Presidency, launches New Deal.
1935 Social Security Act signed into law by Roosevelt.
1937 First Socisl Security Checks distributed
1940 Selective Service Act approved by Congress.
. . . . Lend-Lease deal with Britain consumated.
1941 Japanese attack Pearl Harbor, U.S. enters WWII.
1944 D-Day: Normandy Invasion.
1945 U.S. drops 2 atomic bombs on Japan. They surrender. WWII ends.
1948 U.S. - British airlift counter Soviet blockade of West Berlin.
1949 NATO established with U.S. Senate ratification.
1950 U.S. forces intervene in Korea on behalf of U.N.
1951 Gen Douglas MacArthur relieved of all commands by Pres. Truman.
1955 Jonas Salk develops polio vaccine.
1960 First TV presidential debates (Nixon vs. Kennedy) in Chicago.
. . . . Closest election in history (Nixon 49.6%, Kennedy 49.7%, of pop
vote).
1961 Commander Alan B. Shepard makes first U.S. manned space flight.
1963 President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas TX.
. . . . Lyndon B. Johnson becomes President.
1968 U.S. Apollo 8 orbits moon with 3-man crew.
1969 U.S. Apollo 11 makes first manned moon landing.
1974 President Nixon resigns, due to Watergate Scandal.
. . . . Gerald Ford becomes first president not elected to office.
1976 Second Centennial Celebration.
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