History, News and Stories of United States

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• 1753 - The lightning rod is invented (Benjamin Franklin, United States)
  "Those of our Readers in this and the neighboring Provinces, who may have had an Opportunity of observing, during the present Summer, and of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1764 - British Government issues the Sugar Act
  The Sugar Act raised revenues higher than ever before by a new series of taxes on the colonists.
  World History, Part Two, Arco Publishing, Inc., New York, 1980
  
• 1765 - November - The British government issues the Stamp Act.
  First direct British tax on American colonists. Instituted in November, 1765. Every newspaper, pamphlet, and other public and legal document had to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1774 - March - The Coercive Acts (called Intolerable Acts by Americans)
  The Intolerable Acts was the American Patriots' name for a series of punitive laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 after the Boston Tea... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1775 - April 18 - Paul Revere's famous ride
  In 1774 and the Spring of 1775 Paul Revere was employed by the Boston Committee of Correspondence and the Massachusetts Committee of Safety as an express rider to carry news, messages, and copies of resolutions as far away as New York and Philadelphia.
  
  On the evening of April 18, 1775, Paul... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1775 - April 19 - First shots of Revolutionary War fired in Lexington and Concord.
  The Battles of Lexington and Concord, fought on April 19, 1775, kicked off the American Revolutionary War (1775-83). Tensions had been building for many years between residents of the 13 American colonies and the British authorities, particularly in Massachusetts. On the night of April 18, 1775,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   June 14, 1775 - Colonies establish a Continental Army to be headed by George Washington.
  June 14, 1775
  
• October 1775 - Continental Navy created
  
• 1775 - December 31 - The Battle of Québec was fought on December 31 between the American Continental Army and British defenders of Québec City. It was the first major defeat for the Americans in the Revolutionary War.
  December 31, 1775
  
•   1776 - May - 10,000 British and German troops arrive in May and drive the Continental Army out of the province of Québec
  May 1, 1776
  
•   1776 - May 2: The American revolution gains support from King Louis XVI of France
  May 2, 1776
  
• 1776 - July 4 - American Declaration of Independence
  TRENTON, July 8.
  
  The declaration of Independence was this day proclaimed here, together with the new constitution of late, established, and the resolve of the Provincial Congress for continuing the administration of justice during the interim.
  
  The members of the Provincial Congress, the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1776 - September 9 - Congress renames the nation "United States of America"
  On this day in 1776, the Continental Congress formally declares the name of the new nation to be the "United States" of America. This replaced the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1777 - November 15 - The Articles of Confederation Were Adopted
  On November 15, 1777, the second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union. Then they needed approval from the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1784 - The bifocal lens is invented (Benjamin Franklin, United States)
  "While living in Paris, Franklin hated having to change constantly from reading glasses to distance glasses. He directed an optician to cut two pairs ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1784 - January 14 - The Continental Congress Ratified the Treaty of Paris Ending the Revolutionary War
  On September 3, 1783, more than a year after the last shots were fired, a peace treaty was drawn up in Paris. Under the terms of the treaty, the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1787 - September 17 - U.S. Constitution ratified
  The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1789 - April 30 - George Washington (1732–1799) became 1st President of the United States
  On April 30, 1789, in a deep, low voice, George Washington gave his first speech as president of the United States. This speech is now known as the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1789 - September 29 - Congress Officially Created the U.S. Military
  In its very first session, the United States Congress had a lot of decisions to make. One important topic the first representatives and senators... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1791 - December 15 - The Bill of Rights takes effect
  The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, confirming the fundamental rights of American citizens. The First Amendment guarantees freedom of religion, speech, and the press, the rights of peaceful assembly and petition.
  
  George Mason, the "Father of the Bill of... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1793 - The cotton gin is invented (Eli Whitney, United States)
  "In 1793, Eli Whitney invented a simple machine that influenced the history of the United States. He invented a cotton gin that was popular in the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1797 - March 4 - John Adams (1735-1826) becomes 2nd President of the United States
  The presidential election was the first contested election in the United States. When the final tabulation of votes arrived at the senate, ironically ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1800 - Population of the United States of America - 5,308,500
  
• 1801 - March 4 - Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) becomes 3rd President of the United States
  On February 17, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected president of the United States, but there was more to it than beating his opponent. When Thomas... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1803 - October 20 - Louisiana Purchase - The United States doubled its size by purchasing this territory from Spain.
  Senate Ratified the Louisiana Purchase Treaty
  
  In the 1800s, in the United States, pioneers and homesteaders eagerly moved west to start a new... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1804 - July 11 - Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Dueled to the Death
  On the morning of July 11, 1804, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr raised their dueling pistols and took aim. Hamilton, the former secretary of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1805 - November 15 - Lewis and Clark reach Pacific
  Nov. 7, 1805 - Camped opposite Pillar Rock, between Brookfield and Dahlia, Washington, west of Jim Crow Point. "Great joy in camp we are in view of the Ocian this great Pacific Ocean which we been so long anxious to See. and the roreing or noise made by the waves braking on the rockey shores (as I... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1809 - March 4 - James Madison (1751-1836) becomes 4th President of the United States
  In 1809, Madison succeeded Jefferson as president, defeating Charles C. Pinckney. His wife, Dolley Payne Todd, whom he married in 1794, brought a new ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1816 - Year without a summer
  The year 1816 has been aptly characterized as the year without a summer. Several of the preceding summers were so cold as to suggest a possible... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1817 - March 4 - James Monroe (1758-1831) becomes 5th President of the United States
  Elected president in 1816 over the Federalist Rufus King, and reelected without opposition in 1820, Monroe, the last of the Virginia dynasty, pursued ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1819 - The Panic of 1819 - A combination of bad banking practices; too much land speculation and competition from Europe caused the United States to enter its first economic depression.
  In 1819 a financial panic swept across the country. The growth in trade that followed the War of 1812 came to an abrupt halt. Unemployment mounted,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1825 - March 4 - John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) becomes 6th President of the United States
  When no presidential candidate received a majority of electoral votes in 1824, Adams, with the support of Henry Clay, was elected by the House in... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1826 - July 4 – Former US Presidents Thomas Jefferson and John Adams both die on the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.
  On July 4, 1826, at the age of 90, Adams lay on his deathbed while the country celebrated Independence Day. His last words were Thomas Jefferson... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1827 - February 28 – The Baltimore & Ohio Railroad is incorporated, becoming the first railroad in America offering commercial transportation of both people and freight.
  On February 28, 1827, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad became the first U.S. railway chartered for commercial transport of passengers and freight. There ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1829 - March 4 - Andrew Jackson (1767-1845) becomes 7th President of the United States.
  As president, Jackson greatly expanded the power and prestige of the presidential office and carried through an unprecedented program of domestic... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1830 - May 28 – The Indian Removal Act marks the beginning of the forced relocation of five tribes of native Americans, known as Trail of Tears
  The Indian Removal Act was a law passed by Congress on May 28, 1830, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson. It authorized the president to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1837 - March 4 - Martin Van Buren (1782-1862) becomes 8th President of the United States
  In 1832, Van Buren became vice president; in 1836, president. The Panic of 1837 overshadowed his term. He attributed it to the overexpansion of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1837 - The Panic of 1837
  The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis in the United States that touched off a major recession that lasted until the mid-1840s. Profits, prices and ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1840s - 1880s - The Oregon Trail
  The Oregon Trail was a wagon road stretching 2170 miles from Missouri to Oregon's Willamette Valley. It was not a road in any modern sense, only... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1840 to 1860s - French-Canadian emigration to the United States
  The large number of French-Canadians who crossed the border in the nineteenth century, particularly to the New England states, made their choice to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1841 - March 4 - William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) becomes 9th President of the United States - dies one month after assuming the office.
  Nominated for president in 1835 as a military hero whom the conservative politicians hoped to be able to control, he ran surprisingly well against... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1841 - March 9 – Amistad: The Supreme Court of the United States rules in the case that the Africans who seized control of the ship had been taken into slavery illegally.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  March 9, 1841
  
• 1841 - April 4 - John Tyler (1790-1862) becomes 10th President of the United States.
  Elected vice president on the Whig ticket in 1840, Tyler succeeded to the presidency on Harrison's death. His strict-constructionist views soon... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1842 - August 9 – The Webster–Ashburton Treaty is signed, establishing the United States–Canada border east of the Rocky Mountains.
  Webster–Ashburton Treaty, (1842), treaty between the U.S. and Great Britain establishing the northeastern boundary of the U.S. and providing for... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1843 - March 21 – The world does not end, contrary to the first prediction by American preacher William Miller.
  William Miller is perhaps the most famous false prophet in history. In the 1840s he began to preach about the world's end, saying Jesus Christ would... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1844 - October 22 – This second date, predicted by the Millerites for the Second Coming of Jesus, leads to the Great Disappointment.
  William Miller is perhaps the most famous false prophet in history. In the 1840s he began to preach about the world's end, saying Jesus Christ would return for the long-awaited Second Coming and that Earth would be engulfed in fire sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844.
  
  When... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1845 - The refrigerator is invented (John Gorrie, United States)
  "John Gorrie was born in 1803 and spent most of his childhood in South Carolina. After receiving a degree in medicine, he moved to Apalachicola,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1845 - March 4 - James K. Polk (1795-1849) becomes 11th President of the United States
  When James K. Polk accepted the Democratic Party's nomination for the presidency, he was not very well known. The Whig opposition party played on his ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1846 - April 25 – Mexican–American War: Open conflict begins over border disputes of Texas' boundaries.
  The war, stemming from the United States’ annexation of Texas in 1845 and from a dispute over whether Texas ended at the Nueces River (Mexican claim) ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1847 - July 1 – The United States issues its first postage stamps
  POST OFFICE STAMPS. Post-office stamps for the convenience of pre-paying postage are to be issued on the 1st of July. The stamp for ten cents will be ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1848 - February 2 - Mexican–American War formally ends with signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ceding virtually all of what becomes the Southwestern United States to the U.S.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 2, 1848
  
• 1849 - The safety pin is invented (Walter Hunt, United States)
  THE SAFETY PIN.
  Interesting Story of Its Inventor, Walter Hunt.
  
  Buffalo Commercial.
  John R. Chapin, now of Buffalo, gives some interesting... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1849 - February 28 – Regular steamboat service from the west to the east coast of the United States begins with the arrival of the SS California in San Francisco Bay.
  The California leaves New York Harbor on October 6, 1848, rounds Cape Horn at the tip of South America, and arrives at San Francisco, California... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1849 - March 4 - Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) becomes 12th President of the United States. He dies in office after 16 months.
  During the revival of the slavery controversy, which was to result in the Compromise of 1850, Taylor began to take an increasingly firm stand against ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1849 - March 3 - The United States Congress passes the Gold Coinage Act allowing the minting of gold coins.
  GOLD COINS
  The following is the bill which passed the House of Representatives, authorizing the coinage of two important new gold pieces, of one and ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1850 - March 19 – American Express is founded by Henry Wells & William Fargo.
  AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY.
  CAPITAL $150,000.
  
  The American Express Company, having purchased the several Domestic Express Lines of Wells & Co.,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1850 - July 9 - Millard Fillmore (1800-1874) becomes 13th President of the United States
  As president, Fillmore associated himself with the pro-Southern Whigs, supporting the Compromise of 1850. Defeated for the Whig nomination in 1852,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1851 - June 5 - Uncle Tom's Cabin Appeared in Serial Form
  This influential book is often included in lists of "causes of the Civil War" (1861-65). Harriet Beecher Stowe's story first appeared on June 5,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1851 - November 14 – Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick; or The Whale is published in the U.S. by Harper & Brothers, New York, after being first published on October 18 in London by Richard Bentley, in 3 volumes as The Whale.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 14, 1851
  
• 1853 - Potato chips are invented (George Crum, United States)
  This year is the seventy-fifth anniversary or the potato chip and a resident of Saratoga Springs advises The New Yorker that many of the older... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1853 - March 4 - Franklin Pierce (1804-1869) becomes 14th President of the United States
  As president, Pierce followed a course of appeasing the South at home and of playing with schemes of territorial expansion abroad. The failure of his ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1854 - July - Republican Party formed for abolition of slavery.
  It began in a little schoolhouse in Ripon, Wisconsin, in 1854. A small group of dedicated abolitionists gathered to fight the expansion of slavery,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1857 - Toilet paper is invented (Joseph Gayetty, United States)
  Really a Capital Production!
  The celebrity of Gayett's Medicated Paper for the water-closet is rapidly being extended throughout the United States.... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1857 - March 4 - James Buchanan (1791-1868) becomes 15th President of the United States - the only bachelor to be President.
  He was elected president in 1856, defeating John C. Frémont, the Republican candidate, and former President Millard Fillmore of the American Party.... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1857 - March 6 – Dred Scott v. Sandford: The Supreme Court of the United States rules that Blacks are not citizens and slaves can not sue for freedom, driving the country further towards the American Civil War.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  March 6, 1857
  
•   1857 - April 7 - A late season freeze brought snow to every state in the Union. Even as far south as Houston TX the mercury plunged to 21 degrees.
  
  WeatherForYou.com
  April 7, 1857
  
• 1857 - Advice to Wives
  ADVICE TO WIVES - A wife must learn how to form her husband's happiness, in what direction the secret of his comfort lies; she must not cherish his... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1860 - Civil War - On December 20, 1860, a little over a month after Abraham Lincoln had been elected President, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Six more states followed by the spring of 1861.
  
  www.civilwar.org/education/history/civil-war-overview/triggerevents.html
  December 20, 1860
  
• 1861 - February 8 – American Civil War: The Confederate States of America are formed, comprising the first six break-away States
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 8, 1861
  
•   1861 - February 9 - THE MAIL TO BE STOPPED.
  The House of Representatives on Wednesday, by a vote of 131 to 26, adopted a bill authorizing the postmaster General to withhold the mails from the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1861 - March 4 - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) becomes 16th President of the United States.
  Lincoln's inaugural address was stirring. He appealed for the preservation of the Union. To retain his support in the North without further... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1861 - October 26 – The Pony Express announces its closure.
  ATCHISON - Oct. 19. - Orders have to-day been issued by the President of the Pike's Peak Express Company at this place to stop the running of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1861 - November 6 - Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Confederate States of America
  On November 6, 1861, Jefferson Davis was elected president of the Confederate States of America. He ran unopposed and was elected to serve for a... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1862 - February 1 – American Civil War: Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic is published for the first time in the Atlantic Monthly.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 1, 1862
  
•   1862 - May 15 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs a bill into law creating the U.S. Bureau of Agriculture (later renamed U.S. Department of Agriculture).
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 15, 1862
  
•   1862 - May 20 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs the Homestead Act into law.
  THE HOMESTEAD ACT - Letters are coming to the post offices in Nebraska, by hundreds, in which enquiries are made concerning the prospect of obtaining ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1862 - July 1 - The Bureau of Internal Revenue, the forerunner of the Internal Revenue Service, is established in the United States
  U.S. President Abraham Lincoln signs into law the Pacific Railway Acts, authorizing construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad.
  www.wikipedia.org
  July 1, 1862
  
• 1863 - January 1 - Lincoln issues Emancipation Proclamation, freeing slaves
  President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, as the nation approached its third year of bloody civil war. The... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1863 - October 3 – President Lincoln proclaims a national Thanksgiving day to be celebrated the final Thursday in November in the United States
  A NATIONAL THANKSGIVING
  By the President of the United States,
  A PROCLAMATION.
  
  WASHINGTON, Oct. 3. The year that is drawing toward its close has ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1865 - April 15 – Inauguration of Andrew Johnson: President Lincoln dies early this morning from his gunshot wound and Vice President Andrew Johnson becomes the 17th President of the United States.
  Johnson became Abraham Lincoln's running mate, despite the fact that he was a Democrat and Lincoln was a Republican. After Lincoln's assassination in ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1865 - May 29 – American Civil War: President of the United States Andrew Johnson issues a proclamation of general amnesty for most citizens of the former Confederacy.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 29, 1865
  
•   1865 - July 5 - The U.S. Secret Service is founded.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  July 5, 1865
  
•   1866 - May 16 – The United States Congress approves the minting of a nickel 5-cent coin (nickel), eliminating its predecessor, the half dime.
  FIVE CENT COIN.
  In the House of Representatives, a few days ago, the following proceedings took place.
  
  Mr. Kasson - The Committee on Coinage,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1866 - July 25 – The United States Congress passes legislation authorizing the rank of General of the Army (now called "5-star general"); Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant becomes the first to have this rank.
  FROM WASHINGTON.
  The President Signs the Bill Reviving the Grade of General - General Grant Nominated - Vice-admiral Farragut Appointed... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1868 - The typewriter is invented (Christopher Latham Sholes, United States)
  ... In 1867 Mr. C. Latham Sholes, a printer and editor; Mr. Samuel W. Soule, a printer, and Mr. Carlos Glidden, a retired merchant, all residents of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1868 - Twenty thousand Norwegians, Danes and Swedes are to arrive in this country this spring, whose destination will be chiefly to the West.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  April 18, 1868
  
•   1868 - From statistics carefully prepared from authentic sources, and reliable as any other public documents, it has been ascertained that the average cost of strong drink for each man, woman, and child in the United States is twenty dollars.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  April 18, 1868
  
•   1868 - October 28 – Thomas Edison applies for his first patent, the electric vote recorder.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  October 28, 1868
  
•   1869 - The New York Sun says: "Four hours of good hard study in the morning is as much as should be required of any child under fourteen years of age, girls especially."
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  January 30, 1869
  
•   1869 - It is estimated that not one-eighth of the people of the United States attend public worship on Sunday.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  January 30, 1869
  
• 1869 - March 4 - Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) becomes 18th President of the United States
  In 1868, as Republican candidate for president, Grant was elected over the Democrat, Horatio Seymour. From the start, Grant showed his unfitness for... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1869 - A young and pretty girl, a little proud of her good looks, had a quarrel with her lover, who reproached her for caring more for beauty than his love.
  To prove to him how much she loved him she broke off her four front teeth, and, thus disfigured, cast herself at his feet. It is, perhaps,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1869 - The total amount of sugar now consumed by all nations may be estimated at 2,500,000 tons. America consumes about 530,000 tons.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  October 30, 1869
  
•   1869 - In 1868 there were 2,208 books published in the United States.
  107 of them imported in editions. Ninety-one of these were subscription books, and thirteen were books of American genealogy. St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  October 30, 1869
  
• 1870 - Christmas becomes a Federal holiday in the United States
  It was still illegal in some states.
  rd.com
  
•   1870 - Whenever you perceive a horse's inclination to rear, separate your reins and prepare for him.
  The instant he is about to rise slacken one hand and bend or twist his head with the other, keeping your hands low. This bending compels him to move... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1870 - Whole-grained Hominy
  In a course towel tie up two or three quarts of hard-wood ashes; place in a large iron pot half full of water, set it over the fire, and put into it... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1870 - June 22 - The U.S. Congress creates the United States Department of Justice.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  June 22, 1870
  
•   1871 - Washing Recipe.
  A correspondent furnishes the following to the Western Rural: "For two tubs of clothes, take one half tea-cup of coal-oil, and mix it thoroughly with ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1871 - To Fry Sweetbreads.
  Let them soak a few minutes in water. Take them out, and wipe them perfectly dry. Do not cut them or split them. Put on pepper and salt. Let the pan... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1871 - To Clean Black Silk and Ribbons
  Take an equal quantity of alcohol, molasses and soft-soap. Mix them thoroughly together. Spread the ribbons or silk on the table, and rub some of the ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1872 - May 4 - The magazine Popular Science is first published in the U.S.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 4, 1872
  
•   1874 - November 25 – The United States Greenback Party is established as a political party, made primarily of farmers financially hurt by the Panic of 1873.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 25, 1874
  
• 1875 - Civil Rights Act of 1875
  United States federal law enacted during the Reconstruction Era that guaranteed African Americans equal treatment in public accommodations, public... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1876 - March 7 – Alexander Graham Bell is granted a United States patent for an invention he calls the telephone (patent #174,466).
  Professor Bell tried his telephone on the telegraph line between Boston and Salem the other day, he remaining in Boston. Conversation was carried on... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1877 - March 4 - Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893) becomes 19th President of the United States
  On the night of the 1876 presidential election, Republican candidate Rutherford B. Hayes went to bed early. He assumed that he had lost the election... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1877 - Thomas Edison announces his invention of the phonograph, a machine that can record sound, considered Edison's first great invention. Edison demonstrates the device for the first time on November 29.
  November 21, 1877
  Thomas Edison announces his "talking machine" invention (phonograph), the 1st machine to play and record sound.... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1879 - Incandescent light bulb is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, United States)
  Edison still claims that his electric light is a complete success, and says he can now furnish it at one-third the cost of gas, but he thinks that he ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1881 - March 4 - James A. Garfield (1831–1881) becomes President of the United States
  In 1880, Garfield was elected to the Senate, but instead became the presidential candidate on the 36th ballot as a result of a deadlock in the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1881 - The American Red Cross is established by Clara Barton.
  THE RED CROSS SOCIETY
  At a meeting this evening, largely attended by prominent citizens and those actively interested in beneficent organizations, a ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1881 - September 19 - Chester A. Arthur (1829–1886) becomes President of the United States
  In 1880 Arthur was nominated for vice president in the hope of conciliating the followers of Grant and the powerful New York machine. As president... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1882 - The Standard Oil Trust (monopoly) is secretly created in the United States to control multiple corporations set up by John D. Rockefeller and his associates.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  January 2, 1882
  
•   1883 - October 15 – The Supreme Court of the United States declares part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional, allowing individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  October 15, 1883
  
• 1883 - November 18 – U.S. and Canadian railroads institute 5 standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
  UNIFORM TIME
  
  Exactly at noon on Sunday, as has been announced, the new system of uniform time will be put into effect by the leading railroad... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1884 - Photographic film is invented (George Eastman, United States)
  Photographic.
  
  A certificate was filed yesterday in the county clerk's office showing that the capital stock of the Eastman Dry Plate and Film... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1884 - The first gravity roller coaster amusement ride (LeMarcus A. Thompson, United States)
  "1884: The first gravity roller coaster designed and built specifically as an amusement ride opens at Coney Island, New York. It is a commercial... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1884 - May 1 – The eight-hour workday is first proclaimed by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. This date, called May Day or Labour Day, becomes a holiday recognized in almost every industrialized country.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 1, 1884
  
•   1884 - August 10 – A severe earthquake, magnitude 5.5, (intensity VII) occurs off the northeast Atlantic coast of the United States. The area affected extends from central Virginia to southern Maine, and west as far as Cleveland.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  August 10, 1884
  
• 1885 - March 4 - Grover Cleveland (1837-1908) becomes 22nd President of the United States
  In 1884 Grover Cleveland won the Democratic nomination for president. The campaign contrasted Cleveland's spotless public career with the uncertain... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1886 - "Lean beefsteak and hot water for seventeen weeks" is the latest diet that such of the world's fat people who wish to get thin are trying.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  March 6, 1886
  
•   1886 - LIBERTY'S LIGHT. The Great Torch of the Goddess We Love. Imposing Ceremonies Attending the Unveiling of the Bartholdi Statue on Liberty Island.
  The Colossal Gift of a Sister Republic Gracefully Accepted by an Appreciative People.
  
  The Metropolis of the Nation Overwhelmed by Throngs of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1888 - September 4 – George Eastman registers the trademark Kodak, and receives a patent for his camera which uses roll film.
  Wannamaker's
  Philadelphia, Friday, October 26, 1888.
  The Kodak Camera is the latest photographic novelty; 100 pictures without a stop. Anybody can... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1888 - The Supreme Court of the United States decide on the 29th that the license tax imposed by any State upon commercial travelers from other States is unconstitutional.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  November 3, 1888
  
•   1888 - It was stated on the 31st ult. that the large number of Chinese who were arriving at British Columbia ports from China were not destined to remain in Canada, but were taking this means of smuggling themselves into the United States.
  St Joseph Herald
  Saint Joseph, Michigan
  November 3, 1888
  
• 1889 - March 4 - Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901) becomes 23rd President of the United States
  In 1888, Benjamin Harrison received the Republican nomination for president on the eighth ballot. Though behind on the popular vote, he won over... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1890 - June 1 – The United States Census Bureau begins using Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine to tabulate census returns using punched card input,
  a landmark in the history of computing hardware. Hollerith's company eventually becomes IBM.
  www.wikipedia.org
  June 1, 1890
  
• 1891 - The zipper is invented (Whitcomb L. Judson, United States)
  "...the inventor of the first zipper, Whitcomb L. Judson, did his experimentation right here in the Windy City and in 1891 invented a device called... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1891 - The motion picture camera is invented (Thomas Alva Edison, William K.L. Dickson, United States)
  LIGHT AND SOUND UNITED
  EDISON OUTDOES HIMSELF IN THE KINETOGRAPH.
  It is to Reproduce a Picture of What Passes Before the Mechanical Eye - With the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1893 - March 4 - Grover Cleveland (1837–1908) becomes President of the United States
  March 4, 1893
  
•   1893 - July 1 – U.S. President Grover Cleveland is operated on in secret.
  The published stories concerning the health of President Cleveland seem to lack some of the essential element of consistency, and they will not... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1893 - The United States Supreme Court legally declares the tomato to be a vegetable.
  The question whether a tomato is a fruit or vegetable has finally been decided by the Supreme Court of the United States. Several years ago some... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1896 - May 18 – Plessy v. Ferguson: The U.S. Supreme Court introduces the "separate but equal" doctrine and upholds racial segregation.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 18, 1896
  
•   1896 - December 25 - John Philip Sousa composes his magnum opus, the Stars and Stripes Forever.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  December 25, 1896
  
• 1897 - March 4 - William McKinley (1843-1901) becomes 25th President of the United States
  With the support of Mark Hanna, a shrewd Cleveland businessman interested in safeguarding tariff protection, William McKinley became governor of Ohio ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1898 - April 5 – Annie Oakley promotes the service of women in combat situations with the United States military.
  On this day, she writes a letter to President McKinley "offering the government the services of a company of 50 'lady sharpshooters' who would... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1898 - April 25 – Spanish-American War: The United States declares war on Spain; the U.S. Congress announces that a state of war has existed since April 21 (later backdating this one more day to April 20).
  ...On April 11, 1898, President William McKinley asked Congress for authorization to end the fighting in Cuba between the rebels and Spanish forces,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1898 - December 10 – The Treaty of Paris is signed, ending the Spanish-American War.
  On December 10, the Treaty of Paris officially ended the Spanish-American War. The once-proud Spanish empire was virtually dissolved as the United... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1899 - Voting machines are approved by the U.S. Congress for use in federal elections.
  VOTING MACHINES
  They May Be Used in National Elections Hereafter.
  WASHINGTON, Feb. 15. - Both branches of congress have passed a bill to amend the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1899 - September 18 – Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag is registered for copyright as ragtime music enjoys mainstream popularity in the United States.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  September 18, 1899
  
• 1900 - Population of United States (US proper only) - 76,212,200
  
•   1900 - March 15 – The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
  The Gold Standard Act a Law.
  Washington, March 15. - The gold standard act passed by congress, defining and fixing the standard of value,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1900 - June 1 – American temperance agitator Carrie Nation begins her crusade to demolish saloons.
  THE KIOWA SALOONS RAIDED.
  Mrs. Carrie Nation, of this City, Invaded Six of Them last Thursday. Damage Estimated $350.
  
  The peace, tranquility and... Read MORE...
  
  
•   December 1900 - What May Happen in the Next Hundred Years
  In the future there will be no more city blocks. People will live in the suburbs. They will ride to the city on public transportation, which will... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1901 - February 25 – U.S. Steel is incorporated by industrialist J. P. Morgan as the first billion-dollar corporation.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 25, 1901
  
• 1901 - September 14 - Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) becomes 26th President of the United States
  Assuming the presidency of the assassinated McKinley in 1901, Roosevelt embarked on a wide-ranging program of government reform and conservation of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1902 - May 20 – Cuba gains independence from the United States.
  CUBA'S INDEPENDENCE
  THE HOME GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CONTROL ON MAY 20TH
  THE PRESIDENT'S INAUGURATION
  to take Place on that Day - The American... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1903 - The first engine-powered airplane is invented (Wilbur & Orville Wright, United States)
  LIKE A BIRD AEROPLANE FLIES.
  Two Americans Solve Great Problem of Aerial Navigation With a Flying Machine Which They Invent and Build.
  NORFOLK, Va. ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1904 - June 28 - U.S. begins construction of Panama Canal
  February 23 – For $10 million, the United States gains control of the Panama Canal Zone...
  
  June 28 - A small U.S. workforce arrives in Panama to... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1905 - Whipping Post for Wife Beaters
  President Roosevelt's suggestion, in his recent Congressional message, that "some form of corporal punishment" is desirable in dealing with... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1906 - August 22 – The first Victor Victrola, a phonographic record player, is manufactured.
  Splendid Talking Machine.
  The Victor Victrola, a splendid new talking machine, is being exhibited by Wharton Brothers. This is the costliest and by... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1907-1908 - The electric washing machine is invented (Alva J. Fisher, United States)
  "Dateline 1907 - Chicago Cubs sweep World Series, defeating Detroit Tigers in four games. A washing machine operated by electricity rather than by... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1907 - March 2 - Expatriation Act - Any American woman who marries a foreign national, forfeits her citizenship.
  ... That any American woman who marries a foreigner shall take the nationality of her husband. At the termination of the marital relation she may... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1908 - February 18 – Japanese emigration to the United States is forbidden under terms of the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 18, 1908
  
• 1908 - First Model-T car is produced by Henry Ford (United States)
  FORD FACTORY CLEVERNESS
  The Ford Motor Company from now until July will manufacture in quantities only the four-cylinder Rumble Seat Runabout, Model ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1909 - March 4 - William Howard Taft (1857-1930) becomes 27th President of the United States
  When Teddy Roosevelt prepared to retire his presidency, this popular and influential politician promoted Taft as the next Republican president. Taft... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1910 - Comet Halley is visible from Earth. It won't be seen again until 1986.
  WHEN THE EARTH BORES A HOLE THROUGH THE TAIL OF HALLEY'S COMET
  May 18, 1910 Will Be the Biggest Day in Astronomical History, When for the First Time ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1912 - April 15 - Titanic sinks in the North Atlantic
  At 2:20 a.m. on April 15, 1912, the British ocean liner Titanic sinks into the North Atlantic Ocean about 400 miles south of Newfoundland, Canada. The massive ship, which carried 2,200 passengers and crew, had struck an iceberg two and half hours before.
  
  The Titanic Sank With 1,350 Aboard
  Most... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1913 - December 1 - The assembly line is invented (Henry Ford, United States)
  "...Henry Ford installs the first moving assembly line for the mass production of an entire automobile. His innovation reduced the time it took to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1913 - The bra is invented (Mary Phelps Jacob, United States)
  "... Mary Phelps Jacob, a young New York socialite who became exasperated with the antiquated corsets after finding it impossible to prevent the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1913 - March 4 - Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) becomes 28th President of the United States
  Wilson became the 28th president of the United States, serving two consecutive terms in the White House, from 1913 to 1921. During his time in... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1913 - October 31 – The Lincoln Highway, the first automobile road across the United States, is dedicated.
  MANY STATES TO DEDICATE HIGHWAY
  New Route Across Continent Will Be Inaugurated With Many Celebrations in Towns Touched by It.
  New York, Oct. 31. -... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1913 - December 23 – The Federal Reserve System is created as the central banking system of the United States by Woodrow Wilson's signature of the Federal Reserve Act.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  December 23, 1913
  
• 1914 - Woodrow Wilson signs a Mother's Day proclamation.
  GIVES APPROVAL TO MOTHERS' DAY
  President Wilson Acts on Joint Resolution of Congress
  FLAGS ORDERED UP
  
  Washington, May 9. - President Wilson... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1915 - The Rocky Mountain National Park is established by an act of the United States Congress.
  PLACE OF BEAUTY IS NEW NATIONAL PARK IN THE ROCKIES
  
  Congress has just set aside 700 square miles of mountainous region near Denver which will... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1915 - January 25 - First United States coast-to-coast long-distance telephone call,
  facilitated by a newly invented vacuum tube amplifier, ceremonially inaugurated by Alexander Graham Bell in New York City and his former assistant... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1916 - May 20 – The Saturday Evening Post publishes its first cover with a Norman Rockwell painting (Boy with Baby Carriage).
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 20, 1916
  
• 1916 - On May 30, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson issued a presidential proclamation establishing a national Flag Day on June 14.
  
  www.americaslibrary.gov
  May 30, 1916
  
• 1917 - March 2 – The enactment of the Jones Act grants Puerto Ricans United States citizenship.
  Citizenship for Porto Ricans.
  From the New York Herald.
  
  With the passage of the new government bill by the Senate yesterday all doubts of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1917 - April 6 – WWI: The United States declares war on Germany.
  U.S. At War
  GERMAN SHIPS ARE SEIZED
  HOUSE PASSES WAR BILL BY VOTE 373-50
  
  Washington, April 6 - America is at war. Amidst the most dramatic scenes ever witnessed in congress, the House early today passed the resolution which formally declared Germany as an enemy and launched the United States... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1917 - June 5 – WWI: Conscription begins in the United States.
  AVERAGE MAN HAS A 20 TO 1 CHANCE OF BEING DRAFTED
  But He Must Register on Tuesday or Go to Jail
  WAY OF "SLACKER" IS HARD
  
  Eagle Bureau, 901... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1918 - March 19 – The United States Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time (DST goes into effect on March 31).
  Getting Used to the "Daylight Saving" Time.
  
  "Daylight saving" is now a law, if not a fact, and as both the government and railroads are to adopt... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1919 - February 26 – Grand Canyon National Park: An act of the United States Congress establishes most of the Grand Canyon as a United States National Park.
  GRAND CANYON TO BECOME PARK AFTER FIGHT OF 33 YEARS
  
  The senate bill to make the Grand Canyon a national park was passed last Monday and sent to... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1919 - June 4 – Women's rights: The United States Congress approves the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would guarantee suffrage to women, and sends it to the U.S. states for ratification.
  SENATE ADOPTS AMENDMENT FOR SUFFRAGE, 56-25
  Congress Puts Votes for Women Up to States for Ratification - Long Fight
  
  WASHINGTON, D.C., June 5. - Action by Congress on equal suffrage - subject of a fight of 40 years duration - ended late yesterday, in adoption by the Senate by a vote of 56 to 25 ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1919 - October 28 – Prohibition in the United States is authorized:
  The United States Congress passes the Volstead Act over President Woodrow Wilson's veto. (Wikipedia)
  
  The President's message again makes clear his desire that Congress repeal "war-time" prohibition, but this Congress has refused to do. The situation, therefore, reverts to the status of the past... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1919 - November 9 – Felix the Cat appears in Feline Follies, marking the first cartoon character to become popular.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 9, 1919
  
• 1920 - January 17 - Prohibition goes into effect on January 17, 1920, under the provisions of the 18th Amendment to the United States Constitution.
  'Cans' and 'Can'ts' of Amendment
  Dry Amendment 'Cans' and 'Can'ts'
  
  Here are some of the things you can do under a prohibition amendment and title ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1921 - March 4 - Warren G. Harding (1865-1923) becomes 29th President of the United States
  When the 1920 convention was deadlocked between Leonard Wood and Frank O. Lowden, Harding became the dark-horse nominee on his solemn affirmation... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1922 - June 14 – U.S. President Warren G. Harding makes his first speech on the radio.
  President Warren G. Harding, while addressing a crowd at the dedication of a memorial site for the composer of the "Star Spangled Banner," Francis... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1923 to 1927 - Television is invented (Vladimir Kosma Zworykin (Russia), Philo Taylor Farnsworth (United States))
  ...Zworykin had a patent, but Farnsworth had a picture
  
  Zworykin and his television
  Zworykin is usually credited as being the father of modern... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1923 - March 2 – Time Magazine hits newsstands in the United States for the first time.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  March 2, 1923
  
•   1923 - April 4 – Warner Bros. film studio is formally incorporated in the United States as Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  April 4, 1923
  
• 1923 - August 2 - Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) becomes 30th President of the United States
  After Warren Harding's death Vice-President Coolidge became President and handled the Washington scandals with care and finally managed to save the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1924 - June 2 - Congress Granted Citizenship to All Native Americans Born in the U.S.
  Citizenship Given Indians
  - Long Beach Press -
  
  Every native-born Indian in this country is made a citizen of the United States by act of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1924 - December 30 – Astronomer Edwin Hubble announces that Andromeda, previously believed to be a nebula, is actually another galaxy, and that the Milky Way is only one of many such galaxies in the universe
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  December 30, 1924
  
•   1926 - November 11 – U.S. Route 66 is established.
  U.S. Route 66, also known as the Will Rogers Highway, the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System. US 66 was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The highway, which became one of the most... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1927 - April 7 – Bell Telephone Co. transmits an image of Herbert Hoover (then the Secretary of Commerce), which becomes the first successful long distance demonstration of television
  TELEVISION SEEING OVER PHONES, SUCCEEDS
  Hoover Observed in Gotham As He Talks in Capital
  That's Not all - Radio Program is Also Heard While the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1927 - May 20–21 – Charles Lindbergh makes the first solo, nonstop transatlantic airplane flight, carried out from New York City to Paris, France, in his single-engined aircraft, the Spirit of St. Louis.
  PROUD AND HAPPY MOTHER JUST KNEW HE COULD DO IT
  DETROIT, Mich., May 21. (AP) - "That's all that matters." In these words, Mrs. Evangeline Lodge Lindbergh, mother of Captain Charles Lindbergh, expressed her relief when informed that her intrepid son had arrived safely at Le Bourget flying field,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1927 - September 18 – The Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System (later known as CBS) is formed and goes on the air with 47 radio stations.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  September 18, 1927
  
•   1927 - The Jazz Singer debuts as first talking film
  Al Jolson's Film Debut in "Jazz Singer" Oct. 6
  
  Warner Brothers will present Al Jolson in "The Jazz Singer" at the Warner Theater a week from... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1928 - Sliced bread (bread slicing machine) is invented by Otto Frederick Rohwedder (United States)
  "...The first automatically sliced commercial loaves were produced on July 6, 1928, in Chillicothe, Missouri, using a machine invented by Otto... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1928 - November 18 – Mickey Mouse appears in Steamboat Willie, the third Mickey Mouse cartoon released, but the first sound film and the first such film to be generally distributed.
  
  Walt Disney Animation Studios' Steamboat Willie (www.youtube.com)
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 18, 1928
  
•   1929 - February 26 – The Grand Teton National Park is established by the United States Congress.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 26, 1929
  
• 1929 - March 4 - Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) becomes 31st President of the United States
  In the election of 1928, Hoover overwhelmed Gov. Alfred E. Smith of New York, the Democratic candidate and the first Roman Catholic to run for the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1930 - Scotch tape is invented (Richard Drew (3M), United States)
  "...Back in the ’20s, Scotch was a synonym for 'cheap.' Richard Drew, a 23-year-old research assistant at Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing, was... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1930 - February 18 - Pluto is discovered
  Pluto was discovered at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, by astronomer Clyde W. Tombaugh.
  
  The existence of an unknown ninth planet... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1930 - April 6 - Hostess Twinkies first sold.
  Twinkies were invented in Schiller Park, Illinois on April 6, 1930, by James Alexander Dewar, a baker for the Continental Baking Company. Realizing... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1930 - April 19 – Warner Bros. in the United States release their first cartoon series called Looney Tunes which runs until 1969.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  April 19, 1930
  
•   1930 - July 7 - Construction begins on the Hoover Dam (originally known as the Boulder Dam)
  On July 7, 1930, construction began on the Hoover Dam. President Herbert Hoover was deeply devoted to protecting the environment, particularly focusing on pollution-free water, flood control, and fisheries. After a disastrous Mississippi River flood in 1927, Hoover recommitted to bettering American ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1931 - The paper towel is invented (Arthur Scott, United States)
  "Arthur Scott, head of [Scott Paper Company], had big trouble. An entire railroad car full of paper, unloaded at his plant, wasn't good for anything... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1931 - March 3 – The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the United States National anthem.
  ANTHEM BILL PASSED
  WASHINGTON - March 3 - (AP) - The Senate today passed and sent to the House a bill to make "The Star Spangled Banner" the... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1932 - January 12 – Hattie W. Caraway becomes the first woman elected to the United States Senate.
  Hattie Wyatt Caraway served for 14 years in the U.S. Senate and established a number of "firsts," including her 1932 feat of winning election to the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1932 - May 20–May 21 – Amelia Earhart flies from the USA to Derry, Northern Ireland in 14 hours 54 minutes.
  Amelia Earhart is First Woman to Fly Atlantic Ocean Alone
  
  New York, May 21. (AP) - Word was received here this afternoon that Mrs. Putnam had... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1932 - June 6 – The Revenue Act of 1932 is enacted, creating the first gas tax in the United States at 1 cent per US gallon (0.26 ¢/L) sold.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  June 6, 1932
  
• 1933 - March 4 - Franklin D. Roosevelt (1822-1945) becomes 32nd President of the United States - The only President to be elected four times.
  In 1932, Roosevelt received the Democratic nomination for president and immediately launched a campaign that brought new spirit to a weary and... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1933 - March, The Great Depression: President Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a "Bank holiday", closing all United States banks and freezing all financial transactions.
  Bank Holiday Causes Flood of Freak News
  Church Calls Moratorium; Movies on Credit; Lucky San Pedro
  (By United Press)
  NEW YORK, March 3 - Mrs. Martha Laughran, Brooklyn boarding house keeper, became nervous over the banking situation and today visited two banks to withdraw her savings.
  
  When... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1933 - April 5 - President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt declares a national emergency and issues Executive Order 6102, making it illegal for U.S. citizens to own substantial amounts of monetary gold or bullion.
  Issues A New Call For Gold
  Roosevelt Orders Return to Federal Reserve Banks of All Amounts over $100 Held by Individuals.
  WOULD EASE... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1933 - April 19 – The United States officially goes off the gold standard.
  U.S. Off the Gold Standard
  First Time in Half Century
  
  United States' Action in Leaving Gold Standard Felt Over the World
  (By The Associated... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1933 - May 27 - New Deal: The Federal Securities Act is signed into law, requiring the registration of securities with the Federal Trade Commission.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 27, 1933
  
• 1933 - November 8 – New Deal: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt unveils the Civil Works Administration, an organization designed to create jobs for more than 4 million of the unemployed.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 8, 1933
  
• 1933 - December 5 – The 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution is passed, repealing Prohibition.
  Obey Rum Law, F.D.R. Urges
  WASHINGTON, Dec. 5. (AP) - President Roosevelt late today signed a proclamation declaring the prohibition amendment had... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1934 - The metal beverage can is invented (American Can Co., United States)
  The American Can Company created a Coin Bank made from a metal beverage can and sold it at the 1934 Chicago Century of Progress Worlds... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1935 - Dust Bowl: The great dust storm in the United States hits eastern New Mexico and Colorado, and western Oklahoma the hardest.
  LIFE IN DUST BOWL OF UNITED STATES BEING RULED TODAY BY THREE WORDS - "IF IT RAINS"
  
  By Robert Geiger
  (Associated Press Staff Writer.)
  GUYON, Okla., April 15. - (AP.) - Three little words - achingly familiar on a western farmer's tongue - rule life today in the dust bowl! of the continent... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1935 - August 14 – United States President Franklin Roosevelt signs the Social Security Act into law.
  Roosevelt Sees New Steps To Social Security For Nation
  WASHINGTON, Aug. 15. (AP). - President Roosevelt, embarking the government on the New Deal's... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1935 - November 5 – Parker Brothers releases the board game Monopoly in the United States.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 5, 1935
  
•   1936 - May 12 – The Santa Fe railroad in the United States inaugurates the all-Pullman Super Chief passenger train between Chicago, Illinois and Los Angeles, California.
  NEW SANTA FE DIESEL 'CHIEF' TO START RUN
  
  Limited Begins 39-Hour Dash to Los Angeles From Chicago On Trip Tonight
  
  Operating on a schedule of 39... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1936 - May 30 – Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the Wind is first published.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 30, 1936
  
•   1936 - August 14 - 1936 Summer Olympics (Berlin): The United States men's national basketball team wins the first Olympic basketball tournament in the final game over Canada, 19–8.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  August 14, 1936
  
•   1936 - November 23 – The first edition of Life Magazine is published.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 23, 1936
  
•   1937 - July 2 - Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappear after taking off from New Guinea during Earhart's attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world.
  STARTED JUNE 1 ON WORLD HOP 'JUST FOR FUN'
  First Attempt at Hazardous Trip Halted by Accident
  SWITCHED DIRECTION
  First Plan to Fly Westward... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1937 - July 5 - The canned precooked meat product Spam is introduced by the Hormel company in the United States
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  July 5, 1937
  
•   1937 - December 12 - Mae West makes a risque guest appearance on NBC's Chase and Sanborn Hour, which eventually results in her being banned from radio.
  Their "Adam and Eve" Rankles
  It was innocent fun in the script, and innocuous enough for N.B.C. officials in the final rehearsals, but the actual... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1938 - January 3 – The March of Dimes is established by Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
  "Franklin Delano Roosevelt, an adult victim of polio, founds the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, which he later renamed the March of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1938 - February 4 - Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the first cel-animated feature in motion picture history, is released in the United States following a premiere the previous year.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  February 4, 1938
  
• 1938 - October 24 - The minimum wage is established by law in the United States.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  October 24, 1938
  
• 1938 - October 27 - Du Pont announces a name for its new synthetic yarn: "nylon".
  The invention of nylon in 1938 ushered in a textile revolution for consumers and the military alike, ultimately helping the Allies win World War... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1938 - October 30 – Orson Welles' radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds is broadcast, causing panic in various parts of the United States.
  Martian Men Attack U.S.! Thousands Flee in Panic!! But Twas Only Wells and Welles
  
  By Charles A. Grumich
  NEW YORK, Oct. 31 (AP) - A horrible fantasy of war waged on the United States by fearsome, space-conquering men from Mars brought near panic to that part of the nation's radio audience which... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1938 - November 10 - On the eve of Armistice Day, Kate Smith sings Irving Berlin's God Bless America for the first time on her weekly radio show.
  
  God Bless America, First Radio performance, Armistice Day November 10, 1938, Kate Smith
  Andy Brattain (www.youtube.com)
  www.wikipedia.org
  November 10, 1938
  
•   1939 - May 1 – Batman, created by Bob Kane (and, unofficially, Bill Finger) makes his first appearance in a comic book.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 1, 1939
  
•   1940 - May 15 - Women's stockings made of nylon are first placed on sale across the United States. Almost five million pairs are bought on this day.
  Women Crowd Stores as Nylons Go on Sale
  Curious Line Counters Two and Three Deep To Buy and Inspect New Synthetic Hosiery
  By KATHERINE... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1941 - January 13 – All persons born in Puerto Rico since this day are declared U.S. citizens by birth, through U.S. federal law.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  January 13, 1941
  
•   1941 - May 1 - The breakfast cereal Cheerios is introduced as CheeriOats by General Mills.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  May 1, 1941
  
•   1941 - October 23 – Walt Disney's animated film Dumbo is released
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  October 23, 1941
  
• 1941 - December 8 - WWII: President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his "Infamy Speech"
  President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt delivers his "Infamy Speech" to a Joint session of the United States Congress at 12:30 p.m. EST (17.30 GMT). Transmitted live over all four major national networks it attracts the largest audience ever for an American radio broadcast, over 81% of ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1941 - December 11 - Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. The U.S. responds in kind.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  December 11, 1941
  
• 1942 - February 2 – WWII: President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt signs an executive order directing the internment of Japanese Americans and the seizure of their property.
  The attack on Pearl Harbor launched a rash of fear about national security, especially on the West Coast. In February 1942, just two months after Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt as commander-in-chief, issued Executive Order 9066, which had the effect of relocating all persons of Japanese... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1942 - June 4–June 7 – WWII: The Battle of Midway: The Japanese naval advance in the Pacific is halted.
  
  
  Naval History and Heritage Command (www.youtube.com)
  June 7, 1942
  
•   1942 - June 5 – The United States declares war on Bulgaria, Hungary & Romania.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  June 5, 1942
  
•   1942 - August 13 - Walt Disney's fifth animated film, Bambi, is released in the United States.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  August 13, 1942
  
• 1942 - December 1 – Gasoline rationing begins in the United States.
  License Numbers To Be on Coupons
  
  When individuals obtain their basic "A" gasoline rationing book, they must write their license number and states... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1943 - February 7 – WWII: In the United States, it is announced that shoe rationing will go into effect in 2 days.
  Steps in Rationing Listed
  
  WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 (AP) - Step forward in your last pair of unrationed shoes and consider 13 months of rationing in the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1943 - Penicillin first used successfully to treat a patient
  PENICILLIN IS NEW ERA IN MEDICINE
  
  Changes Method Of War On Germs; Pales "Glory" Of Sulfa
  
  By Howard W. Blakeslee
  NEW YORK, Aug. 2. - (AP) - A... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1944 - June 6 - WWII – D-Day:
  155,000 Allied troops shipped from England land on the beaches of Normandy in northern France, beginning Operation Overlord and the Invasion of Normandy. The Allied soldiers quickly break through the Atlantic Wall and push inland, in the largest amphibious military operation in history. This... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1944 - August 7 – IBM dedicates the first program-controlled calculator, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator (known best as the Harvard Mark I).
  
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  August 7, 1944
  
•   1944 - August 9 – The United States Forest Service and the Wartime Advertising Council release posters featuring Smokey Bear for the first time.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  August 9, 1944
  
•   1944 - October 8 – The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet radio show debuts in the United States.
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  October 8, 1944
  
• 1945 - The atomic bomb is invented (J. Robert Oppenheimer, et al., United States)
  Washington Column by Peter Edson
  
  WASHINGTON - (NEA) - When first publicity was given in the fall of 1945 to the men who had made the atomic bomb,... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1945 - February 23 - Battle of Iwo Jima: A group of United States Marines reach the top of Mount Suribachi on the island and are photographed raising the American flag.
  
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  February 23, 1945
  
• 1945 - April 12 - Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) becomes 33rd President of the United States
  Elected vice president in 1944, Truman became president upon Roosevelt's sudden death in April 1945 and was immediately faced with the problems of... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1945 - July 21 – WWII: President Harry S. Truman approves the order for atomic bombs to be used against Japan
  
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  July 21, 1945
  
• 1945 - August 6 – WWII: Atomic bombing of Hiroshima: A United States B-29 Superfortress, the Enola Gay, drops an atomic bomb, codenamed "Little Boy", on Hiroshima, Japan, at 8:15 a.m. (local time).
  Blasting of Hiroshima
  Atomic Bomb Kills 150,000
  ...All Living Things Seared To Death, Tokyo Says
  
  OKINAWA, Aug. 8 - (NS) - At least 150,000... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1945 - August 9 - Atomic bombing of Nagasaki: A United States B-29 Bomber, Bockscar, drops an atomic bomb, codenamed "Fat Man", on Nagasaki, Japan, at 11:02 a.m. (local time).
  Another Atomic Bomb Dropped on Enemy City
  Important Kyushu City of Nagasaki Struck With 'Good Results'; Other B29s Leave Four Major Targets... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1945 - September 2 - World War II ends
  WORLD IS AT PEACE
  Japan Surrenders Formally, Unconditionally to Allies in Short Ritual; V-J Day Today
  
  Truman Lauds Day of Victory Over Tyranny
  Bright New Era of Hope of International Good Will Seen
  
  WASHINGTON, Sept. 1. - (AP) - President Truman tonight proclaimed Sunday, Sept. 2, as V-J Day ... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1945 - December 4 - U.S. joins United Nations
  December 4, 1945
  
•   1946 - January 10 - Project Diana bounces radar waves off the Moon, measuring the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon, and proves that communication is possible between Earth and outer space, effectively opening the space age
  
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  January 10, 1946
  
•   1947 - May 2 – The movie Miracle on 34th Street, a Christmastime classic, is first shown in theaters.
  
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  May 2, 1947
  
•   1947 - September 9 –A moth lodged in a relay is found to be the cause of a malfunction in the Harvard Mark II electromechanical computer, logged as "First actual case of bug being found."
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  September 9, 1947
  
•   1947 - November 6 – The program Meet the Press makes its television debut on the NBC-TV network in the United States.
  
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  November 6, 1947
  
•   1948 - January 5 – Warner Brothers shows the first color newsreel (Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl).
  
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  January 5, 1948
  
•   1948 - February 21 – The stock car racing organization NASCAR is founded by Bill France, Sr.
  
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  February 21, 1948
  
•   1948 - June 18 – LP record – Columbia Records introduced its long playing 33 1/3 rpm phonograph format.
  
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  June 18, 1948
  
• 1950 - January 31 - President Harry S. Truman orders the development of the hydrogen bomb, in response to the detonation of the Soviet Union's first atomic bomb in 1949
  
  www.wikipedia.org
  January 31, 1950
  
• 1950 - June 25 - Korean War begins when North Korean forces invade South Korea
  Armed forces from communist North Korea smash into South Korea, setting off the Korean War. The United States, acting under the auspices of the... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1950 - September 24-30 - A smoke pall from western Canada forest fires covered much of the eastern U.S.
  Daylight was reduced to nighttime darkness in parts of the Northeast. The color of the sun varied from pink to purple, blue, or lavendar. Yellow to... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1952 - May 3 - The first airplane lands at the geographic North Pole
  A ski-modified U.S. Air Force C-47 piloted by Lieutenant Colonel Joseph O. Fletcher of Oklahoma and Lieutenant Colonel William P. Benedict of... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1953 - January 20 - Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) becomes 34th President of the United States
  At the Republican convention of 1952 in Chicago, Eisenhower won the presidential nomination on the first ballot in a close race with Sen. Robert A.... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1953 - July 27 - Korean War ends
  After three years of a bloody and frustrating war, the United States, the People's Republic of China, North Korea, and South Korea agree to an... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1958 - NASA formed
  
• 1960 - Civil Rights Act of 1960
  The Civil Rights Act of 1960 (enacted May 6, 1960) was a United States federal law that established federal inspection of local voter registration... Read MORE...
  
  
• The FDA announces its approval of “The Pill,” the first birth-control drug, 1960
  
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• 1961 - Vietnam War officially begins with 900 military advisors landing in Saigon
  
• 1961 - January 20 - John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) becomes 35th President of the United States
  On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin's bullets as his... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1962 - Cuban Missile Crisis
  
• 1963 - The US passes the first legislation requiring equal pay for equal work, but it would need to be expanded in 1972 to salespeople, executives, administrators, etc.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 1963 - Novmember 22 - Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) becomes 36th President of the United States following the assassination of John F. Kennedy
  At the height of his power as Senate leader, Johnson sought the Democratic nomination for president in 1960. When he lost to John F. Kennedy, he... Read MORE...
  
  
•   1964 - January 23 - The 24th Amendment Ended the Poll Tax
  "Imagine that you are finally old enough to vote in your first election. But, do you have enough money? Money, to vote? Not long ago, citizens in... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1964 - Civil Rights Act of 1964
  This act, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on July 2, 1964, prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the integration of... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1965 - Vietnam War - First U.S. ground combat forces arrive in South Vietnam
  
• 1968 - Civil Rights Act of 1968
  Also known as the Fair Housing Act of 1968
  Congress passed the act in an effort to impose a comprehensive solution to the problem of unlawful... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1968 - The ATM is invented (Don Wetzel, United States)
  In 1968 the ATM was pioneered in the U.S. by Donald Wetzel, who was a department head at a company called Docutel. Docutel was a subsidiary of... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1969 - January 20 - Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) becomes 37th President of the United States
  January 20, 1969
  
• 1969 - July 20 - Apollo 11 - Man lands on the moon
  AMERICAN FLAG WAVING ON THE MOON
  Taken There By Spacemen
  
  SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) - Two Americans, who strode the moon's surface for the first time and raised their nations' banner above it, held the world in suspense again today with a perilous blastoff for the long journey home.
  
  A... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1970 - Schultz v Wheaton Glass: a federal appeals court decision makes it illegal for a company to change a job’s title so that they could pay women who held the position less than male workers.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 1973 - March 29 – The last United States soldier leaves Vietnam.
  March 29, 1973
  
• Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
  Equal Credit Opportunity Act passes in the US. Until then, banks required single, widowed or divorced women to bring a man along to cosign any credit ... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1974 - August 9 - Gerald R. Ford (1913-2006) becomes 38th President of the United States after the resignation of Richard M. Nixon
  August 9, 1974
  
• Metric Conversion Act of 1975 declared the metric system the preferred method for measurements in the United States.
  
  Sophia Dembling, "Losing the Battle By Inches," Chicago Tribune, October 15, 2006.
  
•   1977 - Personal Computer introduced
  The TRS-80 Micro Computer System (TRS-80, later renamed the Model I to distinguish it from successors) is a desktop microcomputer launched in 1977... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1977 - January 20 - Jimmy Carter (1924 - ) becomes 39th President of the United States
  January 20, 1977
  
• 1978 - The Pregnancy Discrimination Act is passed in the US.
  Until the law was put into effect, women could still legally be dismissed from their jobs for becoming pregnant.
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 1979 - Iran hostage crisis begins
  
• 1981 - Attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan by John Hinckley
  
• President Ronald Reagan nominates Sandra Day O’Connor to be the first woman on the Supreme Court, 1981
  
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• 1981 - Kirchberg v Feenstra - A husband is told he doesn’t have the right to unilaterally take out a second mortgage on property held jointly with his wife.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 1981 - Voyager 2 reaches Saturn
  
• 1981 - First reported case of AIDS
  
• 1981 - January 20 - Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) beomes 40th President of the United States
  January 20, 1981
  
• 1983 - The laptop computer is invented (Radio Shack Corp., United States)
  The TRS-80 Model 100 is a portable computer introduced in 1983. It is one of the first notebook-style computers, featuring a keyboard and liquid... Read MORE...
  
  
• 1986 - Iran-Contra scandal breaks
  
• 1986 - Space Shuttle Challenger accident
  
• 1989 - January 20 - George H. W. Bush (1924 - ) becomes 41st President of the United States
  January 20, 1989
  
• 1989 - December 3 - Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev and US President George H. W. Bush, declare the Cold War over
  
  onthisday.com
  December 3, 1989
  
• 1991 - Gulf War
  
• 1991 - U.S. led coalition defeats Iraqi military forces and liberates Kuwait in Operation Desert Storm
  
• 1993 - The Family and Medical Leave Act becomes law in the US.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 1993 - January 20 - William J. Clinton (1946 - ) becomes 42nd President of the United States
  January 20, 1993
  
• 1997 - NASA spacecraft Mars Pathfinder lands on Mars
  
•   Madeleine Albright becomes the first female Secretary of State, 1997
  Madeleine Korbel Albright was nominated to be the first woman Secretary of State by President William Jefferson Clinton on December 5, 1996,... Read MORE...
  
  
• 2001 - Invasion of Afghanistan Operation "Enduring Freedom"
  
• 2001 - January 20 - George W. Bush (1946 - ) becomes 43rd President of the United States
  January 20, 2001
  
• 2001 - September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks
  September 11, 2001
  
• 2009 - President Barack Obama signs the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration act, which allows people to sue companies for pay discrimination even if more than six months have passed.
  
  https://www.theguardian.com/money/us-money-blog/2014/aug/11/women-rights-money-timeline-history
  
• 2009 - January 20 - Barack Obama (1961 - ) becomes 44th President of the United States
  January 20, 2009
  
• Hillary Clinton becomes first female presidential nominee of a major party, 2016
  
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