Census Timeline

  • Census

    Population: 5,308,483 -The U.S. Library of Congress is founded on April 24, 1800.
    -Lewis and Clark begin their expedition to map the northwest United States on May 14, 1804.
    -Alexander Hamiliton dies following a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804.
  • Census

    Population: 7,239,881 -A magnitude 8.3 earthquake (the strongest ever recorded in the continental United States) strikes near New Madrid, MO, temporarily reversing the course of the Mississippi River on February 2, 1812.
    -The thirteen stars and stripes configuration of the U.S. flag is officially adopted by Congress on April 4, 1818.
    -Norwich University, the first private military school, is founded in Vermont on August 6, 1819.
  • Census

    Population: 9,638,453 -The Saturday Evening Post is published for the first time as a weekly newspaper on August 4, 1821.
    -Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine (named the "Gas Or Vapor Engine") on April 1, 1826.
    -Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on July 4, 1826.
  • Census

    Population: 12,860,702 -The first bank robbery in U.S. history occurs at the City Bank of New York on March 19, 1831.
    -The first attempted assassination of a U.S. president (Andrew Jackson) fails when Richard Lawrence's gun misfires on January 30, 1835.
    -The battle for the Alamo is waged from February 23 to March 6, 1836, in San Antonio, TX.
  • Census

    Population: 17,063,353 -The first wagon train leaves Independence, MO, bound for California on May 1, 1841.
    -Alexander Cartwright and his New York Knickerbockers codify the "Rules of Baseball" in 1845.
    -The American Medical Association is founded in Philadelphia on May 7, 1847.
  • Census

    Population: 23,191,876 -Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes The Scarlet Letter in 1850.
    -"America" wins the first America's Cup yacht race on August 22, 1851.
    -Elisha Otis installs the first elevator on March 23, 1857.
  • Census

    Population: 31,443,321 -Confederate forces begin bombarding Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor on April 12, 1861.
    -President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862.
    -Ceremonies at Promontory, UT, celebrate completion of the transcontinental railroad on May 10, 1869.
  • Census

    Population: 38,558,371 -The National Weather Service issues its first weather forecast on November 1, 1870. The forecast warns of a windy day in Chicago, IL.
    -The Jesse James Gang conduct the first successful train robbery in the American West on July 21, 1873.
    -Thomas Edison patents the cylinder phonograph on February 19, 1878.
  • Census

    Population: 50,189,209 -Doc Holiday and the Earp brothers survive their gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881.
    -The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor from France, in July 1885.
    -The Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor from France, in July 1885.
  • Census

    Population: 62,979,766 -The December 29, 1890, "Battle of Wounded Knee" is the last major battle between U.S. troops and American Indians.
    -The first professional football game is played in Latrobe, PA, on September 3, 1895.
    -The U.S. annexes Hawaii on July 7, 1898.