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The U.S. Post Office Department is established on February 20, 1792. -
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Eli Whitney patents the cotton gin for cleaning seed from cotton on March 14, 1794. -
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George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, VA, on December 14, 1799. -
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The U.S. Library of Congress is founded on April 24, 1800. -
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Lewis and Clark begin their expedition to map the northwest United States on May 14, 1804. -
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Alexander Hamiliton dies following a duel with Vice President Aaron Burr on July 11, 1804. -
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Steam-powered ferry service between New York City and Hoboken, NJ, begins on October 11, 1811. -
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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. -
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Norwich University, the first private military school, is founded in Vermont on August 6, 1819. -
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Samuel Morey patents the internal combustion engine (named the "Gas Or Vapor Engine") on April 1, 1826. -
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Thomas Jefferson and John Adams die on July 4, 1826. -
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The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad incorporates - becoming the first railroad in the United States to offer transportation for people and commercial goods - on February 28, 1827. -
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The first bank robbery in U.S. history occurs at the City Bank of New York on March 19, 1831. -
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The first attempted assassination of a U.S. president (Andrew Jackson) fails when Richard Lawrence's gun misfires on January 30, 1835. -
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P.T. Barnum begins his first circus tour of the United States on June 2, 1835. -
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Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigates Antarctica, claiming it for the United States on January 19, 1840. -
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The first wagon train leaves Independence, MO, bound for California on May 1, 1841. -
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The August 9, 1842, Webster-Ashburton Treaty formally designates the border separating the United States and Canada. -
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"America" wins the first America's Cup yacht race on August 22, 1851. -
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The Republican Party is founded in Ripon, WI, on February 28, 1854 -
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Elisha Otis installs the first elevator on March 23, 1857. -
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The Pony Express leaves Sacramento, CA, for St. Joseph, MO, on April 3, 1860. -
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President Abraham Lincoln issues the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862. -
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"The Great Chicago Fire" begins October 8, 1871. -
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President Ulysses S. Grant signs legislation designating Yellowstone the first national park on March 1, 1872. -
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The first Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, KY, on May 17, 1875. -
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Doc Holiday and the Earp brothers survive their gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881. -
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The May 31, 1889, "Johnstown Flood" kills more than 2,200 people after heavy rain destroys the South Fork Dam. -
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The first issue of the Wall Street Journal is published on July 8, 1889. -
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The December 29, 1890, "Battle of Wounded Knee" is the last major battle between U.S. troops and American Indians. -
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The Ellis Island Immigration Station begins processing immigrants to the United States on January 1, 1892. -
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The first professional football game is played in Latrobe, PA, on September 3, 1895. -
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The first U.S. Golf Open is held in Newport, RI, on October 4, 1895. -
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The first underground portion of the New York City subway opens on October 27, 1904. -
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Fire kills 146 workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, on March 25, 1911. -
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Fire kills 146 workers at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, on March 25, 1911. -
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HMS Titanic strikes an iceberg on April 14, 1912. -
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The Panama Canal opens to shipping on August 15, 1914. -
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Robert Goddard fires his first liquid-fueled rocket on March 16, 1926 -
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Charles Lindbergh lands "Spirit of St. Louis" in Paris on May 21, 1927, successfully completing the first trans-Atlantic flight. -
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The Lone Ranger premiers on radio station WXYZ, Detroit, MI, on January 31, 1933. -
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The German airship Hindenburg is destroyed while attempting to land at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station on May 6, 1937. -
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American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart disappears over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, July 2, 1937. -
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Band leader Alton Glenn Miller disappears while enroute to Paris, France, December 15, 1944. -
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Band leader Alton Glenn Miller disappears while enroute to Paris, France, December 15, 1944. -
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RCA broadcasts the first color television program on June 25, 1951 -
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The USS Nautilus, the first nuclear submarine, launches on January 21, 1954. -
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CBS debuts Leave It to Beaver on October 4, 1957. -
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On October 1, 1962, James H. Meredith becomes the first black student to attend the University of Mississippi -
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The Beatles make their U.S. debut on The Ed Sullivan Show, on February 9, 1964. -
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Population reaches: 226,542,199 -
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MTV airs its first music video ("Video Killed the Radio Star") on August 1, 1981. -
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The Space Shuttle Challenger explodes 74 seconds after liftoff on January 28, 1986 -
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The stock market loses 22.6 percent of its value on "Black Monday," October 19, 1987 -
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The Mickey Mouse comic strip debuts in the January 13, 1930, edition of the New York Mirror. -
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George Washington dies at Mount Vernon, VA, on December 14, 1799.