Basic Dates By courtneyh Aug 2, 1492 Columbus sails the ocean blue May 14, 1607 Jamestown Jul 4, 1776 Signing of the Declaration of Independence Sep 17, 1789 Constitution signed Apr 13, 1803 Louisiana Purchase Jun 18, 1812 War of 1812 Apr 12, 1861 Civil War Apr 6, 1917 U.S. involvment in World War 1 Oct 29, 1929 Stock Market crash and beginning of Great Depression Dec 11, 1941 U.S. involvement in World War 11 Sep 2, 1945 Cold War Jun 25, 1950 Korean War Mar 8, 1965 Vietnam War (Americanization) Feb 28, 1991 Gulf War Sep 11, 2001 September 11 Mar 20, 2003 US invasion of Iraq