Business History. Civil war - present day By bonetalonsod Apr 12, 1861 Civil war Jan 1, 1865 Slavery Abolished May 10, 1869 The Transcontinental Railroad Jan 1, 1886 Coca Cola Company Established Jan 1, 1890 US Becomes a leading Manufacturer Jul 15, 1903 Ford's First Sale Oct 1, 1908 Ford Model T Jan 1, 1913 Federal Reserve is formed Dec 1, 1913 Ford Introduces assembly line Aug 15, 1914 Panama canal opens Aug 28, 1922 WEAF Broadcasts First Radio Commercial Oct 24, 1929 Stock Market Crashes Jun 22, 1944 President Roosevelt Signs GI Bill Jan 1, 1946 Post WWII consumerism Jul 29, 1958 NASA Founded Sep 11, 2001 9/11 Feb 4, 2004 Creation Of Facebook Feb 1, 2012 Facebook IPO Jan 1, 2014 Samsung S5 Released Sep 19, 2014 Iphne 6 Released