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General Lee surrenders his confederate army to Ulysses S. Grant.
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John Wilkes Booth shoots President Abraham Lincoln in the head at the Ford's Theatre.
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Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning.
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John Wilkes Booth is shot and killed in Tobacco Barn in Virginia.
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The 13th amendment is ratified. Slavery is now abolished.
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This secret organization is founded in Pulaski, Tennessee.
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Ulysses S. Grant is elected the 18th president.
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The 15th Amendment is ratified. This amendment extends the vote to all male citizens.
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The Civil Rights Act of 1875 is enacted by Congress. Guarantees equal rights to African Americans.
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There is no exact day. President Rutherford Hayes withdraws federal troops from the South protecting the Civil Rights of African Americans.
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James A. Garfield is elected president over Winfield S. Hancock.
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James A. Garfield was shot in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Station. He was shot by lawyer Charles J. Guiteau.
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Sioux Chief SItting Bull and his tribe surrenders to the United States troops at Fort Buford, Montana.
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Five standard time zones are established to end the confusion over thousands of local time zones.
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Ulysses S. Grant dies in Mt. McGregor, New York.
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Geronimo and his band of apaches surrender Brigadier General Nelson A. Miles. This signaled the end of warfare between the United States Army and Indian tribes.
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The Eastern section of the United States undergoes a snow storm that killed 400 people.
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The deadliest flood in american history occurs in Johnston, pennsylvania due to a heavy rainstorm.
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The Battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota occurs which is the last major battle between the United States troops and the indians. Hundreds of indian men, women, and children are killed.
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Grover Cleveland returns to presidency with his victory over Benjamin Harrison and James Weaver.
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The first rolling lift bridge was opened in Chicago.
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The first ever commercial movie was screened at the Grand Cafe in Paris.
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Discovery of Gold in Klondike. A few days later gold was found in Eldorado Creek.
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The J.P Holland torpedo boat company launches the very first submarine which was successful.
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Mckinley approves war with Spain.
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The battle of Manila Bay begins.
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San Juan Battle occurs so the U.S army can capture the spanish-held Santiago de CUba.
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William Mckinley is assassinated in Buffalo, New York 6 months into his second term as president.
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President Theodore Roosevelt is inaugorated to serve a second term.
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Henry Ford introduces the Model T.
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The start of American domestic tourism occurs with the establishment of Glacier National Park in Montana.
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The first fleight to ever carry freight departs from Huffman and goes to Columbus, Ohio.
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The law that established the number of United States representatives at 435. It went into effect in 1913 after the 1912 election.
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The titanic strikes an iceberg and begins to sink. This lasted 2 days and only 16 lifeboats were launched leaving many people behind to die.
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Mount Katmai erupts in one of the largest volcanic explosions in history.
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Woodrow Wilson wins the presidential election beating Teddy Roosevelt and William Howard Taft.
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The Panama Canal comes to a close when President Woodrow Wilson begins the explosion of Gamboa Dike.
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Ludlow, Colorado Coalfield Massacre occurs when the Colorado National Guard attacked a tent colony of 1,200 striking miners. The killed 24 of them.
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The United States Coast Guard is established, replacing the responsibilities formely entailed within the services and stationsof the U.S life-saving services.
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Future general and president Dwight D. Eisenhower is commisioned into the army as a 2nd lieutenant.
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Woodrow Wilson wins second term as president
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The United States Congress declares war on Germany and joins the allies in World War 1.
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The first troops from the United States arrive in Europe to assist European allies in World War 1. General John Pershing was placed as the commander.
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Time zones are first established by an act of the United States Congress that will start on March 31.
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The Influenza epidemic Spanish flu spans the globe killing almost 20 million people worldwide.
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The treaty of Versailles is signed, ending World War 1.
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For the first time, the census indicates a population of over 100 million people. It had an increase of 15% since the last census.
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The 19th amendment is passed giving women the right to vote.
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A congressional resolution by both houses is signed by president Warren G. Harding to declare peace with Germany, Austria, and Hungary
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President Harding dies in office due to an illness and is succeeded by Calvin Coolidge.
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The first Winter Olympic games are held in the French Alps with sixteen nations sending athletes to compete.
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The work on Mount Rushmore begins. The faces on it are George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Theodore Roosevelts
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Herbert Hoover wins the presidential election over Alfred E. Smith.
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In Chicago, Illinois, gangsters working for Al Capone kill seven rivals and citizens.
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Clyde Tombaugh discovers the planet Pluto.
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The Star-Spangled banner is approved by President Hoover and congress as the national anthem.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt wins the presidential election against Hoover by a landslide.
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The 21st Amendment is passed, ending prohibition.
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The Historic Sites Act is signed into law, declaring a national policy to preserve historic sites, including National landmarks.
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The Summer Olympics open in Berlin, Germany under the eye of the German leader, Adolf Hitler.
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The Golden Gate Bridge opens to public traffic and one day later receives its first vehicle.
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The United States declares its neutrality in the European war after Germany invaded Poland, beginning World War II.
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Paris falls to Germany, Auschwitz receives its first Polish prisoners, and the Naval Expansion Act is signed.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt wins his 3rd term as president. He became the first president to serve 3 terms.
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The United States occupies Iceland, taking over its defense from Great Britain and attempting to thwart a potential invasion by Nazi Germany.
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The bombing of Pearl Harbor begins at 7:55 am when the Japanese fighter planes launch a surprise attack. This attack took the greatest amount of Naval Life in history
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The Battle of Midway begins between the U.S and Japan. It was the first battle won by the Japanese.
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North Africa is invaded by the United States and Great Britain.
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The United States encounters its first major defeat in World War II.
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D-Day occurs when the allied forces land in France to begin the World War II invasion of Europe.
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The G.I Bill of Rights is signed into law, providing benefits for veterans.
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President Roosevelt dies suddenly, and Truman takes over as President.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt dies and vice president Harry Truman assumes the presidency
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The first atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima and then 3 days later the next bomb is dropped on Nagasaki.
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Harry Truman approves the decision to bomb Hiroshima. 3 days later the second atomic bomb is dropped in Nagasaki, Japan.
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400,000 mine workers begin to go on strike. Other industries then follow their lead.
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The U.S grants the island nation of Phillippines their freedom.
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The Truman Doctrine is announced to the U.S Congress. It grants 400 million dollars to Greece, and Turkey.
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Theodore Roosevelt National Park is established by the current President, Harry Truman.
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The United States withdraws it troops from Korea.
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For the first time, the census counts a population of over 150 million people living in the United States
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The United States, Australia, and New Zealand sign a mutual security pact, the ANZUS treaty.
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General Dwight D. Eisenhower gains an easy victory over Adlai E. Stevenson.
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The first color television goes on sale.
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Racial segregation in public schools is declared unconstitutional. The ruling of the court stated that racial segregation violated the 14th amendment that guaranteed equal protection.
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Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat to a white man on a bus. This starts the boycott.
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The first transatlantic telephone cable begins operation.
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The first attempt by the United States to launch a satellite into space fails when it explodes on the launch pad.
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Explorer I, the first U.S space satellite, is launched and will later discover the Van Allen radiation belt.
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Alaska is admitted to the United States as the 49th state.
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Tiros I, the first weather satellite, is launched by the United States.
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The entire United States figure skating team is killed in a plane crash on its way to the world championships. 73 people are killed.
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Lt Colonel John Glenn becomes the first astronaut to orbit the earth. He orbits it 3 times before returning.
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The Civil Rights march on Washington D.C for jobs and freedom culminates with Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
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The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law by president Lyndon B. Johnson
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Medicare, the government medical program for citizens over the age of 65, begins.
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The first black United States senator in 85 years, Edward Brooke, is elected to Congress.
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The Outer Space Treaty is signed into force by the U.S, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union.
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Thurgood Marshall is sworn into office as the first black Supreme Court Justice.
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Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on a motel balcony.
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Robert F. Kennedy is shot at a campaign victory celebration in Los Angeles.
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The Apollo program completes its mission. Neil Armstrong becomes the first man to step foot on the moon.
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The Internet, called the Apernet during its development, is invented by the Advanced Research Project Agency.
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Five members of the Chicago 7 are convicted of crossing state lines to incite riots.
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For the first time, the 1970 census counted over 200 million people living in the United States
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A forty-four day raid into Laos by South Vietnamese soldiers is begun with the aid of United States air and artillery.
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The Senate approves a Constitutional Amendment, the 26th, that would lower the voting age from 21 to 18.
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The largest attacks by North Vietnam troops across the demilitarized zone in four years prompts bombing raids to begin again by United States forces against Hanoi and Haiphong on April 15, ending a four year cessation of those raids.
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In one of the most lopsided races in American Presidential election history, incumbent President Richard M. Nixon beat his Democratic challenger George S. McGovern, winning 520 Electoral College votes to McGovern's 17, and taking over 60% of the popular vote.
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The United States Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that a woman can not be prevented by a state in having an abortion during the first six months of pregnancy.
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In one of the most awesome displays of dominance in sports history, Secretariat, wins the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths, winning the Triple Crown of United States Thoroughbred Racing for the first time since 1948.
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Impeachment hearings are begun by the House Judiciary Committee against President Richard M. Nixon in the Watergate affair
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President Richard M. Nixon resigns the office of the presidency, avoiding the impeachment process and admitting his role in the Watergate affair. He was replaced by Vice President Gerald R. Ford.
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The Watergate cover up trials of Mitchell, Haldeman, and Ehrlichman are completed; all are found guilty of the charges.
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Communist forces complete their takeover of South Vietnam, forcing the evacuation from Saigon of civilians from the United States and the unconditional surrender of South Vietnam.
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Twenty-nine people attending an American Legion convention in Philadelphia are killed by a mysterious ailment, one year later discovered as a bacterium.
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Challenger Jimmy Carter, a relatively unknown former Democratic governor from Georgia, bests Gerald Ford in a closely contested election.
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The majority of Vietnam War draft evaders, ten thousand in number, are pardoned by President Jimmy Carter.
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Fifteen nations, including the United States and the Soviet Union, sign a nuclear-proliferation pact, slowing the spread of nuclear weapons around the world.
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The United States Senate votes to return the Panama Canal back to Panama on December 31, 1999. A treaty for the return had been signed on September 7 of the previous year, pending approval by the U.S. Congress.
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Pope John Paul II, Karol Wojtyla of Poland, is elected Pope at Vatican City.
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An accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pennsylvania occurs when a partial core meltdown is recorded. A tense situation ensued for five days until the reactor was deemed under control. It is the largest accident in U.S. nuclear power history and considered the worst in the world until the Soviet Chernobyl accident seven years later.
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The American Pioneer Eleven passes the planet Saturn, becoming the first spacecraft to visit the ringed planet, albeit at a distance of 21,000 kilometers.
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The attempt to rescue the American hostages held captive in the U.S. Embassy in Iran fails with eight Americans killed and five wounded in Operation Eagle Claw when a mid-air collision occurs.
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The attempt to rescue the American hostages held captive in the U.S. Embassy in Iran fails with eight Americans killed and five wounded in Operation Eagle Claw when a mid-air collision occurs.
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The Mt. St. Helens volcano, in Washington State, erupts, killing fifty-seven people and economic devastation to the area with losses near $3 billion. The blast was estimated to have the power five hundred times greater than the Hiroshima atomic bomb.
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Ronald Reagan, the former Republican governor of California, beats President Jimmy Carter and independent candidate John B. Anderson, also a Republican, in a landslide victory, ousting the incumbent from office. The victory in the Electoral College, 489 to 49, as well as an 8 million vote margin in the popular vote over Carter, ensured a mandate for the new president.
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President Ronald Reagan withstands an assassination attempt, shot in the chest while walking to his limousine in Washington, D.C.
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The highest unemployment rate since 1940 is recorded at 10.4%. By the end of November, over eleven million people would be unemployed.
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The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is dedicated in Washington, D.C., holding the names of the more than 58,000 killed or missing in action during the conflict.
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Astronaut Sally Ride becomes the first American woman to travel into space.
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A terrorist truck bomb kills two hundred and forty-one United States peacekeeping troops in Lebanon at Beirut International Airport. A second bomb destroyed a French barracks two miles away, killing forty there.
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Democratic candidate for President, Walter Mondale, selects Geraldine Ferraro as his Vice Presidential running mate, the first woman chosen for that position.
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President Ronald Reagan wins reelection over Democratic challenger Walter F. Mondale, increasing his Electoral College victory since the 1980 election to a margin of 525 to 13.
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The first meeting in six years between the leaders of the Soviet Union and the United States occurs when Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan engage in a five hour summit conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
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The Challenger Space Shuttle explodes after lift off at Cape Canaveral, Florida, killing seven people, including Christa McAuliffe, a New Hampshire school teacher.
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A tentative agreement on a world-wide ban on medium-range missiles is reached between the Soviet Union and the United States. This agreement would not be expanded to include long-range missiles when President Reagan refused capitulation to the demand from Mikhail Gorbachev to limit development of the Star Wars missile defense shield.
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The stock market crash known as Black Monday occurs on the New York Stock Exchange, recording a record 22.6% drop in one day. Stock markets around the world would mirror the crash with drops of their own.
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Vice President under Ronald Reagan, George Herbert Walker Bush, claims victory in the presidential election over Democratic challenger Michael S. Dukakis, Governor of Massachusetts. The Electoral College vote tallied 426 for Bush and 111 for Dukakis.
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Army General Colin Powell is elevated to the position of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, becoming the first African American to be nominated to that post.
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The Berlin Wall, after thirty-eight years of restricting traffic between the East and West German sides of the city, begins to crumble when German citizens are allowed to travel freely between East and West Germany for the first time. One day later, the influx of crowds around and onto the wall begin to dismantle it, thus ending its existence.
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The largest art theft in U.S. history occurs in Boston, Massachusetts, when two thieves posing as policemen abscond twelve paintings worth an estimated $100-200 million from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
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U.S. President George H.W. Bush and his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to eliminate chemical weapon production and begin the destruction of each nation's current inventory.
