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When I was born
I was born at my grandparents house. I was the middle child, with a sister two years older than me and a brother ten years younger than me. -
First Olympic Winter Games
Games such as figure skating, ice hockey and curling were in the first games.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1920timeline.htm -
Flapper Dress in style
Flappers were young women in the 1920s whose dress, hair style, and attitude were much different than the Gibson Girl, the image of the ideal woman just a generation earlier.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/qt/flappers.htm -
Houdini Death
Harry Houdini died of peritonitis, secondary to a ruptured appendix. Eyewitnesses to an incident at the Princess Theater in Montreal gave rise to speculation that Houdini's death was caused by a McGill University student, J. Gordon Whitehead, who delivered a surprise attack of multiple blows to Houdini's abdomen.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1920timeline.htm -
The First Talking Movie
The Jazz Singer was the first talking movie, ending the silent movie era.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1920timeline.htm -
Penicillin Discovered
In 1928, bacteriologist Alexander Fleming found a mold had contaminated one of his experiments. To his surprise, the mold was an antibacterial agent that could kill many harmful bacteria. He named the active agent, penicillin. -
The Stock Market Crash
The Stock Market Crash lead to The Great Depression,
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1920s/a/stockcrash1929.htm -
Pluto Discovered
On February 18, 1930, Clyde W. Tombaugh, an assistant at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, discovered Pluto. For decades, Pluto was considered the ninth planet of our solar system.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/qt/Pluto.htm -
Empire State Building Completed
When the Empire State Building opened on May 1, 1931, it was the tallest building in the world - standing at 1,250 feet tall. This building not only became an icon of New York City, it became a symbol of twentieth century man's attempts to achieve the impossible.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/qt/empirestate.htm -
Amelia Earhart First Woman to Fly Solo Across the Atlantic
After a flight lasting 14 hours, 56 minutes during which she contended with strong northerly winds, icy conditions and mechanical problems, Earhart landed in a pasture at Culmore, north of Derry, Northern Ireland. The landing was witnessed by Cecil King and T. Sawyer.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Prohibition Ends in the U.S.
Prohibition was the period in United States history in which the manufacture, sale, and transportation of intoxicating liquors was outlawed. It began officially on January 16, 1920 (exactly a year after the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution) and ended with the ratification of the 21st Amendment on December 5, 1933. By 1935, Alcoholics Anonymous was found.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/qt/endprohibition.htm -
The Dust Bowl
Then, beginning on May 9, 1934, a strong two-day dust storm removed massive amounts of Great Plains topsoil in one of the worst such storms of the Dust Bowl.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Social Security Enacted in U.S.
A limited form of the Social Security program began as a measure to implement "social insurance" during the Great Depression of the 1930s, when poverty rates among senior citizens exceeded 50 percent.The stock market crash of 1929 had destroyed the value of many Americans' retirement savings, and bank failures did further damage.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Hoover Dam Completed
It was constructed between 1931 and 1936 during the Great Depression and was dedicated on September 30, 1935, by President Franklin Roosevelt.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Golden Gate Bridge Opened
The total length of the Golden Gate Bridge, including approaches from abutment to abutment, is 8,981 feet (2,737 m).
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Broadcast of The War of the Worlds Causes Panic
Before there was television, people used to turn on their radios to listen to music, hear talk programs, and to get news. On Sunday, October 30, 1938, millions of radio listeners turned on their radios and heard realistic sounding descriptions of an attack of Martians on the United States.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1930s/qt/warworlds.htm -
World War II Begins
Was a global conflict that was underway by 1939 and ended in 1945.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1930timeline.htm -
Leon Trotsky Assassinated
Around 5:30 p.m. on August 20, 1940, Trotsky was sitting at his desk in his study, helping Ramon Mercader (known to him as Frank Jackson) edit an article. Mercader waited until Trotsky started to read the article, then snuck up behind Trotsky and slammed a mountaineering ice pick into Trotsky's skull.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1940s/qt/trotskydeath.htm -
Attack on Pearl Harbor
On the morning of December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched a surprise air attack on the U.S. Naval Base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. After just two hours of bombing, more than 2,400 Americans were dead, 21 ships had either been sunk or damaged, and more than 188 U.S. aircraft destroyed.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/Attack-Pearl-Harbor.htm -
Anne Frank Goes Into Hiding
Thirteen-year-old Anne Frank had been writing in her red-and-white-checkered diary for less than a month when her sister, Margot, received a call-up notice around 3 p.m. on July 5, 1942.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1940s/qt/AnneFrankHide.htm -
Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
The most significant portion of the rebellion took place from 19 April until 16 May 1943, and ended when the poorly armed and supplied resistance was crushed by the German troops under the direct command of Jürgen Stroop. It was the largest single revolt by the Jews during the Holocaust
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm -
D-Day
In June 1944, the United States and the United Kingdom and others it began the long-awaited attack from the west, the Normandy Invasion . June 6, 1944, also known as D-Day, was the very first day of this massive amphibious invasion, which brought thousands of ships, tanks, planes, and troops across the English Channel.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/qt/dday.htm -
Marriage
I was married to Lyle Swartz in Cedar Rapids with no family, just two friends to be witnesses. -
Winston Churchill Gives His "Iron Curtain" Speech
On March 5, 1946, Winston Churchill spoke at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. This speech, commonly called the "Iron Curtain" speech but officially called "The Sinews of Peace," described the split of Europe into democratic and Communist spheres.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1940s/qt/ironcurtain.htm -
Chuck Yeager Breaks the Sound Barrier
Yeager was the first man to break the sound barrier on October 14, 1947, flying the experimental Bell X-1 at Mach 1 at an altitude of 45,000 ft (13,700 m). -
"Big Bang" Theory Formulated
The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological model that explains the early development of the Universe.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm -
NATO Established
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO also called the (North) Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1940timeline.htm -
First Modern Credit Card
Inventor Frank X. McNamara wanted a new card that could pay at different stores instead of just one.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/creditcard.htm -
Color T.V.
Some of the first programs shown on colored televesion was a baseball game, and shows like "Premiere" and "The World Is Yours!".
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/Color-TV.htm -
Polio Vaccine Created
Polio impacted may people and finally they came up with a vaccine but for some it was to late.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm -
First Playboy Magazine
In that first run, Hefner sold 54,175 copies of Playboy magazine at 50 cents each.The first edition sold so well because Marilyn Monroe was the "Sweetheart of the Month" (which was thereafter termed "playmate").
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/Playboy.htm -
Segregation Ruled Illegal
The Supreme Court believed that segregation was fine because they were "separate but equal". All of this change in May 1954 with the court case Brown v. Board of Education.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/segregationends.htm -
Rosa Parks
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her seat on the bus.
http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade50.html -
Grace Kelly Marries Prince Rainier III of Monaco
Marriage outside of royalty is rare.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm -
Cat in the Hat
Dr. Seuss publishes his famous childerns book, The Cat in the Hat.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1950timeline.htm -
Hope Diamond
On November 10, 1958, the latest owner of the huge diamond, Harry Winston (a New York jeweler) donated the diamond to the Smithsonian Institute to be displayed as part of the National Gem and Mineral Collection in the National Museum of Natural History. -
Fidel Castro Becomes Dictator of Cuba
At first, Castro used the legal system but when that didn't work, he resorted to violence. Over the next two years, Castro and his newly recruited rebels used guerilla tactics against Batista's troops.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1950s/qt/castrodictator.htm -
First Televised Presidential Debates
The first general election presidential debate was held on September 26, 1960, between U.S. Senator John F. Kennedy, the Democratic nominee, and Vice President Richard Nixon, the Republican nominee, in Chicago at the studios of CBS' WBBM-TV. -
Berlin Wall Built
Just past midnight during the night of August 12-13, 1961, East German soldiers and construction workers headed to the border of West and East Berlin. While most Berliners were sleeping, the workers quickly constructed a barrier made of concrete posts and barbed wire along the border.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/berlinwall.htm -
Marilyn Monroe Found Dead
She was 36 years old. At the subsequent autopsy, eight milligram per cent of Chloral hydrate and 4.5 milligram percent of Nembutal were found in her system. Resulting from a "probable suicide."
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1960timeline.htm -
John F. Kennedy's Death
The President's death shocked the whole nation. He was beloved and was greatly missed. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/November-22-1963-Death-of-the-President.aspx?p=2 -
The Beatles
Despite already having achieved one number-one hit in the U.S. and had been greeted by 5,000 screaming fans when they arrived at the New York airport, it was the Beatles' February 9, 1964, appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that ensured Beatlemania in America.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/entertainers/p/beatles.htm -
U.S. Sends Troops to Vietnam
On March 8, 1965, 3,500 U.S. Marines landed near Da Nang in South Vietnam; they are the first U.S. troops arrive in Vietnam.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/vietnamtroops.htm -
Star Trek T.V. Series Airs
Star Trek follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew, led by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), first officer Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and chief medical officer Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), in the 23rd century.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1960timeline.htm -
First Heart Transplant
On December 3, 1967, South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard conducted the first heart transplant on 53-year-old Lewis Washkansky. The surgery was a success.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/hearttransplant.htm -
My Lai Massacre
Under Lt. Calley's command, the soldiers massacred somewhere between 347 and 504 civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/mylaimassacre.htm -
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The Aswan High Dam
After ten years of construction, the Aswan High Dam in Egypt was completed on July 21, 1970. The Aswan High Dam, located on the Nile River just north of the border between Egypt and Sudan, was built to control the frequent cycles of flooding and drought within Egypt.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/Aswan-Dam.htm -
VCRs Introduced
In 1971 Philips developed a home videocassette format. Confusingly, Philips named this format "VCR".
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1970timeline.htm -
M*A*S*H*
The first episode of the extremely popular TV series MASH aired on CBS on September 17, 1972.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/MASH.htm -
Sears Tower Built
The Willis Tower (formerly named the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, 1,451-foot skyscraper in Chicago, Illinois. At the time of its completion in 1973, it was the tallest building in the world, surpassing the World Trade Center towers in New York, and it held this rank for nearly 25 years.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1970timeline.htm -
Terracotta Army Discovered in China
On March 29, 1974, three farmers were drilling holes in the hopes of finding water to dig wells when they came upon some ancient terracotta pottery shards.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/terracottaarmy.htm -
Microsoft Founded
Established on April 4, 1975 to develop and sell BASIC interpreters for the Altair 8800, Microsoft rose to dominate the home computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s, followed by the Microsoft Windows line of operating systems.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1970timeline.htm
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1970timeline.htm -
Tangshan Earthquake
Early in the morning of July 28, 1976, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit the Chinese city of Tangshan.Although many people who were trapped alive in the rubble were saved, the death toll reached over 240,000. The 1976 Tangshan earthquake was the deadliest earthquake of the 20th century.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/tangshanqt.htm -
Star Wars Movie Released
The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1970timeline.htm -
First Test-Tube Baby Born
On November 10, 1977, Lesley Brown underwent the very experimental in vitro ("in glass") fertilization procedure. This time, the doctors implanted the fertilized egg back into Brown in a shorter time period than they had previously tried.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1970s/qt/testtube.htm -
Mother Theresa Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
In 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitutes a threat to peace." -
Pac-Man
On May 22, 1980, the Pac-Man video game was released in Japan and by October of the same year it was released in the United States.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1980s/qt/Pac-Man.htm -
First Woman Appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court
On July 7, 1981, President Ronald Reagan nominated Sandra Day O'Connor to be the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1980s/qt/firstwomansupreme.htm -
E.T. Movie Released
The movie E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial was a hit from the day it was released (June 11, 1982) and quickly became one of the most beloved movies of all time.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1980s/qt/ETmovie.htm -
Cabbage Patch Kids are Popular
The name change to Cabbage Patch Kids was instigated by Roger Schlaifer before he secured the worldwide licensing rights to "Little People", and was the basis of the story co-authored in 1982 by Roger and his wife, Susanne Nance Schlaifer. An abbreviated version of the story was reproduced on every Cabbage Patch Kids product from 1983 onward.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1980timeline.htm -
PG-13 Movie Rating Created
On conferring with cinema owners, Valenti and the MPAA introduced the PG-13 rating on July 1, 1984, indicating that some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1980timeline.htm -
Hole in the Ozone Layer Discovered
The sudden recognition in 1985 that there was a substantial "hole" was widely reported in the press. The especially rapid ozone depletion in Antarctica had previously been dismissed as a measurement error.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1980timeline.htm -
Challenger Space Shuttle Explodes
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1980timeline.htm -
DNA First Used to Convict Criminals
DNA profiling (also called DNA testing, DNA typing, or genetic fingerprinting) is a technique employed by forensic scientists to assist in the identification of individuals by their respective DNA profiles. DNA profiles are encrypted sets of numbers that reflect a person's DNA makeup, which can also be used as the person's identifier.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1980timeline.htm -
Pan Am Flight 103 Is Bombed Over Lockerbie
At 7:03 p.m. on December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103, a London to New York flight, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. A total of 270 people were killed, 259 of which had been on board the plane and another 11 had been killed from the debris that hit the ground.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1980s/qt/panamflight103.htm -
The Fall of the Berlin Wall
In the evening of November 9, 1989, East German government official Günter Schabowski stated during a press conference that travel through the border to the West was open.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1980s/qt/berlinwallfalls.htm -
Nelson Mandela Freed
On 2 February 1990, State President F. W. de Klerk reversed the ban on the ANC and other anti-apartheid organisations, and announced that Mandela would shortly be released from prison. Mandela was released from Victor Verster Prison in Paarl on 11 February 1990. The event was broadcast live all over the world.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1990timeline.htm -
Otzi the Iceman
On September 19, 1991, two German tourists were hiking in the Otzal Alps near the Italian-Austrian border when they discovered Europe's oldest known mummy sticking out of the ice.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/Otzi.htm -
Official End of the Cold War
The Cold War (approx. 1945–1991) was a continuing state of political and military tension between the powers of the Western world, led by the United States and its NATO allies, and the communist world, led by the Soviet Union, its satellite states and allies.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1990timeline.htm -
Cult Compound in Waco, Texas Raided
After hearing reports that Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh had been abusing children and amassing a store of weapons, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) gathered resources and planned to raid the Branch Davidian compound, known as the Mount Carmel Center located just outside of Waco, Texas. With a warrant to search for illegal firearms in hand, the ATF attempted to storm the compound on February 28, 1993.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/waco.htm -
The Channel Tunnel
On May 6, 1994, the Channel Tunnel, also known as the Chunnel, officially opened.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/Channel-Tunnel-Opens.htm -
Oklahoma City Bombing
On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh drove a truck containing a home-made bomb up to the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. When the bomb exploded at 9:02 a.m., the building was decimated and 168 people were left dead.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/okcitybomb.htm -
Unabomber Arrested
Theodore Kaczynski also known as the "Unabomber" who engaged in a mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1990timeline.htm -
Princess Diana Dies in Car Crash
On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died after being involved in a car accident.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/dianadies.htm -
Titanic Most Successful Movie Ever
Upon its release on December 19, 1997, the film achieved critical and commercial success. It equaled records with fourteen Academy Award nominations and eleven wins, receiving the prizes for Best Picture and Best Director.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/timelines/tp/1990timeline.htm -
Killing Spree at Columbine High School
On April 20, 1999, two students of Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado planted bombs and opened fire on students within their school.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1990s/qt/columbine.htm -
Mad cow disease alarms Europe
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord.
http://www.infoplease.com/year/2000.html -
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/11) were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C. areas on September 11, 2001. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group Al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_11_attacks -
War on Terror
The United States State Department issues its report in the War on Terror. It states that there are seven nations that a State-Sponsors: Iran, Iraq, Cuba, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Columbia Explodes
A tragedy at NASA occurs when the Space Shuttle Columbia explodes upon reentry over Texas. All seven astronauts inside are killed.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Death of my husband
My husband died from being sick with alzheimer's. -
Mars Rover
Mars rover MER-B (Opportunity) confirms to NASA that the area of their landing was once covered in water.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina strikes the Gulf Coast, inundating the city of New Orleans with water from Lake Pontchartrain when the levees that maintain the below sea level city break.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Population of the United States
The population of the United States reaches the milestone of three hundred million, taking only forty-two years to gain one hundred million people since the two hundredth million person was added in 1964. At the same time, a vibrant debate on immigration policy, particularly illegal immigration, ensues across the nation.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
The Mitchell Report on the Steroids Scandal in baseball
The Mitchell Report on the Steroids Scandal in baseball is published. It recounted a year long investigation into the use and abuse of performance enhancing drugs over a two decade period, including steroids and human growth hormone.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Beijing Summer Olympic Games
Michael Phelps, the United States swimmer from Baltimore, wins his 8th Gold Medal of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games, surpassing the record of seven won by Mark Spitz.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
H1N1
The H1N1 virus, named the Swine Flu, is deemed a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. This is the first such designation since the Hong Kong flu in 1967-1968.
http://americasbesthistory.com/abhtimeline2000.html -
Haiti Earthquake
Earthquake occurs in Haiti killing 230,000 and destroying the majority of the capital Port-au-Prince.
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/2010 -
Oprah's last show
Oprah Winfrey airs her last show, ending her twenty five year run of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/2011 -
Tornadoes in Winter
Tornadoes kill at least 27 people in the American states of Indiana and Kentucky.
http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/2012 -
Neil Armstrong Becomes the First Man on the Moon
On July 20, 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission, astronaut Neil Armstrong opened the hatch of the lunar module (nicknamed Eagle) and stepped out onto the ladder. Once at the bottom of the ladder, Armstrong stepped onto the surface of the moon and became the very first man on the moon. A few minutes later, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin followed him.
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/qt/firstmanmoon.htm
