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14th Amendment
The 14th Amendment to the US Constitution grants citizenship to anyone born in the United States and guarantees due process and equal protection of the laws. -
Jonh D. Rockefeller
31-year-old John D. Rockefeller forms Standard Oil of Ohio. -
African Americans
Hiram R. Revels of Mississippi becomes the first African American to serve in the US Senate. Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina becomes the first black Representative. -
15th Amendment
The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to vote regardless "of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. -
The Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire claims 250 lives and destroys 17,500 buildings -
Women's suffrage
Susan B. Anthony and other women's suffrage advocates are arrested for attempting to vote in Rochester, N.Y. -
Civil Rights Act of 1875
Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1875 to guarantee equal use of public accommodations and places of public amusement. It also forbids the exclusion of African Americans from jury duty. -
The telephone
Inventor Alexander Graham Bell successfully transmits a human voice over a wire. The telephone will revolutionize personal and business communication. -
Light Bulb
Thomas Edison invents the light bulb. -
Time Zones
Railroads in the United States and Canada adopt a system of standard time.The four standard time zones adopted were eastern standard time, central daylight time, mountain standard time, and Pacific daylight time. -
Pullman Strike
Workers at the Pullman sleeping car plant in Chicago go on strike after the company cut wages without reducing rents in company-owned housing. -
The Maine
The battleship Maine blows up and sinks while anchored in Cuba's Havana harbor. -
Spanish-American War
As a result of the conflict, the United States acquires Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines.
