-
12,345 BCE
Fire (1.7 million years ago)
Fire is the most important thing discovered by humans ever. It brought us to where we are today. Fire helped humans cook food, stay warm, have light, etc.(History Channel). -
3500 BCE
The Wheel
The wheel completely changed the course of history by allowing faster, easier travel. However, the first wheels were not used for transportation, but rather for pottery. 300 years after the wheel was used for pottery wheels, was when the first chariot-like vehicle was created(Smithsonian Mag.). -
Oct 12, 1492
The Arrival of Colombus
Christopher Colombus traveled from Spain, looking for a faster route to India. Instead of finding what he was searching for, he landed on a new continent. This continent was North America, and Christopher Colombus had just discovered the Carribean. Although he had no idea of these discoveries, he is still credited as the first person to discover the Americas. (History Lessons) -
1543
The Heliocentric Theory
The theory was that the Earth revolved around the sun. This was first proposed by Nicolaus Copernicus, a polish scientist, and it was different than all other beliefs of astronomy at the time. Copernicus helped realize this truth and led us to learn even more about space(Britannica). -
The Success of Jamestown
Before Jamestown, the British had attempted to colonize America, to no avail. Jamestown became the first successful British colony in North America and started a new wave of immigration. Jamestown paved the way for the thirteen colonies(History Lessons). -
The Discovery of Gravity
Legend has it that Sir Isaac Newton came up with the law of gravity when he saw an apple falling. Newton published a book in 1687 that included his ideas on gravity and the laws of motion. These discoveries were extremely important to science and are still just as relevant today as they were back then(Stanford University). -
Period: to
The French and Indian War
This war was between the French, the British, and the Indians. The Indians were on the French's side, due to their good relations. The British were victorious and gained lots of land in North America because of it(America: Story of Our Nation). -
Germ Theory
In 1762, Marcus Antonius Plenciz wrote a book stating that living agents in the air were the cause of infectious disease. He was one of the very first to come up with this idea. Although he didn't have any proof for his theory, his ideas eventually helped advance the world of medicine(World Cat). -
The Virginia Stamp Act
Was a tax imposed on the colonists by the British that forced them to buy a stamp for every paper product they used. Colonists were in outrage from it, and it was eventually repealed. This was one of the first of rising tensions between Britain and its colony(History Alive!). -
The Boston Massacre
This was one of the actions that greatly increased tensions between the British and the colonists. This event was when a small group of British soldiers fired into an unhappy crowd of colonists. Paul Revere, a silversmith, made an engraving depicting the event, and naming it the Boston Massacre(History Alive!). -
The First Battery
Alessandro Volta was the first to create a working wet-cell battery. Batteries are extremely important for modern technology and life cannot be imagined without them( -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Lousiana Purchase was the buying of the Louisiana territory by the U.S. from France. The territory was about 827 million acres and was bought for 15 million dollars. This doubled the size of America at the time(History Alive!).` -
The Atom
John Dalton is credited with the discovery of the atom, but others had theorized about it before. However, he was able to prove that different atoms had different weights, and he made the first model of the atom. This paved the way for discoveries such as the atomic bomb and nuclear fission(Brittannica). -
The Trail of Tears
The Trail of Tears was the result of the Indian Removal Act signed by President Andrew Jackson. This act allowed the U.S. to force the Indians to be moved from their homes to what is now Oklahoma. More than 17,000 Cherokees died in the travel(History Alive!). -
The Compromise of 1850
Law introduced by Henry Clay that drew a line dividing the North and South. New states above the line would be free and new states below the line would be slave states. This law also included the Fugitive Slave Law, which forced citizens to help catch runaway slaves. This "compromise" was supposed to satisfy both sides, but it was unable to(History Alive!). -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle of the Civil War. It started when a southern ship fired on the Federal owned fort in Charleston Harbor. It was a 34-hour long exchange of shells, with the fort firing 1,000, and the South firing 4,000. Only one man died, after the battle was over(Fort Sumter Classwork). -
Period: to
Reconstruction
-
The Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
The Transcontinental Railroad was a train track that stretched across the entire U.S. It was built over a period of six years, with help from the Chinese and the Irish. The railroad united the East and West by turning a four-month trip into a ten-day trip(America the Story of Us. -
Period: to
Trench Warfare
Strategy used in WWI where both armies would bunker up in trenches and fire at each other from long distance. This led to the use of chemical weapons and machine guns, along with the invention of tanks(The World Wars). -
Discovery that the Universe is Expanding
In 1929, Edwin Hubble observed galaxies receding from the Milky Way. This was contrary to the popular belief that the universe was static. This was a huge breakthrough in cosmology and is still important today -
The Atomic Bomb
The Atomic Bomb has completely changed warfare since it was first invented. It was created soon after nuclear fission was discovered, which is using radioactive elements to split atoms and create a lot of energy. The first atomic bomb ever dropped on humans was in Hiroshima during World War II(History Channel). -
D-Day
The landing of a massive allied force on the beaches of Normandy. This attack led to the reclaiming of most of Europe, conquered by Hitler earlier in the war. This was the turning point in WII in Europe(History Alive!). -
Period: to
The Cold War
The Cold War was a time of high tension between the U.S. and the USSR. It was linked with the invention of the atomic bomb, which meant that any violent conflict could end in disaster. Two important events during this time are the Korean War and the Cuban Missile Crisis(Cold War Ends Notes). -
Sputnik
Sputnik was the first satellite in orbit around the Earth. It was built and sent up by the Soviet Union, America's biggest rival, starting the Space Race between the two countries. This was a huge step towards space travel(Nasa -
CRSPR
This scientific breakthrough will allow scientists to edit genetic code. Soon they will be able to use a gel to attempt to cure a type of cancer. If these tests are succesful they can stop so many people from dying from horrible diseases like cancer.
