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1492
Christoper Columbus' First Voyage
In August 1492, 90 sailors set sail Westward towards India. The ships were not very efficient, only making 170 miles a day. On October 12, land was spotted. The inhabitants of the island they landed on joined on the beach and Columbus, believing they were in the Indies, called them Indians. -
Feb 9, 1540
The First Horse Race
The first recorded race meet in England at the Roodee Fields, also known as the Chester Racecourse. -
Jamestown Colony
It was the first successful and lasting English colony. The exploration started with 100 men and by 1608 only 38 people were left in the colony due to disease. The winter of 1609-1610 was considered the "starving times," and by the spring of 1610 only 60 colonists were left alive. (AHoON) -
Boxing Reappears in the West
Boxing first reappears in the West, with the first documented "boxing match" took place in Britain when the Duke of Albemarle engineered a bout between his butler and his butcher, which was won by the butcher. -
The French and Indian War Begins
In 1753, the French began building forts to defend the land between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. This news frightened the Virginia Colony, which had thought the Ohio River Valley was theirs. After losses at Fort Duquesne, Fort Niagra, and Lake George, Britain declared war on France in 1756. (AHoON) -
Proclamation Line of 1763
According to the Proclamation of 1763 Article 18-19, the Proclamation of 1763 was a document issued by King George III of England that prohibited American colonial settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. Native Americans had claimed these lands, and Britain hoped to avoid costly Indian wars. -
Treaty of Paris of 1763
After France lost the battle at Quebec, the French could no longer control all of its North American strongholds. Britain and France signed the Treaty of Paris which gave Britain and Spain almost all of its possessions. Britain got Canada, all French territory to the East of the Mississippi River and it also got Spanish Florida. New Orleans and al the other French territory to the West of the Mississippi was given to Spain. (AHoON) -
Sports in the Revolutionary War
Several sports were hosted during the Revolutionary War. These sports were played to keep the soldiers in shape for battle during their off-time. Some of the sports that were played were marksmanship, swimming and some forms of javelin, shot put, and taekwondo (fist fighting). -
The Colonies Declare Independence
On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee proposed the idea of the colonies declaring independence. He made a committee to draft the Declaration, which was made up of Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. On July 2, 1776, Congress passed the Lee Resolution and on July 4, 1776, Congress formally approved the Declaration of Independence. (HL) -
Indian Removal Act
According to the History Alive! Textbook, In 1830, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, that cleared the Native Americans from lands East of the Mississippi River. The plan was to move the tribes west to Indian Territory, which later became the state of Oklahoma. -
The Invention of Baseball
Alexander Cartwright invented the modern baseball field in 1845. Alexander Cartwright and the members of his New York Knickerbocker Base Ball Club created the first rules that were accepted for the modern game of baseball. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a Compromise that added California as a free state. The Compromise also added the New Mexico and Utah Territories as states based off of Popular Soveregnty. Finally, the Compromise of 1850 banned the slave trade in Washington D.C. (History Alive!) -
John Morrissey, American Boxing Champion
Morrissey appeared in a professional prizefighting ring, and on 31 August 1852, he defeated George Thompson at Mare Island, California. This success encouraged him to return to New York to fight the American Champion, Yankee Sullivan. Morrissey challenged Sullivan repeatedly until the latter finally agreed. The fight between Morrissey and Sullivan was scheduled for October 12, 1853. In the 37th round, Sullivan lost after he was adjudged to have struck Morrissey with a "foul blow" -
The Open Championship was First Held
The Open Championship was first held in 1860 in England and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2010. The Open is played on some of the world’s finest links courses: the Old Course at St Andrew's and Royal Troon. Many of the leading golfers of their generation have won The Open such as Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. -
Black Codes
Black codes were laws written by counties or states, and limited African-Americans to do very particular things in the certain county. In South Carolina, a law prohibited blacks from doing anything other than farming or being a servant unless they paid an annual tax of $10 to $100. While the codes granted some freedom to African Americans—including the right to buy and own property—their primary purpose was to restrict blacks’ labor and activity. (history.com) -
The End of the Civil War
On April 9, 1865, after four grueling years of war, the Confederacy finally surrendered and gave up the fight. Generals Lee and Grant met at the location of the actual first battle, and they agreed to the terms of the Confederate's surrender. The surrender conditions allowed the Confederate generals to keep their weapons and any troops who claimed a horse was able to keep the horse. Lastly, and most importantly, each soldier was able to return home without being bothered by the US anymore. -
Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
According to the Ethnic Neighborhood and Nativism Notes, the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 was the first federal law to limit immigration. Even though no more than 40,000 Chinese immigrants came to America and they were about 0.5% of the number of immigrants as of 1900. Also, the Chinese helped build the Transcontinental Railroad. -
1st World Series
The first World Series was between the Boston Americans and the Pittsburg Pirates in a best of 9 series. Boston won 5 games to 3, winning their last four. -
Soccer in WWI
After war was declared, it was expected that the Football Association (FA) was expected to shut down, but opposing common opinion, the 1914-15 season was still played out. Soccer was used for fitness and a morale boost for soldiers. Also, on Christmas Day, 1914 a soccer match was played between the German and British soldiers (Imperial War Museum). -
The Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand
On June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, by Gavrilo Princip. The assassination quickly set off a chain of major events, having the Austria-Hungarian Empire accuse Serbia of the assassination, declaring war on them, escalating to having all Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, Great Britain, France, Russia, and Serbia fighting in the war. -
The Shutdown of Sports During WWII
During WWII, over 350 college football teams shut down their programs including Harvard, Princeton, Oregon, Stanford, Florida, and Mississippi State. Also, because of a lack of players in the NFL, teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles combined to make it easier to play (Warfare History Network). -
Dropping of the First Atomic Bomb
On August 6, 1945, an atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan and over 80,000 people died at the impact of the bomb. The impact also toppled over 60,000 structures and combined with the bomb dropped on Nagasaki, over 250,000 people may have died. (History Alive!) -
Super Bowl I
In 1967, Super Bowl I was held between the AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the NFC champions, the Green Bay Packers. The Green Bay Packers won the game 35-10. The game was held in the LA Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. -
Miracle on Ice
At the Lake Placid Winter Olympics in 1980, an American team of amateur and college hockey players beat the juggernaut that was the Russian Hockey Team for the Gold Medal. The Russian team also played and destroyed the NHL All-Stars earlier in the year. A Sports Illustrated Magazine later coined the game the "Miracle on Ice" as well as the greatest sports moment in the 20th century. -
End of the Cold War
After 46 years of conflict and threats, the Cold War ends. The Cold War was a war that didn't have any battles and it was between the United States and the Soviet Union. After the end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union dissolved and 14 new republics were made. (End Of Cold War Class Notes)
