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First Game Of Football
Rutgers and Princeton played what was billed as the first college football game. However, it wasn't until the 1880s that a great rugby player from Yale, Walter Camp, pioneered rules changes that slowly transformed rugby into the new game of American Football -
First game of Soccer
Scotland v England was the first ever official international association football match to be played. It was contested by the national teams of Scotland and England -
The construction of the Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal beginsunder French auspices, although it would eventually fail on the sea level canal in 1893, and would be bought out by the United States twenty-four years later under President Theodore Roosevelt -
The 20th President of the United States
James A. Garfield, is shot by lawyer Charles J. Guiteau in the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad station in Washington, D.C. He would die two months later on September 19, 1881 from an infection -
First Ever Game Of Basketball
he first game of basketball was played at what is now Springfield College. The game was invented by a Canadian, Dr. James Naismith, a versatile athlete, theologian, and physical education instructor, who envisioned the time when Christian people would recognize the true value of athletics. -
First Movie Theater
the first permanent home for showing movies in the United States was opened at 623 Canal Street, corner of Exchange Alley. The name of the theatre was Vitascope Hall. Cost for admission was 10 cents. For an extra 10 cents, you could get a look into the booth where the man was operating the vitascope. If you really wanted to splurge, for another 10 cents you could get a frame of discarded film -
Wilbur and Orville Wright
The only flight taken together by Wilbur and Orville Wright occurs at Huffman Prairie Flying Field in Dayton, Ohio. Later that same year, on November 7, the first flight to carry freight would depart from Huffman and deliver its cargo to Columbus, Ohio -
The Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500 auto race is run for the first time in Indianapolis, Indiana. The race is won by Ray Harroun in the Marmon Wasp -
The first transcontinental airline flight
Technology moves forward. The first transcontinental airline flight was begun in New York by C.P. Rodgers. It would complete its journey to Pasadena, California after numerous stops and 82 hours and 4 minutes in the air on November 5 -
first election of a Democratic candidate
Woodrow Wilson overcame a three way race for the presidency when former President Teddy Roosevelt donned the nomination of the Progressive Party to tackle the election against Wilson and incumbent President and Republican William Howard Taft. This split caused the election of Wilson, who garnered 435 Electoral College votes to 88 for Roosevelt and only 8 for Taft -
The 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg
The 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg commemorates the Civil War battle. It draws thousands of remaining veterans of the battle and their families to the site of the Gettysburg Address and the northernmost battle of the war -
Ford Motor Company
The first moving assembly line is introduced and adopted for mass production by the Ford Motor Company, allowing automobile construction time to decrease by almost 10 hours per vehicle -
ship Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat submarine
The British ship Lusitania is sunk by a German U-boat submarine, causing 128 American passengers to be lost. Germany, although it warned of the pending crises to passengers, issued an apology to the United States and promised payments -
Time zones
Time zones are officially established by an act of the United States Congress with daylight savings time to go into effect on March 31 -
Nevada becoming the 36th state
With the state of Nevada becoming the 36th state to ratify the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, prohibition becomes the law of the land. It would remain illegal to consume and sell alcoholic beverages in the United States until passage of the 21st Amendment -
The Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles is signed, ending World War I -
first major scandal in Major League Baseball
In the first major scandal in Major League Baseball, and to this day, the worst, nine players from the Chicago White Sox throw the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds. It is forever known as the Black Sox Scandal with players, such as immortal Shoeless Joe Jackson, banned from the game and Hall of Fame forever -
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an animated anthropomorphic mouse created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. Mickey is, by far, The Walt Disney Company's most famous character and serves as the company's mascot. -
The Star-Spangled Banner
by Francis Scott Key, is approved by President Hoover and Congress as the national anthem. The lyrics of the anthem were inspired during the bombing of Fort McHenry by British ships at the head of Baltimore harbor in September of 1814 -
The Civilian Conservation Corps
The New Deal social and economic programs are passed by the United States Congress in a special one hundred day session to address depression era economics. The gold standard was dropped on April 19 and ratified during the time of this session on June 5. Canada also drops using the gold standard -
The Social Security Act
he Social Security Act is passed by Congress as part of the New Deal legislation and signed into law by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. It would begin payouts to retirees within two years. Workers began contributing into the system during the same year, at a rate of 2% of the first $3,000 in earnings, half paid by the employee and half paid by the employer -
The Naval Expansion Act
The National Minimum Wage is signed into law within the federal legislation known as the Fair Labor Standards Act. It established a minimum wage of $0.25 at the time, as well as time and one half for overtime and the prohibition of most employment for minors -
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited park in the National Park Service today, is officially dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The park, whose land had been acquired in part by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. with a $5 million contribution, straddles the North Carolina and Tennessee state lines -
The Lend-Lease Act
The Lend-Lease Act is approved, which provided $7 billion in military credits for American manufactured war supplies to Great Britain and other allies; in the fall, a similar Lend-Lease pact would be approved for the USSR with a $1 billion loan -
The attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, commences at 7:55 a.m. when Japanese fighter planes launch a surprise attack on United States soil, destroying the U.S. Pacific Fleet docked at the base. This attack, which took the greatest amount of U.S. naval life in history with 1,177 sailor and marines perishing in the attack, as well as the loss or damage to twenty-one naval ships, led to the entry of American troops into World War II. One day later, the United States of America declares war on Japan, of -
President Roosevelt dies
President Roosevelt dies suddenly; Vice President Harry S. Truman assumes the presidency and role as commander in chief of World War II -
National Basketball Association
The Basketball Association of America, known as the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 1949 after its merger with the rival National Basketball League, is founded -
two-way wireless communication
The first two-way wireless communication between Europe and the United States is accomplished by Guglielmo Marconi when he transmits a message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the King of England from a telegraph station in South Wellfleet, Massachusetts -
T.V get color
The first color televisions go on sale -
The Daytona 500
The Daytona 500 stock car race is run for the first time with Lee Petty taking the first checkered flag -
Tiros I
Tiros I, the first weather satellite, is launched by the United States. Twelve days later, the navigation satellite, Transat 1-b is launched -
admission of Hawaii
The fifty star flag of the United States is debuted in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reflecting the admission of Hawaii into the union in 1959 -
first U.S. astronaut in orbit in the Friendship 7 Mercury
Lt. Colonel John Glenn becomes the first U.S. astronaut in orbit in the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule. He would circle the earth three times before returning to earth, remaining aloft for four hours and fifty-five minutes -
The Seattle Century 21 Exposition
e Seattle Century 21 Exposition, the first world's fair held in the United States since World War II, opens under the theme of space exploration. Over 9.6 million visitors would attend the exposition over 184 days in central Seattle, whose monorail still travels inside the city -
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first humans on the Moon, Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin Armstrong became the first to step onto the lunar surface six hours later on July 21 at 02:56 -
Muhammad Ali First Championship
Muhammad Ali, who was then known as Cassius Clay, was an Olympic champion who had won his first 19 professional fights.22-year-old Cassius Clay became the world heavyweight boxing champion, defeating Sonny Liston in an upset -
The Voting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Two significant portions of the act; the outlawing of the requirement of potential voters to take a literacy test in order to qualify and the provision of federal registration of voters in areas with less than 50% of all voters registered -
Tom & Jerry
Television's Tom and Jerry series debuted on CBS Saturday mornings. This series was an anthology package of the previously produced Tom and Jerry cartoons, with a few other MGM cartoons -
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre, the site of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865 in Washington, D.C., reopens to the public. It had been restored to its original appearance and use as a theatre, now comprising the Ford's Theatre National Historic Site -
first Earth Day
The first Earth Day celebration is held with millions of Americans participating in anti-pollution demonstrations. These demonstrations included school children walking to school instead of riding the bus -
Disney World
Walt Disney World opens in Orlando, Florida, expanding the Disney empire to the east coast of the United States -
1980 Winter Olympics Games
The opening ceremonies of the 1980 Winter Olympics Games are held in Lake Placid, New York. One of the most thrilling moments include the Miracle on Ice when a team of U.S. amateur ice hockey players defeated the vaunted Soviet Union professional all-star team in the semi-final game, then won the gold medal over Finland. U.S. speed skater Eric Heiden also concluded one of the most amazing feats in sports history. -
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial
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 -
Martin Luther King Day
Martin Luther King Day is officially observed for the first time as a federal holiday in the United States. -
Black Monday
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 -
The Central Committee of the Soviet Communist
The Central Committee of the SovietCommunist Party gives up its monopoly of power, continuing the trend, since the beginning of the Berlin Wall coming down, that the Cold War was about to end. The ending of the Cold War was completed, in many ways, by the strong policies of U.S. President Ronald Reagan toward the Soviet block. Six days later, a plan to reunite Germany was announced -
The largest art theft in U.S. history
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 -
treaty to eliminate chemical weapon
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 -
Tumacacori National Monument
Tumacacori National Monument is enlarged and re-titled a Historical Park by legislation signed into law by President George H.W. Bush. The site, including the historic Spanish mission church of San Jose de Tumacacori, was founded by Padre Eusebio Kino in 1691
