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Thomas Edison invents the phonograph, a device for recording and reproducing sound.
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The Compromise of 1877 resolves the disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election, leading to Rutherford B. Hayes's presidency.
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The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States by France.
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The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States by France.
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The Brooklyn Bridge opens to traffic.
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The first modern skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, is completed.
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The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York Harbor.
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The U.S. Census Bureau declares that the frontier is "closed," marking the end of the frontier era.
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The Populist Party is founded in the United States.
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The Spanish-American War begins
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The Wright brothers make their first successful airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
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World War I begins in Europe
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The United States enters World War I.
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World War I ends with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
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The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
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The stock market crashes, triggering the Great Depression.
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Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes president and implements the New Deal to address the Great Depression.
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World War II begins in Europe with Germany's invasion of Poland
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Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II.
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World War II ends with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan.