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100,000 BCE
300 million years ago...Cumberland Gap
300 million years BC, a meteorite the size of Central Park, Hurtles towards earth. With the force of 100,000 atomic bombs, it smashes into the Appalachian Mountains. The Cumberland Gap is born. -
50,000 BCE
Great Migration from Africa
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Period: 15,000 BCE to 20,000 BCE
Crossing of Beringia into North America
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11,000 BCE
End of the Ice Age
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1492
Columbus comes to the Americas
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1519
Hernando Cortéz conquers Moctezuma
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James Town is founded
The English arrive in Virginia and found James Town, the first permanent English colony. -
Pilgrims arrive in Plymouth
The Pilgrims arrive in present day Massachusetts and establish the second, permanent English colony -
Charter of Maryland Colony given to George Calvert
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Boston Massacre
There was a mob of colonists in Boston. There were soldiers stationed there to control the colonists. One colonist said a soldier should get a job cleaning toilets to pay for food. Then things got very violent, especially on the colonists’ part. One colonist hit a soldier with a large stick. The soldiers fired into this angry mob. 5 colonists died, 3 were hurt. The worst part is that on this day, across the Atlantic Ocean, the stamp act was repealed. Word simply couldn’t travel fast enough. -
First Continental Congress Meeting
Angered by the British actions in the Boston Massacre, the colonies send 56 representatives to gather in the first continental congress in Philadelphia. They formed armed militias across the colonies and prepare themselves for attack. This is the first step towards American Democracy. -
Battle of Lexington and Concord
900 redcoats left their barracks in Boston for Lexington and Concord and marched 20 miles. They were met with expecting colonists. Both stood in straight lines and fought after the first bullet was fired. We were outnumbered, with only 60 minutemen. Inevitably, we were defeated. -
Samuel Slater
After memorizing the workings of the machinery inside one of England's mills, Samuel left for New York and started building these machines from memory. 5 years later, Samuel built a second mill. After Samuel was joined by his brother, he built another. People started making their own machines. Then mills weren't only built in New England but in other states. By 1809, there were 62 spinning mills in the country, with 31,000 spindles and 25 more mills being built or in planning stages. -
Luisiana Purchase
The Luisiana territory was purchased from the French in 1803. -
Lewis and Clark's expedition
Lewis and Clark begin their expedition in August of 1804 and reached the Pacific Ocean in November of 1805. Then they returned in September of 1806 -
Cherokee syllabary completed by Sequoyah
After 12 years of work Sequoyah finishes his syllabary. -
Trail of Tears
A government sanctioned migration of several Indian tribes starts in 1830. By the end of this, nearly 16,000 collective deaths had occurred.