Info about Famous Days
Famous days in US History
The history of the United States is vast as are the most famous and important days in history. If you live in the United States or are studying important events in the country’s history, it helps to have somewhat of a timeline which marks all of the most important dates. What is important or vital information to one person may be different from the next, but the following are known as “famous” days in US history, or dates that most US History professors will want their students to learn as well as being marks in history that made an impact of future society, culture and government practices.
1492-1789
The beginning of US History begins in 1492 when Christopher Columbus discovered what is now known as the Bahamas. In 1507, the country officially became known as America by Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer. Over the next few years many important events occurred including the exploration of the California coast in 1542, building settlements in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, The French creating the colony of Louisiana in 1699 and of course the creation of the 13 American colonies in 1733. The Boston Tea Party began in 1773 and the American Revolution lasted from 1775-1783 followed by the 13 colonies signing the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The constitution was written in 1787 and the first president of the United States elected in 1789.
1804-1876
In 1804, slavery was officially made illegal in the northern-most states of the US followed by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark (Lewis and Clark) exploring the Missouri Valley by 1807. The “Trail of Tears” in which American Indians were forced off their homeland lasted from 1838-1838, Gold was found in California in 1848 beginning the Gold Rush and Abraham Lincoln became president of the United States in 1860. As Abraham Lincoln was becoming president, the Native Americans were fighting US for their land which lasted from 1860-1890. In 1863 came The Battle of Gettysburg followed by President Lincoln’s murder in 1865 and the election of Andrew Johnson as president. In 1876 the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Ball, one of the most prolific inventions in the country’s history.
1901-1955
The 1900’s began with President McKinley being assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt becoming president in 1901 followed by Boston beating Pittsburgh in the first World Series in 1903. The airplane was invented by the Wright Brothers in 1903 and the Panama Canal was declared independent the same year. The first movie ever played, The Great Train Robbery, played in 1903 as well. World War l began in 1914 which the US joined in 1917 until it ended in 1918 by the Treaty of Versailles. The Great Depression began in 1929 after the October 24th Wall Street Crash which resulted in one of the largest financial crisis’s of US History. World War ll began in 1939 which lased until 1945 when Japan surrendered. The Korean War began in 1950 and ended in 1953 and one of the most monumental dates of the 1950’s happened in 1955 when Rosa Parks triggered the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
1964-1991
In 1964, Civil right laws were passed in the United States and Medicare went into effect in 1965 followed by the assignation of Malcolm X that same year. The National Organization for Women was founded in 1966, The first Woodstock Music Festival began in 1969 and President Nixon resigned in 1974. The very first Apple home computer was sold in 1977, MTV debuted in 1981 and the AIDS virus epidemic was discovered in 1984. The Cold War finally ended in 1991.
1992-2010
The infamous riots of Los Angeles began in 1992 after the Rodney King beating verdict was announced and the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski bombed the Alfred Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma in 1995. The Internet revolution began in 1998 followed by the worst school killing in the country’s history in 1999 when two students shot up Columbine in Colorado. One of the most famous dates in history was September 11th, 2001 when the World Trade Center and Pentagon were destroyed killing thousands of innocent people. Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005 and the legendary Rosa Parks died in 2005 as well. In 2007 the next big school killing happened in Virginia, called the Virginia Tech Massacre and in 2009,, Michael Jackson died.