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Invention of the Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone on this date, allowing long distance communication. -
Rutherford B. Hayes Becomes President
Rutherford Birchard Hayes is sworn in as the 19th President of the United States. -
Chinese Exclusion Act Is Passed
Signed by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act provided an absolute 10-year moratorium on Chinese labor immigration in America. -
Dawes Act Is Passed
Approved on February 8, 1887, the Dawes Act focused specifically on breaking up reservations by granting land allotments to individual Native Americans. -
National Geographic Society Is Founded
The society began in Washington D.C. as a club for an elite group of academics and wealthy patrons interested in travel and exploration. It was created to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge. -
McKinley Tariff of 1890 Is Passed
On this date, the tariff was passed, and it increased average duties across all imports from 38% to 49.5%. -
Utah Becomes a State
President Grover Cleveland proclaimed Utah a state on an equal footing with the other states of the Union on this date. -
USS Maine Explodes
An explosion from an unknown origin sunk the battleship, USS Maine, in Cuba's Havana harbor, killing 268 American crew members aboard. -
Newlands Resolution Is Passed
This was a joint resolution passed on July 4, 1898, by the United States Congress, to annex the independent Republic of Hawaii. -
Treaty of Paris Is Signed
Signed by the United States and Spain on December 10, 1898, and taking effect the following year, this treaty ended the Spanish-American War, while ceding Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.