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First Transcontinental railroad finished
The First Transcontinental Railroad was the first railroad in the US to connect the West coast to the already existing rail system in Iowa. Surveys were completed between 1853 and 1855 to determine a route, and in 1862 the project was authorized by the Pacific Railroad Acts. The railroad was 1776 miles long, and was constructed between 1863 and 1869 by three private companies. -
Knights of Labor started
Knights of Labor the first important national labor organization in the United States, founded in 1869 was based in a belief in the unity of interest of all producing groups shopkeepers and farmers as well as laborer’s. KOL was unwilling to initiate strikes or use other forms of economic pressure to gain the union’s objectives. Membership in the Knights grew after the railway strike in 1877 and the Knights were the dominant labor organization in the United States. -
Bell invents telephone
Before Alexander Graham Bell made that first, historic telephone call in 1876, the telegraph was the fastest way to communicate long distance, but it had its limits. Bell channeled his interest in speech and music into experiments that led to a ground-breaking invention. The first telephone worked because Bell understood the science of sound and, with the help of an engineer named Thomas Watson, had the determination to improve the way the world communicates. -
Battle of Little Bighorn
Battle of Little Bighorn lasted for less than one hour. It was a major conflict in Great Sioux War. 1500 Native American Indians against 700 soldiers of the US Army. The leaders were General George Custer was in command and the leaders of the Native Indians were Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and Chief Gall. The larger force of Native Indians, led by Chief Sitting Bull, attack General Custer and the outnumbered 7th Cavalry. The conflict lasts for under one hour and Custer and his men are all killed. -
Chief Joseph surrender
Chief Joseph feared retaliation by the government and tried to take his people to safety. After their capture, the Nez Percé were moved to Kansas, Chief Joseph went to Washington D.C. to meet with the president. Finally, in 1885, Chief Joseph and his followers were allowed to return to the Pacific Northwest, close to their old home, thanks to the persistence and courage of Chief Joseph. His Indian name reflected his strength: Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain. -
Edison invents electric light bulb
In 1878, Thomas Edison began serious research into developing a practical incandescent lamp and on October 14, 1878, Edison filed his first patent application for "Improvement In Electric Lights". However, he continued to test several types of material for metal filaments to improve upon his original design and by Nov 4, 1879, he filed another U.S. patent for an electric lamp using "a carbon filament or strip coiled and connected ... to platina contact wires." -
Statue of Liberty erected
On October 28, 1886, the statue of "Liberty Enlightening the World" was officially unveiled. Parades on land and sea honored the Statue while flags and music filled the air and the official dedication took place beneath the colossus "glistening with rain." When it was time for Bartholdi to release the tricolor French flag that veiled Liberty's face, a roar of guns, whistles, and applause sounded. -
American Federation of Labor started
The American Federation of Labor (AFL) was organized in 1886. During Gompers' presidency, the AFL rose to more than 4 million members by 1920, after which its membership declined until 1933, when it was not much more than 2 million. The purpose of the AFL was to organize skilled workers into national unions consisting of others in the same trade. Their purpose was not political, and aimed simply at shorter hours, higher wages, and better working conditions. -
Duryea invents gasoline automobile
Charles E. Duryea and J. Frank Duryea created the first successful American gasoline-powered automobile. The Duryea consisted of a one-cylinder gasoline engine, with electrical ignition, installed in a secondhand carriage. It first ran on September 21, 1893. -
NAACP begins
NAACP was created to work for the abolition of segregation and discrimination in housing, education, employment, voting, and transportation; to oppose racism; and to ensure African Americans their constitutional rights. The NAACP was created by an interracial group consisting of W.E.B. Du Bois, Ida Bell Wells-Barnett, Mary White Ovington, and others concerned with the challenges facing African Americans. Some of the founding members had been associated with the Niagara Movement.
