-
Period: to
Population Growth
The 1890 census indicates a population in the United States of 62,979,766, an increase of 25.5% since the 1880 census. Twenty miles east of Columbus, Indiana is now the geographic center of U.S. population. Census returns for the first time use Herman Hollerith's tabulating machine and punch cards; Hollerith's firm would become IBM. -
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C. is created when President Benjamin Harrison signs legislation creating natural preservation in the wooded valley within urban District of Columbia. -
Battle of Wounded Knee
The Battle of Wounded Knee, South Dakota, occurs in the last major battle between United States troops and Indians. Hundreds of Indian men, women, and children are slain, along with twenty-nine soldiers. -
Copyright Act of 1891
The 51st Congress of the United States passes the International Copyright Act of 1891.
Copyright Act - is the first U.S. congressional act that extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations.
It was the first U.S. congressional act that offered copyright protection in the United States to citizens of countries other than the United States. The act extended limited protection to foreign copyright holders from select nations. -
Music Hall
Carnegie Hall, then known as Music Hall, opens its doors in New York with its first public performance under the guest conductor, Tchaikovsky. -
Motion Picture Film
The first showing to a public audience, the convention of the National Federation of Women's Clubs, of Thomas A. Edison's new strip motion picture film occurred at Edison's West Orange, New Jersey laboratory. -
First Current
Alternating current is transmitted for the first time by the Ames power plant near Telluride, Colorado by Lucien and Paul Nunn. -
Ellis Island
Ellis Island, in New York Harbor, opens as the main east coast immigration center, and would remain the initial debarkation point for European immigrants into the United States until its closure in 1954. More than 12 million immigrants would be processed on the island during those years. Ellis Island replaced Castle Garden, in Manhattan, as the New York immigration center. -
Basketball
James Naismith publishes the rules of basketball and the first official game of basketball is held five days later at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. -
General Electric Company
The General Electric Company is formed, merging the Edison General Electric Company with the Thomson-Houston Company. -
Pledge of Allegiance
The first recital of the Pledge of Allegiance in U.S. public schools is done to mark the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. -
President Cleveland
Grover Cleveland returns to the presidency with his victory in the presidential election over incumbent President Benjamin Harrison and People's Party candidate James Weaver. Weaver, who would receive over 1 million votes and 22 Electoral College votes, helped defeat Harrison, who garnered only 145 Electoral College votes to Cleveland's 277. -
Period: to
Intervene in Hawaii
The United States Marines, under the direction of U.S. government minister John L. Stevens, but no authority from the U.S. Congress, intervene in the affairs of the independent Kingdom of Hawaii, which culminated in the overthrow of the government of Hawaiian Queen Liliuokalani. -
Chicago World Columbian Exposition
The 1893 Chicago World Columbian Exposition, held on 686 acres and known affectionately as the "White City," opens to the public. The world's fair hosted fifty nations and twenty-six colonies. Known today as the architectural wonder that saw replication of the styles of its white buildings throughout the United States in many public buildings for years to come, as well as the public initiation to the Ferris Wheel, a behemoth construction that held up to 2,160 riders. -
Start of the Panic of 1893
The New York Stock Exchange collapses, starting the financial panic of 1893. It would lead to a four year period of depression. -
Oklahoma Land Raceor the Cherokee Strip Land Run
The 4th of five land runs in Oklahoma's dash, known as the Oklahoma Land Raceor the Cherokee Strip Land Run, opened seven million acres of the Cherokee Strip. It was purchased from the Indian tribe for $7,000,000. Nearly 100,000 people gathered around the 42,000 claims that were available to the first person, with a certificate, to stake a claim. -
Chicago World's Fair Closed
The Chicago World's Fair closes after 179 days of public admission and over 25 million in attendance. It cost $27,291,715 and included a moving sidewalk and the first sighting of picture postcards. Considered by many historians as the greatest national event in American history through the year 1900. -
Women Vote
Women in Colorado are granted the right to vote. -
Kinetoscope
The first public showing of Thomas Edison's kinetoscope motion picture is held. -
March of the Unemployed
In a march of five hundred unemployed workers into Washington, D.C. that had begun on March 25 in Massillon, Ohio, leader James S. Coxey is arrested for treason. -
Boxing Motion Picture Film
The fight between heavyweight boxing champ "Gentleman Jim" Corbett and Peter Courtney is caught on motion picture film by Thomas Edison at the "Black Maria" studio of his New Jersey laboratory. -
Shiloh National Military Park
Shiloh National Military Park in Shiloh, Tennessee is created to commemorate the field of the two day battle in April of 1862. It was one of the largest engagement between Union and Confederate forces in the western theatre of the U.S. Civil War. -
Federick Douglass
Frederick Douglass, the ex-slave who rose to prominence in national politics as a civil rights advocate and abolitionist during Civil War times died at his home in Washington, D.C. -
Football
The first professional football game is played in Latroble, Pennsylvania. The Latrobe YMCA defeated the Jeannette Athletic Club 12-0. -
Golf
The first United States Golf Open run by the USGA is held in Newport, Rhode Island. A thirty-six hole competition between ten professionals and one amateur, the winner was Englishman Horace Rawlins, who received prize money of $150. -
Period: to
Olympics
The first modern Olympic Games is held in Athens, Greece. Thirteen nations participated, including the United States of America. It was held in Panathinaiko Stadium and had originated from an 1894 congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin who established the International Olympic Committee. -
Plessy vs. Ferguson
Plessy versus Ferguson decision by the Supreme Court states that racial segregation is approved under the "separate but equal" doctrine. -
GOLD
Gold is discovered by Skookum Jim Mason, George Carmack and Dawson Charlie near Dawson, Canada, setting up the Klondike Gold Rush which would cause a boom in travel and golf fever from Seattle to prospector sites surrounding Skagway, Alaska. -
President McKinley
Republican William McKinley claims victory in the presidential election with a majority of Electoral College voters, 271 selected him over Democratic and People's Party candidate William J. Bryan with 176 -
New York City Aquarium
The New York City Aquarium at Castle Clinton opens on the tip of Manhattan Island. Castle Clinton, or Castle Garden, had been previously utilized in many capacities during the history of New York City; as a fort, entertainment location, and immigrant depot. -
Period: to
Escalator
Somewhere in 1897 the escalator was invented. It was invented by Jesse W. Reno and installed as an amusement ride at Coney Island, New York. -
Dedication to Ulysses Grant
The tomb of Ulysses S. Grant is dedicated in New York City, twelve years after his death. -
Klondike Gold Rush
The Klondike Gold Rush begins with the arrival of the first prospectors in Seattle. -
Subways
The era of the subway begins when the first underground public transportation in North America opens in Boston, Massachusetts. -
"Remember the Maine"
The rallying cry, "Remember the Maine" is struck when the United States battleship Maine explodes and sinks under unknown causes in Havana Harbor, Cuba, killing two hundred and sixteen seamen. The sentiment becomes a rallying point during the coming Spanish-American War. -
Blockade of Cuba
The blockade of Cuba begins when the United States Navy aids independence forces within Cuba. Several days later, the U.S.A. declares war on Spain, backdating its declaration to April 20. On May 1, 1898, the United States Navy destroyed the Spanish fleet in the Philippines. On June 20, the U.S. would take Guam. -
San Juan is Bombed
San Juan, Puerto Rico is bombed by the American navy under the command of Rear Admiral William T. Sampson. Puerto Rico is overtaken by the United States between July 25 with its landing at Guanica Bay and August 12. These acts during the Spanish-American War would ultimately result in Spain deciding in December to cede lands, including Puerto Rico, to the United States. -
Hawaii is a State
The United States annexes the independent republic of Hawaii. -
Peace Treaty
The Peace Treaty ending the Spanish-American War is signed in Paris. The Spanish government agrees to grant independence to Cuba and cede Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States. -
Guerrilla Warfare
Filipino independence fighters under leader Emilio Aguinaldo begin a guerrilla war after failing to gain a grant of independence from the United States, which they had been fighting for from Spain since 1896. -
Census of the 20th Century
In the first census of the 20th century, the population of the United States rose to 76,212,168, a 21% increase since 1890. For the first time, all fifty entities that would become the fifty states are included after Hawaii had officially become a territory of the United States on February 22. The center of the United States population, geographically, is now six miles southeast of Columbus, Indiana. -
Gold Standard Act
The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
Gold Standard Act - established gold as the only standard for redeeming paper money, stopping bimetallism (which had allowed silver in exchange for gold). It was signed by President William McKinley. -
Carrie Nation
Carrie Nation continues her Temperance Movement to abolish the consumption of liquor when she demolishes twenty-five saloons in Medicine Lodge. -
Texas Hurricane
The Galveston, Texas hurricane, with winds of 135 miles an hour, kills 8,000 people. It remains the most deadly natural disaster in American history. -
Mckinley Wins Again
President William McKinley wins his second term as president, this time with Theodore Roosevelt in the second spot on the ticket, again defeating William J. Bryan by an Electoral Margin of 292 to 155. -
Oil
The first major oil discovery in Texas occurs near Spindletop in Beaumont. -
Major League Baseball
The American League of Major League Baseball declares itself a Major League after one season as a minor league stemming from the minor Western League in 1899. The eight charter teams included the Baltimore Orioles, the Boston Americans, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Blues, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Athletics, and the Washington Senators. -
Platt Amendment
The Platt amendment is passed by the United States Congress, which limited the autonomy of Cuba as a condition for American troop withdrawal. Cuba would become a U.S. protectorate on June 12. -
Mckinley Shot
President William H. McKinley is shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York while shaking hands with fair visitors, following his speech at the event on President's Day the day before. Anarchist Leon Czolgosz, an avowed anarchist, is arrested for the crime. -
President Theodore Roosevlet
Vice President Theodore Roosevelt is inaugurated as President upon the death of William McKinley from gunshot wounds sustained the week earlier. -
Rose Bowl
The first Rose Bowl is held, pitting the college football squads of the University of Michigan and Stanford. Michigan won the initial contest 49-0. -
Period: to
Air Conditioner
During 1902 Willis Haviland Carrier, a native of Angola, New York, invents the air conditioner. He would patent the device on February 2, 1906 and his company would air condition such buildings as Madison Square Garden, The U.S Senate and House of Representatives. -
Caregie Institution
A ten million dollar gift from Andrew Carnegie leads to the formation of the Carnegie Institution in Washington, D.C -
Electric Theater
The first movie theatre in the United States opens in Los Angeles, California. It was known as the Electric Theatre. -
Independence of Cuba
The island of Cuba gains independence from the United States. -
Wireless Communication
The first two-way wireless communication between Europe and the United States is accomplished by Guglielmo Marconi when he transmits a message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the King of England from a telegraph station in South Wellfleet, Massachusetts. -
Panama Declares Independence
With United States support after the Hay-Herran Treaty rejection by Columbia earlier in the year, Panama declares its independence from Columbia. -
Panama Canal
The Panama government is recognized by President Theodore Roosevelt and signs a canal treaty on November 18, allowing the U.S. led construction of the canal. -
Wright Brothers
Inventors Wilbur and Orville Wright succeed in the first sustained and manned plane flight, taking the heavier-than-air machine through the winds of Kill Devil Hill, North Carolina, and man into an age of flight. The plane, mechanically propelled with a petroleum engine, flew 120 feet in 12 seconds, and later the same day, flew 852 feet in 59 seconds . -
Period: to
Tractor
During 1904 the tractor was invented by American Benjamin Holt, using a caterpillar track to spread the weight in heavy agricultural machinery. -
Louisiana Purchase Exposition and the Olympic Games
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition opens. Renowned for its spectacular ivory buildings, the inventions of the ice cream cone, and the "Meet Me in St. Louis" song. The Summer Olympic Games of 1904 were also twinned with the fair and were the first Olympic Games held in the western hemisphere -
Perfect Game
Cy Young, of the Boston Americans, pitches the first perfect game against the Philadelphia Athletics in the modern era of Major League baseball. -
Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls
The Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls is opened by Mary McLeod Bethune in Daytona, Florida. Bethune is regarded as a leading contributor to the education of African-American students in the early 20th century. -
President Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt wins his first election for President after serving three years in the office due to the death of William McKinley. He defeat Democratic candidate Alton B. Parker, 336 to 140 in the Electoral College vote. -
Period: to
San Francisco Earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake was estimated at 7.8 on the Richter scale. Its proximity to the epicenter of the San Andreas Fault and the subsequent fire that followed the quake and aftershocks left 478 reported death, although estimates in the future peg that figure at nearly 3,000. Between $350-$400 million in damages were sustained. -
Protection for Indians
President Theodore Roosevelt granted protection to Indian ruins and authorized presidents to designate lands with historic and scientific features as national monuments. -
Mesa Verde National Park
Legislation by Congress establishes Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado, preserving the most notable prehistoric cliff dwellings in the United States of America. -
PFD ad MI Act
The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act is passed. -
Native American
The first Native American Senator, Charles Curtis, from Kansas, takes office. -
Financial Panic and Depression
Another financial crises occurs in the business community with the beginning of the Financial Panic and Depression of 1907. -
Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Territory and the Indian Territory are combined to form Oklahoma and are admitted into the Union as the 46th state -
HAPPY NEW YEARS
The tradition of dropping a ball in New York's Times Square to signal the beginning of the New Year is inaugurated. -
First Passenger
The first passenger flight on a plane occurs when Wilbur Wright escorts Charles W. Furnas in the Wright Flyer III at Huffman Prairie Flying Field in Dayton, Ohio. -
Model T
The first production Model T was built at the Ford plant in Detroit, Michigan. -
First Trip
The first official trip abroad by a United States president occurs when Theodore Roosevelt leaves for a trip to inspect the progress in the construction of the Panama Canal. -
President William Howard Taft
William Howard Taft is elected President, 321 to 162 Electoral Votes, over Democratic candidate William Jennings Bryan, who had twice before been defeated for the office by William McKinley in 1896 and 1900. -
Leaving Cuba
The troops of the United States leave Cuba for the first time since the beginning of the Spanish-American War. -
NAACP
The National Conference of the Negro is conducted, leading to the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -
Boy Scouts
The Boy Scouts of America is founded. -
Unreasonable
Standard Oil is declared in unreasonable monopoly by the United States Supreme Court and ordered dissolved under the powers of the Sherman Antitrust Act. -
Indianapolis 500
The Indianapolis 500 auto race is run for the first time in Indianapolis, Indiana. The race is won by Ray Harroun in the Marmon "Wasp." -
Limatation on Representatives
The law establishing the number of United States representatives at 435 is passed. It would go into effect in 1913 after the 1912 elections. -
First Airline Flight
The first transcontinental airline flight was begun in New York by C.P. Rodgers. -
16th Amendment
The 16th Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, allowing the Federal government treasury to impose an income tax. -
American Girl Guides
The American Girl Guides, renamed the Girl Scouts one year later, is formed. -
Nicaragua
The United States Marines are ordered to Nicaragua due to its default on loans to the United States and its European allies. -
President Wilson
Woodrow Wilson overcame a three way race for the presidency when former President Teddy Roosevelt donned the nomination of the Progressive Party to tackle the election against Wilson and incumbant President and Republican William Howard Taft. This split caused the election of Wilson, who garnered 435 Electoral College votes to 88 for Roosevelt and only 8 for Taft. -
Grand Central Station
Grand Central Station, the world's largest rail terminal, opens in New York City. -
Panama Canal
The construction of the Panama Canal comes to a close when President Woodrow Wilson begins the explosion of the Gamboa Dike. -
Assembly Line
The first moving assembly line is introduced and adopted for mass production by the Ford Motor Company, alllowing automobile construction time to decrease by almost 10 hours per vehicle. -
Federal Reserve System
A major reform of the American financial and banking system occurs with the authorization of the U.S. Congress for the establisment of the Federal Reserve System -
Basic Wage
Basic wage rates are increased by Ford Motor Company. Workers now would receive $5 per day for eight hours of work versus $2.40 per day for nine hours previously. -
Assassination
Archduke Franz Ferdinand heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his wife are assassinated by a Serb nationalist in Sarajevo. -
Babe
Babe Ruth makes his major league debut. -
War on Siberia
Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia. -
"I got your back!"
As an ally of Serbia, Russia announces full mobilization of her armed forces. -
War on France
Germany declares war on France. -
War on Belgium
Germany declares war on neutral Belgium and invades in a right flanking move designed to defeat France quickly. As a result of this invasion, Britain declares war on Germany.
President Woodrow Wilson announces that the United States will stay officially neutral in the European conflict that would become World War I -
WAR WAR WAR
Austria-Hungary declares war on Russia -
Period: to
VICTORY
German army, led by Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg achieves its greatest victory of the war on the Eastern front against Russia at the Battle of Tennenberg. -
Bra
New York socialite Mary Phelps Jacob patents the Brassiere -
Telephone
Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas A. Watson conduct the first telephone conversation between New York and San Francisco. -
Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is established, replacing the responsibilities formerly entailed within the services and stations of the U.S. Life-Saving Services. -
Submarine Blockade
Germany declares a submarine blockade of Great Britain. Any ship approaching England is considered a legitimate target -
U-boat
U-boat sinks the Lusitania. 1,198 civilians, including 128 Americans die -
Ceasing
Germany responds to U.S. anger by ceasing to sink ships without warning -
NPS
The National Park Service is officially created when President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation from Congress with the mission to protect and preserve the natural lands, historic sites, and wildlife of the system for future generations. -
Telegram to Mexico
Reich Foreign Secretary Zimmermann's telegram to Mexico urging her entry into war against the United States is discovered and translated by the British. -
Continuing to be Neutral
On January 22, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson delivered one of his most moving addresses, restating America's commitmen to neutral rights and declaring that only a negotiated "peace without victory" would prove durable -
Germany Responds
German's warlords responded to Wilson's address with a blow of the mailed fist. On January 31, 1917, Germany announced, to an astonished world, their decision to wage unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking all ships, including America's, in the war zone -
Submarine Warfare
Germany again declares unrestricted submarine warfare -
Deciding on going to War
Attacks by German submarines finally forced Wilson's hand, and he asked Congress for a declaration of war. -
War is Declared
After considerable debate on Wilson's declaration for war and with ffity-six votes, Congress obliged the president. -
Selective Service Act
The United States passes the Selective Service Act empowering the Federal Government to draft men for the armed forces.
Some six weeks after the United States formally entered the First World War, the U.S Congress passes the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917, giving the U.S. president the power to draft soldiers. -
Landing in France
The first wave of the American Expeditionary Force lands in France. -
14 Points
In an address before a joint meeting of Congress, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson discusses the aims of the United States in World War I and outlines his "14 Points" for achieving a lasting peace in Europe. The peace proposal called for unselfish peace terms from the victorious Allies, the restoration of territories conquered during the war, the right to national self-determination, and the establishment of a postwar world body to resolve future conflict -
Plan to Win the War
Germans launch the first of five major offensives to win the war before American troops appear in the trenches. German advance is finally stopped in late June. -
Red Baron
In the skies over Vauz sur Somme, France, Manfred von Richthofen, the notorious German flying ace known as "The Red Baron," is killed by Allied fire.
On April 21, 1918, with 80 victories under his belt, Richthofen penetrated deep into Allied territory in pursuit of a British aircraft. The Red Baron was flying too near the ground--an Australian gunner shot him through his chest, and his plane crashed into a field alongside the road from Corbie to Bray. -
No More Advancing
British and Australian troops stop the German advance near Amiens. -
Troops sent to Russia
President Wilson agrees to co-operate with Allies in sending "volunteer" troops into Russia. -
Germany is halted
Germans on the banks of the Marne near Paris are stopped by American forces at Chateau-Thierry -
Period: to
Troops Shipped in
German troops being shipped from the Eastern to Western Front begin to desert in large numbers from their transport trains -
Cooperation
President Wilson agrees to co-operate with Allies in sending "volunteer" troops into Russia -
Gremany Retreats
Allied counter offensives on the Somme push the German army back and into retreat -
A Break Through
Allied troops break through the German fortifications at the Hindenberg line. -
Mutiny
German sailors mutiny at port when asked to sail and fight a hopeless navel battle. -
Renounces Power
Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicates. -
WAR ENDS
At eleven o'clock on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the war ends as Germany and Allies sign an Armistice. -
Works Cited
"America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1890's." America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1890's. Web. 25 May 2013.
"America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1900's." America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1900's. Web. 25 May 2013.
"America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1910's." America's Best History U.S. Timeline, The 1910's. Web. 25 May 2013.
"The Great War and the Shaping of the 20th Century." PBS. PBS, Web. 25 May. -
Works Cited 2
Kennedy, David M., Lizabeth Cohen, Thomas A. Bailey. The American Pageant: A History of the Republic 12th ed. Boston: Mufflin Company 2001. 614-727. Print
"Red Baron Killed in Action." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 25 May 2013.
"U.S. Congress Passes Selective Service Act." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 25 May 2013
"World War I." History.com. A&E Television Networks, Web. 25 May 2013 All images were found on Google Public Domain and Wikimedia Commons
