American Lit Timeline

  • The Great Plague of London

    The Great Plague of London
    The Great Plague, lasting from 1665 to 1666, was the last major epidemic of the bubonic plague to occur in England. This plague killed about 75,000.
  • Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal

    Earthquake in Lisbon Portugal
    An earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal creates a tsunami which kills around 60,000 people and causes a mass of damage which took years to rebuild.
  • American Revolutionary War

    American Revolutionary War
    The American Revolutionary War was a war between the American colonists and Great Britain. The war ended in an American victory with about 20,000 losses on both sides. It is suspected though that these numbers could have been higher due to fatal diseases spread to wounded soldiers.
  • War of 1812

    War of 1812
    The War of 1812 was a war against America and Great Britain. After losing the American revolution, the British sought for revenge, but evidently failed leading to an American victory
  • First Gold Rush

    First Gold Rush
    The First Gold rush was in California and brought in lots of money. People across the country participated
  • New Orleans Yellow Fever Epidemic

    New Orleans Yellow Fever Epidemic
    About 7,000 people die in a yellow fever epidemic in New Orleans
  • Bleeding Kansas

    Bleeding Kansas
    Violence breaks out between abolitionists and proslavery Americans in Kansas
  • Civil War

    Civil War
    Civil War ends as the bloodiest American war in history and still is to this day
  • Reconstruction In the United States

    Reconstruction In the United States
    Reconstruction begins under President Andrew Johnson
  • Das Kapital

    Das Kapital
    Karl Marx publishes the first volum of Das Kapital
  • Panama Canal

    Panama Canal
    Panama Canal was a massive US led project to build a canal in Panama to connect the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans for shorter travel times.
  • Monopolies

    Monopolies
    The US Supreme Court declares Standard Oil a monopoly and orders John Rockefeller to dissolve the corporation
  • Amelia Earhart

    Amelia Earhart
    In 1928 Amelia Earhart become the first woman to complete a trans-Atlantic flight
  • Great Depression

    Great Depression
    The stock market crashes leading to a massive economical depression across the United States
  • Wage Laws

    Wage Laws
    A statutory minimum wage is enforced in the United States for the first time
  • End of World War 2

    End of World War 2
    Japan agrees to an unconditional surrender on August 15, ending World War 2
  • Jackie Robinson

    Jackie Robinson
    Jackie Robinson becomes first African American baseball player
  • NATO

    NATO
    North American and European countries from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with the goal of preserving peace
  • Polio Vaccine

    Polio Vaccine
    Jonas Salk's polio vaccine is introduced to the American public
  • Space Race

    Space Race
    The Soviet Union launches Sputnik 1, an unmanned satellite, initiating the space race
  • I Have a Dream Speech

    I Have a Dream Speech
    Martin Luther Kind Jr. organizes the march on Washington and delivers his 'I Have a Dream' speech
  • Berlin Wall

    Berlin Wall
    A wall is built between East and West Germany. Democracy in the east and communism in the west.
  • Earth Day

    Earth Day
    First ever day Earth day is held on April 22
  • Jimmy Carter

    Jimmy Carter
    Jimmy Carter is elected president