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The Dead Rabbits Riot
Fiercely territorial, The Dead Rabbit gang fought long and hard to defend their poverty-stricken slum back in the mid-1800s. Ostensibly formed to protect the immigrant Irish underclass against the nativist Bowery Boys, The Dead Rabbits were also a criminal organization with extensive connections in New York politics. -
The Ku Klux Klan is Established
The Ku Klux Klan, commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is the name of an American white supremacist, far-right hate group. Various historians have characterized the Klan as America's first terrorist group. -
John D. Rockefeller Creates Standard Oil
with his business partners and brother. The success of this business empire made Rockefeller one of the world's first billionaires and a celebrated philanthropist. -
Alexander Graham Bell Patents the Telephone
On March 7, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell successfully received a patent for the telephone and secured the rights to the discovery. Days later, he made the first ever telephone call to his partner, Thomas Watson. -
The Great Oklahoma Land Race
was a day of chaos, excitement, and utter confusion. Men and women rushed to claim homesteads or to purchase lots in one of the many new towns that sprang into existence overnight. An estimated eleven thousand agricultural homesteads were claimed. -
Ellis Island Opens to Process Immigrants
Ellis Island opens to the public in 1976, featuring hour-long guided tours of the Main Arrivals Building. During this year, more than 50,000 people visit the island. -
The Wizard of Oz (Book) is Published
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, is the first fantasy written by an American to enjoy an immediate success upon publication. -
J.P. Morgan Founds U.S. Steel
J. P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel on March 2, 1901 (incorporated on February 25, 1901), by financing the merger of Andrew Carnegie's Carnegie Steel Company with Elbert H. Gary's Federal Steel Company and William Henry "Judge" Moore's National Steel Company for $492 million ($18 billion today). -
Teddy Roosevelt Becomes President of the United States
The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt started on September 14, 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt became the 26th president of the United States upon the assassination of President William McKinley, and ended on March 4, 1909. -
Ford Motor Company is Founded
Henry and 12 others invested $28,000 and created Ford Motor Company. The first car built by the Company was sold July 15, 1903. Henry owned 25.5% of the stock in the new organization. He became president and controlling owner in 1906. -
Ida Tarbell Publishes Her Article About Standard Oil
Ida M. Tarbell's The History of the Standard Oil Company was first serialized in McClure's Magazine starting in 1902 and then published as a best-selling book in 1904. -
The 16th Amendment is Passed
Passed by Congress on July 2, 1909, and ratified February 3, 1913, the 16th amendment established Congress's right to impose a Federal income tax. -
The 17th Amendment is Passed
Passed by Congress on May 13, 1912, and ratified on April 8, 1913, the 17th Amendment modified Article I, Section 3, of the Constitution by allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators. -
The Empire State Building Opens
Despite favorable publicity related to the building's construction, because of the Great Depression and World War II, its owners did not make a profit until the early 1950s. -
Angel Island Opens to Process Immigrants
over the late objections of Chinese community leaders, this hastily built immigration station was opened on the northeastern edge of Angel Island, ready to receive its first guests. The first stop on disembarking at the pier on Angel Island was the Administration Building.