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The Dead Rabbits Riot
On the night of July 4th, 1857 tensions between the Bowery Boys and Dead Rabbits culminated in a bang, starting a two day long riot that would captive the city. It was the largest disturbance since the Astor Place Riot in 1849 and the biggest scene of gang violence until the New York Draft Riots of 1863. -
The Ku Klux Klan is Established
December 24, 1865 In Pulaski, Tennessee, a group of Confederate veterans convenes to form a secret society that they christen the “Ku Klux Klan.” Its members waged an underground campaign of intimidation and violence. The Ku Klux Klan was founded at the end of the United States Civil War to repress the rights and freedoms of African Americans. -
John D. Rockefeller Creates Standard Oil
John D. Rockefeller formed the Standard Oil Company on January 10, 1870 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. This was important because consumers were not only choosing Standard Oil over that of his competitors; they were also preferring it to coal oil, whale oil, and electricity. -
Alexander Graham Bell Patents the Telephone
On March 7, 1876, 29-year-old Alexander Graham Bell receives a patent for his revolutionary new invention: the telephone. The telephone, forever changed the way humans communicate with each other. People could do business without being in the same room, which reduced both travel time and costs. It also allowed businesses to expand beyond their local area by attracting customers from anywhere. -
The Great Oklahoma Land Race
The land run started at high noon on April 22, 1889. An estimated 50,000 people were lined up at the start, seeking to gain a piece of the available two million acres. The Unassigned Lands were considered some of the best unoccupied public land in the United States. This was important because it quickly led to the creation of Oklahoma Territory under the Organic Act of 1890 and ultimately to the formation of the forty-sixth state of the Union, Oklahoma, in 1907. -
Ellis Island Opens to Process Immigrants
The first Ellis Island Immigration Station officially opens on January 1, 1892, as three large ships wait to land. Seven hundred immigrants passed through Ellis Island that day, and nearly 450,000 followed over the course of that first year. It an important historical site that was open for more than 60 years until it closed in 1954 that saw millions of newly arrived immigrants pass through its doors. Located at the mouth of Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. -
The Wizard of Oz (Book) is Published
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, children’s book written by L. Frank Baum and first published in 1900. A modern fairy tale with engaging fantasy characters, it was enormously popular and became a classic of children’s literature. It's was the ability to serve as a blank canvas for so many kinds of American fantasies. Oz has been a way to explore themes of friendship between strangers; of journey and home; of human flourishing against the odds. -
J.P. Morgan Founds U.S. Steel
J. P. Morgan formed U.S. Steel on March 2, 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. Steel helped fuel the accelerated growth of American cities, railroads, bridges, and factories. Following WWII the American Steel industry continued to grow at a rapid pace. No industry in the world was more influential or powerful. -
Teddy Roosevelt Becomes President of the United States
The presidency of Theodore Roosevelt started on September 14, 1901, when he became the 26th president of the United States upon the assassination of President William McKinley. He was 42 years old and remains the youngest person to become president of the United States. He brought new excitement and power to the Presidency, as he vigorously led Congress and the American public toward progressive reforms and a strong foreign policy. -
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. Played a central role in building up the powerful American federal government of the twentieth century by making it possible to enact a modern, nationwide income tax. Before long, the income tax would become by far the federal government's largest source of revenue. -
Ford Motor Company is Founded
The Ford Motor Company was officially incorporated in 1903, when founder Henry Ford launched his venture in a converted factory on Mack Avenue in Detroit. It was his third attempt at establishing an automotive business. At the time, the company could only produce a few cars a day. Henry Ford invented the famous Model T car and introduced several innovations to the car industry which had a major impact on vehicle manufacturing as well as the American economy. -
Ida Tarbell Publishes Her Article About Standard Oil
Tarbell is best known for her 1904 book The History of the Standard Oil Company. The book was published as a series of articles in McClure's Magazine from 1902 to 1904. One result largely attributable to Tarbell's work was a Supreme Court decision in 1911 that found Standard Oil in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act. The Court found that Standard was an illegal monopoly and ordered it broken into 34 separate companies -
Angel Island Opens to Process Immigrants
The new Immigration Station opened on January 21, 1910 and became the major port of entry to the U.S. for Asians and other immigrants coming from the west. The Immigration Station opened for partial operation on the northern neck of the island, later called China Cove. Access to and from the Island was very important to control and enforce the relatively new immigration laws and deal with the threat of disease from the many new people arriving daily to America. -
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. Prior to its passage, senators were chosen by state legislatures. The only constitutional amendment to do so in a substantial way, which removed from state legislatures the power to choose U.S. Senators and gave that power directly to voters in each state. -
The Empire State Building Opens
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the state of New York. The Empire State Building officially opened May 1, 1931. It is among the world's most profitable buildings and one of its most recognizable and beloved pieces of architecture.