Mass Media Timeline 1900-2010

  • Sinking of the Unsinkable Ship

    Sinking of the Unsinkable Ship
    This was the fateful day that the Titanic hit an iceberg and sank into the ocean in one of the deadliest maritime disasters of all time. Being that the Titanic was "The Unsinkable Ship" the whole event seems pretty ironic.
  • Passing of the 16th Ammendment

    Passing of the 16th Ammendment
    The 16th Ammendment which gave Congress the power to collect taxes without a census was ratified.
  • 17th Ammendment Ratified

    The 17th Ammendment which allowed voters to vote for Senators was ratified.
  • Start of World War I

    Start of World War I
    Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated which was the final nail in the coffin to start the first world war.
  • 19th Ammendment Ratified

    19th Ammendment Ratified
    The 19th Ammendment which gave women the right to vote was ratified on this day.
  • First Radio Broadcast

    First Radio Broadcast
    Election day of 1920 was when the radio statiom KDKA made the first radio broadcast. The people who listened to the results of the election on the radio heard it much before the people who read it in the newspaper.
  • President Harding Dies

    President Harding Dies
    President Warren Harding suffers a heart attack and dies. Vice President Calvin Coolidge takes office.
  • The Great Gatsby was published

    The Great Gatsby was published
    F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby was published on this date.
  • Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic

    Charles Lindbergh's flight across the Atlantic
    Charles Lindbergh's flight from Long Island to Paris concluded on this day. It was the first time someone flew across an ocean.
  • Stock Market Crashes

    Stock Market Crashes
    The New York Stock Exchange plummeted in value and marked the start of the Great Depresssion.
  • Empire State Building Construction Completed

    Empire State Building Construction Completed
    The construction for the Empire State Building in NYC. The construction took just over a year to complete and the building is 102 stories tall.
  • 21st Ammendment Ends Prohibition

    21st Ammendment Ends Prohibition
    The 21st Ammendment which ended the prohibition was passed on this day.
  • Amelia Earhart Becomes First Woman to Fly

    Amelia Earhart Becomes First Woman to Fly
    Amelia Earhart became the first woman to take flight. She made the attempt to fly around the world. She went missing in July of the same year.
  • Hindenburg Disaster

    Hindenburg Disaster
    The passenger zeppelin called the Hindenburg caught on fire and crashed while trying to land in Manchester Township, New Jersey. A total of 36 people died in the crash.
  • FDR Becomes First President to Make a TV Broadcast

    FDR Becomes First President to Make a TV Broadcast
    At the 1939 New York World's Fair FDR went on TV making history as the first president to go on TV.
  • Jeep Created

    Jeep Created
    The Jeep was created and saw frequent use in WWII as a quick and mobile vehicle
  • The Day the Would Live in Infamy

    The Day the Would Live in Infamy
    FDR called this the day that would live in infamy over a radio broadcast. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor which sparked the US to enter WWII.
  • FDR dies in office

    FDR dies in office
    President Roosevelt dies in office and his Vice PResident HArry Truman takes over his presidency.
  • Jackie Robinson Becomes First Black Baseball Player

    Jackie Robinson Becomes First Black Baseball Player
    Jackie Robinson joins the Brooklyn Dodgers to become the first black professional baseball player in the MLB.
  • "Dewey Defeats Truman"

    "Dewey Defeats Truman"
    Truman overtakes Dewey in one of the biggest political upsets. It was so widely predicted that Truman would lose the newspapers already printed papers saying that Dewey won.
  • First Peanuts Comic Strip

    First Peanuts Comic Strip
    The first Peanuts comic strip was published. It was only four panels long and didn't show Snoopy.
  • First Color TV Broadcast

    First Color TV Broadcast
    The first TV broadcast with color picture was on CBS, Not many people were able to veiw it since they had black and white TVs. It was a variety show that featured many future hosts of their own shows.
  • Disnayland Opens

    Disnayland Opens
    Disneyland opens up for some specially invited guests. It opened up in a large plot of land in Anaheim, Calafornia.
  • NASA Founded

    NASA Founded
    The United States space program NASA founded by President Eisenhower in response to the Russians landing Sputnik.
  • Castro becomes Cuban Dictator

    Castro becomes Cuban Dictator
    Fidel Castro takes the helm of Cuba as dictator and would keep that position of over 50 years when he gave power to his younger brother.
  • First Televised Presidential Debate

    First Televised Presidential Debate
    The Presidential Debate between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon was the first presidential debate to be aired on national TV.
  • Berlin Wall Built

    Berlin Wall Built
    Construction of the Berlin Wall was completed, splitting the capital of Germany into an East and West section.
  • Silent Spring Published

    Silent Spring Published
    Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring was published with a pro environmental message about how pesticides affect the environment.
  • "I Have a Dream"

    "I Have a Dream"
    Martin Luther King Jr delivers his famous "I Have a Dream" Speech during the March on Washington.
  • The Beatles Come to the US

    The Beatles Come to the US
    One of the most well known and successful bands in history came over to the US from England. Later that year many other British bands crossed the Atlantic in what was known as the British Invasion.
  • Watergate

    Watergate
    Several burgalers were arrested at Watergate building in Washington DC trying to steal secret documents and wiretap phones. They were believed to be a part of Nixon's presidential campaign.
  • US Pulls out of Veitnam

    US Pulls out of Veitnam
    The United States completely pulled out of the highly unpopular Veitnam War.
  • Nixon Resigns

    Nixon Resigns
    President Richard Nixon resigned from office. He was about to be the first president to complete the impeachment process but instead went out on his own terms. His Vice President Gerald Ford takes office.
  • VCR Invented

    VCR Invented
    The VCR was invented.
  • Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident

    Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident
    The nuclear reactor just outside of Middletown, Pa partially melted down. It was the most serious nuclear accident in the US.
  • Pacman is Created

    Pacman is Created
    The hit arcade game Pacman was released in Japan on this date and the October of the same year in the US.
  • Assassination attempt on Reagan

    Assassination attempt on Reagan
    A failed attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan
  • First Woman in Space

    First Woman in Space
    Sally Ride becomes the first woman to enter space.
  • Challenger Explodes

    Challenger Explodes
    The Space shuttle the Challenger explodes just 73 seconds after lif off killing all seven members.
  • World Wide Web Created

    World Wide Web Created
    World Wide Web was created originally for scientists to share information.
  • Nelson Mandela Resleased from Prison

    Nelson Mandela Resleased from Prison
    Nelson Mandela was released from prison after being locked in for 27 years.
  • Start of Operation Desert Storm

    Start of Operation Desert Storm
    Operation Desert Storm started this day and lasted until February of 1991.
  • End of Soviet Union

    End of Soviet Union
    The official ending of the Soviet Union
  • OJ Simpson Not Guilty

    OJ Simpson Not Guilty
    OJ Simpson was found not guilty in the convicted murder.
  • Hong Kong Back to China

    Hong Kong Back to China
    Hong Kong is returned to Chinese rule by Britan.
  • Columbine Shooting

    Columbine Shooting
    Columbine High School was shot up by two students, a total of 13 people were killed and 21 others injured.
  • 9/11

    9/11
    Major terrorist attack where members of the group Al Qaeda flew planes into the World Trade Center.
  • Invasion of Iraq

    Invasion of Iraq
    In response to 9/11 President Bush orders troops into Iraq to take out the leader of the terrorist group.
  • Youtube Launches

    Youtube Launches
    The video sharing site Youtibe launches and is still popular 11 years later.
  • Hurricane Katrina Strikes Louisiana

    Hurricane Katrina Strikes Louisiana
    Hurricane Katrina strikes and leaves millions of dolars in damage in her wake.
  • Obama Sworn Into Office

    Obama Sworn Into Office
    Barrack Obama the first black president is sworn into office as the 44th President.