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The first people ever known to live in what is now New Jersey were the Delaware Indians before anyone ever explored this area. Their name means original or genuine people and there was anywhere between 8,000 to 20,000 of them.
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One of the first European explorers to see the land that became New Jersey was Henry Hudson, who in 1609 sailed along the coast in his ship the Half Moon. One of his crew members wrote in his journal, "This is a very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land to see."
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The first copper mine in America was opened by enterprising Dutch settlers in the Kittatinny Mountains, circa 1640 New Jersey.
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The Duke of York gave Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret, two friends and supporters of him during the English Civil war. Their intent was to make a profit by renting all of the land to settlers they would recruit from England.
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New Jersey was often referred to as a breadbasket colony because it grew so many crops, especially wheat. The wheat was ground into flour in flour mills then shipped to England. It also had a good amount of timber, furs, coal, and iron ore.
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The “Crossroads of the Revolution,” New Jersey was the site of more than 100 battles including Princeton and Monmouth during the fight for American independence which is more than any other area.
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The British gained control of New Jersey and forced Washington to flee into Pennsylvania. They thought no one would fight during winter, so the British and Hessian soldiers in New Jersey divided into camps to stay until spring. The plan worked, and the patriots captured 900 prisoners while only four American soldiers were wounded.
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In 1787, New Jersey became the third state to ratify the U.S. Constitution and the first state to sign the Bill of Rights. New canals and railroads helped industry grow. Today, it has the largest population density in the United States.
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Founding father Alexander Hamilton and his associates selected an area along the Passaic River as the first planned industrial city, where rushing waters powered the new city's textile factories. This was a first step in New Jersey's transition to being a powerhouse of the industrial revolution.
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The first balloon flight in America was made by Jean-Pierre Blanchard. He landed a balloon at Deptford carrying a letter from George Washington.
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Discovered in North America, was unearthed by William Parker Foulke in Haddonfield, New Jersey. The Hadrosaurus foulkii, as it was later named, proved that the existence of dinosaurs was real, and provided the shocking evidence that dinosaurs could be bipedal. In 1868, it became the first dinosaur skeleton in the world to be mounted on display.
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The first intercollegiate football game is played in New Brunswick.
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It was constructed in Atlantic City merely to reduce the amount of sand tracked into nearby hotels and railroad cars. As hotels, shops, restaurants and casinos sprouted up along the seaside, Atlantic City became one of the most popular tourist attractions in the United States. As of 2012, the boardwalk remains the longest in the world—stretching for six miles.
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Abraham Browning of Camden is given credit for giving New Jersey the nickname the Garden State. According to Alfred Heston's 1926 two-volume book Jersey Waggon Jaunts, Browning called New Jersey the Garden State while speaking at the Philadelphia Centennial exhibition on New Jersey Day.
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He established a pioneering research and development enterprise in which the light bulb (which took many attempts), sound recordings, commercial electric service, and other innovations were invented or improved. New Jersey has continued its record of inventions from many other famous people.
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The colors of the flag are buff, which is a yellowish-tan color, and dark blue. George Washington chose those colors for the flag of New Jersey's army regiments during the Revolutionary War.
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New Jersey's population more than doubled and manufacturing became a $4 billion industry. The Great Depression of the 1930s changed New Jersey a ton, bringing massive unemployment. The state rebounded during World War II in the 1940s as New Jersey's electronics and chemical industries began large-scale operations.
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New Jersey Governor Woodrow Wilson is elected President of the U.S.
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The first airplane passenger flight flew from New York to Atlantic City.
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The Holland Tunnel opens under the Hudson River as it stretches 8,558 feet.
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Scientist Albert Einstein establishes his home in New Jersey.
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German U-boats attack shipping off the New Jersey coast.
The U.S. New Jersey battleship is put into active service. -
New Jersey adopted a new constitution that has been regarded as a model for other states for its design of the legislative, judicial and executive branches. The constitution banned segregation and other forms of discrimination – a progressive step years before the civil rights revolution.
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New Jersey scientists win Nobel Prize for finding the echo of the 13.7 billion year old "Big Bang."
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Christine Todd Whitman is elected New Jersey's first female governor.
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The New Jersey Devils win the Stanley cup, becoming the first New Jersey team to win a major league professional sports championship.
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New Jersey Constitution amended to create the Office of Lieutenant Governor to be elected in 2010.
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New Jersey Supreme Court rules that gay couples are entitled to the same legal rights and financial benefits as heterosexual couples.
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Governor Corzine signs bill to eliminate the death penalty for any situation that happens to that person.
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Princeton astronomer, Alicia Soderberg, becomes first person to view a supernova, a star in the act of exploding. It was one of the rarest occurrences in history.
