Time line 1877

  • Phonograph

    Thomas Edison invents the phonograph, a device for recording and reproducing sound.
  • Compromise

    The Compromise of 1877 resolves the disputed 1876 U.S. presidential election, leading to Rutherford B. Hayes's presidency.
  • Statue of Liberty

    The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States by France.
  • First electrical Street car

    The Statue of Liberty is presented to the United States by France.
  • Brooklyn Bridge

    The Brooklyn Bridge opens to traffic.
  • Skyscraper

    The first modern skyscraper, the Home Insurance Building in Chicago, is completed.
  • New statue

    The Statue of Liberty is dedicated in New York Harbor.
  • Frontier era

    The U.S. Census Bureau declares that the frontier is "closed," marking the end of the frontier era.
  • Populist Party

    The Populist Party is founded in the United States.
  • Spanish war

    The Spanish-American War begins
  • Plane

    The Wright brothers make their first successful airplane flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
  • World War 1

    World War I begins in Europe
  • America joins the fight

    The United States enters World War I.
  • War ends

    World War I ends with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
  • Voting Rights

    The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, granting women the right to vote.
  • Great Depression Start

    The stock market crashes, triggering the Great Depression.
  • FDR in office

    Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes president and implements the New Deal to address the Great Depression.
  • WW2

    World War II begins in Europe with Germany's invasion of Poland
  • Pearl Harbor

    Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, drawing the United States into World War II.
  • WW2 Ends

    World War II ends with the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet Union's declaration of war on Japan.