Turn of the century

Turn of the Century Timeline Meagan Cabral Block 3

By cabramea

  • { John D. Rockefeller starts Standard Oil }

  • { Alaska was purchased from Russia }

  • { Transcontinental Railroad was completed }

    { Transcontinental Railroad was completed }
    The creation of the Transcontinental Railroad marked the beginning of a new period of unbelievably fast travel. The railroad connected lines from the east coast to the west coast and was over 1,900 miles long by the time of its completion in 1869. The railroad was finished in Promontory Summit of Promontory, Utah.

  • { Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone }

    { Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone }
    Alexander Graham Bell's invention of the telephone revolutionized modern communication. In a few moments, a call could be connected from miles away and could be easily understood- no Morse code required. Unless, of course, you preferred to use Morse code when talking on the phone, in which case I won't judge.

  • { Thomas Edison invents the lightbulb }

    { Thomas Edison invents the lightbulb }
    Thomas Edison's invention of the lightbulb reinvented the way businesses, families, and society as a whole worked. Companies no longer had to close once it grew dark at night, and cities could be illuminated by electricity rather than oil lamps. Edison went on to gain many more patents for his other inventions after the lightbulb.

  • { Chinese Exclusion Act passes }

  • { Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor }

  • { Sherman Anti-trust Act passed }

  • { Ellis Island opens }

    { Ellis Island opens }
    The opening of Ellis Island led to many new immigrants to America, bringing in many by the time it closed in 1954. Ellis Island was a part of the state of New York, located in the Upper New York Bay. The facility contained a hospital and several other buildings, and over the years of its operation, Ellis Island was a gateway for 12 million immigrants.

  • { Homestead Strike at Carnegie Steel }

  • { Plessy v. Ferguson }

  • { US declares was on Spain }

    { US declares was on Spain }
    The war on Spain was a very quick war, earning the nickname of the Splendid, Little War from a victorious United States of America. It only lasted a few short months, started by the sinking of the American warship, the U.S.S. Maine. After America's victory, they gained Puerto Rico as a territory.

  • { Hawaii is annexed }

  • { Rudyard Kipling published “The White Man’s Burden” }

  • { Boxer rebellion starts }

  • { Tenement Act passed }

    { Tenement Act passed }
    The Tenement Act was a step forward in ensuring the safety, security, and health of all American citizens, no matter the amount of money they had. It came after Jacob Riis, a famed muckraker and photographer, released photos of how the less fortunate lived in tenement houses- dark, disgusting places with little sanitation, safety, and comfort. Jacob Riis wrote "How the Other Half Lives," his novel on his investigation on how poor immigrants lived.

  • { President McKinley is assassinated and Theodore Roosevelt takes his place in office }

  • { Philippine Insurrection ends }

  • { Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine declares the U.S. right to intervene in the Wesern Hemisphere }

  • { Upton Sinclair releases his novel, The Jungle }

  • { Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act are passed }

    { Pure Food and Drug Act and Meat Inspection Act are passed }
    The Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act are still relevant today, keeping food and medicine safe for every consumer. Signed by Theodore Roosevelt, both acts make every aspect of food and prescription drug production safer for both those producing it and those consuming it. Both acts were signed on the same day and were drafted after the publishing of "The Jungle," Upton Sinclair's exposing novel on Chicago's meat packing industry.

  • { Peak years of immigration at Ellis Island }

  • { Henry Ford produces first Model T }

  • { NAACP was formed }

  • { Triangle Shirtwaist fire }

  • { Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated and prompts the start of WWI }

    { Archduke Franz Ferdinand is assassinated and prompts the start of WWI }
    The assassination of Austria-Hungary's Archduke Franz Ferdinand was all it took to start World War I. Germany was quick to declare war on France and Russia, setting itself up for a two-front war. Alliances between many different countries brought those many countries to fight in the war, as Britain sided with Belgium, Russia sided with newly-independent Serbia, and so on and so forth.

  • { Panama Canal is opened for traffic }

  • { US enters WWI }

    { US enters WWI }
    The United States entered World War I towards the end of the war. They were pushed to join the fight after a series of provacations from Germany, including the sinking of US ships and the discovery of the Zimmerman telegram. The United States entered the war in the side of the Allied Powers (Britain, Russia, and France, mainly).

  • { 18th Amendment is ratified }

  • { Women gain the right to vote }

    { Women gain the right to vote }
    The ratification of the nineteenth amendment made it possible for all women, no matter what race or background, to vote in elections. Suffragettes (women fighting for the right to vote) worked very hard to get to this point. Some famous suffragettes are Alice Paul, Ida B. Wells (who was also a founder of the NAACP), Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony.