-
Oct 1, 1492
Columbus first reaches America
Two months after leaving Spain, Chirstopher Columbus and his small fleet of ships, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, reached land in the Carribean. His journey paved the way for settlement in what America is today. -
United colonies declare independence
By early summer of 1776, the Continental Congress decided to create it's own form of government. Thomas Jefferson prepared the final draft of the "Declaration of Independence. By July 2 of that year, the delegates unanmiously voted that the American colonies were free. On July 4, 1776 they adopted the "Declaration of Independence." The colonists offically declared their independence from Britain. -
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail originated out of Independence, Missouri, and ended in Oregon City, Oregon. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, both Methodist Missionaries, were the first to travel this trail. They proved that the trail was passable by driving their wagon as far as Fort Boise. From this, mulitple other pioneers followed the same trail. "Prairie Schooners," the wagons, were their means of transportation. However, many walked with scarce resources with the trip taking months. -
Big Business and Labor(1848-1901)
Carnegie and Rockefeller are two of the most prominent names in big business. Andrew Carnegie was born in 1848. Orginating from a poor family, he worked his way up to his business in steel mainly in railroads, named Carnegie Steel company in 1899, and sold it in 1901. John D. Rockefeller established the Standard Oil Co. In 1880, it controlled 90% of the oil refining business. -
Transcontinental Railroad Completed
On this day, a golden spike "marked the spanning of the nation by the first transcontinetal railroad completion." Other existing railroads were used in the making. Other transcontinental lines followed as well. -
WWI Begins
On this day, Germany declared war on Russia. But, America didn't join World War 1 until 1917 by initiating war on Germany. We didn't feel it was necessary to join right away. -
Congress approves the 19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment grants women the right to vote. The amendment won final ratification in August 1920--72 years after woment first demanded the vote at Seneca Falls convention in 1848. -
Nosedive, thy name is the Stock Market
Americans were overconfident in the nation's economy and began over-indulging in stocks. In early September 1929, stock prices peaked and then fell. Consequentially, confidence in the market started to lower. Then, what is now known as Black Tuesday, the bottom fell out of the market. Panic arose and confidence fell. 16.4 million shares were dumped that day. -
We drop a bomb on Japan--literally
United States drops the Atomic Bomb on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. Japan surrenders. Ending WWII in Japan. -
That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
Political war wasn't the only existence in the Nixon administration. 10 years after Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon, it became reality. Neil Armstrong became the first man to step foot on the moon.
