July 4th 1776.... An American History
Posted: Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:01 am
July 4th 1776
It’s our countries birthday today and I thought it would be nice to reflect back on the history of our great nation that I have come to accept more and more as I get older.
● 1776 Deceleration of Independence
● 1776 Words “United Colonies” replaced with “United States”
● 1776 “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Nathan Hales famous statement before execution by British.
● 1776 First U.S. war submarine, “The Turtle”, carried a crew of one.
● 1776 First cocktail said to have been made by Betsy Flanagan, Elmsford, New York- A mixed drink with a feather in it.
● 1776 First demand for complete independence for American colonies appeared in pamphlet, “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine
● 1776 Vermont- first state to abolish slavery and adopt universal male suffrage without regard to property.
● 1783 First daily newspaper, “Penn. Eve. Post”
● 1786 First recorded strike by printers of Philadelphia; obtained $6.00 per week.
● 1788 Ratification of present U.S. Constitution
● 1789 George Washington elected first U.S. president
● 1790 Portland (Maine) ordered built by president Washington oldest lighthouse still in operation.
● 1790 Samuel Slater elected first cotton mill. Slater was first American industrialist to break down production process into simple component parts.
● 1790 First U.S. Census: 3,929,625– this included 697,624 slaves and 59,557 free Negroes.
● 1792 Bill of Rights; first ten amendments to the Constitution, Virginia provided necessary ratification.
● 1792 New York Stock Exchange organized, New York City.
● 1794 Whiskey Rebellion: riots in Pennsylvania were a result of tax placed on whiskey in 1791. Whiskey tax was first test of U.S. Constitution. Approximate cost of a barrel of whiskey was 25 cents.
● 1800 Washington, D.C., became new capitol of U.S., first nation in the world to design a city exclusively for its capitol.
● 1800 Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) distributed religious tracts and scattered apple seeds up and down Ohio valley.
● 1803 Louisiana Purchase first territorial expansion purchased from France. Following states comprised original territory: Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, most of Louisiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Colorado and Oklahoma.
● 1806 Zebulon Pike, during Southwest Territory exploration, first saw Pikes Peak, Colorado.
● 1808 Robert Fultons steamboat, “Clermont”, crossed Hudson River.
● 1812 Congress Declared War on Great Britain (War of 1812)
● 1814 National anthem written by Francis Scott Key while detained on British warship.
● 1815 Battle of New Orleans: U.S. troops under command of General Andrew Jackson inflicted about 2,000 casualties on British.
● 1821 Santa Fe Trail pioneered for commerce with Northern Mexico.
● 1823 Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe’s policy of isolation for U.S.
● 1826 First railway steam Locomotive.
● 1826 First Patent for internal combustion engine (two–cylinder)
● 1826 Noah Webster’s dictionary published.
● 1829 Boston– first city with a modern hotel. The “Tremont House” pioneered a room key per guest, gas lights, and a free cake of soap.
● 1831 First use of term “Old Glory” to designate U.S. flag made by New England seaman.
● 1833 First Steele plow made in America by John Deere. Began first manufacturing in Moline, Illinois.
● 1835 Telegraph invented by Samuel Morse.
● 1835 Liberty Bell cracked while it tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.
● 1836 The Alamo: A fortified mission at San Antonio captured by Santa Anna.
● 1840 First use of the expression “O.K.” It referred to “Old Kinderhook,” birthplace of Martin Van Buren.
● 1841 First wagon trail arrived in California via Oregon trail.
● 1847 First recorded baseball game: New York Nine– 23; Knickerboxers–1; New York Nine pitcher was fined six cents for swearing at umpire.
● 1847 Brigham Young with first Mormon emigrants arrived in Utah.
● 1848 Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill.
● 1853 Gadsen Purchase: Acquired southern Arizona and New Mexico; last addition to present U.S. boundaries.
● 1859 Arsenal seized by John Brown at Harper’s fairy.
● 1859 First cross– country mail delivered— San Francisco to St Louis in 23 days.
● 1860 Edwin Drake sunk first successful oil well in U.S.
● 1860 First intercollegiate baseball game; Amherst defeated Williams, 66 to 32.
● 1860 First repeating rifle in U.S. produced by Oliver F. Winchester
● 1861 Confederate States of America formed at Montgomery, Alabama.
● 1863 Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
● 1865 President Lincoln assassinated
● 1865 First railroad train holdups at North Bend, Ohio; Ohio and Mississippi train was derailed by gang.
● 1867 Alaska purchased from Russia. Approximate cost: 2 cents an acre.
● 1869 First Woman suffrage in U.S. granted by Wyoming territory.
● 1870 First intercollegiate football game: Rutgers, 6, Princeton, 4
● 1871 Great Chicago Fire
● 1875 Civil Rights Act guaranteed the Negroes equal rights in Public places.
● 1880 Electric Light perfected by Edison
● 1880 First major gold strike in Alaska (Juneau)
● 1882 Clara Barton organized American National Red Cross
● 1886 Statue of Liberty presented to the U.S. by France in commemoration of 100 years of American Independence
● 1890 First Army–Navy football game played at West Point; Navy 24, Army 0.
● 1891 Basketball invented in Springfield, Massachusetts by Y.M.C.A. instructor, Dr. Naismith.
● 1892 First Gasoline automobile made in U.S. by Duryea brothers.
● 1893 First 18-hole golf course opened for play in Wheaton, Illinois
● 1895 First professional football game played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. John Brailer was hired for $10 expenses as a substitute quarterback, making him the games first professional player.
● 1896 First moving picture on a public screen
● 1897 John and William Kellogg served the first bowl of cornflakes in Battle Creek, Michigan.
● 1898 Spanish American war\
● 1904 First successful flight of air machine by Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.
● 1904 First speed law passed by New York state 10 mph in town and 20 mph in open country.
● 1905 President Roosevelt became the first American to receive a Nobel Peace Prize
● 1906 First time a U.S. president left the country (Roosevelt)
● 1909 Henry Ford produced 19,051 Model T fords. “Customers could have any color they wanted as long as it was black”
● 1912 Steamship, “Titanic” struck iceberg and sunk.
● 1915 “Lusitania” sunk by German submarines. This action made war with Germany inevitable.
● 1917 U.S. declared war on Germany (World War I)
● 1918 President Wislons famous “Fourteen points”
● 1920 Prohibition went into effect.
● 1927 Babe Ruth set home run record (60)
● 1929 Stock Market crashes.
● 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Six members of Chicago’s notorious Moran gang were shot down by Rival gang.
● 1930 Great Depression
● 1940 Forty-hour week went into effect.
● 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl harbor.
● 1943 Large Scale production of penicillin in United States.
● 1945 U.S. Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
● 1958 First U.S. earth satellite launched from Cape Canaveral.
● 1959 Alaskan and Hawaiian statehood.
● 1962 Cuban missel crisis.
● 1963 President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas.
● 1968 Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, assassinated in Memphis.
● 1969 Astronauts walk on the moon
● 1974 President Nixon’s resignation.
● 1976 U.S. bicentennial
● 1985 CTCF is born (LOL couldn’t resist)
● 1990 Gulf War
● 2000 U.S. elects it’s first Dictator George W. Bush
● 2001 World Trade centers collapse
● 2005 Present day!
It’s our countries birthday today and I thought it would be nice to reflect back on the history of our great nation that I have come to accept more and more as I get older.
● 1776 Deceleration of Independence
● 1776 Words “United Colonies” replaced with “United States”
● 1776 “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.” Nathan Hales famous statement before execution by British.
● 1776 First U.S. war submarine, “The Turtle”, carried a crew of one.
● 1776 First cocktail said to have been made by Betsy Flanagan, Elmsford, New York- A mixed drink with a feather in it.
● 1776 First demand for complete independence for American colonies appeared in pamphlet, “Common Sense” by Thomas Paine
● 1776 Vermont- first state to abolish slavery and adopt universal male suffrage without regard to property.
● 1783 First daily newspaper, “Penn. Eve. Post”
● 1786 First recorded strike by printers of Philadelphia; obtained $6.00 per week.
● 1788 Ratification of present U.S. Constitution
● 1789 George Washington elected first U.S. president
● 1790 Portland (Maine) ordered built by president Washington oldest lighthouse still in operation.
● 1790 Samuel Slater elected first cotton mill. Slater was first American industrialist to break down production process into simple component parts.
● 1790 First U.S. Census: 3,929,625– this included 697,624 slaves and 59,557 free Negroes.
● 1792 Bill of Rights; first ten amendments to the Constitution, Virginia provided necessary ratification.
● 1792 New York Stock Exchange organized, New York City.
● 1794 Whiskey Rebellion: riots in Pennsylvania were a result of tax placed on whiskey in 1791. Whiskey tax was first test of U.S. Constitution. Approximate cost of a barrel of whiskey was 25 cents.
● 1800 Washington, D.C., became new capitol of U.S., first nation in the world to design a city exclusively for its capitol.
● 1800 Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman) distributed religious tracts and scattered apple seeds up and down Ohio valley.
● 1803 Louisiana Purchase first territorial expansion purchased from France. Following states comprised original territory: Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa, Arkansas, North and South Dakota, most of Louisiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming, and parts of Colorado and Oklahoma.
● 1806 Zebulon Pike, during Southwest Territory exploration, first saw Pikes Peak, Colorado.
● 1808 Robert Fultons steamboat, “Clermont”, crossed Hudson River.
● 1812 Congress Declared War on Great Britain (War of 1812)
● 1814 National anthem written by Francis Scott Key while detained on British warship.
● 1815 Battle of New Orleans: U.S. troops under command of General Andrew Jackson inflicted about 2,000 casualties on British.
● 1821 Santa Fe Trail pioneered for commerce with Northern Mexico.
● 1823 Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe’s policy of isolation for U.S.
● 1826 First railway steam Locomotive.
● 1826 First Patent for internal combustion engine (two–cylinder)
● 1826 Noah Webster’s dictionary published.
● 1829 Boston– first city with a modern hotel. The “Tremont House” pioneered a room key per guest, gas lights, and a free cake of soap.
● 1831 First use of term “Old Glory” to designate U.S. flag made by New England seaman.
● 1833 First Steele plow made in America by John Deere. Began first manufacturing in Moline, Illinois.
● 1835 Telegraph invented by Samuel Morse.
● 1835 Liberty Bell cracked while it tolled for the death of Chief Justice John Marshall.
● 1836 The Alamo: A fortified mission at San Antonio captured by Santa Anna.
● 1840 First use of the expression “O.K.” It referred to “Old Kinderhook,” birthplace of Martin Van Buren.
● 1841 First wagon trail arrived in California via Oregon trail.
● 1847 First recorded baseball game: New York Nine– 23; Knickerboxers–1; New York Nine pitcher was fined six cents for swearing at umpire.
● 1847 Brigham Young with first Mormon emigrants arrived in Utah.
● 1848 Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill.
● 1853 Gadsen Purchase: Acquired southern Arizona and New Mexico; last addition to present U.S. boundaries.
● 1859 Arsenal seized by John Brown at Harper’s fairy.
● 1859 First cross– country mail delivered— San Francisco to St Louis in 23 days.
● 1860 Edwin Drake sunk first successful oil well in U.S.
● 1860 First intercollegiate baseball game; Amherst defeated Williams, 66 to 32.
● 1860 First repeating rifle in U.S. produced by Oliver F. Winchester
● 1861 Confederate States of America formed at Montgomery, Alabama.
● 1863 Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation
● 1865 President Lincoln assassinated
● 1865 First railroad train holdups at North Bend, Ohio; Ohio and Mississippi train was derailed by gang.
● 1867 Alaska purchased from Russia. Approximate cost: 2 cents an acre.
● 1869 First Woman suffrage in U.S. granted by Wyoming territory.
● 1870 First intercollegiate football game: Rutgers, 6, Princeton, 4
● 1871 Great Chicago Fire
● 1875 Civil Rights Act guaranteed the Negroes equal rights in Public places.
● 1880 Electric Light perfected by Edison
● 1880 First major gold strike in Alaska (Juneau)
● 1882 Clara Barton organized American National Red Cross
● 1886 Statue of Liberty presented to the U.S. by France in commemoration of 100 years of American Independence
● 1890 First Army–Navy football game played at West Point; Navy 24, Army 0.
● 1891 Basketball invented in Springfield, Massachusetts by Y.M.C.A. instructor, Dr. Naismith.
● 1892 First Gasoline automobile made in U.S. by Duryea brothers.
● 1893 First 18-hole golf course opened for play in Wheaton, Illinois
● 1895 First professional football game played in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. John Brailer was hired for $10 expenses as a substitute quarterback, making him the games first professional player.
● 1896 First moving picture on a public screen
● 1897 John and William Kellogg served the first bowl of cornflakes in Battle Creek, Michigan.
● 1898 Spanish American war\
● 1904 First successful flight of air machine by Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk.
● 1904 First speed law passed by New York state 10 mph in town and 20 mph in open country.
● 1905 President Roosevelt became the first American to receive a Nobel Peace Prize
● 1906 First time a U.S. president left the country (Roosevelt)
● 1909 Henry Ford produced 19,051 Model T fords. “Customers could have any color they wanted as long as it was black”
● 1912 Steamship, “Titanic” struck iceberg and sunk.
● 1915 “Lusitania” sunk by German submarines. This action made war with Germany inevitable.
● 1917 U.S. declared war on Germany (World War I)
● 1918 President Wislons famous “Fourteen points”
● 1920 Prohibition went into effect.
● 1927 Babe Ruth set home run record (60)
● 1929 Stock Market crashes.
● 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. Six members of Chicago’s notorious Moran gang were shot down by Rival gang.
● 1930 Great Depression
● 1940 Forty-hour week went into effect.
● 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl harbor.
● 1943 Large Scale production of penicillin in United States.
● 1945 U.S. Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
● 1958 First U.S. earth satellite launched from Cape Canaveral.
● 1959 Alaskan and Hawaiian statehood.
● 1962 Cuban missel crisis.
● 1963 President Kennedy assassinated in Dallas.
● 1968 Civil Rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, assassinated in Memphis.
● 1969 Astronauts walk on the moon
● 1974 President Nixon’s resignation.
● 1976 U.S. bicentennial
● 1985 CTCF is born (LOL couldn’t resist)
● 1990 Gulf War
● 2000 U.S. elects it’s first Dictator George W. Bush
● 2001 World Trade centers collapse
● 2005 Present day!
