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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1869 | - 1 May 1869: Transcontinental Railroad completed
The first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah.
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| 2 | 1870 | - 1 Jan 1870: 15th Amendment ratified
The 15th Amendment was ratified, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race.
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| 3 | 1876 | - 25 Jun 1876: Battle of the Little Bighorn
Lakota and Cheyenne warriors defeated U.S. Army forces led by General George Custer in Montana.
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| 4 | 1877 | - 2 Mar 1877: Compromise of 1877
A political deal that ended the disputed 1876 presidential election and resulted in the withdrawal of federal troops from the South, ending Reconstruction.
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| 5 | 1881 | - 1 Jan 1881: American Federation of Labor founded
The AFL was founded by Samuel Gompers as a national federation of labor unions.
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| 6 | 1882 | - 4 Sep 1882: Edison's Pearl Street Station
Thomas Edison's electric power plant began operation in New York City, providing power for the first time.
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| 7 | 1886 | - 1 May 1886: Haymarket Affair
A labor protest rally in Chicago turned into a riot after a bomb was thrown, killing police officers and civilians.
- 28 Oct 1886: Statue of Liberty dedicated
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in New York Harbor.
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| 8 | 1890 | - 1 Dec 1890: Wounded Knee Massacre
U.S. soldiers killed over 150 Lakota people in what is considered the final major conflict of the Indian Wars.
- 29 Dec 1890: Sherman Antitrust Act
Congress passed the first federal law prohibiting trusts and monopolies to promote competition.
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| 9 | 1893 | - 1 Jan 1893: Panic of 1893
A severe economic depression began, marked by bank failures and high unemployment.
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| 10 | 1896 | - 1 Jan 1896: Plessy v. Ferguson decision
The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of racial segregation under the "separate but equal" doctrine.
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| 11 | 1898 | - 15 Feb 1898: USS Maine explodes
The USS Maine battleship exploded in Havana Harbor, leading to the Spanish-American War.
- 21 Apr 1898: Spanish-American War begins
The United States declared war on Spain.
- 13 Aug 1898: Spanish-American War ends
The Treaty of Paris was signed, ending the war and ceding territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines to the United States.
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| 12 | 1900 | - 14 Dec 1900: Hawaii annexed
The United States officially annexed Hawaii.
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| 13 | 1901 | - 14 Sep 1901: Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
Theodore Roosevelt became president after the assassination of President William McKinley.
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| 14 | 1903 | - 1 Jan 1903: Wright brothers' first flight
Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first powered, controlled, and sustained flight of an aircraft at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
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| 15 | 1906 | - 1 Jan 1906: San Francisco Earthquake
A major earthquake and subsequent fires devastated San Francisco, California.
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| 16 | 1908 | - 1 Jan 1908: Ford Model T introduced
Henry Ford introduced the Model T, making the automobile affordable for the average American.
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| 17 | 1912 | - 15 Apr 1912: Titanic sinks
The "unsinkable" passenger liner Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg, resulting in over 1,500 deaths.
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| 18 | 1913 | - 1 Jan 1913: 16th Amendment ratified
The 16th Amendment was ratified, allowing the federal government to collect an income tax.
- 1 Jan 1913: 17th Amendment ratified
The 17th Amendment was ratified, providing for the direct election of U.S. Senators.
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| 19 | 1914 | - 1 Jan 1914: Panama Canal opens
The Panama Canal officially opened, allowing ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
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| 20 | 1915 | - 1 Jan 1915: Lusitania sinks
A German U-boat sank the British passenger liner Lusitania, killing 128 Americans and turning public opinion against Germany.
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| 21 | 1917 | - 6 Apr 1917: U.S. enters World War I
The United States declared war on Germany, officially entering World War I.
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| 22 | 1918 | - 1 Jan 1918: Spanish Flu pandemic
The first cases of the devastating influenza pandemic were reported in the U.S.
- 11 Nov 1918: Armistice Day
An armistice was signed, ending World War I.
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| 23 | 1919 | - 1 Jan 1919: 18th Amendment ratified
The 18th Amendment, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages, was ratified.
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| 24 | 1920 | - 19 Jan 1920: Prohibition begins
The Volstead Act went into effect, implementing the 18th Amendment.
- 18 Aug 1920: 19th Amendment ratified
The 19th Amendment was ratified, granting American women the right to vote.
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| 25 | 1921 | - 1 Jan 1921: Emergency Quota Act
Congress passed a law limiting the number of immigrants from any country to 3% of the people from that country already living in the U.S.
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