World History Timeline

Timeline

107 events

10th century

  1. c. 1000★★★★★

    Leif Erikson reaches North America

    Norse explorer Leif Erikson reaches Vinland, likely in present-day Newfoundland, nearly 500 years before Columbus.

    Exploration· Canada

11th century

  1. c. 11th century★★★★★

    Cahokia at its peak

    Cahokia, near present-day St. Louis, is the largest urban center of the Mississippian culture in North America, dominated by Monks Mound.

    Culture· United States

15th century

  1. c. 15th century – c. 1860s★★★★★

    The transatlantic slave trade

    From the 16th to the 19th century, an estimated 12.5 million enslaved Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas, with profound consequences for both continents.

    Economy· Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Senegal, Angola, Brazil, United States, Portugal, United Kingdom

17th century

  1. May 1607★★★★★

    Founding of Jamestown

    English colonists establish Jamestown in Virginia, the first permanent English settlement in North America.

    ExplorationPolitics· United States, United Kingdom
  2. July 3, 1608★★★★★

    Champlain founds Quebec City

    Samuel de Champlain founds Quebec on the St. Lawrence River, which becomes the centre of the colony of New France.

    ExplorationPolitics· Canada, France
  3. December 1620★★★★★

    Mayflower Pilgrims found Plymouth Colony

    The Mayflower Pilgrims sign the Mayflower Compact and establish Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts.

    ExplorationReligion· United States, United Kingdom
  4. 1692 – 1693★★★★★

    Salem witch trials

    In colonial Massachusetts, more than 200 people are accused of witchcraft and 19 are hanged.

    ReligionPolitics· United States

18th century

  1. February 22, 1732★★★★★

    Birth of George Washington

    George Washington, commander of the Continental Army and first President of the United States, is born in Virginia.

    Birth· United States
  2. 1754 – 1763★★★★★

    French and Indian War

    Britain and France, with their Indigenous allies, fight for control of North America; France is defeated and loses most of its territory on the continent.

    War· United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France
  3. March 5, 1770★★★★★

    Boston Massacre

    British soldiers fire into a crowd in Boston, killing five people and heightening tensions between the colonies and Britain.

    Politics· United States, United Kingdom
  4. December 16, 1773★★★★★

    Boston Tea Party

    Colonists protesting British taxation dump an entire shipment of East India Company tea into Boston Harbor.

    PoliticsRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  5. April 19, 1775★★★★★

    Battles of Lexington and Concord

    The first clashes between colonial militia and British troops in Massachusetts begin the American Revolutionary War.

    WarRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  6. July 4, 1776★★★★★

    United States Declaration of Independence

    The Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence, proclaiming the 13 colonies free from Britain.

    PoliticsRevolution· United States, United Kingdom
  7. October 17, 1777★★★★★

    British surrender at Saratoga

    British General John Burgoyne surrenders to the Continental Army at Saratoga, a victory that helps bring France into an alliance with the Americans.

    War· United States, United Kingdom
  8. October 19, 1781★★★★★

    British surrender at Yorktown

    General Cornwallis surrenders to American and French forces at Yorktown, Virginia, effectively ending major fighting in the American Revolutionary War.

    War· United States, United Kingdom, France
  9. September 3, 1783★★★★★

    Treaty of Paris (1783) recognizes US independence

    Britain signs a treaty with the United States in Paris, formally ending the American Revolutionary War and recognizing American independence.

    Treaty· United States, United Kingdom
  10. September 17, 1787★★★★★

    Signing of the United States Constitution

    The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia adopts and signs the US Constitution, creating a federal government with separation of powers.

    Politics· United States
  12. December 14, 1799★★★★★

    Death of George Washington

    Former President George Washington dies at his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.

    Death· United States

19th century

  1. April 30, 1803★★★★★

    Louisiana Purchase

    The United States buys the vast Louisiana territory from France, roughly doubling the size of the country.

    TreatyPolitics· United States, France
  2. May 14, 1804 – September 23, 1806★★★★★

    Lewis and Clark Expedition

    Meriwether Lewis and William Clark lead an expedition across the American West to the Pacific coast and back.

    Exploration· United States
  3. February 12, 1809★★★★★

    Birth of Abraham Lincoln

    Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States who led the country through the Civil War, is born in Kentucky.

    Birth· United States
  4. June 18, 1812 – 1815★★★★★

    War of 1812

    The United States declares war on Britain; fighting in North America and at sea ends with the Treaty of Ghent and no change in borders.

    War· United States, United Kingdom, Canada
  5. December 2, 1823★★★★★

    Monroe Doctrine

    President James Monroe declares that the United States will oppose any further European colonization or intervention in the Americas.

    Politics· United States
  6. May 28, 1830★★★★★

    Indian Removal Act

    President Andrew Jackson signs a law enabling the forced relocation of Native American nations west of the Mississippi, leading to the Trail of Tears.

    Politics· United States
  7. March 6, 1836★★★★★

    Battle of the Alamo

    Mexican troops under General Santa Anna storm the Alamo in San Antonio, killing its Texan defenders; the battle becomes a symbol of the Texas Revolution.

    War· United States, Mexico
  9. 1846 – 1848★★★★★

    Mexican–American War

    War between the United States and Mexico following the US annexation of Texas; Mexico is defeated and loses about half of its territory.

    War· United States, Mexico
  10. October 16, 1846★★★★★

    First public demonstration of ether anaesthesia

    At Massachusetts General Hospital, William Morton anaesthetises a surgical patient with ether in public, opening the era of surgical anaesthesia.

    Science· United States
  11. January 24, 1848 – 1855★★★★★

    California Gold Rush

    The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill draws some 300,000 people to California from around the world, transforming the American West.

    Economy· United States
  12. February 2, 1848★★★★★

    Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo

    The treaty ends the Mexican–American War, with Mexico ceding California and much of today's Southwest to the United States.

    Treaty· United States, Mexico
  13. July 19, 1848 – July 20, 1848★★★★★

    Seneca Falls Convention

    The first women's rights convention in the United States adopts the Declaration of Sentiments, including a demand for women's suffrage.

    Politics· United States
  14. April 12, 1861 – 1865★★★★★

    American Civil War

    War between the Union and the seceding Confederate states, centred on slavery, ending in Union victory and the abolition of slavery.

    War· United States
  15. April 12, 1861 – April 13, 1861★★★★★

    Battle of Fort Sumter

    Confederate forces bombard Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, opening the American Civil War.

    War· United States
  16. January 1, 1863★★★★★

    Emancipation Proclamation

    President Lincoln proclaims freedom for enslaved people in the Confederate states in rebellion.

    Politics· United States
  17. July 1, 1863 – July 3, 1863★★★★★

    Battle of Gettysburg

    Union forces defeat Robert E. Lee's army in Pennsylvania in the bloodiest battle of the Civil War, a turning point of the conflict.

    War· United States
  18. November 19, 1863★★★★★

    Gettysburg Address

    Abraham Lincoln delivers a brief speech dedicating the military cemetery at Gettysburg, affirming the ideals of liberty and equality.

    Politics· United States
  20. April 14, 1865★★★★★

    Assassination of Abraham Lincoln

    John Wilkes Booth shoots President Lincoln at Ford's Theatre days after the Civil War effectively ends; Lincoln dies the next morning.

    PoliticsDeath· United States
  22. March 30, 1867★★★★★

    Alaska Purchase

    The United States signs a treaty to buy Alaska from the Russian Empire for $7.2 million.

    Treaty· United States, Russia
  23. July 1, 1867★★★★★

    Canadian Confederation

    The colonies of Canada, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick unite as the Dominion of Canada, the beginning of the modern Canadian state.

    Politics· Canada, United Kingdom
  24. May 10, 1869★★★★★

    First transcontinental railroad completed

    The golden spike is driven at Promontory Summit, Utah, completing the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

    TechnologyEconomy· United States
  25. March 10, 1876★★★★★

    Bell's first telephone call

    Three days after receiving his patent, Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call to his assistant Thomas Watson.

    Technology· United States
  26. June 25, 1876 – June 26, 1876★★★★★

    Battle of the Little Bighorn

    Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho warriors defeat the US 7th Cavalry Regiment led by George Armstrong Custer.

    War· United States
  28. December 29, 1890★★★★★

    Wounded Knee Massacre

    US Army troops kill hundreds of Lakota people, many of them women and children, at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

    War· United States
  29. April 1898 – December 10, 1898★★★★★

    Spanish–American War

    The United States defeats Spain, gaining Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines, while Cuba is freed from Spanish rule.

    War· United States, Spain, Cuba, Philippines, Puerto Rico

20th century

  1. December 12, 1901★★★★★

    Marconi's transatlantic radio signal

    Guglielmo Marconi reports receiving a radio signal in Newfoundland transmitted from Cornwall across the Atlantic.

    Technology· United Kingdom, Canada
  2. December 17, 1903★★★★★

    Wright brothers' first flight

    At Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers make the first controlled, powered, heavier-than-air flight.

    Technology· United States
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