This period of time had a few firsts which set the stage for the future such as the first electric streetlight, the first cash register, first commercial electrical power plant, the first rodeo, the first 8 hour workday, the first Coca Cola, the first jukebox, first basketball game, first working escalator, first public recitation in unison of Pledge of Allegiance, first gasoline powered car, first game of volleyball, first Ford vehicle, first Boston Marathon, and the first voting machines. For the first time, a President, Grover Cleveland serves two non-consecutive first terms. And for the first time, the U.S. population topped 50 million in 1880.
1880 – President is Rutherford B. Hayes
1/26: General Douglas MacArthur born
2/2: First Electric streetlight installed in Wabash, Indiana
3/31: Wabash Indiana first electrically lighted city in the world
6/1: U.S. Census is 50,155,783
6/27: Helen Keller born
11/2: U.S. Presidential election – James Garfield defeats Winfield S. Hancock
11/4: The first cash register is patented by James and John Ritty
this year considered part of the Gilded Age which was said to have occur 1869 to 1896
More about 1880 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1881 – The President is Rutherford B. Hayes
1/25: Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell form Oriental Telephone Company
2/19: Kansas first U.S. state to prohibit all alcoholic beverages
3/4: President James A. Garfield becomes President
5/21: Clara Barton establishes American Red Cross
7/20: Indian Sioux chief Sitting Bull surrenders with his people to United States troops at Fort Buford in Montana
8/27: 5th hurricane of 1881 hurricane season kills 700 people in Florida and Carolinas
9/19: Chester A. Arthur becomes President when James A. Garfield dies from injuries suffered in assassination attempt on 7/2
10/1: Birth of William Boeing, engineer and airplane manufacturer
10/26: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral
12/4: first edition of Los Angeles Times is published
More about 1881 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1882 – The President is Chester A. Arthur
U.S. suffers Depression of 1882-1885
1/30: birth of Franklin D. Roosevelt,future U.S. President
3/22: Polygamy is made a felony by the Edmunds Act passed by the United States Congress
3/29: Knights of Columbus is incorporated
5/6: Chinese Exclusion Act first significant law restricting immigration into the U.S.
8/3: U.S. Congress passes 1882 Immigration Act
8/5: Standard Oil of New Jerseyis established
9/4: Thomas Edison starts U.S.’s first commercial electrical power plant serving one square mile of lower Manhattan
10/5: birth of rocket scientist Robert Goddard
12/22: First string of Christmas lights created by Thomas Edison
More about 1882 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1883 – The President is Chester A. Arthur
U.S. in the middle of recession of 1882-1885
1/10: fire at Newhall Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin kills 73
1/19: first electric system with overhead wires begins service in Roselle, New Jersey
2/23: Alabama becomes first U.S. state to enact an antitrust law
5/24: Brooklyn Bridge opens to traffic after 13 years of construction, 6 days later a stampede on bridge crushes 12 people
7/4: World’s first rodeo held in Pecos, Texas
10/15: United States Supreme Court declares part of Civil Rights Act of 1875 to be unconstitutional
More about 1883 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1884 – The President is Chester A. Arthur
U.S. in the middle of recession of 1882-1885
3/27 to 3/29: Cincinnati riots
5/1: 8 hour workday first proclaimed by the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions in the United States. Called May Day or Labor Day, now a holiday in September
5/8: birth of Harry S. Truman, future President of the United States
5/17: Alaska becomes United States territory
8/5: Cornerstone of Statue of Liberty laid on Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbor
8/10: 5.5 earthquake affecting very large portion of eastern United States
11/4: Grover Cleveland wins U.S. Presidency over James G. Blaine
12/6: Washington Monument completed
More about 1884 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1885 – The President is Chester A. Arthur
3/4: The President becomes Grover Cleveland
depression ends in May
2/9: first Japanese arrive in Hawaii
2/16: Charles Dow publishes first edition of Dow Jones Industrial Average
2/18: Mark Twain publishes Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
6/17: Statue of Liberty arrives in New York Harbor
More about 1885 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1886 – The President is Grover Cleveland
2/14: first train load of oranges leaves Los Angeles via the transcontinental railroad
5/1: general strike in U.S. eventually results in eight hour workday in U.S.
5/8: carbonated beverage invented by Dr. John Stith Pemberton – will be named Coca Cola
5/17: U.S. Supreme Court rules corporations have same rights as living persons
5/26: entertainer Al Jolson born
5/29: first ad for Coca Cola in the Atlanta Journal
8/20: massive hurricane demolishes town of Indianola, Texas
8/31: Charleston Earthquake kills 60 people in southeastern South Carolina (6.9-7.3)
10/28: Statue of Liberty dedicated
More about 1886 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1887 – The President is Grover Cleveland
1/20: Navy allowed by U.S. Senate to lease Pearl Harbor, Hawaii as naval base
2/2: first Groundhog Day observed in Punxsutawney, PA
More about 1887 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1888 – The President is Grover Cleveland
1/12 – Blizzards hit Dakota Territory, states of Montana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. Called “Schoolhouse Blizzard” due to deaths of 235, many children on the way home from school
1/13: National Geographic Society founded in Washington D.C.
3/11: Great Blizzard of 1888 begins, eventually killing more than 400 along East Coast of United States
3/25: Opening of international Congress for Women’s rights in Washington D.C.
5/11: Composer Irving Berlin born
8/25: Adding machine patented by William Seward Burroughs
9/4: Eastman Kodak Company founded by George Eastman
9/6: politician Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. is born
9/8: President Grover Cleveland declarges Chinese dangerous to our peace and welfare in a letter accepting renomination for President
10/9: Washington Monument opens to public
11/6: Presidential election: Benjamin Harrison beats Grover Cleveland in electoral college vote. (Cleveland had a greater total popular vote)
More about 1888 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1889 – The President is Grover Cleveland
3/4: President becomes Benjamin Harrison
1/15: Coca Cola Company is incorporated in Atlanta Georgia ( Known then as the Pemberton Medicine Company)
1/22: Columbia Phonograph formed in Washington D.C.
2/22: President Grover Cleveland signs Enabling Act admitting North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington as U.S. States
4/22: Thousands rush to claim land in the Land Rush of 1889 in the Oklahoma Territory
5/31: 2,200 people die in and around Johnstown, PA due to Johnstown Flood causes by collapse of South Fork Dam
6/3: Creation of first long distance electric power transmission line near Portland Oregon
7/7: 196 buildings lost and one person dead in Great Bakersfield CA Fire
7/8: first issue of Wall Street Journal published
11/2: North Dakota and South Dakota become 39th and 40th states
11/8: Montana becomes 41st state
11/11: Washington becomes 42nd state
11/23: first jukebox at Palais Royale Saloon in San Francisco
1890 – President is Benjamin Harrison
1/22: United Mine Workers isfounded
3/27: Tornado strikes Louisville, Kentucky killing 76 people and injuring 200
6/1: United States Census Bureau begins using tabulating machine to record census returns using punched card input. Made by Herman Hollerith whose company eventually becomes IBM
7/2: Sherman Antitrust Act becomes law
7/3: Idaho admitted as 43rd U.S. State
7/10: Wyoming admitted as 44th U.S. State
10/14: birth of future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower
12/29: Wounded Knee South Dakota Massacre – 153 Lakota Sioux and 25 U.S. troops killed
Sometime this year the corrugated cardboard box is invented by same guy Robert Gair who developed production of paper-board boxes in 1879
More about 1890 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1891 – President is Benjamin Harrison
3/3: International Copyright Act of 1891 is passed by Congress
3/19: birth of Earl Warren, future Chief Justice of the United States
4/1: Wrigley Company founded in Chicago
6/21: First long-distance transmission of alternating current by power plant near telluride, Colorado
More about 1891 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1892 – President is Benjamin Harrison
1/1: Ellis Island begins receiving immigrants to the U.S.
1/20: first official basketball game played at YMCA in Springfield, MA
2/12: Lincoln’s birthday declared national holiday in U.S.
2/23: earthquake shakes Southern California
3/15: first working escalator patented, used at Old Iron Pier, Coney Island, New York City
4/15: General Electric Company established through merger of Thomson-Houston Company and Edison General Electric Company
4/19: earthquake shakes North Bay area of California
6/7: Homer Plessy arrested for sitting on whites-only car in Louisiana leading to Plessy v. Ferguson court case
8/9: Thomas Edison receives patent for two-way telegraph
10/12: Pledge of Allegiance first recited in unison in U.S. Public Schools to mark 400th anniversary of Columbus Day holiday
11/8: Grover Cleveland beats Benjamin Harrison in U.S. Presidential election
More about 1892 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1893 – President is Benjamin Harrison
3/4: Grover Cleveland becomes President again
1/17: U.S. Marines help overthrow Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii
2/1: Edison comples construction of first motion picture studio in West Orange, New Jersey
5/5: crash on New York Stock Exchange starts a depression
7/6: Tornado in Pomeroy, Iowa kills 71 and injures 200
8/27: Sea Islands Hurricane hits Savannah, Charleston, and the Sea Islands killing 1,000 to 2,000 people
9/21: first gasoline powered car in America driven by Charles and Frank Duryea in Springfield, MA
11/7: Colorado women granted right to vote
More about 1893 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1894 – President is Grover Cleveland
2/3: Painter and Illustrator Norman Rockwell is born
2/7: Cripple Creek miners’ strike of 1894 lasting 5 months begins
3/12: Coca Cola sold in bottles for first time
3/25: Protest march called Coxey’s Army from Massillon, Ohio to Washington, DC. – they arrive May 1
7/4: short-lived Republic of Hawaii proclaimed by Sanford B. Dole
9/1: forest fire in Hickley, Minnesota kills more than 450 people
9/4: 12,000 tailors strike against sweatshop conditions in New York City
12/17: conductor Arthur Fiedler born
More about 1894 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1895 – President is Grover Cleveland
1/1: birth of J. Edgar Hoover, future 1st director of FBI
2/6: birth of Babe Ruth
2/9: game of volleyball is created in Holyoke, MA, but first called Mintonette
5/15: birth of future U.S. Senator from Connecticut Prescott Bush
5/27: Supreme Court decides federal government has right to regulate interstate commerce
7/6: first public golf course called Van Cortlandt Golf Course opens in the Bronx, NY
9/3: first pro football game is played in Latrobe, PA
11/5: first patent for automobile granted to George B. Selden
More about 1895 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1896: President is Grover Cleveland
1/4: Utah is admitted as 45th U.S. state
5/18: Plessy v. Ferguson: U.S. Supreme Court introduces “separate but equal” doctrine and upholds racial segregation
5/26: 12 purely industrial stocks chosen to form Dow Jones Industrial Average, first time all industrial shares used.
5/27: St. Louis – East St. Lous, Missouri tornado ills 255, injures 1000 and creates 10 million in damages
6/4: Ford develops its first vehicle called the Ford Quadricycle
6/28: Massive cave-in kills 58 coal miners in Pittston City, PA
7/30: Train collision just west of Atlantic City, New Jersey kills 50 and seriously injurues another 60
11/3: William McKinley defeats William Jennings Bryan in U.S. Presidential Election
12/25: John Philip Sousa composes “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
More about 1896 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1897: President is Grover Cleveland
3/4: William McKinley becomes President
2/19: U.S. Copyright Office established as department in Library of Congress
4/19: first Boston Marathon
6/1: United Mine Workers Union established via strike which accomplishes 8 hour work day in mines
7/17: Klondike Gold Rush begins in Seattle
7/24: future famous aviator Amelia Earhart is born
8/21: Oldsmobile founded in Lansing, Michigan by Ransom E. Olds
8/31: Thomas Edison gets patent for Kinetoscope, what later became the movie projector
9/1: Boston subway opens, first underground metro in North America
9/10: Sheriff’s posse kills more than 19 unarmed immigrant miners in Pennsylvania – called Lattimer Massacre
11/1: Library of Congress opens in Washington, D.C.
More about 1897 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1898: President is William McKinley
1/1: City of Greater New York is formed from New York City and land from surrounding counties and divided into the five boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island
2/15: USS Main explodes and sinks in Havana Harbor, Cuba resulting in the death of 266 men and blaming Spain for the disaster, helping to precipitate the Spanish-American War
3/24 : first sale of American-built automobile is made to Robert Allison of Port Carbon, PA. It’s a Winton he saw advertised in Scientific American
3/28: U.S. Navy announces USS Maine sunk by a mine
3/30: Mare Island earthquake shakes San Francisco Bay Area
4/20: Spanish-American War begins by President McKinley signing a Joint Resolution with Cuba declaring War against Spain
4/25: U.S. Congress declares war on Spain, first stating war has existed since 4/21 and then stating 4/20
7/7: United States annexes the Hawaiian Islands
9/26: Birth of composer George Gershwin
12/10: Treaty of Paris is signed to end Spanish-American War
12/23: Guam transferred to U.S. Navy control via executive order
More about 1898 from wikipedia (printable pdf)
1899: President is William McKinley
1/17: gangster Al Capone is born
2/6: peace treaty between U.S. and Spain ratified by U.S. Senate
2/10: U.S. receives Philippines, Samoa, Guam, and Puerto Rico as result of Treaty of Paris
2/12-2/14: Great Blizzard of 1899 is a disaster for Florida’s citrus industry
2/14: U.S. Congress approves voting machines for use in federal elections
6/12: Tornado completely destroys town of New Richmond, Wisconsin killing 117 and injuring more than 200
7/17: First juvenile court in U.S. established in Chicago
9/14: First automobile accident fatality in U.S. is Henry H. Bliss who is crushed by an electric-powered taxicab
12/25: Earthquake in Southern California kills 6
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