1612 Birth of Antoine ARNAULD, French philosopher and theologian, critic of Descartes; dies 16941600 The first opera, J. Peri's Euridice, performed in Florence; this also marks the beginning of the Baroque period which ends in 1750 with the death of J.S. Bach 1601 Colony of Tadoussac founded 1602 Cape Cod named by Bartholemew Gosnold, English navigator who found it 1602 Vizcaino explores west coast from Gosnold to Buzzards Bay 1603 Martin Pring explores New England coast 1605 French trading post established at Port Royal, Nova Scotia 1605 Weymouth explores New England coast 1606 First charter granted to the Virginia Company, named after Virgin Queen 1607 Captain John Smith first encounters Iroquois in Chesapeake Bay 1607 Jamestown founded. First permanent English colony in New World 1607 English colony begun at Fort St. George, on Kennebec River, Maine 1608 Samuel de Champlain founds village of Quebec 1609 Champlain makes war against the Iroquois, 1st use of guns on Indians 1609 Hendrik "Henry" Hudson explores river valley named for him 1609 East Anglia Puritans leave England for Leiden, Holland for 10 year stay 1609 Dutch establish Fort Orange, now known as Albany, NY, as fur trading post 1609 Henry Hudson explores east coast of North America for Netherlands 1609 Santa Fe, New Mexico settled 1609 Kepler describes planetary motions and laws 1610 Henry Hudson discovers Hudson's Bay 1610 Thomas West, 3rd Lord de la Warr rescues Jamestown colony from starvation 1612 England colonizes Bermuda 1612 French explorers discover Lake Huron
1613 John Rolfe, husband of Pocahontas, cross-breeds tobacco successfully 1614 Thomas Hunt kidnaps 24 Indians from Cape Cod area, sells them as slaves 1615 French under Champlain trade with local Indians on Georgian Bay 1616 Captain John Smith publishes "A Description of New England" 1616 Pocahontas visits England, poses for portrait; dies there 1616 White settlers introduce small pox to New England. Many Indians die 1619 Black slavery introduced at Jamestown by Dutch traders 1619 First legislative assembly in America, in Virginia, July 30 1619 Nov. 19 DESCARTES has a vision of a new mathematical and scientic system 1620 Slide rule invented by Oughtred, in England 1620 Puritan Pilgrims write Mayflower Compact, land at Plymouth Colony 1621 Pilgrims have first contact with Indian, who greets them in English! 1621 The Indian, Squanto, learned English in England after fleeing Spain 1622 Maine granted to Sir Ferdinando Gorges and Captain John Mason 1623 Champlain's expedition trades for furs with Indians on Lake Superior 1623 Settlements begin in New Hampshire1623 Birth of Blaise PASCAL, French mathematician, theologian and philosopher; dies 1662
1624 Indians barter away Manhattan for about $24.00; Dutch begin settlements 1624 Virginia becomes a royal colony 1628 English Parliament enacts Petition of Right 1628 DESCARTES writes Rules for the Direction of the Mind 1629 Charter of Freedoms and Exemptions for New Netherland granted 1629 Puritans settle Boston area, call themselves The Massachusetts-Bay Co. 1630 Puritans hang John Billington, a murderer; a first for the colony 1632 Mariland named for Queen Henrietta Maria by English King Charles I 1632 "Oyster War" begins between VA and MD; continues today1632 Birth of John LOCKE, English philosopher, political activist and revolutionary, medical researcher and doctor; dies 1704
1632 Birth of Benedict de SPINOZA, Dutch philosopher and scientist; dies 1675
1633 Condemnation of Galileo by the Church 1634 Jean Nicolet explores Lake Michigan shore and Wisconsin 1635 Roger Williams banished from Massachusetts for espousing democracy 1635 First settlements in Connecticut include Hartford and Windsor 1636 First college in the colonies, later named after Rev. John Harvard 1636 Providence Plantations founded in Rhode Island by Roger Williams 1637 Pequot War in Connecticut and Rhode Island 1637 DESCARTES publishes the Discourse on the Method including the Optics, Meterorology and Geometry 1638 Swedish colony, near Wilmington, DE, introduces log-cabin building 1639 The Fundamental Orders unite three communities in "Connectecotte" 1639 Harvard College sets up first printing press in colonies 1640 First English book published in colonies is Bay Psalm Book; Cambridge 1641 "Body of Liberties" adopted in Massachusetts; precurses Bill of Rights 1641 DESCARTES publishes Meditations on First Philosophy along with the first six sets ofObjections and Replies 1642 PASCAL invents an adding machine 1642 Massachusetts School Law requires schoolmaster in towns of 50 families 1642 French develop new trading post at Montreal 1643 Invention of the barometer 1643 New England Confederation founded. These are first 4 colonies to unite 1644 First bicameral legislature formed in Massachusetts 1644 Roger Williams publishes The Bloody Tenet of Persecution 1644 DESCARTES publishes the Principles of Philosophy 1645 First ironworks, at Saugus, MA1646 Birth of Gottfreid Wilhelm LEIBNIZ, German philosopher, courtier, diplomat, lawyer, and librarian; dies 1716
1647 Birth of Pierre BAYLE, French philosopher, an influential skeptic; died 1706
1648 Iroquois defeat the Hurons, drive them into Canada, north of the Lakes 1649 Charles I executed; Oliver Cromwell establishes Commonwealth 1649 First Assembly in Maryland. Enacts Toleration Act, freeing religion 1649 DESCARTES publishes The Passions of the Soul; goes to Sweden at the invitation of Queen Christina, where he dies the following year 1651 Navigation Acts require English ships and crews for all imports 1653 Iroquois defeat the Erie Nation, extend influence into o-he-you. (Ohio) 1656 New Netherland Council passes ordinance restricting religion 1656 SPINOZA excommunicated by the Jewish community in Amsterdam 1657 Rhode Island Assembly adopts freedom of religion; it doesn't last 1657 John Washington jumps ship in Virginia, buys land 1658 Birth of Antoine de la Mothe, sieur de Cadillac; he dies in 17301659 Birth of Damaris Cudworth Masham, daughter of Ralph Cudworth and friend of John Locke, she was herself a philosopher as well as an early feminist; died 1708
1660 Restoration of Charles II to the English throne 1661 William Penn deceives Delaware Indians, effectively steals Pennsylvania 1663 John Eliot translates Bible into an Indian tongue 1663 SPINOZA publishes the Principles of Cartesian Philosophy 1664 Dutch give up control of New Amsterdam 1665 Duke's Law established by Duke of York, who renames area for himself 1668 Sault Ste. Marie established by French missionaries 1669 Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle explores Ohio River valley 1669 Fundamental Constitutions of Carolina inaugurated 1670 Newton discovers The Calculus, but does not publish his results until after Leibniz independently discovers the calculus and publishes. This gives rise to a vast controversy between the two men. 1670 SPINOZA publishes the Theologico-Politcal Treatise 1670 Grant from Charles II leads to settlement of Charleston, SC 1670 Hudson's Bay Company founded to compete with French fur traders 1673 Iroquois drive Mosopelea Indians from Southwestern Ohio 1673 Marquette and Joliet explore northern parts of Mississippi valley 1675 Indian "King Phillip" begins retaliatory war against white invaders 1676 Bacon's Rebellion wages vigilante war in Virginia 1676 First formally declared "Day of Thanksgiving" June 20, Charlestown, MA 1677 Postumus publication of a number of SPINOZA'S works, including the Ethics 1679 Settlements in what is now New Hampshire proclaimed a royal colony 1679 Habeas Corpus Amendment Act in England1679 Birth of Catherine Trotter Cockburne, playwright and spirited defender of Locke; died 1749
1680 Pueblo Indians get horses from Spanish; first Plains Indians to do so 1681 Province of Pennsylvania (Penn's Woodlands) chartered 1682 Philadelphia founded. Penn publishes Frame of Government 1682 LaSalle explores Mississippi River, claims river valley for France 1684 Charles II annuls 1629 charter of Massachusetts colony 1684 Cotton Mather coins the term "Americans" for colonists 1684 A patent is granted for the thimble 1685 Louis XIV cancels Edict of Nantes, thousands flee to the colonies1685 Birth of George BERKELEY, Irish philosopher, immaterialist, Angligan Bishop, and educator; dies 1753
1685 Birth of Johan Sebastian Bach, German composer, chief representative of the German late Baroque period whose many works include The Well Tempered Clavier,1689 Birth of MONTESQUIEU, French philosopher, jurist, natural rights theorist and opponent of slavery; dies 1750 1685 Birth of George Fredrick Handel, Anglo-German composer of the Messiah and other important vocal and instrumental works; dies 1759 1685 Birth of Domenico Scarlatti, Italian composer of operas and religious works, and one of the most important figures in the developoment of classical harmony; dies 1757 1688 First written protest against slavery in the English colonies, by Mennonites in Germantown, PA 1688 The Glorious Revolution establishes Parliamentary supremacy 1689 English Parliament enacts Bill of Rights, provides religious freedom 1689 Pensacola founded (again). (Spanish had tried there in 1559) 1689 LOCKE publishes the Essay Concerning Human Understanding and the Letter Concerning Toleration
1690 First newspaper banned in the colonies is Publick Occurences, in Boston 1690 LOCKE publishes the Two Treatises of Civil Government anonymously 1691 Plymouth becomes part of royal colony of Massachusetts 1692 Witch hunts in Salem, MA; 19 die 1693 William and Mary becomes second college in the colonies, Feb 6 1693 Champagne is invented by Dom Perignon, August 41694 Birth of Francois-Marie VOLTAIRE, French philsopher, popularizer of Newtonian physics, critic of Leibniz; dies 1778
1695 Freedom of the press comes to England. Censorship abolished 1696 Habeas Corpus Act suspended in England 1696 Board of Trade takes over administration of the colonies - John LOCKE is its most influential member until 1700 1697 Penn proposes a Plan of Union for the English Colonies in America 1699 Woolens Act. 1699 Cahokia and Biloxi founded1711 Birth of David HUME, Scotish philosopher, historian and economist; dies 1776
1712 North Carolina gets own governor, separates from South Carolina1712 Birth of Jean Jacques ROUSSEAU, French philosopher, natural rights theorist and literary figure; dies 1778
1713 Treaty of Utrecht; French Acadians (Cajuns) driven from Nova Scotia to LA 1713 BERKELEY publishes Three Dialogues between Hylas and Philonous, a more popular version of the philosophy of the Principles 1714 Shawnee establish themselves in western Ohio, driven there from MD 1715 Tuscarora Indians join League of Five Nations, making it Six Nations 1716 First theater in the colonies is at Williamsburg 1717 Mother Goose appears in print, in Boston 1718 New Orleans founded by Le Page du Pratz, for Bienville 1720 Birth of Ottawa Indian war chief Pontiac, near Detroit 1720 First settlements in Vermont 1721 Dr. Zabdiel Boylston imports smallpox vaccine, in Boston 1723 Benjamin Franklin leaves Boston for Philadelphia1724 Birth of Immanuel KANT, German philosopher whose works include the Critique of Pure Reason and the Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals; dies 1804
1727 First British fort on Great Lakes is Fort Oswego, NY 1728 Vitus J. Bering, a Dane, explores strait which now bears his name 1728 First American steel made in Hartford, CT 1732 Benjamin Franklin begins to publish Poor Richard's Almanac 1732 George Washington born in Virginia on February 22; dies in 1799 1732 Hat Act forbade manufacture in colonies of hats made with local fur 1732 First stagecoach route connects Burlington to Perth Amboy, NJ 1733 Sugar Act, aka Molasses Act, a revenue enhancement scheme for Britain 1733 Georgia becomes 13th colony; founded by James Oglethorpe 1734 Hamilton defends Zenger in freedom of the press landmark case 1735 John Adams, 2nd President, born October 30; dies July 4, 1826 1736 Patrick Henry born May 29 1736 Franklin begins Fire Department in Philadelphia 1737 John Hancock born January 23 1738 The Great Awakening in full swing reshaping religious policies everywhere 1738 British traders begin working shores of Lake Erie, compete with French 1738 Future King George III born. Declaration of Independence mentions him 1739 In North Carolina, there is large insurrection by blacks 1739 War of Jenkin's Ear begins 1740 English Parliament allows naturalization of colonists after 7 years 1740 Invention of the Franklin stove, his most famous invention 1740 Philadelphia is largest city in America. Population 13,000 1741 Vitus Bering claims Alaska for his (now) homeland Russia 1742 The first performance of Handel's Messiah oratorio in Dublin on April 13 1743 Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President, born April 13; dies July 4, 1826 1743 American Philosophical Society founded by Benjamin Franklin 1744 King George's War begins. France joins war effort against England 1746 College of New Jersey, now called Princeton Univ., founded 1747 New York State Bar Association is first in this continent 1748 "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep" appears in New England Primer 1748 Treaty of Aix-La-Chapelle ends King George's War 1749 England recognizes slavery and plantation system in the south 1749 George Washington becomes land surveyor at age 17, for an Ohio company 1749 Halifax, Nova Scotia founded 1750 Cumberland Gap discovered, named by Thomas Walker. Westward ho begins 1750 First American coal mine opens in Virginia 1750 Iron Act encourages colonial pig iron, forbids colonial steel tools 1751 James Madison, father of our Constitution & 4th President, born. d.1836 1751 Liberty Bell ordered from England. 50th anniversary Charter of Privs 1752 Benjamin Franklin goes out to "fly a kite". A shocking experience! 1752 Franklin invents the lightning rod based on his electrical experiments 1752 First general hospital opens in Philadelphia 1753 George Washington explores western Pa; delivers ultimatum to French 1754 Benjamin Franklin's Albany Plan of Union remarks on Iroquoian League 1754 French and Indian War begins; ends formally in 1763 in Treaty of Paris 1754 King's College, now Columbia University, founded 1754 Major Washington loses battle of Fort Necessity 1755 Braddock's defeat at Pittsburgh; Washington makes Lt Colonel 1755 Irish immigrant, Andrew Jackson, born at sea, will become 7th President 1757 Franklin goes to London for 17 year mission for the colonies 1757 D. P. Custis dies, leaves his "The White House" plantation to wife Martha 1758 James Monroe, 5th President, born in Virginia; dies in 1831 1759 George Washington weds Martha Custis, honeymoons at The White House 1759 General Wolfe v. Marquis de Montcalm on Plains of Abraham; both die1759 Birth of Mary WOLLSTONECRAFT, critic of Rousseau, defender of women's rights; dies 1797
1760 Final subjugation of Canada by England 1760 George III becomes King of England. Colonial population 1.6 million 1761 Writs of Assistance case tried in Boston 1762 Benjamin Franklin re-designs the harmonica, makes it a musical instrument 1762 Spain acquires Louisiana from France 1763 Pontiac begins seige of Detroit, now a British fort; incites other wars 1763 French and Indian War ends with Treaty of Paris signed Sept 3 1763 Treaty of Paris important because borders of United States established 1763 Also in Treaty of Paris, England gains Canada and French land east of MS 1763 Vigilantes known as Paxton Boys massacre peaceful Conestoga village 1763 John Jacob Astor born in Waldorf, Germany 1764 Mozart writes his first symphony, at age eight 1764 Saint Louis founded 1764 Molasses Act modified to produce revenue, in concert with Revenue Act 1764 Revenue Act. Taxation without representation introduced in Boston 1764 Committee of Correspondence formed in Boston 1765 Britain tries to raise funds with The Stamp Act; Bostonians riot 1765 Stamp Act Congress meets in Albany, NY; first inter-colony Congress 1765 Quartering Act requires housing British troops in private homes 1765 Non-importation agreements arranged in principal colonies 1766 Stamp Act repealed by England in response to Colonial boycotts 1766 Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon draw the line at MD & PA border 1767 John Quincy Adams, 6th President, born July 11; dies 1848 1767 Daniel Boone crosses Appalachians, keeps heading west 1767 Townshend Duties pile it on higher and deeper, create Customs Office 1768 Colonies circulate letter complaining of taxation; Assemblies dissolved 1768 Birth of Tecumseh, near Dayton, OH 1768 New York Chamber of Commerce established 1768 British troops begin occupation of Boston 1769 David Rittenhouse begins astronomy studies 1769 Pontiac murdered by another Indian, near St. Louis 1770 Francisco de Ortega names discovery on west coast for his patron saint 1770 Ludwig van Beethoven born; dies in 1827 1770 Boston Massacre. Five dead, six wounded on March 5 1770 Townshend Acts repealed, except for that on tea 1771 Battle of Alamance fought in North Carolina 1772 Samuel Adams at Boston Town Hall Meeting publishes list of rights 1772 Customs schooner "Gaspee" burned off Namquit Point in Rhode Island 1772 John Sevier organizes independent republic of Watauga in Tennessee 1773 To save nearly bankrupt East India Company, Parliament tries a Tea Act 1773 Boston Tea Party. 342 chests of tea go into the drink December 16 1773 Wm. H. Harrison, 9th President, born Dec 5 in VA, moves to OH; d. 1841 1773 Perez at Nootka Sound, on Vancouver Island as we now know it 1774 Birth of John Chapman, to be known as Johnny Appleseed; dies 1845 1774 Intolerable Acts include the Coercive Acts 1774 British close the port of Boston in retaliation for tea party 1774 Virginia Conventions begin. Lead to First Continental Congress 1774 First Continental Congress convenes, in Philadelphia, Sept 5 1774 Declaration and Resolves of First Continental Congress Oct 14 1774 The Quebec Act nullifies all colonial rights west of Ohio River 1775 Of the 3,500 pysicians in the colonies, only 400 are MD by degree 1775 Patrick Henry says "Give me liberty or give me death!" 1775 Fights at Lexington and Concord follow "the 18th of April, in '75" 1775 Battle of Breed's Hill mistakenly named after nearby Bunker Hill 1775 Postal system created. Benjamin Franklin is first Director 1775 Second Continental Congress, again in Philadelphia 1775 Washington accepts promotion to General & Commander In Chief June 16 1775 Declaration on Taking Up of Arms issued by Continental Congress, July 6 1775 Lord Dunmore, Governor of Virginia, declares Martial Law November 7 1775 Virginians defeat British at Great Bridge; British bombard Norfolk 1776 General Court of Massachusetts fires Governor, requests he leave 1776 Common Sense written by Thomas Paine 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights on June 12; written by George Mason 1776 Virginia State Constitution adopted June 29, will be model for all states1776 Declaration of Independence drafted by Tom Jefferson, with John Adams
1776 Nathan Hale regrets having "but one life to lose", September 22 1776 Christmas present for Washington at Trenton: 918 German prisoners 1777 General Gates defeats General Burgoyne at Saratoga, NY 1777 Congress adopts the American flag with thirteen stars and stripes 1777 Washington's Continental Army winters at Valley Forge 1778 France declares war on England, becomes ally of America 1778 Englishman Capt. James Cook explores west coast of North America 1779 Captain Cook explores Sandwich Islands until Hawaiians murder him 1779 British surrender to Americans at Vincennes 1779 John Paul Jones, in Bon Homme Richard, defeats Pearson, in Serapis 1780 Death of John Logan, Cayuga Indian Chief. Who will mourn for Logan? 1780 Benedict Arnold attempts to betray West Point 1781 Articles of Confederation go into effect; were drafted in 1777 1781 Cornwallis surrenders to Washington and the allies at Yorktown, VA 1782 Ninety-six Moravian Christian Indians massacred at Gnaddenhutton, OH 1782 First U. S. President born in "The United States" is Van Buren, Dec 5 1783 First daily newspaper is Pennsylvania Evening Post 1784 Benjamin Franklin invents bifocals 1784 Treaty of Ft. Stanwix; Iroquois cede rights north and west of Ohio R. 1784 Taylor, 12th President, born; dies 1850 1786 Shays's Rebellion in Massachusetts forcibly closes court systems 1786 Annapolis Convention concludes September 14, suggests Phila convention 1787 Constitutional Convention opens May 25; concludes business Sept 17 1787 Northwest Ordinance adopted July 13 by Continental Congress 1787 United States Constitution framed, sent to Congress and states 1787 Federalist Papers begin publication in newspapers 1788 New Hampshire is 9th state to ratify Constitution. It is now the law 1788 First settlement in Ohio is Marietta, named for Marie Antoinette 1789 Mackenzie reaches Arctic Ocean via Mackenzie River in W. Canada 1789 French Revolution. Bastille falls Jul 14. Declaration of Rights Aug 26th 1789 George Washington & John Adams elected as first President & VP 1789 The Judiciary Act specifies numbers of Federal courts and judges 1789 Mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty; survivors establish Pitcairn Is. colony 1790 Tyler, 10th President, born; dies 1862 1790 Death of Benjamin Franklin April 17 1790 First national census finds 3,929,214 persons eligible to be counted 1790 Supreme Court meets for the first time; John Jay is Chief Justice 1791 John Carroll of Baltimore made first Roman Catholic Bishop in U.S.A. 1791 Federal capital to be established in swamplands on the Potomac 1791 First ten Amendments are Bill of Rights that go into effect this year 1791 NWT Governor Arthur St. Clair soundly defeated by Indians near Ft. Wayne 1792 Captain Robert Gray names newly found river for his ship, Columbia 1792 Congress names the Dollar as our unit of currency; proposer: Jefferson 1792 Post Office established by Congress as a separate entity 1792 New York Stock Exchange organized 1792 Political parties formed; Republicans (to be Democrats) & Federalists 1793 Cotton gin invented by Eli Whitney 1793 General Anthony Wayne begins campaign against Indians in SW Ohio 1793 John Hancock dies October 8 1793 War between England and France. U.S.A. declares neutrality 1793 Mackenzie reaches Pacific via Fraser River in western Canada 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers, near Toledo, OH. General Wayne v. Indians 1794 Jay's Treaty requires withdrawal of British troops from U.S.A. 1794 Whiskey Rebellion over excise tax in western Pennsylvania 1795 11th Amendment limits some Federal Judicial power somewhat 1795 Pinckney's Treaty with Spain opens navigation on Mississippi River 1795 Treaty of Greenville, OH opens up much of Ohio to settlement by whites 1795 Washington poses for Stuart's portrait, which is now on our dollar bill 1795 Polk, 11th President, born; dies 1849 1796 Washington retires, gives Farewell Address to the nation 1796 John Adams President, Tom Jefferson Vice President, 71-68 vote margin 1796 Moses Cleaveland reaches mouth of Cuyahoga River on July 22 1796 E Pluribus Unum: "Out of Many, One"; added to American coins 1798 Alien and Sedition Acts. Soon to be repealed 1798 Department of the Navy established after 4 years of having a Navy 1798 Washington comes out of retirement to be Commander In Chief of Army 1798 XYZ Affair, so named after three anonymous French trouble makers 1799 French Revolution ends. Napolean becomes ruler of France 1799 Patrick Henry dies June 6 1799 George Washington dies in Mount Vernon December 14, from quinsyHistorical Time Line 1801-1994
From here you can go to to:
Last Updated: 12/95