To commemorate July 4th this year and America’s 250th anniversary, here is my list of some highlights of American’s past 250 years by decade. My list includes national, state, local, and personal milestones.
Declaration of Independence
1770s:
The Revolutionary War begins in 1775.
The Declaration of Independence is adopted on 4 July 1776.
1780s:
The Gnadenhutten, Ohio, Massacre is in 1782.
The Revolutionary War ends in 1783.
The U.S. Constitution is adopted as the law of the land in 1788.
The first settlement in Ohio is established at Marietta in 1788.
1790s:
The first U.S. Census is taken.
St. Clair is defeated by the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Wabash, Fort Recovery, in 1791.
Anthony Wayne defeats the Indian confederacy at the Battle of Fort Recovery in 1794.
1800s:
Ohio becomes the 17th state in 1803.
The Louisiana Purchase is completed in 1803.
1810s:
The War of 1812 is fought 1812-1815.
1820s:
Mercer County, Ohio, is formed in 1820 and organized in 1824.
Shanesville, now Rockford, is established in 1820 by Anthony Shane, the oldest village in Mercer County and the original county seat.
Willshire is founded in 1821 and platted in 1822 by Captain James Riley.
1830s:
The Indian Removal Act relocation, “Trail of Tears,” is in 1830.
Charles Carroll dies in 1831, the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence.
John George Schumm and 5 of his children arrive in America in 1833.
Oberlin College, in Ohio, opens in 1833, the first coeducational college in the U.S.
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, is born in 1835.
Samuel Colt patents the revolver in 1836.
The Battle of the Alamo ends with the deaths of Davy Crockett & James Bowie in 1836.
Digging begins for Grand Lake Reservoir in 1837.
1840s:
Samuel F.B. Morse sends the first telegraph message in 1844, “What hath God wrought?”
The Miami and Erie Canal is completed in 1845.
Zion Lutheran Church, Schumm, Ohio, is formed in 1846.
Gold is discovered in California in 1848.
1850s:
Ohio makes it illegal for children under 18 & women to work more than 10 hours a day in 1852.
Zion Lutheran Church, Chattanooga, Ohio, is formed in 1855.
The 1850 U.S. census is the first census to show the names of family members.
1860s:
The Pony Express is established in 1860.
The Civil War is fought, 1861-1865, ending slavery.
The Shanesville name is changed to Shanes Crossing in 1866.
Barbed wire is patented by Lucien Smith of Ohio in 1867.
Decoration Day is established in 1868.
1870s:
Independence Day and Thanksgiving are officially established in 1870.
Jacob Miller arrives in America and settles in Mercer County, Ohio, in 1871.
Mary Arabelle Secaur is murdered near Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1872.
Nineteen students attend the opening class at Ohio State University in 1873.
Alexander Graham Bell telephones Thomas Watson in 1876, saying “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” [Some accounts report that he said, “Can you hear me now?”]
Thomas Edison demonstrates the first incandescent light bulb in 1879.
1880s:
The Ruecks arrive in America in 1880.
The gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurs in 1881.
Christine Rueck marries Jacob Miller in 1882, while the rest of her family moves to Oregon.
The Statue of Liberty arrives from France and is dedicated in 1886.
1890s:
The Shanes Crossing name is changed to Rockford in 1890.
The first automobile accident occurs in Ohio City in 1891, when John Lambert runs into a hitching post.
Labor Day is established in 1894.
The Spanish American War is fought in 1898.
Milligan, Ohio, records minus 39 degrees in 1899.
1900s:
The Wright brothers make the world’s first flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903.
The post office closes in Chattanooga, Ohio, in 1905.
The Model T Ford hits the market in 1908.
1910s:
Zion Lutheran Schumm & Zion Lutheran Chatt build and dedicate churches 1915-1916.
The U.S. joins the Allies in WWI in 1917.
The Spanish flu epidemic is from 1918-1920.
Carl Miller and Gertrude Brewster marry in 1919.
Armistice Day is observed in 1919.
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1919.
1920s:
Both Joe’s and my parents are born during this decade.
The current Mercer County Courthouse is completed in 1923.
Mount Rushmore National Memorial sculpture begins in 1927, is completed in 1941.
The stock market crashes in 1929.
1930s:
The Great Depression encompasses the whole decade, 1930-1939.
John Dillinger escapes from the Allen County Jail in Lima, Ohio, in 1933.
Gallipolis, Ohio, records 113 degrees in 1934.
The first All-American Soap Box Derby is held in Dayton in 1934.
Columbus Day is made a federal holiday in 1937.
Armistice Day is made a federal holiday in 1938.
1940s:
The Cincinnati Reds win the World Series in 1940.
Pearl Harbor is attacked on 7 December 1941 and America joins the Allies in WWII.
WWII ends in 1945.
1950s:
Joe and Karen are born during this decade.
The post office at Schumm, Ohio, closes in 1953.
Armistice Day is renamed Veterans Day in 1954.
Alaska and Hawaii become states in 1959.
1960s:
President John F. Kennedy is assassinated on 22 November 1963.
The U.S. escalates their involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965.
Karen begins playing the organ at Zion Chatt in 1965.
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walk on the moon on 20 July 1969.
1970s:
Decoration Day is renamed Memorial Day in 1971, observed the last Monday in May.
Joe and Karen marry in 1973.
The Big Red Machine wins the World Series in 1975 and 1976.
The Vietnam war ends in 1975.
America celebrates its Bicentennial in 1976.
The first home computers are sold in 1977.
1980s:
Son Jeff is born during this decade.
The first commercial cellular telephone service begins in 1983.
The Chicago Bears win the Super Bowl in 1986.
1990s:
The Gulf War begins in 1990 and ends in 1991.
The Reds win the World Series in 1990.
2000s:
Terrorists attack the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a 4th plane goes down in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on 11 September 2001.
The War in Afghanistan begins in 2001 and ends in 2021.
The Iraq War begins in 2003 and ends in 2011.
2010s:
Son Jeff marries and our 2 grandchildren are born during this decade.
Joe and Karen both retire during this decade.
An EF3 tornado hits Celina on 27 May 2019.
2020s:
The Covid-19 pandemic begins in 2020.
The U.S. hosts FIFA World Cup Soccer in 2026.
The country celebrates America 250 in 2026!
What a time to be an American!
Have a happy and safe Fourth of July!
You can contact Karen at karen@karenmillerbennett.com
