|
1620s
Finding oyster beds near the future Ellis Island, Dutch
settlers name it "Oyster Island."
Salem is founded on Massachusetts Bay by fifty colonists.
Bubonic Plague kills half the population of Lyons, France,
later ravaging much of northern Italy.
1760s
After the execution of pirates on the island, including
one named Anderson, it is known as "Gibbet Island."
1765
The Stamp Act is passed by British Parliament in 1765 to
defray he costs of troops stationed in the colonies. Independence is won
in the American Revolution, 1775-1783.
1785
Samuel Ellis, owner of the island, tries unsuccessfully to
sell the property, although New York will buy it, after his death, in
1807.
The dollar is declared the official currency of the United
States.
1808
The United States Government buys Ellis Island from New
York for $10,000.
Congress outlaws importation of slaves, although trade
continues illegally.
Napoleon invades Spain, starting the Peninsular War
(1808-1814).
1813
Ellis Island houses Fort Gibson (named after the Battle of
Lake Erie hero), housing large amounts of ammunition.
The term "Uncle Sam" is coined, in an editorial
in the Troy (New York) Post on September 7.
Napoleon defeated at the Battle of Leipzig by combined
allied armies.
1847
Ellis Island is first proposed as a depot to house
thousands of Irish immigrants, although Castle Garden is chosen, and
serves as depot until 1890.
The United States receives the First Wave of immigrants
fleeing troubles in Europe (the Second Wave lasts from 1890 1924.)
Ireland is in the grip of the Potato Famine; over one
million die.
1861
Fort Gibson is dismantled and Ellis Island becomes the
island's official name.
America's Civil War begins at Fort Sumter.
Tsar Alexander II of Russia emancipates the serfs, yet
their condition remains desperate.
1890
The Federal government establishes the Bureau of
Immigration and selects Ellis Island as the site for construction of a new
Federal immigration station for the port of New York.
The Battle of Wounded Knee in South Dakota results in the
massacre of hundreds of American Indian men, women, and children.
In London, the first electric underground railway is put
into service, costing two pence a journey.
1892
The immigration station on Ellis Island is opened on
January 1.
Financier J.P. Morgan organizes the creation of the
General Electric Company.
1897
Fire destroys the original wooden buildings on Ellis
Island.
The Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York, largest hotel in
the world, is opened By John Jacob Astor IV.
1900
The Ellis Island Immigration Center reopens in its present
Beaux-Arts style, designed by the architectural firm of Boring and Tilton.
U.S. Troops help to suppress the Boxer Rebellion in China.
The Trans-Siberian Railway opens, connecting Moscow with
Irkutsk.
1907
In a single day, 11,747 immigrants pass through Ellis
Island.
Women in Norway are granted suffrage. (American women are
granted the Right to vote in 1920.)
|
1924
The tide of immigrants through Ellis Island begins
to wane.
Congress passes a law making all American Indians
U.S. citizens.
Lenin dies in Russia, succeeded by a triumvirate
that includes Josef Stalin.
1943
Ellis Island is used as a detention center for enemy
aliens.
Allied forces invade southern Italy after taking
Sicily. |
 |
1954
Ellis Island is officially closed and offered for bid.
More than 12 million immigrants have passed through Ellis Island since
1892.
The U.S. Supreme Court declares racial segregation in
public schools unconstitutional.
French Foreign Legion troops and pro-French Vietnamese are
defeated at Dien Bien Phu by the forces of Ho Chih Minh.
1965
Ellis Island becomes part of the National Park Service.
President Lyndon B. Johnson unveils his "Great
Society" program to end poverty in the U.S.
The People's Republic of China is gripped by the
"Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," instituted by Mao
Tse-tung.
1974
The Restore Ellis Island Committee is formed to raise
funds for renovation.
President Richard Nixon resigns and is replaced by Gerald
Ford.
Famine induced by severe droughts threatens millions of
Africans.
1983
Restoration of the main building on Ellis Island is begun.
Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space, on
the Space Shuttle Challenger.
Lech Walesa, head of the Polish labor union Solidarity, is
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
1990
The Ellis Island Immigration Museum opens on September 10.
United States forces are sent to the Persian Gulf as part
of Operation Desert Shield.
Communism collapses in Eastern Europe, and the "Cold
War" ends.
1992
Ellis Island celebrates its centennial.
1998
Landmark Supreme Court decision in dispute over Ellis
Island ownership between New York and New Jersey. |
www.SailtheHudson.com
