1607: Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in North America, is founded.
1776: The Declaration of Independence is signed, declaring the thirteen American colonies' independence from Great Britain.
1789: George Washington is inaugurated as the first President of the United States.
1812-1815: The War of 1812 is fought between the United States and Great Britain.
1846-1848: The Mexican-American War is fought between the United States and Mexico.
1861-1865: The American Civil War is fought between the Union (the northern states) and the Confederacy (the southern states).
1898: The Spanish-American War is fought between the United States and Spain.
1917-1918: The United States enters World War I.
1941-1945: The United States enters World War II.
1950-1953: The Korean War is fought between the United States and North Korea.
1960s: The Civil Rights Movement fights for equal rights for African Americans.
1968-1975: The Vietnam War is fought between the United States and North Vietnam.
1989: The Berlin Wall falls, marking the end of the Cold War.
2001: The terrorist attacks of September 11th occur in New York City and Washington, D.C.
2003: The United States invades Iraq, beginning the Iraq War.
2008: Barack Obama is elected as the first African American President of the United States.