Timeline of Cleveland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
18th century
- 1796 – Moses Cleaveland and survey party arrive at the location that would later become Cleveland.[1]
- 1797 – Lorenzo Carter, a prominent early settler, arrives.
19th century
- 1800 – Trumbull County created, encompassing Cleveland.
- 1803 – Ohio becomes the 17th State admitted to the Union.
- 1805 – Geauga County created, encompassing Cleveland.
- 1808 – Lorenzo Carter builds the Zephyr, the first ship to be launched in Cleveland.
- 1810 – Cuyahoga County organized; Cleveland selected as county seat.[1]
- 1813 – Oliver Hazard Perry wins the Battle of Lake Erie at Put-in-Bay in the War of 1812.
- 1814
- Cleveland receives its charter as a village.[1]
- Newburgh Township created.
- 1815
- Alfred Kelley is elected the first president of the village of Cleveland.
- Euclid Avenue commissioned, subsequently known as Millionaires' Row.
- 1818 – The Cleveland Gazette and Commercial Register, Cleveland's first newspaper is published.[2]
- 1822 – a free bridge is opened across the Cuyahoga River.
- 1827 – opening of the Ohio canal as far as Akron.[1]
- 1830 – population: 1,076.[1]
- 1831
- The Cleveland Advertiser alters the spelling of the community's name to Cleveland.
- James A. Garfield, 20th United States President, born in Orange Township.
- 1832 – Ohio and Erie Canal completed to the Ohio River.[1]
- 1836
- Cleveland and Ohio City are incorporated as cities.
- John W. Willey is elected the first mayor of Cleveland.
- Bridge War between Cleveland and Ohio City takes place.
- 1837 – Cleveland City Council votes to create City Hospital, now MetroHealth.
- 1840 – population: 6,071.[1]
- 1842 – The Plain Dealer begins publication.[2][1]
- 1844 – Samuel Starkweather elected mayor.
- 1845 – City Bank of Cleveland (forerunner of National City Corp.) founded.
- 1847
- The Weddell House opens.
- The first telegraph line (from Cleveland to Pittsburgh) is completed.
- 1848 – Colored National Convention held in city.[3]
- 1850
- William Case elected mayor.
- Population: 17,034.[1]
- 1851 – Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad completed.
- 1852 – The Aliened American newspaper begins publication.[4][5]
- 1853
- The Cleveland Theater opens.
- National Women's Rights Convention held.
- Woodland Cemetery established.
- 1854
- Ohio City annexed to Cleveland.
- William B. Castle elected mayor.
- The Cleveland Leader begins publication.
- 1860
- Perry Monument on Public Square dedicated.
- Population: 43,417.[1]
- 1861
- Abraham Lincoln visits Cleveland.[6]
- The American Civil War begins.
- 1865
- The American Civil War ends.
- Thousands of Clevelanders mourn the death of Lincoln.[6]
- 1866 – Cleveland Police Department established.
- 1869
- Cleveland Public Library established.
- Lake View Cemetery opens.
- 1870
- Standard Oil Company in business.[7]
- Population: 92,829.[1]
- 1873
- Cleveland Bar Association established.
- Newburgh annexed to Cleveland.
- 1874 – First Woman's National Temperance Convention held in Cleveland, establishing the Woman's Christian Temperance Union.[8]
- 1875 – Euclid Avenue Opera House opens.
- 1876
- Charles F. Brush patents an electric generator.
- Riverside Cemetery Chapel & Riverside Cemetery Gatehouse built.
- 1878 – Penny Press, predecessor to the Cleveland Press, begins publication.
- 1880
- James A. Garfield, from Cleveland, elected 20th President of the United States.
- Case School of Applied Science established.
- Population: 160,146.[1]
- 1881
- Garfield lies in state on Public Square after being assassinated, July 2.
- Adelbert Hall built.
- 1882
- Western Reserve College moves to Cleveland.
- Cleveland School of Art established.
- 1883 – John H. Farley elected mayor.
- 1884
- First electric streetcar run in the city; the first such installation in the country.[9]
- Cleveland Electric Light Co. formed.
- 1887 – Michelson–Morley experiment conducted at Western Reserve University.
- 1890
- The Arcade opens.
- Garfield Monument dedicated in Lake View Cemetery.
- Population: 261,353.[1]
- 1894
- 1895 – Robert E. McKisson elected mayor.
- 1896 – Cleveland celebrates its centennial.
- 1897 – Bohemian National Hall built.
- 1899
- Cleveland streetcar strike.[1]
- John H. Farley re-elected mayor.
- 1900 – population: 381,768.[1]
20th century
1900s–1940s
- 1901
- Tom L. Johnson elected mayor.[1]
- The Cleveland Blues (predecessor to the Cleveland Guardians) are established as one of the first teams in the new American League.
- Cleveland worker and avowed anarchist, Leon Czolgosz assassinates U.S. President William McKinley in Buffalo, New York.
- 1905
- The Cleveland News begins publication
- Glenville and South Brooklyn annexed to Cleveland.
- 1908
- Collinwood School Fire
- More Streetcar strikes but less violent and unsuccessful.[1]
- 1909
- Tom L. Johnson loses mayoral race to Herman C. Baehr.
- Corlett Village annexed to Cleveland.
- 1910
- Collinwood annexed to Cleveland.
- Cleveland Railway Company operated from 1910 to 1942.
- Population: 560,663.[1]
- 1911
- Tom L. Johnson dies.
- Church of the Covenant established.[10]
- 1912 – Village of Nottingham annexed to Cleveland.
- 1913
- The Great Lakes Storm of 1913 hits Cleveland.
- Home Rule City Charter approved by Cleveland voters.[10]
- Cleveland Museum of Art established.[10]
- Metropolitan Theatre opened.
- The first Community Chest, "Community Fund", founded in Cleveland.[10]
- 1914
- Cleveland chosen as the Fourth District headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank.
- Cleveland Municipal Light Plant goes into operation.
- 1915 – Cleveland Play House and Western Reserve University's School of Applied Social Science[11] established.
- 1916
- Cleveland Museum of Art opens.
- Cleveland City Hall dedicated.
- 1917 – Cleveland Metroparks organized.
- 1918
- Federal Court trial of Eugene V. Debs held in Cleveland.
- Detroit–Superior Bridge construction completed.
- The first Cleveland Cripple Survey was published; one of the first accurate disability censuses, that measured the social and economic conditions of individuals considered.
- 1919
- May Day Riots of 1919
- State Prohibition is enacted in Cleveland
- Voters approve placement of a new railroad terminal on Public Square.
- 1920
- Cleveland Institute of Music founded.
- Cleveland becomes the fifth-largest city in the nation.
- The Volstead Act and the Eighteenth Amendment become law.
- Cleveland Indians win the World Series.
- Cleveland Museum of Natural History established.
- Population: 796,841.[10]
- 1921
- Cleveland Clinic and Playhouse Square established.
- KeyBank State Theatre built.
- Mimi Ohio Theatre opened.
- Hanna Theatre opened.
- 1922 – demolition for the Terminal Tower site begins
- 1923
- Federal Reserve bank building completed.
- Alcazar Hotel completed.
- 1924
- Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
- Mayor/Council form of government replaced by City Manager plan.
- 1925
- New Public Library building opens.
- Cleveland Airport (now Hopkins International) opens.
- University Hospitals incorporated.
- 1929
- Cleveland Clinic disaster occurs.
- National Air Race first held in Cleveland.
- The Stock Market crashes
- 1930 – The Tower City Center is dedicated.
- 1931
- Severance Hall dedicated.
- City Manager system reverts to the Mayor/Council form of government.
- Ray T. Miller elected mayor.
- 1932 – Hope Memorial Bridge construction completed.
- 1933
- Harry L. Davis returns as mayor.
- Depression-era unemployment peaks in Cleveland: nearly one-third of the city's citizens are out of work.
- Prohibition is repealed on December 23 – nearly eight months longer than the Eighteenth Amendment.
- 1935
- Harold Hitz Burton elected mayor.
- Eliot Ness becomes Safety Director of Cleveland.
- 1936 – Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
- 1937
- Cleveland Barons hockey team established.
- Cleveland Arena opens.
- Cleveland Rams begin to play professional football.
- John D. Rockefeller dies.
- 1938
- Cleveland Memorial Shoreway opens between East 9th Street and Gordon Park.
- Clevelander Jesse Owens wins four gold medals at Berlin Olympic Games.
- Great Lakes Exposition opens.
- Cleveland Torso Murderer with up to 20 victims.
- 1939 – Main Avenue Bridge opened.
- 1940 – NACA, forerunner of NASA, established at the Cleveland airport.
- 1941
- Frank Lausche elected mayor.
- Western Reserve Red Cats win the Sun Bowl, the city's first college football bowl game.
- 1942 – Cleveland Bomber Plant (now the I-X Center) opens at Municipal Airport.
- 1944 – Cleveland East Ohio Gas Explosion claims 130 lives.
- 1945
- Thomas A. Burke elected mayor.
- Cleveland Rams win NFL football title then move to Los Angeles.
- 1946
- Cleveland Browns are founded and begin play in All-America Football Conference.
- Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
- 1947
- Operations begin at the lakefront airport.
- First telecast by WEWS, Ohio's first television station.
- Eliot Ness runs for mayor of Cleveland but is defeated by incumbent Thomas A. Burke.
- Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
- 1948
- Cleveland Indians win World Series.
- Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
- 1949
- Cleveland named an All-America City for first time.
- Cleveland Browns win the All-America Football Conference championship.
1950s-1990s
- 1950
- Cleveland Browns begin play in National Football League.
- Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
- 1953 – Anthony J. Celebrezze elected mayor.
- 1954
- Last streetcars run.
- Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
- 1955
- Rapid Transit begins operation.
- Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
- 1959 – Boddie Recording Company in business.[12]
- 1960
- Erieview urban renewal plan unveiled.
- Final issue of the Cleveland News published.
- 1961 - Mapp v. Ohio
- 1962
- Ralph S. Locher elected mayor.
- Innerbelt Freeway opens for its full length.
- 1964
- Erieview Tower completed.
- Cleveland State University established.
- Cleveland Browns win the National Football League championship.
- 1965 – WVIZ, an educational television station, begins broadcasting.
- 1966
- Hough Riots
- Cuyahoga Community College opens its Metro Campus.
- 1967
- Carl B. Stokes elected the first African American mayor of a major American city.
- Case Western Reserve University established.
- 1968
- 1969
- A burning oil slick on the Cuyahoga River attracts national attention regarding pollution.
- Euclid Beach Park closes.
- 1970 – Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team organized.
- 1972 – Cleveland Magazine begins publication.
- 1973 – Cleveland Barons play their last hockey game.
- 1974 – Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority established.
- 1976 – desegregation of the Cleveland Public Schools ordered by U.S. District Judge Frank J. Battisti.
- 1977 – Dennis Kucinich elected mayor.
- 1978
- Cleveland is hit by the Great Blizzard of 1978
- 1978 recall election
- December 15, Cleveland becomes the first American city to go into default since the Depression.
- 1979
- George Voinovich elected mayor.
- Cleveland Foodbank established.
- 1980 – presidential debate between candidates Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan held in Cleveland.
- 1981
- Cleveland Public Theatre opened.
- City Council reduced from 33 to 21 members.
- Term of office for mayor and council members increased from two to four years.
- 1982
- Ground broken for the Sohio (BP) Building on Public Square.
- The Cleveland Press ceases publication.
- Cleveland named an All-America City for second time.
- 1984 – Cleveland named an All-America City for third time.
- 1986
- Cleveland named an All-America City for fourth time.
- Cleveland selected as site for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
- 1987 – Cleveland emerges from default.
- 1988 – Cleveland Neighborhood Progress and Case Western Reserve University's Center on Urban Poverty and Social Change established.
- 1989 – Michael R. White elected mayor.
- 1991 – Key Tower "topped off" at 947 ft (289 m).
- 1993 – Cleveland named an All-America City for fifth time.
- 1995
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opens.[13]
- Indians win American League championship.
- Bishop Anthony Pilla is elected to the presidency of USCCB
- 1996
- Cleveland celebrates its bicentennial.
- Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony win a Grammy for "Tha Crossroads"
- 1997 – Cleveland Indians win the American League pennant and return to the World Series.
- 1999 – the new Cleveland Browns Stadium opens with the return of the Cleveland Browns.
21st century
- 2001 – Cleveland Barons are revived.
- 2002 – Cleveland citizens elect Jane L. Campbell as the first female mayor of Cleveland.
- 2003 – 2003 North America blackout
- 2004 – vice-presidential candidates Dick Cheney and John Edwards debate at Case Western Reserve University.
- 2005 – Frank G. Jackson is the first sitting city councillor to be elected mayor since Stephen Buhrer in 1867.[14]
- 2006
- 2007
- Cleveland is hit with a major winter storm in February, leaving 15 inches of snow.
- October 20, Cleveland became the first television market in the United States to have all of its local television stations to broadcast in high definition.
- 2008 – Cuyahoga County federal corruption investigation.[15]
- 2009
- The Ohio Supreme Court upholds the 2006 law prohibiting residency requirements.
- Frank Jackson wins a second term as Mayor of Cleveland.
- November, Ohio Voters open Ohio to casino gambling and Cleveland will have a casino by 2013.
- Cleveland is selected by the International Gay Games committee to host the 2014 Gay Games. Cleveland beat out Boston, Washington DC, and Hamburg Germany.
- 2010 – population: 396,815.[16]
- 2011 – construction begins on the Medical Mart and new convention center, scheduled to open late 2013.
- 2013 – Frank Jackson wins a third term as Mayor of Cleveland against Kenneth Lanci.
- 2014
- Shooting of Tamir Rice
- Hosts the international 2014 Gay Games, also known as Gay Games 9
- 2015 – Chief U.S. District Judge Solomon Oliver Jr. signs consent decree for the Cleveland Division of Police.[17]
- 2016
- Cleveland Cavaliers win the NBA Championship.
- Lake Erie Monsters win the Calder Cup and then are renamed Cleveland Monsters.
- Republican National Convention held in Cleveland.
- The Cleveland Indians face the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series.
- 2017 – Frank Jackson wins a fourth term as Mayor of Cleveland, becoming the city's longest-serving mayor.[18]
- 2018 – Cleveland's population begins to flatten as Downtown population increases.[19]
- 2019
- The Beacon completed in Downtown Cleveland.
- Cuyahoga River named "River of the Year" by the American Rivers conservation association.[20]
- 2020
- Population: 372,624.[16]
- The COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio begins when Ohio Governor Mike DeWine reports the earliest cases of the virus to be in Cuyahoga County.[21]
- George Floyd protests take place in Cleveland and most major U.S. cities.
- The Lumen tower completed in Downtown Cleveland.
- Case Western Reserve University and the Cleveland Clinic host the first 2020 U.S. presidential debate at the Health Education Campus (HEC).[22]
- 2021
- 2021 NFL draft held in Cleveland at FirstEnergy Stadium.
- Frank Jackson announces that he will not pursue a fifth term as mayor.[23]
- The Cleveland Indians assume the name the Cleveland Guardians.
- Justin Bibb elected mayor.