This timeline helps provide context to the lives of our ancestors and what was happening in the world around them during their lives.

1455 Gutenberg invents the printing press making it possible to mass produce books. The first book printed is Gutenberg’s Bible in Latin.

1492 Christopher Columbus, financed by Spain, makes the first of four voyages to the New World.

1507 Martin Luther is ordained as a priest at Erfurt

1513 Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León lands on the coast of Florida.

1517 Martin Luther nails his 95 Theses to the door of the church in Wittenburg. It is the first public act of the Reformation

1525 William Tyndale’s New Testament is completed. His translation is based on the Latin vulgate, Erasmus Greek and the original Greek manuscripts. His wording and sentence structures are found in most modern day translations of the Bible.

1534 Henry VIII declares himself "The only supreme head in earth of the Church of England"

1536 William Tyndale strangled and burned at the stake. He was the first to translate the Bible into English from the original languages. He was burned for heresy by King Henry, whose divorce Tyndale had opposed.

1542 Portuguese introduce firearms and Christianity to Japan.

1560 Roger Lanham born (see The Roger Lanham Family 1560). Spanish fleet occupies Djerba, at Tripoli.

1565 Saint Augustine, Florida, settled by the Spanish, becomes the first permanent European colony in North America.

1587 Mary, Queen of Scots is executed

1588 The Spanish Armada is defeated by the English fleet, aided by high winds

1590 Josias Lanham born (see The Josias Lanham Family 1590). Pope Leo X threatens to ex-communicate Martin Luther.

1607 Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, is established by the London Company in southeast Virginia

1611 King James Version of the Bible completed.

1620 The Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts is established by Pilgrims from England. Before disembarking from their ship, the Mayflower, 41 male passengers sign the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that forms the basis of the colony’s government.

1630/1631 Jonathon Lanham born (see The Jonathan Lanham Family 1630 or 1631).

1661 John Lanham born (see The John Lanham Family 1661).

1662 Nathaniel Sappington Sr. born.

1680-1692 In Arizona and New Mexico, Pueblo Indians led by Popé, rebelled against the Spanish and lived independently for 12 years. The Spanish re-conquered in them in 1692.

1688 Nathaniel Sappington Jr. born.

1700/1701 Thomas Lanham born (see The Thomas Lanham Family 1700 or 1701).

1723 John Sappington born (see John Sappington).

1726 Stephen Lanham born (see The Stephen Lanham 1726 Family).

1734 Daniel Boone born.

1735 Great Awakening under Jonathan Edwards stirs the American colonies with many conversions and individual returns to heartfelt faith.

1738 John Wesley’s conversion eventually leads to the founding of a branch of the Methodist Church although he had no intention of forming a separate denomination.

1739 The Methodist branch of Protestant religion developed in England as a result of the teachings of John Wesley. While studying at Oxford, Wesley, his brother Charles, and several other students formed a group devoted to study, prayer and helping the underprivileged. They were labeled "Methodist" by their fellow students.

1752 Benjamin Franklin’s electricity experiments lead him to a valuable application — the lightning rod

1754–1763 French and Indian War

1757 Thomas Lanham born (see The Thomas Lanham Family 1757).

1773 Boston Tea Party

1774 Shawnee and Mingo Indians raided a wave of traders and settlers in the southern Ohio River Valley. Governor Dunmore of Virginia, sent in 3,000 soldiers and defeated 1,000 natives.

1775 Fort Boonesborough was founded by legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone.

1775–1783 American Revolution

1776 Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia

1787 Constitutional Convention, made up of delegates from 12 of the original 13 colonies, meets in Philadelphia to draft the U.S. Constitution.

1789 George Washington is unanimously elected president of the United States

1790 Sylvester Lanham born (see The Sylvester Lanham Family).

1791 Freedom of religion, enshrined in the Bill of Rights, is amended into the constitution of the United States forming an early and influential secular government.

1794 Cotton Gin-Eli Whitney patents his machine to comb and deseed bolls of cotton.

1797 John Adams is inaugurated as the second president in Philadelphia

1800 Industrial Age starts

1801 Thomas Jefferson is inaugurated as the third president in Washington, DC

1802 President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation establishing the United States Military Academy. John Chandler born (see John Chandler).

1804 Lewis and Clark set out from St. Louis, Mo., on expedition to explore the West and find a route to the Pacific Ocean.

1807 Robert Fulton was the first to make the steamship a practical success in America, opening American rivers to two-way travel.

1812–1814 War of 1812

1813 Curtis Harden Lanham born (see The Curtis Harden Lanham Family 1813).

1814 Plough-Farmers had furrowed the rocky soil of New England with wooden-tipped ploughs. John Jethro Woods of Poplar Ridge, New York, creates a plough with a replaceable cast-iron tip, making farming in America easier.

1817 James Monroe is inaugurated as the fifth president. Overland travel in the 1800s is slow and arduous. Engineers dig a 363 mile canal to connect the Hudson River with Lake Erie.

1820 Daniel Boone died. Joseph Smith’s first vision near Palmyra, New York.

1825 John Quincy Adams is inaugurated as the sixth president. Erie Canal, linking the Hudson River to Lake Erie, is opened for traffic.

1827 Joseph Smith begins to translate the Book of Mormon

1829 Andrew Jackson is inaugurated as seventh president. Book of Mormon translation is completed.

1830 Invention of the electro-magnetic motor by Joseph Henry, Professor of Mathematics and Natural Science at the Albany Academy. First edition of the Book of Mormon is published. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is organized in Fayette, New York.

1833 Sewing Machine invented.

1834 Threshing Machine invented. John A. and Hiram Abial Pitts invent a machine that automatically threshes and separates grain from chaff, freeing farmers from a slow and laborious process.

1836 Texas declares its independence from Mexico. Texan defenders of the Alamo are all killed during siege by the Mexican Army. Texans defeat Mexicans at San Jacinto. Samuel Colt invents the six shooter revolver.

1836-1875 Comanche Wars-On the southern plains, primarily in the Texas Republic. The U.S. Military instituted official campaigns against the Comanches in 1867.

1837 Martin Van Buren is inaugurated as the eighth president

1840 Great Raid of 1840-The largest raid ever mounted by Native Americans on white cities. Following the Council House Fight, Comanche War Chief Buffalo Hump raised a huge war party and raided deep into white-settled areas of Southeast Texas.

1840 After the Opium War, Shanghai, China was forced to serve as a major trading port and furthermore became an international colony.

1841 William Henry Harrison is inaugurated as the ninth president.

1842 China agreed to cede Hong Kong Island to the British Empire in perpetuity.

1844 Telegraph invented by Samuel F.B. Morse.

1845 U.S. annexes Texas by joint resolution of Congress. James Polk is inaugurated as the 11th president. Hiram Demarcus Lanham born (see The Hiram Demarcus Lanham Family).

1846–1848 Mexican War

1846 Nauvoo Temple is dedicated. Latter Day Saints begin crossing the Mississippi River to move west.

1847 Mormons established in the Salt Lake Valley.

1848 Gold is discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California; gold rush reaches its height the following year. Women’s rights convention is held at Seneca Falls, N.Y.

1849 Zachary Taylor is inaugurated as the 12th president.

1849-63 Navajo Conflicts-Persistent fighting between the Navajo and the U.S. Army in Arizona and New Mexico led to their expulsion and incarceration on an inhospitable reservation far from their homelands.

1852 The first railroad building began in Missouri.

1853 Franklin Pierce is inaugurated as the 14th president. Construction starts on the Salt Lake Temple.

1854 Commodore Matthew Perry forces the Japanese government to open a limited number of ports for trade.

1854-90 Sioux Wars-As white settlers moved across the Mississippi into Minnesota, South Dakota, and Wyoming, the Sioux under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse resisted to keep their hunting grounds.

1857 James Buchanan is inaugurated as the 15th president. The passenger elevator invented.

1859 The first oil well drilled in America.

1860 Abraham Lincoln is elected president. South Carolina secedes from the Union. The Winchester repeating rifle invented. The modern gas engine was invented in 1860, however it was 1878 before it had commercial possibilities, and it was in the 1890’s when the “horseless carriage” began scaring the horses and people.

1861–1865 Civil War

1861-1900 Apache Attacks-In New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas, numerous Apache bands rejected reservation life, and under Geronimo, Cochise and others, staged hundreds of attacks on outposts. Geronimo finally surrendered in 1886; others fought on until 1900.

1865-1879 Ute Wars-The Ute nation rose episodically against white settlers in Utah as the Mormons took over their lands and their resources.

1869 Ulysses S. Grant is inaugurated as the 18th president. The first transcontinental railroad run was completed.

1873 Typewriter invented.

1874 Battle of Palo Duro Canyon-Cheyenne, Comanche, and Kiowa warriors engaged elements of the U.S. 4th Cavalry Regiment led by Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie in Palo Duro Canyon, Texas.

1875 Electric Dental Drill invented.

1876 Lt. Col. George A. Custer’s regiment is wiped out by Sioux Indians under Sitting Bull at the Little Big Horn River, Mont. Alexander Graham Bell patents the telephone. The Remington Model 1 typewriter came into existence.

1876–1877 Black Hills War-Lakota under Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse fought the U.S. after repeated violations of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie

1877 Rutherford B. Hayes is inaugurated as the 19th president. The first telephone line is built from Boston to Somerville, Mass.

1878 Brigham Young Academy (latter called Brigham Young University) is established in Provo, Utah.

1879 Incandescent Light Bulb invented. Backed by $30,000 in research funds provided by investors including J.P. Morgan and the Vanderbilts, Thomas Edison perfects an incandescent light bulb.

1886 Statue of Liberty is dedicated

1882 Electric Fan invented. Thomas Berry Lanham born (see The Thomas Berry (T.B.) Lanham Family).

1889 Dishwasher invented.

1892 Gasoline-powered Car invented.

1893 The Salt Lake Temple is dedicated after 40 years of construction. The zipper is invented. Adrian A Colbath born (see The Adrian Alford Colbath Family).

1898 Spanish-American War

1900 The first railroad came to Altus, Oklahoma.

1902 Air Conditioning invented. Working as an engineer at the Buffalo Forge Company, Willis H. Carrier designs the first system to control temperature and humidity. He will go on to found his own company, the Carrier Corporation, to produce air-conditioning equipment.

1903 At Kitty Hawk, N.C., Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first controlled human flight in a powered heavier-than-air machine.

1908 Car maker Henry Ford introduces his Model T automobile.

1914–1918 World War I

1916 Oran Stroud Lanham born (see The Oran Stroud Lanham Family).

1918 Worldwide influenza epidemic strikes; by 1920, nearly 20 million are dead. In the U.S., 500,000 perish.

1923 Albert Einstein visits Shanghai, China and gives an address on the theory of "Relativity".

1927 Charles A. Lindberg was the first to fly solo, the Atlantic Ocean from west to east in his plane The Spirit of St. Louis. He departed New York, May 20, 1927 and after 331/2 hours flying time landed at Paris France. Philo Farnsworth demonstrates the first television.

1931 The Star-Spangled Banner is adopted as the national anthem

1937-1945 Japanese atrocities in Nanking, China. Sino-Japanese War fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan.

1939 Clifford Lanham born (see The Clifford Wayne Lanham Family).

1939–1945 World War II.

1941 Japan attacks Hawaii, Guam, and the Philippines. U.S. declares war on Japan. Germany and Italy declare war on the United States. Atomic bomb invented.

1948 Electric Guitar invented.

1950–1953 Korean War

1950–1975 Vietnam War

1951 UNIVAC 1 - The Eckert and Mauchly Computer Co. of Philadelphia sells the first commercial computer, the UNIVAC 1, to the U.S. Census Bureau.

1953 Dwight Eisenhower is inaugurated as the 34th president

1954 Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy accuses army officials, members of the media, and other public figures of being Communists during highly publicized hearings

1962 Lt. Col. John Glenn becomes first U.S. astronaut to orbit Earth. Cuban Missile Crisis: President Kennedy denounces Soviet Union for secretly installing missile bases on Cuba and initiates a naval blockade of the island

1963 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivers his “I Have a Dream” speech before a crowd of 200,000 during the civil rights march on Washington, DC

1977 Jimmy Carter is inaugurated as the 39th president

1981 Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th president. For the first time, NASA successfully launches and lands its reusable spacecraft, the Space Shuttle.

1983 Personal Computer invented.

1986 Space shuttle Challenger explodes 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew members. It is the worst accident in the history of the U.S. space program.

1989 U.S. forces invade Panama in an attempt to capture Gen. Manuel Noriega, who previously had been indicted in the U.S. on drug trafficking charges

1990 Iraqi troops invade Kuwait, leading to the Persian Gulf War. Tim Berners-Lee had built all the tools necessary for a working world wide web internet.

1991 Persian Gulf War

1995 Bombing of federal office building in Oklahoma City kills 168 people.

2001 George W. Bush is inaugurated as the 43rd president. Two hijacked jetliners ram twin towers of World Trade Center in worst terrorist attack against U.S.; a third hijacked plane flies into the Pentagon, and a fourth crashes in rural Pennsylvania. More than 3,000 people die in the attacks (Sept. 11). U.S. and Britain launch air attacks against targets in Afghanistan after Taliban government fails to hand over Saudi terrorist Osama bin Laden, the suspected mastermind behind the Sept. 11 attacks. Following air campaign and ground assault by Afghani opposition troops, the Taliban regime topples; however, the hunt for bin Laden and other members of al-Qaeda terrorist organization continues.

2003 Space shuttle Columbia explodes upon reentry into Earth’s atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board.

2008 Barak Obama elected as the President of the United States of America, the first African-American to be elected President.

2010 iPad tablet computer device invented and released by Apple.

2011 Earthquakes cause a huge tsunami wave to wash over large sections of Japan.

2016 Donald Trump elected as the President of the United States of America

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