1608 English explorer Captain John Smith sails up the Susquehanna River.
1609 Henry Hudson claims much of the region for the Dutch.
1643 Swedish settlers found the first permanent settlement.
1664 The land comes under the control of the British.
1681 William Penn is given a large tract of land by King Charles II. He names it Pennsylvania.
1688 Quakers in Germantown came out against slavery.
1701 The Charter of Privileges is signed by William Penn establishing a government.
1731 The first U.S. library is opened by Benjamin Franklin.
1767 The Mason-Dixon Line is agreed upon as the southern border with Maryland.
1774 The First Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia.
1775 The Second Continental Congress meets, creating the Continental Army with George Washington as the leader.
1776 The members of the Second constitutional Congress issue the Declaration of Independence.
1777 The city of Philadelphia is occupied by the British.
1777 General Washington’s troops are defeated at the Battle of Brandywine.
1777-78 The American Army is forced to camp at Valley Forge.
1780 Slavery is abolished.
1787 Pennsylvania ratifies the Constitution and becomes the 2nd state.
1812 The state capital moves to Harrisburg.
1835 The Liberty Bell cracks.
1859 The first commercial oil well was drilled in Titusville.
1863 The Battle of Gettysburg occurs. It is the turning point of the Civil War.
1863 President Lincoln gives his Gettysburg address at the dedication of Gettysburg cemetery.
1876 The US centennial exhibition is held in Philadelphia.
1889 When a dam fails Johnstown is destroyed.
1953 Dr. Jonas Salk discovers the vaccine for polio while working at the University of Pittsburgh.
1979 A major accident occurs at the Three mile nuclear plant.