Events in Delaware History
Hudson Explores Delaware Bay
1609-08-28 English explorer Henry Hudson is the first European to sail into Delaware Bay - names it South Bay
- 1637-11-20 Peter Minuit & 1st Swedish immigrants to Delaware sail from Sweden
- 1638-03-29 1st permanent white settlement in Delaware (Swedish Lutherans)
- 1639-06-10 1st American log cabin at Fort Christina (Wilmington Delaware)
- 1655-09-26 Peter Stuyvesant recaptures Dutch Ft Casimir from Swedish in Delaware
- 1664-06-24 Colony of New Jersey founded when Duke of York grants Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret ownership of land between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers
- 1669-12-20 1st jury trial in Delaware; Marcus Jacobson condemned for insurrection & sentenced to flogging, branding & slavery
William Penn Acquires the Lower Counties
1682-08-24 Duke of York, James II awards the "Three Lower Counties" that form modern-day Delaware to William Penn, ensuring ocean access for his colony of Pennsylvania [1]
- 1682-10-26 William Penn accepts area around Delaware River from Duke of York
- 1737-09-20 Runner Edward Marshall completes his journey in the Walking Purchase forcing the cession of 1.2 million acres (4,860 km²) of Lenape-Delaware tribal land to the Pennsylvania Colony
Washington's Army Crosses the Delaware
1776-12-08 American Revolutionary War: George Washington's retreating army crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania
- 1776-12-25 American Revolutionary War: George Washington crosses the Delaware River into New Jersey, surprises and defeats 1,400 Hessians
- 1777-08-28 American Revolutionary War - Battle of Cooch's Bridge takes place near Newark, Delaware.
- 1777-09-03 Flag of the United States flown in battle for the 1st time at Cooch's Bridge, Delaware, a skirmish during American Revolutionary War
Dickinson Delaware Delegate
1779-01-18 John Dickinson is appointed a delegate for Delaware to the Continental Congress
Constitution of the United States
1787-12-07 Delaware is the 1st state to ratify the US constitution
- 1806-01-30 The original Lower Trenton Toll Bridge, which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened. A later bridge opened in 1935 is also known as the Trenton Makes - the World Takes Bridge.
- 1829-10-17 Delaware River & Chesapeake Bay Canal formally opens
- 1861-01-03 US state of Delaware legislature rejects proposal to join Confederacy
- 1863-06-29 Battle at Westminster or Corbitt's Charge, Maryland: small unit of Delaware cavalry charge Confederate cavalry numbering nearly 6,000, crucially delaying their arrival at Gettysburg
- 1879-12-13 First federal fish hatching steamer launched (Wilmington, Delaware)
- 1893-01-17 -17°F (-27°C), Millsboro, Delaware (state record)
- 1907-12-09 First Christmas Seals sold (Wilmington, Delaware, post office)
- 1918-05-02 General Motors acquires the Chevrolet Motor Company of Delaware
- 1923-07-07 University of Delaware invents "junior year abroad" (at Sorbonne)
J. C. Penny Expands Nationwide
1929-10-11 JC Penney opens store #1252 in Milford, Delaware, making it a nationwide company with stores in all 48 U.S. states.
- 1930-07-21 110°F (43°C) at Millsboro, Delaware (state record)
- 1939-10-24 Nylon stockings go on sale for first time (Wilmington, Delaware)
- 1939-12-15 1st commercial manufacture of nylon yarn in Seaford, Delaware
SS Booker T. Washington
1940-09-29 1st US merchant ship "Booker T. Washington" commanded by a black captain (Hugh Mulzac), launched at Wilmington Delaware
- 1950-11-02 The Clover Dairy Company test-market the first concentrated milk (Sealtest) in the U.S. in Wilmington, Delaware
Eisenhower Apologizes for Racial Insult
1957-10-10 US President Eisenhower apologizes to the finance minister of Ghana, Komla Agbeli Gbdemah, after he is refused service in a restaurant in Dover, Delaware
Biden to Senate
1972-11-07 Attorney Joe Biden is elected to the US Senate, representing the state of Delaware after defeating longtime incumbent J. Caleb Boggs by just over 3,000 votes; Biden would win re-election 6 times
- 1975-07-13 8.5" (21.6 cm) of rainfall, Dover, Delaware (state record)
- 1976-04-30 The Betsy Ross Bridge, spanning the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Pennsauken, New Jersey opens
- 1977-08-15 "Wow" possible alien radio signal from deep space received at "The Big Ear", Ohio State's radio telescope in Delaware
- 1991-09-19 Colt Precious Bunny wins the 46th Little Brown Jug at Delaware, Ohio
- 2013-05-07 Delaware becomes the 11th US State to legalize same-sex marriage
- 2020-09-07 Wildfires have burnt a record 2 million acres in California 2020 fire season, more than the state of Delaware according to Cal Fire
Famous People from Delaware
- 1721-02-24 John McKinly, American physician. politician and 1st President of Delaware (1777), born in Ulster, Ireland (d. 1796)
- 1728-10-07 Caesar Rodney, American judge and Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence, born in Dover, Delaware (d. 1784) [1]
- 1730-05-10 George Ross, American judge and US Founding Father (signed US Declaration of Independence), born in New Castle, Delaware (d. 1779)
John Dickinson (1732-1808)
1732-11-13 American lawyer and Governor of Delaware and Pennsylvania, born in Talbot County, Maryland
- 1738-09-25 Nicholas Van Dyke, American lawyer and President of Delaware, born in New Castle County, Delaware (d. 1789)
- 1746-11-06 Absalom Jones, African-American abolitionist and clergyman, born into slavery in Delaware (d. 1818)
- 1755-09-13 Oliver Evans, American inventor who pioneered high-pressure steam engine, born in Newport, Delaware (d. 1819)
- 1786-02-24 Martin W. Bates. U.S. Senator from Delaware (d. 1869)
- 1789-10-16 William Burton, Governor of Delaware (1859-63) (d. 1866)
- 1796-07-24 John Middleton Clayton, U.S. Secretary of State (1849-50) and U.S. Senator from Delaware, born in Dagsboro, Delaware (d. 1856)
- 1804-10-26 Lorenzo Thomas, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in New Castle, Delaware (d. 1875)
- 1810-04-28 Daniel Ullman, American Brevet Major General (Union Army), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1892)
- 1814-08-14 Henry Hayes Lockwood, American Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Kent County, Delaware (d. 1899)
- 1816-05-24 Emanuel Leutze, American painter (Washington Crossing the Delaware), born in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Württemberg, German Confederation (d. 1868)
- 1819-09-06 William Starke Rosecrans, American inventor, politician and US Army General (Union Army), born in Delaware County, Ohio (d. 1898)
Rutherford B. Hayes (1822-1893)
1822-10-04 19th US President (Republican: 1877-81), born in Delaware, Ohio
- 1822-10-09 George Sykes, American Major General (Union Army), born in Dover, Delaware (d. 1880)
Mary Ann Shadd Cary (1823-1893)
1823-10-09 American-Canadian anti-slavery campaigner, suffragist and 1st African American newspaper publisher ("The Provincial Freeman"), born in Wilmington, Delaware [1]
- 1825-05-01 George Inness, American landscape painter (Delaware Water Gap), born in Newburgh, New York (d. 1894)
- 1831-02-18 Rebecca Lee Crumpler, American physician and medical writer (first African American woman to receive a medical degree), born in Delaware (d. 1895) [1]
- 1833-07-01 Alfred Thomas Archimedes Torbert, Bvt Major General (Union Army), born in Georgetown, Delaware (d. 1880)
- 1833-08-07 Powell Clayton, American politician, diplomat, and Brigadier General (Union Army), born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania (d. 1914)
- 1837-04-03 John Burroughs, American writer and nature enthusiast (Burroughs Medal namesake), born in Delaware County, New York (d. 1921)
- 1841-01-30 Alfred Townsend George, American Civil War journalist, born in Georgetown, Delaware (d. 1914)
- 1849-06-23 John Hunn, American businessman and 51st Governor of Delaware, born in Odessa, Delaware (d. 1926)
- 1853-03-05 Howard Pyle, American illustrator, painter and author (King Stork), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1911)
- 1861-05-31 Emily Bissell, American welfare worker and founder of Christmas Seals, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1948)
Annie Jump Cannon (1863-1941)
1863-12-11 American stellar spectroscopist (Harvard-classification), born in Dover, Delaware
- 1870-01-15 Pierre S. du Pont, American businessman, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1954)
- 1893-11-10 John P. Marquand, American writer (The Late George Apley), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1960)
- 1896-01-18 Bill McGowan, American Baseball HOF umpire (AL 1925-54; 8 x World Series; 4 x MLB All-Star Games), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1954)
- 1898-01-09 Wally Baker, American supercentenarian, born in New Castle, Delaware (d. 2009)
- 1899-05-20 Estelle Taylor, American actress (The Ten Commandments), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1958)
- 1906-03-21 Jim Thompson, American designer and businessman (Thai silk industry), born in Greenville, Delaware (d. 1967)
- 1907-10-22 Henriette Wyeth, American artist known for her portraits, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1997)
- 1917-01-22 Albert "Pud" Brown, American jazz clarinetist and saxophonist, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1996)
- 1918-01-09 Betty Roché [Mary Elizabeth Roach], American jazz singer (Duke Ellington - "Take The 'A' Train"), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1999)
- 1918-05-10 George Welch, American World War II flying ace (Medal of Honor nominee) and test pilot, born in Wawaset Park, Delaware (d. 1954)
- 1920-02-03 Henry Heimlich, Surgeon and inventor of the Heimlich maneuver, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2016)
- 1921-07-22 William Roth, American politician (Sen-R-Delaware, 1971-2001), born in Great Falls, Montana (d. 2003)
- 1921-11-19 Peter Ruckman, American Baptist minister and founder of Pensacola Bible Institute in Pensacola, Florida, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2016)
- 1923-08-17 Larry Rivers [Grossberg], American painter (Godfather of Pop Art), born in New York City (d. 2002)
- 1925-11-17 Libby Newman, American artist, born in Rockland, Delaware (d. 2023)
- 1927-06-28 F. Sherwood Rowland, American Nobel laureate in chemistry 1995, born in Delaware, Ohio (d. 2012)
- 1928-10-30 Daniel Nathans, American microbiologist (Nobel 1978 - discovery of restriction enzymes and their application in restriction mapping), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1999)
- 1930-06-30 Mac Benson, Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame trainer, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1930-10-30 Clifford Brown, American jazz trumpeter and composer (Joyspring, Jordu), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1956)
- 1931-07-18 "Papa" Dee Allen, American percussionist (War - "Cisco Kid"; "The World Is A Ghetto"), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1988)
- 1934-08-04 Dallas Green, baseball manager (Phillies, Yankees), born in Newport, Delaware (d. 2017)
- 1935-01-17 Ruth Ann Minner (née Coverdale), American businesswoman and politician (Governor of Delaware (D), 2001-09), born in Milford, Delaware (d. 2021)
- 1935-01-22 Pierre S "Pete" Du Pont IV, American attorney and politician (Governor of Delaware, 1977-85), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2021)
- 1939-03-21 Kathleen Widdoes, actress (Without a Trace), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1939-07-02 Michael N. Castle, (Rep-R-Delaware 1993-2011, Governor of Delaware 1985-92), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1940-01-01 Ruly Carpenter, American baseball executive (principal owner and president Philadelphia Phillies 1972-81), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2021)
- 1940-06-04 Dorothy Rudd Moore, African-American composer (Songs from the Dark Tower; Dirge and Deliverance), born in New Castle, Delaware
- 1940-08-21 Robert Camac, American horse trainer, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2001)
- 1942-04-15 Walt Hazzard, American basketball player (Olympic gold 1964), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2011)
- 1944-02-03 C Thomas "Tom" Gallagher, American Republican politician, financier, and insurance agent, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1946-07-06 Jamie Wyeth, American artist (An American Vision-Boston), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1947-01-23 Tom Carper, American politician (D-Delaware, Senator 2001-, Governor of Delaware 1993-2001, Rep 1983-93), born in Beckley, West Virginia
- 1947-02-01 Jessica Savitch, American broadcast journalist and pioneering female news anchor (NBC Weekend), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 1983) [1]
- 1948-11-07 Turner Stephen Bruton, American country songwriter and musician ("Crazy Heart"), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2009)
George Thorogood (74 years old)
1950-02-24 American singer and guitarist (The Delaware Destroyers - "Bad to the Bone"), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1950-12-24 (Elizabeth) "Libby" Larsen, American classical composer, and co-founder of the American Composers Forum, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1951-01-12 Ann Althouse, American law professor, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1954-06-11 Johnny Neel, American musician, singer and songwriter (The Allman Brothers Band; Gov't Mule; Dickey Betts), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1955-11-09 Don Schiff, American session and touring rock and progressive rock bassist and Chapman Stick player, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1956-05-20 John Carney, American politician, Governor of Delaware (2017-), born in Willington, Delaware
- 1957-03-08 Cynthia Rothrock, actress (Lady Dragon, Honor & Glory), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1957-05-21 Judge Reinhold, American actor (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1958-09-26 Richard B. Weldon Jr., American politician, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1958-12-29 Nancy J. Currie-Gregg, U.S. Army officer and astronaut (STS 57, 70, sk: 88), born in Wilmington, Delaware
Bryan Stevenson (64 years old)
1959-11-14 American social justice activist and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, born in Milton, Delaware
Valerie Bertinelli (64 years old)
1960-04-23 American actress (One Day at a Time - "Barbara"; Hot in Cleveland - "Melanie"), and Food Network personality, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1961-11-18 Gwen Knapp, American sports journalist (Philadelphia Inquirer, SF Examiner, SF Chronicle, New York Times), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2023)
- 1962-04-01 Sara Lazarus, American jazz singer ("It's All Right With Me"), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1963-09-07 Chris Coons, American politician (Senator-D-Delaware 2010-), born in Greenwich, Connecticut
Elisabeth Shue (60 years old)
1963-10-06 American actress (Cocktail, Back to the Future Part II), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1968-03-04 Dionna Harris, American softball outfielder (Olympic gold 1996), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1968-05-26 Pat Kenney [Simon Diamond], American professional wrestler, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1969-01-15 Delino DeShields, American baseball infielder, 1990-2002 (Montreal Expos, LA Dodgers, and 3 other teams), born in Seaford, Delaware
- 1969-02-03 (Joseph) "Beau" Biden III, American attorney (US Army JAG Major, 2002-15; Delaware Attorney General, 2007-15), and eldest son of US President Joe Biden, born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2015)
- 1969-11-10 Rod Milstead, American NFL guard (Super Bowl 1994, SF 49ers; coach Delaware State), born in Washington, D.C.
- 1970-08-09 Chris Gedney, American NFL tight end, 1993-2000 (Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals), born in Wilmington, Delaware (d. 2018)
- 1970-10-17 John Mabry, outfielder (St Louis Cardinals), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1972-04-07 Lovett Purnell, American NFL football wide receiver, 1996-2001 (New England Patriots, and 2 other teams), born in Seaford, Delaware
- 1972-04-20 Stephen Marley, Jamaican-American reggae musician, son of Bob Marley, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1974-09-10 Ryan Phillippe, American actor (Cruel Intentions, Shooter), born in New Castle, Delaware
- 1976-09-17 Jonathan Nichols, American dance skater (with partner Tami Tyler), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1978-01-07 Kevin Mench, American baseball player, born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1981-10-30 Ian Snell, American baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates), born in Dover, Delaware
- 1984-05-04 Montell Owens, American football fullback (Pro Bowl 2010, 11 Jacksonville Jaguars), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1984-06-17 John Gallagher Jr., American stage actor (The West Wing, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1984-06-26 Aubrey Plaza, American actress and comedian (Parks and Recreation), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1985-06-18 Jimmie Allen, American country music singer-songwriter ("Best Shot", "Make Me Want To"), born in Milton, Delaware
- 1989-09-05 Elena Delle Donne, American basketball player (Washington Mystics), born in Wilmington, Delaware
- 1992-11-16 Adam Robert Worton, American twin actor (Baby's Day Out), born in Newark, Delaware
- 1992-11-16 Jacob Joseph Worton, American twin actor (Baby's Day Out), born in Newark, Delaware
Famous Americans
'Philadelphia' Jack O'Brien
50 Cent
A Boogie wit da Hoodie
A. E. Douglass
A. J. Foyt
Aaron Burr