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Nevada History Timeline

Nevada: Las Vegas - Reno, NV

Today in American History

Events in Nevada History

  • 1846-10-28 Pioneers suffer blizzard in Sierra Nevada; 42 die
  • 1848-05-30 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between the United States and Mexico comes into force, giving California Nevada, Utah and most of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to the US in return for $15 million
  • 1859-06-12 Comstock Silver Lode in Nevada discovered, first major silver discovery in the US
  • 1861-02-02 The "Organized Incorporated Territory of Nevada" is created, lasting until October 31st, 1864
  • 1861-03-02 US creates Dakota & Nevada Territories out of the Nebraska & Utah territories
  • 1863-03-03 Congress authorizes a US mint at Carson City, Nevada; coins identified with mint mark 'CC'
  • 1864-10-31 Nevada admitted as 36th state of the Union
  • 1868-05-09 The city of Reno, Nevada, is founded
  • 1869-07-01 US mint at Carson City, Nevada opens
  • 1870-01-08 US mint at Carson City, Nevada begins issuing coins
  • 1885-11-06 US mint at Carson City, Nevada, directed to close
  • 1886-10-01 US mint at Carson City, Nevada, closes
  • 1889-07-01 US mint at Carson City, Nevada reopens

Fitzsimmons vs Corbett

1897-03-17 British boxer Bob Fitzsimmons KOs American champion 'Gentleman' Jim Corbett in the 14th round to win World Heavyweight title in Carson City, Nevada

  • 1905-05-15 Las Vegas founded in Nevada
  • 1905-07-03 American boxer Marvin Hart scores a 12th round KO of Jack Root in Reno, Nevada for the vacant world heavyweight title
  • 1907-01-01 Joe Gans lands a devastating right to the head of Canadian challenger Kid Herman to retain his world lightweight boxing title with an 8th round knockout in Tonopah, Nevada
  • 1907-03-19 18.8 cm precipitation at Lewer's Ranch, Nevada (state record)

Fight of the Century

1910-07-04 "Fight of the Century": Jack Johnson beats James J. Jeffries by TKO in 15 in Reno, Nevada to retain his world heavyweight boxing title

  • 1915-02-23 Nevada reduces residency requirement for divorces from 1 year to 6 months
  • 1915-10-03 7.8 earthquake shakes Pleasant Valley, Nevada
  • 1923-03-05 Montana & Nevada become 1st states to enact old age pension laws
  • 1931-03-19 Nevada legalizes gambling
  • 1933-03-10 Nevada becomes 1st US state to regulate narcotics

The Boulder Dam

1935-09-30 The Boulder Dam (later the Hoover Dam), astride the border of Arizona and Nevada, is dedicated by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt

  • 1937-01-08 -50°F (-45.6°C), San Jacinto, Nevada (state record)
  • 1942-12-21 US Supreme court declares Nevada separation legal
  • 1951-01-27 US begins 126 nuclear tests at Nevada Test Site
  • 1951-06-01 1st self-contained titanium plant opens (Henderson Nevada)
  • 1951-11-01 US performs 1st atomic explosion witnessed by troops, Nevada Test Site, New Mexico
  • 1951-11-29 1st underground atomic explosion at Frenchman Flat in Nevada
  • 1952-01-14 Snowstorm in Sierra Nevada kills 26
  • 1952-04-22 1st atomic explosion on network news, Nob, Nevada
  • 1952-05-01 US Marines take part in an atomic explosion training in Nevada
  • 1953-05-19 Nuclear explosion in Nevada (fall-out in St George, Utah)
  • 1953-05-25 1st atomic cannon electronically fired at Frenchman Flat, Nevada
  • 1953-12-25 KNEV (95.5 The Vibe) radio broadcaster in Reno, Nevada begins broadcasting
  • 1954-06-23 122°F (50°C), Overton, Nevada (state record until June 29, 1994)
  • 1955-01-23 KORK (now KVBC) TV channel 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada (NBC) 1st broadcast
  • 1957-07-19 1st rocket with nuclear warhead fired, Yucca Flat, Nevada
  • 1957-09-19 1st underground nuclear explosion at Las Vegas Nevada
  • 1962-03-01 US and British nuclear test experiment in Nevada
  • 1963-10-26 US performs underground nuclear test at Fallon, Nevada
  • 1964-08-06 Prometheus, the world's oldest tree aged at least 4,862 years old, is accidentally cut down in Nevada, USA
  • 1965-01-12 At 10:58 am PST burn up a nuclear rocket in Nevada
  • 1973-11-08 Nevada approves pari-mutuel betting on Jai Alai

Mormon Will a Fake

1978-06-08 Nevada jury rules Howard Hughes "Mormon Will" is a forgery

  • 1980-08-26 John Birges plants a bomb at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada

Sports History

1982-11-13 WBA lightweight champion Ray Mancini beats South Korean challenger Duk Koo Kim by TKO in 14th round in Las Vegas; Kim collapses, falls into a coma and dies 4 days later; as a result, WBC shortens title bouts to 12 rounds; WBA & WBO follow in 1988, and IBF in 1989

  • 1982-11-18 South Korean boxer Duk Koo Kim dies from injuries sustained during a 14-round beating by Ray Mancini in Las Vegas; WBC shortens title bouts to 12 rounds; WBA and WBO follow in 1988, and IBF in 1989
  • 1983-10-04 Richard Noble driving Thrust2 reaches new land speed record of 650.88 mph (1,047.49 km/h) at Black Rock Desert, Nevada
  • 1984-01-14 Ray Mancini scores a 3rd-round TKO of Bobby Chacon to retain his WBA lightweight title in Reno, Nevada; Chacon so severely battered he thanks referee Richard Steele for stopping the fight
  • 1985-01-02 Nevada Las Vegas basketball gives coach Jerry Tarkanian his 600th career victory with a 142-140 win over Utah State in triple overtime; total of 282 points breaks NCAA men's record of 275 set in 1976
  • 1987-08-01 Crossbow flight record (2,005 yds 1'9") set by Harry Drake in Nevada
  • 1990-04-02 52nd NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Nevada-LV beats Duke, 103-73; record largest margin of victory in a championship game; Runnin' Rebels' first title
  • 1990-09-10 Hard Rock Cafe opens in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1991-11-02 Nevada makes biggest comeback in NCAA football history, overcoming a 35 point 3rd quarter deficit to rally and beat Weber State, 55-49
  • 1992-11-09 Howard Stern's radio show begins broadcast in Las Vegas Nevada (KFBI)
  • 1994-06-26 122°F (50°C) at Laughlin, Nevada

Boxing Title Fight

1997-07-01 Nevada Athletic Commission suspends Mike Tyson indefinitely & withholds $20m purse for biting Evander Holyfield's ear during their heavyweight title fight 28 June

  • 1998-02-18 Two white separatists are arrested in Nevada and accused of plotting a biological attack on New York City subways.

US Victory

2000-11-25 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Las Vegas, Nevada: Lindsay Davenport beats Conchita Martínez of Spain 6-1, 6-2 to give US an unassailable 3-0 lead (ends, 5-0) and record extending 17th title

  • 2015-10-13 Basketball player Lamar Odom is hospitalised after being found unconscious in a brothel in Nevada
  • 2015-10-13 First Democratic presidential candidates debate, broadcast by CNN and held in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 2015-12-15 Fifth Republican presidential candidates debate in Las Vegas, Nevada

Clinton Wins Nevada Primary

2016-02-20 US primary elections: Nevada Democratic Primary - Hillary Clinton wins with 52.6%

Election of Interest

2016-02-23 US primary elections: Nevada Republican Primary - Donald Trump wins with 45.9.5%

  • 2016-10-19 Third US Presidential debate: Donald Trump notably refuses to say if he will accept the result of election during debate with Hillary Clinton at Nevada University, Las Vegas

Sports History

2017-10-01 Former NFL star O.J. Simpson is released from Nevada's Lovelock Prison after less than 9 years of detention of his 33 year sentence for armed robbery and kidnapping

Ronaldo Case Dismissed

2018-09-28 Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo accused of rape in 2009 in US lawsuit filed in Nevada; case dismissed based on improper breach of attorney-client privileged communications

  • 2018-12-18 Nevada becomes the first US state with a female-majority legislature with new appointments taking it to 51%
  • 2019-07-06 Jorge Masvidal (34-13) sets a UFC record by needing just 5 seconds to KO Ben Askren (19-1, 1 NC) during their welterweight bout at UFC 239 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Famous People from Nevada

  • 1864-04-10 Tully Marshall, American actor (Let's Go, Red Dust), born in Nevada City, California (d. 1943)
  • 1874-09-13 Henry F. Ashurst, American Democratic politician (U.S. Senator from Arizona), born in Winnemucca, Nevada (d. 1962)
  • 1879-11-02 Marion Jones, American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1899, 1902), born in Gold Hill, Nevada (d. 1965)
  • 1886-09-22 Hobart Cavanaugh, American actor (Border Town, Black Angel), born in Virginia City, Nevada (d. 1950)
  • 1888-03-29 James E. Casey, American businessman and founder (United Parcel Service), born in Candelaria, Nevada (d. 1983)

Maurice McLoughlin (1890-1957)

1890-01-07 American tennis player (US Nat C'ship 1912-13), born in Carson City, Nevada

  • 1895-10-21 Edna Purviance, American silent film actress, worked with Charlie Chaplin (The Kid), born in Paradise Valley, Nevada (d. 1958)
  • 1901-12-05 Milton H. Erickson, American psychiatrist and psychologist, born in Aurum, Nevada (d. 1980)
  • 1903-10-16 Rex Bell [George Francis Beldam], American cowboy actor (Cowboys & Injuns) and 21st Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 1962)
  • 1906-08-05 John Huston, American director and writer (African Queen, Chinatown), born in Nevada, Missouri (d. 1987)
  • 1909-11-20 Alan Bible, American lawyer and politician (Sen-D-Nev, 1954-74), born in Lovelock, Nevada (d. 1988)
  • 1911-05-26 Ben Alexander, American actor (Dragnet, All Quiet on the Western Front), born in Goldfield, Nevada (d. 1969)
  • 1912-03-16 (Thelma Catherine) "Pat" Nixon [née Ryan], American First Lady (1969-74), born in Ely, Nevada (d. 1993)
  • 1917-04-09 Brad Dexter [Boris Milanovich], American actor (Macao, The Magnificent Seven), born in Goldfield, Nevada (d. 2002)

Jack Kramer (1921-2009)

1921-08-01 American tennis player (Wimbledon 1947, US Open 1946, 47), born in Las Vegas, Nevada

  • 1922-02-10 Neva Patterson, American actress (The Seven Year Itch, Taxi, Nichols), born near Nevada, Iowa (d. 2010)
  • 1922-08-02 Paul Laxalt, American politician (22nd Governor of Nevada), born in Reno, Nevada (d. 2018)
  • 1923-11-28 Helen Delich Bentley, American politician (Rep-R-MD, 1985-95), born in Ruth, Nevada (d. 2016)
  • 1924-06-08 Sheldon Allman, American-Canadian actor, singer, and songwriter (Nevada Smith; Harris Against the World), born in Chicago, Illinois (d. 2002)
  • 1925-07-19 Sue Thompson [Eva Sue McKee], American pop and country music singer ("Sad Movies (Make Me Cry")), born in Nevada, Missouri (d. 2021)
  • 1935-08-15 Abby Dalton, American actress (Joey Bishop Show), born in Las Vegas, Nevada (d. 2020)
  • 1936-08-24 Kenny Guinn, American businessman and politician, born in Garland, Arkansas (d. 2010)
  • 1937-07-16 Richard Bryan, American attorney and politician (25th Governor of Nevada), born in Washington, D.C.
  • 1938-05-19 James Bilbray, American lawyer and politician (Rep-D-Nevada 1987-95), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1939-03-11 Lorraine Hunt, American businesswoman, and former Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, born in Niagara Falls, New York

Harry Reid (1939-2021)

1939-12-02 American attorney and politician (U.S. Senator from Nevada, 1987-2017; U.S. House of Representatives, 1983-87), born in Searchlight, Nevada [1]

  • 1945-03-24 Curtis Hanson, American film director and screenwriter (LA Confidential, 8 Mile), born in Reno, Nevada (d. 2016)
  • 1951-05-25 Chuck Ruff, American rock drummer (Edgar Winter Group - "Frankenstein"), born in Reno, Nevada (d. 2011)
  • 1957-02-03 Michele Greene, American actress (Abby Perkins-LA Law), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1960-08-02 David Yow, American musician (Scratch Acid; The Jesus Lizard), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1962-08-14 Jerry Foltz, American golfer and commentator (Golf Channel), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1964-01-27 Inga Thompson, US cyclist (Olympic-8th-88, 84, 92), born in Reno, Nevada
  • 1964-07-04 Mark Slaughter, American hard rock singer,-songwriter, and guitarist (Slaughter - "Up All Night"; "Mad About You"), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1965-05-31 Annette Renee Peters [nee Hand], American 1500/3000 runner, born in Reno, Nevada
  • 1966-03-27 Kate Donahoo, US judoka (Olympic-92), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1968-10-12 Charles Anthony, American CFL defensive back (Toronto Argonauts), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1969-07-31 Loren Dean, American actor (Billy Bathgate, Say Anything), born in Las Vegas, Nevada

Andre Agassi (54 years old)

1970-04-29 American tennis player (Olympic gold 1996, 8 Grand Slam titles), born in Las Vegas, Nevada

  • 1970-07-23 Charisma Carpenter, American actress (Angel), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1970-12-12 Mädchen Amick, American actress (Shelly Johnson-Twin Peaks), born in Reno, Nevada
  • 1971-12-03 Vernon White, American mixed martial arts fighter (King of the Cage Middleweight Champion; UFC), born in Sparks, Nevada
  • 1972-01-31 Marvin Coleman, American basketball player (Calgary Stampeders), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1973-12-23 Tony Graziani, American football quarterback (Atlanta Falcons), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1974-05-25 Frank Klepacki, American video game composer (Command & Conquer: Red Alert), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1975-01-19 Noah Georgeson, American musician and producer, born in Nevada City, California
  • 1976-01-08 Jenny Lewis, American actress (Becky-Life With Lucy), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1976-02-15 Ronnie Vannucci Jr., American drummer (The Killers), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1978-11-06 Scott Piercy, American golfer (US Open 2016 runner-up), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1979-05-24 Frank Mir, American UFC fighter and professional wrestler, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1980-03-24 Luke Edwards, Nevada City Ca, actor (Newsie)
  • 1980-07-10 Thomas Ian Nicholas, actor (American Pie, Rookie of the Year), born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1981-07-11 Mary Beth Arnold, American gymnast (World-bronze-95), born in Reno, Nevada
  • 1982-01-18 Joanna Newsom, American harpist, born in Nevada City, California
  • 1982-01-31 Brad Thompson, American baseball pitcher, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1985-02-13 David Padgett, US basketball player, born in Reno, Nevada

Kyle Busch (39 years old)

1985-05-02 American auto racer, (NASCAR Cup Series Champion 2015), born in Las Vegas, Nevada

  • 1987-12-28 Thomas Dekker, American actor, born in Las Vegas, Nevada
  • 1988-01-14 Mikalah Gordon, American pop singer, born in Las Vegas, Nevada

Bryce Harper (31 years old)

1992-10-16 American baseball outfielder (7 × MLB All-Star; NL MVP 2015, 21; NLCS MVP 2022; All-MLB First Team 2021; Washington Nationals, Philadelphia Phillies), born in Las Vegas, Nevada