1000 Farmers in Peru grow sweet potatoes and corn 1000 Leif Ericson reaches North America 1100 Height of Chimu civilization at Chan Chan, on the northwest coast of Peru 1100 Anasazi people in North America build cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde, Chaco Canyon, and the Canyon de Chelly 1100 Rise of Incas in Peru; they were farmers led by warrior chiefs 1100 Hohokam people of Arizona, North America, begin to build platform mounds 1150 End of Hopewell culture in North America 1170 Mexican Toltecs' capital at Tula overthrown by fierce Chichimec nomads by the northern desert 1180 Toltecs driven out of Chichen Itza 1190 End of first period in which flat-topped mounds were built as bases for temples in the Mississippi river area 1200 Cahokia in North America, city of temple mounds, at its height 1200 Incas in Peru centred around growing settlement of Cuzco 1200-1250 Complexes of apartment blocks and circular kivas built at Cliff Canyon and Fewkes Canyon, Colorado 1250 Chimu people expand their empire along northern coast of Peru 1250 Maya revival; following collapse of ChichÃn Itz, a new capital is built at Mayapan 1300 Incas begin to expand their empire throughout the central Andes 1325 Aztecs found city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) on an island in Lake Texcoco 1370 Acampitchtli chosen king of Aztecs 1390 Viracocha becomes eighth Inca ruler; an Inca myth tells how he travelled to the Pacific and never returned 1400 Pueblo people abandon northern sites and gather in large towns 1400 Expansion of Aztec empire in Mexico 1400 Inca empire enters period of expansion 1426-1440 Aztecs at Tenochtitlan form âTriple Alliance¾ with neighbouring cities of Texcoco and Tlacopan; emperor Itzcoatl reorganizes state to concentrate power in his hands 1438 Inca emperor Viracocha dies; his successor Pachacuti expands Inca empire north to Ecuador 1440 Incas build great fortress at Cuzco 1440-1468 Reign of Aztec emperor Moctezuma I; he and his warriors conquer large areas of eastern Mexico, taking many people prisoner 1450 Inca city of Machu Picchu built on high ridge above Urubamba river in Peru 1455 Huge temple built to Aztec war god Huitzilopochtli in Tenochtitlan 1470 Collapse of Chimu culture in northern Peru 1471-1493 Emperor Topa Inca expands Inca empire into Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina 1473 Tenochtitlan absorbs neighbouring Aztec city, Tlatelolco 1486-1502 Rule of Aztec emperor Ahuitzotl; Aztec empire at height of power in Mexico 1500 French exploration in Canada begins 1502-1504 Columbus's fourth voyage; he reaches Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia 1513 Vasco Nunez de Balboa, Spanish explorer, first sights the Pacific Ocean 1519-1521 Hernando Cort's, Spanish soldier-explorer, brings down the Aztec empire in Mexico 1532-1533 Francisco Pizarro, Spanish soldier, invades and destroys Inca empire in Peru 1534 French explorer, Jacques Cartier, makes first expedition to settle in Canada 1540 Spanish arrive in California 1576 Martin Frobisher, English explorer, sets out to find a northwest passage to China; he reaches the Canadian coast, and Frobisher Bay is named after him 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh sends an exploring party to Virginia in North America, followed a year later by a colonizing expedition, which fails 1607 Jamestown Colony, first permanent English settlement in North America, founded in Virginia 1608 Quebec in Canada founded by French settlers 1610 Hudson Bay explored by Henry Hudson 1620 Pilgrim Fathers sail to America in the Mayflower 1625 French settlements in the Caribbean (St Christopher) begin 1626 Dutch found New Amsterdam in North America 1629 Massachusetts founded 1638 First printing press reaches America 1642 Montreal, Canada, founded 1646 The Bahamas colonized by the English 1655 English capture Jamaica from the Spanish 1664 English capture New Amsterdam from the Dutch; it is renamed New York 1679 Father Hennepin reaches Niagara Falls in Canada 1681 Territory granted in North America to English Quaker William Penn; known as Pennsylvania 1681-1682 Frenchman La Salle explores Mississippi river from source to mouth, and founds Louisiana 1700 European settlers exploit the Caribbean 1700 North American colonies begin to prosper 1701 City of Detroit founded in North America by Antoine de Cadillac to control passage between Lakes Erie and Huron 1711 Tuscarora War between settlers and Native Americans in North Carolina 1715 Yamasee nation attacks South Carolina colony, killing hundreds of English settlers 1716 French build fortress, one of the strongest in North America, at Louisbourg in Canada 1717 Spain establishes Viceroyalty of New Granada in South America 1718 City of New Orleans is founded on Mississippi river 1718 Death of William Penn, the Quaker founder of the state of Pennsylvania 1718-1720 Dispute between French and Spanish over territory of Texas; Texas becomes Spanish possession 1726 Spanish found city of Montevideo in Uruguay to stop further Portuguese colonization southwards from Brazil 1727 Coffee first planted in Brazil, by Europeans 1727 First discovery of diamonds in Brazil in Minas Gerais area where gold is already mined 1730 Vitus Bering, Danish explorer employed by Russia, reaches strait between Asia and North America named after him 1735 Libel trial of John Peter Zeuger in New York helps establish freedom of the press in North America 1736 Natural rubber discovered in the humid rain forests of Peru 1736 Academic schools of S'o Paulo and S'o Jos' founded in Brazil by Portuguese Jesuits 1739 Outbreak of War of Jerkins' Ear; Spain and Britain fight for control of North American and Caribbean waters 1739 South Carolina is shaken by slave revolts 1740 Population of the 13 colonies reaches 1.5 million, including 250,000 slaves; Boston and Philadelphia largest cities 1742 Juan Santos takes name Atahualpa II and leads Native Americans of Peru in unsuccessful revolt against Spanish 1745 British force including New England settlers capture French fortress of Louisbourg in Canada 1753 French occupy Ohio valley in North America 1754-1763 Anglo-French war in North America 1759 General James Wolfe defeats French at the Battle of Quebec 1759 Jesuits expelled from Brazil by Portuguese authorities 1760 All Canada passes into British hands 1762 British expedition against Cuba seizes Havana from Spain 1763 Rio de Janeiro becomes capital of Brazil 1763 Pontiac Conspiracy: Native Americans rise against British in North America 1765 Stamp Act imposed on British colonies in Americas 1773 Boston Tea Party: colonists in North America rebel against British taxes 1775 American Revolution breaks out in skirmish at Lexington 1776 US Declaration of Independence (4 July) 1776 Spanish create Viceroyalty of La Plata in South America 1777 Treaty of San Idelfonso defines Spanish and Portuguese possessions in Brazil 1780-1782 Revolt of Tupac Amaru, Inca descendant, in Peru 1781 British Lord Cornwallis surrenders at Yorktown, ending American Revolution 1783 US independence recognized at Treaty of Paris 1787 US Constitution drawn up 1789 Conspiracy of Tiradentes in Brazil; revolt in Minas Gerais gold mines 1789-1797 George Washington is first president of the United States 1790 Revolt in Haiti against French rule, led by Toussaint L'Ouverture, who for a time runs the country 1791 Canada Act divides Canada into Upper and Lower Canada 1793 Trinidad captured from Spanish in Caribbean 1801 Thomas Jefferson becomes third US president 1803 Louisiana Purchase; United States buys vast tracts of land in Midwest from France 1804-1806 Lewis and Clark's expedition beyond Mississippi 1807 Portugal's John VI flees to Brazil; his son Pedro declares it independent under him in 1822 1808-1809 Rebellions against Spain begin in South America 1810 Hidalgo begins revolts against Spanish rule in Mexico 1812-1814 United States in war with Britain; White House burnt 1816 BolÃvar defeats Spanish in Venezuela; independence confirmed in 1821 1820 The US Missouri Compromise ensures a balance between free and slave states 1821 San Martin wins independence for Peru 1825 BolÃvar founds new state of Bolivia 1828 Uruguay becomes independent 1836 Texas wins independence from Mexico; siege of the Alamo 1838 Trail of Tears; in the United States, thousands of eastern Native Americans are forced to move west, many dying on the way 1840 Upper and Lower Canada are united in self-governing union 1846-1848 US war against Mexico; California and New Mexico ceded to United States 1848 Meeting in Seneca Falls, New York, calls for equal rights for American women 1849 California gold Rush 1850 Jeans invented in California, United States 1850 US Congress compromises over expansion of slavery; fails to resolve tension between states 1850-1889 Remarkable national progress in Brazil under Pedro II 1856 Anti-slavery Republican party formed in United States 1858-1861 Reformer Benito Juarez is Mexican president 1859 John Brown's attempt to start slave revolt alarms whites in southern United States 1861-1865 Civil War in United States; attempt by southern states to secede is defeated 1862 US land given to European immigrants to farm 1862-1890 Last wars against Native Americans in western United States 1863-1867 French invade Mexico and set up Austrian archduke Maximilian as emperor of Mexico 1865 Thirteenth Amendment to US Constitution outlaws slavery 1865-1870 Paraguay attacks neighbouring countries and is almost annihilated 1866-1877 Northern US Republicans force through radical reconstruction of southern states 1867 Britain makes Canada a dominion 1870-1888 Antonio Guzman rules Venezuela; major reforms 1876 In United States, Alexander Bell invents telephone 1877 US inventor Thomas Edison invents the record-player 1876-1911 Rule of President Diaz of Mexico: period of great expansion 1879-1884 The War of the Pacific between Chile, Peru, and Bolivia 1883 Edison invents the light bulb 1885 Canadian Pacific railway opens 1886 American Federation of Labor established 1888 Slaves freed in Brazil 1889 First Pan-American Conference held at Washington 1889 Pedro II deposed by army revolt; Brazil becomes a republic 1891 Civil war in Chile 1898 Spanish-American War; Spain gives Cuba independence, United States takes Puerto Rico, Guam, and Philippines as colonies 1901-1909 Theodore Roosevelt is US president; he works to reform business, railways, child labour, and to conserve natural resources 1903 Panama secedes from Colombia with US backing 1903 Boundary dispute over Alaska between Canada and United States settled 1904 Final settlement between Bolivia and Chile after the War of the Pacific 1904-1909 Presidency of Ismael Montes in Bolivia; period of social and political reforms 1905 Provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan formed in Canada 1906 Alaska elects a delegate to US Congress 1906 Cuba occupied by US forces following a liberal revolt 1907 Run on American banks checked by J P Morgan 1908 Henry Ford produces first Model T car 1911 President Diaz of Mexico overthrown 1912 Alaska granted territorial status in United States 1912 Arizona and New Mexico become US states 1912 Secret ballot and universal suffrage introduced in Argentina 1913-1921 Woodrow Wilson is president of United States 1914 Panama Canal opened 1914 Completion of Grand Trunk Pacific Railway in Canada 1916-1922 Hipolito Irigoyen elected president of Argentina: extensive reforms 1917 Mexico adopts a new constitution 1917 Brazil declares war on Germany 1917 United States declares war on Germany 1918 Venezuela oilfields opened 1918 US President Wilson puts forward the Fourteen Points for settling World War I 1919-1920 US Congress refuses to recognize League of Nations 1919-1930 Great material progress in Peru during presidency of Augusto LeguÃa 1920-1933 Prohibition against sale of alcohol in United States 1921-1925 Progressive government of President Juan Bautista Saavedra in Bolivia 1922 First portable radio and first car radio made in United States 1926 Panama and United States agree to protect Panama canal in wartime 1929 US Wall Street Stock Exchange crashes; Great Depression follows 1930 Getulio Vargas becomes Brazilian president, and assumes dictatorial powers in 1937 1932 Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt becomes US president 1932-1935 Chaco war between Bolivia and Paraguay 1933 Peruvian president Sanchez Cherro assassinated by an âaprista¾ 1933 US âNew Deal¾ laws, such as National Industry Recovery Act, promote economic recovery 1935 US Social Security Act - first step in creation of welfare state 1937 US National Labour Relations Act 1938 Mexico takes over US and British oil companies in Mexico 1941 US Congress passes Lend-Lease Act; billions of dollars' worth of military hardware loaned to Allies 1944 First free presidential elections in Guatemala 1945 US scientists build first atomic bomb 1947 In Truman Doctrine US government promises aid to any government resisting Communism 1948-1951 Under Marshall Plan, United States dispenses aid to Europe to help post-war recovery 1949 United States and West European nations set up North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for collective security 1950 Black Americans intensify campaign for civil rights 1955 Army officers seize power from Argentinian president Peron 1962 Cuban missile crisis 1963 US president John F Kennedy assassinated 1963 Thousands march on Washington DC to press for civil rights for black Americans 1964 Military leaders seize power in Brazil 1964 US Civil Rights Act bans racial discrimination in federal funding and employment 1968 Major protests in United States against Vietnam war 1969 US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin land on the moon 1970-1974 Micro-computers developed in United States 1972 US Congress passes Equal Opportunity Act in response to growing women's movement 1973 Elected Chilean president Allende killed in a military coup led by General Pinochet 1973 United States launches space station Skylab 4 1974 US president Nixon resigns after Watergate scandal 1978 Camp David summit between Egypt and Israel hosted by the United States 1979 Sandinistas seize power in Nicaragua 1980-1982 Civil war in El Salvador 1982 Falklands War between Argentina and Britain 1982 Mexico fails to repay foreign loans, provoking international financial crisis 1989 US soldiers invade Panama and depose ruler, General Noriega 1990 Sandinistas defeated in Nicaraguan elections 1993 Palestinian leader Arafat and Israeli prime minister Rabin sign peace agreement in United States 1994 Sports legend, O J Simpson tried for murder. He is acquitted in 1995