“Presidents of the Church Time Line,” Presidents of the Church Student Manual (2004), 281–96

“Time Line,” Presidents of the Church Student Manual, 281–96

Presidents of the Church

Time Line

Joseph Smith Sr. Home, Manchester, New York

1800

1801

1802

1803

1804

1805

1806

1807

1808

1809

1810

1811

1812

1813

1814

1815

1816

1817

1818

1819

1820

1821

1822

1823

1824

1825

1826

1827

1828

1829

1830

1831

1832

1833

1834

1835

1836

1837

1838

1839

1840

1841

1842

1843

1844

1845

1846

1847

1848

1849

1850

1851

1852

1853

1854

1855

1856

1857

1858

1859

1860

1861

1862

1863

1864

1865

1866

1867

1868

1869

1870

1871

1872

1873

1874

1875

1876

1877

1878

1879

1880

1881

1882

1883

1884

1885

1886

1887

1888

1889

1890

1891

1892

1893

1894

1895

1896

1897

1898

1899

1900

1901

1902

1903

1904

1905

1906

1907

1908

1909

1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

1936

1937

1938

1939

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960

1961

1962

1963

1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

1974

1975

1976

1977

1978

1979

1980

1981

1982

1983

1984

1985

1986

1987

1988

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Church History

Joseph Smith (23 Dec. 1805–27 June 1844)
Brigham Young (1 June 1801–29 Aug. 1877)
John Taylor (1 Nov. 1808–25 July 1887)
Wilford Woodruff (1 Mar. 1807–2 Sept 1898)

Hyrum Smith born (9 Feb.)
Joseph Smith Sr. moved his family to Sharon, Vermont
David Whitmer born (7 Jan.)
Oliver Cowdery born (3 Oct.)
Joseph Smith had leg operation

Joseph Smith
Brigham Young
John Taylor
Wilford Woodruff
Lorenzo Snow (3 Apr. 1814–10 Oct. 1901)

Smith family moved to Palmyra, New York, due to three successive crop failures in Vermont
Smith family moved to Manchester, New York
Joseph Smith had the First Vision (spring)
Angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith three times during one night and twice the next day (21–22 Sept.)
Joseph Smith first visited the Hill Cumorah and viewed the golden plates
Alvin Smith died (19 Nov.)
Joseph Smith made second visit to Hill Cumorah to receive instruction
Joseph Smith made third visit to Hill Cumorah for instruction
Joseph Smith made fourth visit to Hill Cumorah for instruction
Joseph Smith and Emma Hale married (18 Jan.)
Joseph Smith obtained the golden plates (22 Sept.; see Isaih 29:11–12)
Martin Harris visited Charles Anthon in New York City (Feb.)
Martin Harris lost 116 manuscript pages of the Book of Mormon (June)
Joseph Smith regained the gift to translate the Book of Mormon (Sept.)
Aaronic Priesthood restored (15 May); the Melchizedek Priesthood was restored about two weeks later, probably the end of May; Joseph Smith was ordained an Apostle by Peter, James, and John (see D&C 20:2; 27:12; 128:20)
Book of Mormon translation completed; the Three Witnesses and the Eight Witnesses were shown the golden plates

Joseph Smith (sustained as First Elder of the Church 6 Apr. 1830)
Brigham Young

(ordained Apostle 14 Feb. 1835)
John Taylor

(ordained Apostle 19 Dec. 1838)
Wilford Woodruff

(ordained Apostle 26 Apr. 1839)
Lorenzo Snow
Joseph F. Smith (13 Nov. 1838–19 Nov. 1918)

Book of Mormon published
The Church was organized (6 Apr.)
Church members began gathering to Ohio
Some Church members moved to Missouri
Joseph Smith sustained as President of the High Priesthood (25 Jan.)
Vision of the three degrees of glory (D&C 76) received (16 Feb.)
“Prophecy on War” (D&C 87; 25Dec.) and “Olive Leaf” (D&C 88: 27–28Dec, 3 Jan.) received
The Word of Wisdom (D&C 89) received (27 Feb.)
Book of Commandments published
Brigham Young baptized (14 Apr.)
First Presidency organized (18 Mar.)
Wilford Woodruff baptized (31 Dec.)
First stake organized
Zion’s Camp (May–July)
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Quorum of the Seventy organized (Feb.)
Mummies and scrolls purchased from Michael Chandler (July)
Doctrine and Covenants approved (17 Aug.)
Kirtland Temple dedicated (27 Mar); first temple built in this dispensation
Moses, Elias, and Elijah committed priesthood keys to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (3 Apr.)
John Taylor baptized (9 May)
Lorenzo Snow baptized (19 June)
Church hymnal published (Nov.)
First mission in the Church organized in Great Britian
Joseph Smith received revelation on tithing (8 July)
Governor Boggs issued “Extermination Order” in Missouri (27 Oct.)
Haun’s Mill massacre (30 Oct.)
Joseph and Hyrum Smith imprisoned in Liberty Jail (Dec. 1838–Apr. 1839)
Church members moved to Illinois and Iowa
First Church members to gather from a foreign land sailed from England
Joseph Smith began teaching baptism for the dead (15 Aug.)
Orson Hyde dedicated the Holy Land for the return of the Jews (24 Oct.)
First full endowment given (4 May)
Wentworth Letter written (spring)
Book of Abraham published
Relief Society organized (17 Mar.)
Revelation on the new and everlasting covenant, marriage, and fullness of life (D&C 132; recorded on 12 July)
Joseph and Hyrum Smith martyred in Carthage, Illinois (27 June)
The Twelve Apostles sustained as the presiding quorum in the Church (8 Aug.)

Church membership: approximately 280 at end of year
16,865

Brigham Young
(President of the Church, 27 Dec. 1847)
John Taylor
Wilford Woodruff
Lorenzo Snow

(ordained Apostle 12 Feb. 1849)
Joseph F. Smith
Heber J. Grant (22 Nov. 1856–14 May 1945)

Church leaders announced plans to move to the West (Oct.)
Saints began leaving Nauvoo (Feb.)
Nauvoo Temple dedicated (1 May)
Brigham Young’s Pioneer Company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley (22–24 July)
Mormon Battalion began its 2000-mile march from Kanesville, Iowa (21 July)
Members of Mormon Battalion discharged at Los Angeles, California (16 July)
Brigham Young became 2nd President of the Church, with Heber C. Kimball and Willard Richards as counselors (27 Dec.)
Miracle of seagulls saved crops
Utah became a U.S. territory; Brigham Young appointed its first governor (Sept.)
Doctrine of plural marriage first publicly announced (28–29 Aug.)
Pearl of Great Price published in Liverpool, England
Perpetual Emigrating Fund established (Oct.)
Sunday School organized (9 Dec.)
Four cornerstones of the Salt lake Temple laid (6 Apr.)
Fast day held the first Thursday of each month
Brigham Young and Saints learned of Utah Expedition (24 July); Utah War (to 1858)
Johnston’s Army passed through Salt Lake City (26 June)
Pioneer handcart companies began (June); Willie and Martin companies rescued (Oct.–Nov.)

51,839

Brigham Young
John Taylor
Wilford Woodruff
Lorenzo Snow
Joseph F. Smith

(ordained Apostle 1 July 1866)
Heber J. Grant
George Albert Smith (4 Apr. 1870–4 Apr. 1951)

Handcart era ended (last company arrived in Salt Lake in Aug.)
Brigham Young arrested on charge of bigamy (10 Mar.); never brought to trial
Church began use of wagon trains that left Salt Lake Valley in the spring with provisions for yearly immigration and returned in the fall with immigrants; used until 1868 (railroad came in 1869)
Salt Lake Theatre was dedicated (6 Mar.)
US Congress passed Morrill Act, outlawing plural marriage in US territories (8 July)
Black Hawk War began in central Utah (9 Apr.; ended 1867)
Settlers in many parts of Utah battled with Indians
First general conference held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle (6 Oct.)
Last organized “Church train” arrived in Salt Lake Valley
Church-owned Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI) opened for business (spring)
President Brigham Young organized the Young Ladies’ Retrenchment Association (28 Nov.; later renamed the Young Women’s Mutual Improvement Organization)
Utah became one of first US states or territories to grant women the right to vote (12 Feb.)
Location for the St. George Temple dedicated (Nov.)
United order movement launched (Feb.); over 200 united orders established in Latter-day Saint settlements by the end of the year
President Young called six additional counselors in the First Presidency

Church membership: 61,082
90,130

Brigham Young
John Taylor

(President of the Church, 10 Oct. 1880)
Wilford Woodruff
Lorenzo Snow
Joseph F. Smith
Heber J. Grant

(ordained Apostle 16 Oct. 1882)
George Albert Smith
David O. McKay (8 Sept. 1873–18 Jan. 1970)
Joseph Fielding Smith (19 July 1876–2 July 1972)

First Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association organized (10 June)
Salt Lake Tabernacle dedicated (Oct.); President John Taylor, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, read the dedicatory prayer
Brigham Young Academy founded in Provo, Utah (16 Oct.); became Brigham Young University in 1903
Missionary work launched in New Mexico
St. George Temple dedicated (6 Apr.); first temple since the Church moved west
President Brigham Young died (29 Aug.)
Primary founded; first meeting at Farmington, Utah (25 Aug.)
Jubilee year celebration inaugurated (6 Apr.), reminiscent of Old Testament practice (see Leviticus 25)
Assembly Hall on Temple Square dedicated (8 Jan.)
John Taylor became 3rd President of the church, with George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as counselors (10 Oct.)
Pearl of Great Price accepted as a standard work of the Church (10 Oct.)
First permanent branch of the Church among the Maoris organized in New Zealand (26 Aug.)
Extensive prosecution of church members practicing polygamy continued under the Edmunds Law; President John Taylor and other Church leaders went into hiding
Church colonies in Mexico established
Hundreds of Church members imprisoned for the practice of polygamy
Logan Temple dedicated (17 May); second temple since the Church moved west
Church disincorporated and property confiscated due to prosecution under the Edmunds-Tucker Act
President John Taylor died while in “exile” (25 July)
Manti Temple dedicated (17, 21 May); third temple since the church moved west
Church settlements in Canada began
Wilford Woodruff became 4th President of the Church with George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as counselors (7 Apr.)
Missionary work began in Samoa

133,628

Wilford Woodruff (President of the Church, 7 Apr. 1889)
Lorenzo Snow

(President of the Church, 13 Sept. 1898
Joseph F. Smith

(President of the Church, 17 Oct. 1901
Heber J. Grant
George Albert Smith
David O. McKay
Joseph Fielding Smith
Harold B. Lee (28 Mar. 1899–26 Dec. 1973)
Spencer W. Kimball (28 Mar. 1895–5 Nov. 1985)
Ezra Taft Benson (4 Aug. 1899–30 May 1994)

“Manifesto” issued (24 Sept.); unanimously accepted by vote in general conference (6 Oct.; see Official Declaration 1)
First Presidency sent letter directing that a week-day religious education program be established in every ward where there was no Church school (25 Oct.)
Brigham Young Academy building dedicated in Provo, Utah (4 Jan.)
Proclamation of amnesty for polygamists issued by US President Benjamin Harrison (4 Jan.)
Church celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Relief Society
Salt Lake Temple dedicated (6 Apr.); fourth temple since the Church moved west
Congressional resolution signed for return of Church’s personal property (25 Oct.); 3 years later (28 Mar. 1896) a memorial was passed providing for restoration of Church’s real estate
Genealogical Society of Utah organized (13 Nov.)
Utah state constitution ratified and statehood approved (5 Nov.)
Utah became a state (4 Jan.)
First stake outside the US created in Cardston, Alberta, Canada (9 June)
Fast day changed from Thursday to Sunday (5 Nov.)
President Wilford Woodruff died (2 Sept.); Lorenzo Snow became 5th President of the Church, with George Q. Cannon and Joseph F. Smith as counselors (13 Sept.)
Revelation emphasizing tithing received by President Snow (17 May)
First single, official, proselyting female missionaries set apart (spring)
Fiftieth anniversary of the Saints’ arrival in the Salt Lake Valley celebrated (24 July)
Improvement Era began publication (Nov.)
President Snow reaffirmed Church’s ban on plural marriage (8 Jan.)
Mission opened in Japan (12 Aug.)
President Lorenzo Snow died (10 Oct.); Joseph F. Smith became 6th President of the Church, with John R. Winder and Anthon H. Lund as counselors (17 Oct.)
Children’s Friend first published (Jan.)
President Smith issued second manifesto (6 Apr.)
Brigham Young Academy became Brigham Young University (Oct.)
Church purchased Carthage Jail (5 Nov.)

Church membership: 188,263
283,765

Joseph F. Smith
Heber J. Grant
George Albert Smith (ordained Apostle 8 Oct. 1903)
David O. McKay (ordained Apostle 9 Apr. 1906)
Joseph Fielding Smith

(ordained Apostle 7 Apr. 1910)
Harold B. Lee
Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson
Howard W. Hunter (14 Nov. 1907–3 Mar. 1995)
Gordon B. Hinckley (23 June 1910)

Dr. William H. Groves Latter-day Saints Hospital, first in Church hospital system, opened in Salt Lake City (1 Jan.); Church turned its hospitals over to private organization in 1975
Joseph Smith Memorial Cottage and Monument, in Sharon, Vermont, site of the Prophet’s birth, dedicated (23 Dec.)
President Smith announced that the Church was free of debt (10 Jan.)
President Joseph F. Smith became the first Church President to visit Europe (summer)
Church purchased Smith farm near Palmyra, New York, including the Sacred Grove
Priesthood programs and other organizations systematized (8 Apr.)
Responding to debate of Darwinism and evolution, First Presidency issued official statement on origin of man (Nov.)
Church adopted Boy Scout program
Boy Scout program officially adopted as activity program for boys of the Church (21 May)
Seagull Monument on Temple Square dedicated (1 Oct.)
First seminary organized at Granite High School in Salt Lake City (Sept.)
Correlation Committee created (8 Nov.)
Ricks Academy, in Rexburg, Idaho, became Ricks College (fall)
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued Doctrinal exposition on the Father and the Son (30 June)
Relief Society Magazine began monthly publication (Jan.)
Elder James E. Talmage’s book Jesus the Christ published (Sept.)
First Presidency inaugurated “Home Evening” program (27 Apr.)
President Smith received vision of the redemption of the dead (3 Oct.; see D&C 138)
President Joseph F. Smith died (19 Nov.); Heber J. Grant became 7th President of the Church, with Anthon H. Lund and Charles W. Penrose as counselors (23 Nov.)
April general conference postponed to June 1–3 due to nationwide influenza epidemic
Church Administration Building completed in Salt Lake City (2 Oct.)
Laie Hawaii Temple, first out of contiguous US, dedicated (27 Nov.)

398,478

Heber J. Grant (President of the Church, 23 Nov. 1918)
George Albert Smith
David O. McKay
Joseph Fielding Smith
Harold B. Lee
Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson
Howard W. Hunter
Gordon B. Hinckley

Elder David O. McKay and Hugh J. Cannon leave on 55,896-mile world survey of Church missions (4 Dec.; returned 24 Dec. 1921)
Primary children’s Hospital opened in Salt Lake City (May)
President Heber J. Grant dedicated Deseret News radio station and, for the first time in the Church’s history, delivered a message over the airways (6 May)
Church purchased part of the Hill Cumorah
Cardston Alberta Temple dedicated in Canada (26 Aug.)
First radio broadcast of general conference (3 Oct.)
First mission in South America established (6 Dec.)
Mission home in Salt Lake City; first organized training for missionaries
First institute of religion began in Moscow, Idaho, at University of Idaho (fall)
Mesa Arizona Temple dedicated (23 Oct); dedicatory services broadcast by radio
Church purchased the rest of the Hill Cumorah
100th stake organized, in Lehi, Utah (1 July)
Tabernacle Choir began weekly network radio broadcasts (15 July)
Church observed the centennial of its organization (6 Apr.)
Church News first published by Church’s Deseret News(6 Apr.)
Church began a campaign against the use of tobacco (2 Apr.)
Special fast day called during the Great Depression to help the poor (15 May)
Church held a six-day commemoration of the 100-year anniversary of the Word of Wisdom revelation (21–26 Feb)
Junior Sunday School became official part of Sunday School organization

Church membership: 525,987
670,017

Heber J. Grant
George Albert Smith
(President of the Church, 21 May 1945)
David O. McKay
Joseph Fielding Smith
Harold B. Lee
(ordained Apostle 10 Apr. 1941)
Spencer W. Kimball
(ordained Apostle 7 Oct. 1943)
Ezra Taft Benson
(ordained Apostle 7 Oct. 1943)
Howard W. Hunter
Gordon B. Hinckley

Hill Cumorah Monument dedicated (21 July)
Church introduced its formal welfare program, the Church Security Program (Apr.); later renamed the Church Welfare Program (1938)
Hill Cumorah pageant, “America’s Witness for Christ,” began (July)
Church purchased portion of Nauvoo Temple lot (20 Feb.)
Church members counseled to store a year’s supply of food (Apr.)
Genealogical Society of Utah began microfilming records (Nov.)
First Deseret Industries store opened, in Salt Lake City (14 Aug.)
Church purchased Liberty Jail in Missouri (19 June)
First Presidency recalled all missionaries from Europe (Aug.–Nov.)
First Presidency recalled all missionaries from South Pacific and South Africa
First Presidency announced new positions of Assistants to the Twelve (6 Apr.)
Church members urged to restrict travel to comply with wartime restrictions
USS Joseph Smith, a Liberty class ship, was launched (22 May)
USS Brigham Young, a Liberty class ship (to carry cargo), was christened (17 Aug.)
Church announced purchase of Spring Hill in Missouri, (Adam-ondi-Ahman; Mar.)
Memorial Services held to commemorate 100th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (June)
President Heber J. Grant died (14 May); George Albert Smith became 8th President of the Church, with J. Reuben Clark Jr. and David O. McKay as counselors (21 May)
For the first time since 1942, general church membership invited to attend general conference (5-7 Oct.)
Church began sending supplies to war-torn Europe (Jan.)
Church membership passed one million
Church celebrated 100th anniversary of Pioneers’ arrival in Salt Lake Valley (24 July)
The Welfare Program declared a program of the Church (5 Apr.)
The Tabernacle Choir performed its 1,000th nationally broadcast radio program (17 Oct)
Public telecast of general conference began (Oct.)

862,664

George Albert Smith
David O. McKay (President of the Church, 9 Apr. 1951)
Joseph Fielding Smith
Harold B. Lee
Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson
Howard W. Hunter

(ordained Apostle 15 Oct. 1959)
Gordon B. Hinckley

(ordained Apostle 5 Oct. 1961)

First early morning seminary started in Southern California (Sept.)
President George Albert Smith dedicated statue of Brigham Young at US Capital (1 June)
President George Albert Smith died (4 Apr.); David O. McKay became 9th President of the Church, with Stephen L. Richards and J. Reuben Clark Jr. as counselors (9 Apr.)
Missionaries began using the Systematic Program for Teaching the Gospel, inaugurating use of a standard plan for missionary work throughout the Church
Elder Ezra Taft Benson chosen as Secretary of Agriculture by newly elected US President Dwight D. Eisenhower (31 Dec.); Elder Benson served for eight years
Church organized its United Church School System (9 July)
Church Building Committee organized (July)
Church announced inauguration of Indian Placement Program (July)
Bern Switzerland Temple (first in Europe) dedicated (11 Sept.)
Tabernacle Choir made major concert tour of Europe (Aug.–Sept.)
Church College of Hawaii (now BYU–Hawaii) opened (26 Sept.)
Relief Society Building in Salt Lake City dedicated (3 Oct.)
Semi-annual general conference cancelled because of flu epidemic (Oct.)
Hamilton New Zealand and London England Temples dedicated (20 Apr.; 7 Sept.)
First Presidency issued statement admonishing Church members to keep the Sabbath day holy and avoid shopping on Sundays (19 June)
Tabernacle Choir awarded a Grammy, a national music award, for its recording of “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (29 Nov.)
President McKay issued statement “Every member a missionary” (6 Apr.)
First stake in England organized in Manchester (27 Mar.)
First non-English speaking stake created in The Hague in The Netherlands (12 Mar.)
Age young men eligible for full-time missions lowered from 20 to 19 (Mar.)
Language Training Institute for missionaries called to foreign countries established at BYU (Nov.); later became Language Training Mission (1963)
Church purchased shortwave radio station (10 Oct.); subsequently used to transmit Church broadcasts to Europe and South America
Polynesian Cultural Center dedicated in Hawaii (12 Oct.)
Home teaching program inaugurated (Jan.)
Church hosted pavilion at the New York World’s Fair (Apr.)

Church Membership: 1,111,314
1,693,180

David O. McKay
Joseph Fielding Smith

(President of the Church, 23 Jan. 1970)
Harold B. Lee

(President of the Church, 7 July 1972)
Spencer W. Kimball

(President of the Church, 30 Dec. 1973)
Ezra Taft Benson
Howard W. Hunter
Gordon B. Hinckley

Church first published a family home evening manual (Jan.)
Stopped in 1862, missionary work resumed in Italy (Feb.)
First stake in South America organized in Sao Paulo, Brazil (1 May)
Granite Mountain Records Vault dedicated (22 June)
Two additional counselors, Joseph Fielding Smith and Thorpe B. Isaacson, were called to the First Presidency (Oct.); Alvin R. Dyer called to be third additional counselor in April 1968
First Regional Representatives called (29 Sept.)
Missionary work began in Thailand (Feb.)
Some of the Egyptian papyri Joseph Smith owned were given to the Church by New York Metropolitan Museum of Art (Nov.)
Two-month language training instituted for full-time missionaries (Jan.)
Relief Society General President Belle S. Spafford named president of US National Council of Woman (17 Oct.); she served two years
First missionaries arrive in Spain (June)
President David O. McKay died (18 Jan.); Joseph Fielding Smith became 10th President of the Church, with Harold B. Lee and N. Eldon Tanner as counselors (23 Jan.)
First missionaries sent to Indonesia (Jan.)
Monday designated for family home evening Churchwide (Oct.)
Publication of new Church magazines began: Ensign, New Era, and Friend (Jan.)
Medical missionary program began (July)
First area conference held in Manchester, England, (27–29 Aug.)
President Joseph Fielding Smith died (2 July); Harold B. Lee became 11th President of the Church, with N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney as counselors (7 July)
President Harold B. Lee died (26 Dec.) Spencer W. Kimball became 12th President of the Church, with N. Eldon Tanner and Marion G. Romney as counselors (30 Dec.)
Creation of Welfare Services Department announced (7 Apr.)
Washington D.C. Temple dedicated (19 Nov.)
Teton Dam in Idaho burst, affecting thousands of Latter-day Saints (5 June)
The 28-story Church Office Building was dedicated (24 July; Church departments had begun moving in Nov. 1972)
Two revelations accepted for addition to Pearl of Great Price (3 Apr.); later moved to Doctrine and Covenants (6 June 1979; see D&C 137; 138)
Organization of First Quorum of the Seventy announced (1 Oct.)
Language Training Center constructed in Provo, Utah; later became Missionary Training Center and used to train all missionaries (26 Oct. 1978)
New format for general conferences announced (1 Jan.): first Sunday in each April and October and preceding Saturday
Sao Paolo Brazil Temple, first in South America, dedicated (30 Oct.)
LDS edition of King James Bible published (29 Sept.)
Revelation announced allowing worthy men of all races to receive priesthood (June; see Official Declaration 2)
1,000th stake organized at Nauvoo, Illinois (18 Feb.)
Orson Hyde Memorial Gardens on Mount of Olives in Jerusalem dedicated (24 Oct.)

2,930,810

Spencer W. Kimball
Ezra Taft Benson

(President of the Church, 10 Nov. 1985)
Howard W. Hunter
Gordon B. Hinckley

Church celebrated 150th anniversary (6 Apr.)
Consolidated, 3-hour Sunday meeting schedule began in US and Canada (2 Mar.)
Church membership reached five million (announced 1 Apr.)
Term of service for single elders on full-time missions reduced to 18 months (2 Apr.); later changed back to 24 months (26 Nov. 1984)
New version of triple combination published (Sept.)
Elder Gordon B. Hinckley called as third counselor in First Presidency (23 July)
Threefold mission of the Church proclaimed (4 Apr.)
Museum of Church History and Art in Salt Lake City dedicated (4 Apr.)
Area Presidencies appointed (24 June)
First regional conference held in London, England (16 Oct.)
Freiberg Germany Temple, in then communist-controlled German Democratic Republic, dedicated (29 June)
Church Genealogical Library in Salt Lake City dedicated (23 Oct.)
Revised LDS hymnbook published, first in 37 years (2 Aug.)
Seventies quorums in stakes discontinued (4 Oct.)
President Spencer W. Kimball died (5 Nov.); Ezra Taft Benson became 13th President of the Church, with Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson as counselors (10 Nov.)
1,500th stake organized, Ciudad Obregon Mexico Yaqui Stake, 150 years after first stake was organized in Kirtland, Ohio (28 Oct.)
Church’s Genealogical Department renamed Family History Department (15 Aug.)
Church members in Britain commemorated 150th anniversary of first missionary work in Great Britain (24–26 July)
Announcement that Church granted rights for missionary work in German Democratic Republic (12 Nov.)
Missionaries expelled from West African nation of Ghana (14 June); later allowed to return (30 Nov. 1990)
Second Quorum of the Seventy organized (Apr.)
First stake in West Africa organized, Aba Nigeria Stake (15 May)
Church released FamilySearch software package to simplify family history research (2 Apr.)
Milestone of 100 million endowments completed for the dead (Aug.)
Tallin Estonia Branch established; first in Soviet Union (28 Jan.)
Russian Republic, largest in Soviet Union, granted formal recognition to the Church (24 June)
100th anniversary of founding of the Church in Tonga observed (13–27 Aug.)
150th anniversary of founding of Relief Society celebrated (14 Mar.)
Encyclopedia of Mormonism published by Macmillian Published by Macmillian Publishing Co.
Literacy program sponsored by Relief Society announced (15 Dec.)
Refurbished, remodeled Hotel Utah renamed, rededicated the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (27 June)
TempleReady computer software announced (8 Nov.)
President Ezra Taft Benson died (30 May); Howard W. Hunter became 14th President of the Church, with Gordon B. Hinckley and Thomas S. Monson as counselors (5 June)

Church membership: 4,639,822
7,761,207

Howard W. Hunter (President of the Church, 5 June 1994)
Gordon B. Hinckley (President of the Church, 12 Mar. 1995)

President Howard W. Hunter died (3 Mar.); Gordon B. Hinckley became 15th President of the Church, with Thomas S. Monson and James E. Faust as counselors (12 Mar.)
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve issued “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” (23 Sept.)
Area Authority Seventies organized into three new quorums (5 Apr.)
Majority of members resided outside of US (28 Feb.)
Position of regional representative discontinued; new position of Area Authority Seventy announced (1 Apr.)
Construction of small temples announced (4 Oct.)
Church members throughout the world commemorated the 150th anniversary of the Mormon pioneers’ trek west
President Hinckley announced that there would be 100 operating temples by the end of 20th century (4 Apr.)
Church launched the FamilySearch Internet Genealogy Service (24 May)
First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve Apostles issued “The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles” (1 Jan.)
Membership passes 11 million (Sept.); more non-English-speaking members than English-speaking
Last general conference held in the Tabernacle (2–3 Oct.)
Perpetual Education Fund announced (31 Mar.)
First general conference held in new Conference Center (1–2 Apr.); Conference Center dedicated (8 Oct.)
Boston Massachusetts Temple, 100th operating temple, dedicated (1 Oct.)
The 100 millionth copy of Book of Mormon printed; Book of Mormon printed in its 100th language
Rebuilt Nauvoo Illinois Temple dedicated on 158th anniversary of martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum (27 June)

11,068,861

US History

The Second “Great Awakening” (religious revival) (1800–30)
US capital moved from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Washington, D.C.
Thomas Jefferson, President 1801–09
Louisiana Purchase negotiated with France; size of US doubled
Ohio became 17th state
Robert Fulton invented the steamboat
Lewis and Clark expedition, overland to Pacific Coast and back, began from St. Louis, Missouri (1804–6)
Lewis and Clark first saw the Rocky Mountains
Congressional act prohibiting African slave trade took effect
The Missouri Gazette became first newspaper published west of the Mississippi River
James Madison, President 1809–17
Construction began on Cumberland Road, connecting Maryland with West Virginia
Louisiana became 18th state
The War of 1812 began (1812–15)
British forces burned Washington, D.C.
Francis Scott Key wrote “Star-Spangled Banner”

US population: 5,308,483
7,239,881

First charter granted for a railroad in US
The year without a summer; crops failed in New England as a result of volcanic eruption in Indonesia the previous year
Indiana became 19th state
Mississippi became 20th state
Construction of Erie Canal began
James Monroe, President 1817–25
Illinois became 21st state
Spain ceded East Florida to US
Alabama became 22nd state
Maine became 23rd state
Missouri became 24th state
Monroe Doctrine, warning European countries about interference with countries in western hemisphere, announced
Jim Bridger discovered the Great Salt Lake
John Quincy Adams, President 1825–29
Erie Canal, a 363-mile-long waterway from Albany to Buffalo, New York, completed
Jedediah Smith, trailblazer and trapper, was the first white man to travel overland from the Mississippi River to California; he led first group from the Great Salt Lake to southern California to assess trapping potential (to 1827)
Noah Webster published his first dictionary
Andrew Jackson, President 1829–37
First steam-powered locomotive in US; first passenger rail line

9,638,453

President Jackson signed Indian Removal Act, moving Indians from the East to the West, making land east of the Mississippi River available for settlement
Cyrus McCormick introduced mechanical grain harvester
US tried to purchase Texas from Mexico
Arkansas became 25th state
Battle of the Alamo
Martin Van Buren, President 1837–41
Michigan became 26th state
Financial and economic crisis
More than 15,000 Indians along Missouri River die of small pox
Cherokee Indians “Trail of Tears” forced move
Charles Goodyear discovered process of “vulcanization,” making commercial use of rubber possible
First baseball game played, in Cooperstown, New York
William Henry Harrison, President for 31 days; he died of pneumonia
John Tyler, President 1841–45
Crawford W. Long used ether for surgical anesthesia
First large group migrated west on Oregon Trail; left from Independence, Missouri
Samuel Morse sent first telegraph message

US population: 12,866,020
17,068,953

James K. Polk, President 1845–49
Iowa became 29th state
Florida and Texas became the 27th and 28th states
Great Britain gave Oregon Territory to US
John Deere constructed steel plow
Wisconsin became 30th state
Gold discovered at Sutter’s Mill in California
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended Mexican War; US gained most of present-day Southwest states
Zachary Taylor, President 1849–50 (died of cholera while in office)
Millard Fillmore, President 1850–53
California became 31st state
Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Herman Melville published Moby Dick
Nathaniel Hawthorne published The Scarlet Letter
Franklin Pierce, President 1853–57
First American kindergarten began in Waterton, Wisconsin
Walt Whitman published Leaves of Grass
Henry David Thoreau published Walden, or Life in the Woods
James Buchanan, President 1857–61
Minnesota became 32nd state
Oregon became 33rd state
Gold discovered at Cherry Creek, now part of Colorado (near Denver)
First major discovery of silver in US, the Comstock Lode, in present-day Nevada

23,191,876

Pony express began mail service to West Coast
US population: 31,443,321
Abraham Lincoln, President 1861–65
Civil War began (to 1865)
Kansas became 34th state
Transcontinental telegraph lines completed at Salt Lake City juncture
President Lincoln signed Emancipation Proclamation
First coins minted with “In God We Trust”
West Virginia became 35th state
Nevada became 36th state
Andrew Johnson, President 1865–69
President Lincoln assassinated
Thirteenth Amendment ratified, abolishing slavery
Nevada became 36th state
Nebraska became 37th state
US purchased Alaska from Russia
Louisa May Alcott published Little Women
Ulysses S. Grant, President 1869–77
America’s first transcontinental railroad completed at Promontory, Utah
Chicago, Illinois, fire killed 300, left 90,000 homeless, destroyed 18,000 buildings, and did $200 million in property damage
Yellowstone National Park established
P.T. Barnum opened his circus, “The Greatest Show on Earth”
Pressure-cooking method for canning foods introduced

38,558,371

Battle of the Little Bighorn
Colorado became 38th state
Mark Twain published The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Thomas Edison invented the phonograph
Rutherford B. Hayes, President 1877–81
Thomas Edison developed electric incandescent light bulb
Over 14,000 people killed during yellow fever epidemic in the South
James A. Garfield, President 1881
Chester A. Arthur, President 1881–85
Clara Barton organized American Red Cross
Edmunds Act, anti-polygamy legislation, signed into law
President James Garfield assassinated (he was shot 2 July and died 19 Sept.)
World’s first steel-framed “skyscraper” (10 stories high) completed in Chicago
Grover Cleveland, President 1885–89
Edmunds-Tucker Act, anti-polygamy legislation passed
The Statue of Liberty, a gift from France, dedicated
Hannibal Goodwin invented celluloid film
George-Eastman produced coated photographic paper
George Eastman introduced the Kodak box camera
Benjamin Harrison, President 1889–93
North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington became the 39th–42nd states
Dam broke near Johnstown, Pennsylvania, killing 5,000 people

50,189,209

Idaho and Wyoming became 43rd and 44th states
Battle of Wounded Knee
Whitcomb Judson patented the zipper
Elllis Island opened as an immigration station
Grover Cleveland, President 1893–97
Stock market crash resulted in four-year economic depression
Utah became 45th state
“Separate but equal” facilities for whites and blacks ruled constitutional by Supreme Court
Klondike gold rush began
William McKinley, President 1897–1901
Spain and US declared war on each other over Cuba (Apr.–Dec.)
Scott Joplin’s composition “Maple Leaf Rag” sold over 1 million copies
Reginald Fessenden transmitted first speech by radio
Walter Reed discovered that yellow fever virus is carried by mosquitos
President William McKinley assassinated
Theodore Roosevelt, President 1901–9
Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in Detroit, Michigan
Wright brothers flew a manned, motorized airplane at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina

US population: 62,979,766
76,212,168

San Francisco earthquake killed 700 people; $400 million in property loss
Oklahoma became 46th state
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) founded
Henry Ford introduced Model T automobile
William Howard Taft, President 1909–13
William D. Boyce organized Boy Scouts of America
W. E. B. DuBois founded National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
New Mexico and Arizona became 47th and 48th states
Woodrow Wilson, President 1913–21
Federal income tax introduced with ratification of Sixteenth Amendment
Robert H. Goddard began his rocketry experiments
First transcontinental telephone call, between New York and San Francisco
US entered World War I
Daylight-saving plan enacted to conserve fuel
Eighteenth Amendment ratified, prohibiting manufacture, sale, import, export, of alcoholic beverages (ended 1933)
Grand Canyon National Park established

92,228,496

Nineteenth Amendment ratified, granting right to vote regardless of gender
Warren G. Harding, President 1921–23
Calvin Coolidge, President 1923–29
President Warren G. Harding died
George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue premiered
“Scopes-Monkey Trial” found John Scopes guilty of teaching evolution in public school
Charles Lindberg completed 33.5-hour solo transatlantic flight from New York to Paris
The Jazz Singer, first talking motion picture, opened
Herbert Hoover, President 1929–33
New York stock market crashed, beginning severe economic depression (to 1941)
Congress confirmed “Star-Spangled Banner” as national anthem
Philo Farnsworth developed electronic television
Amelia Earhart became first woman to make solo airplane flight across Atlantic
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, President 1933–45
Twenty-first Amendment ratified, ending Prohibition

US population: 106,021,537
123,202,624

Social Security Act signed, providing retirement pension funds and unemployment insurance; first payment was made in 1937
Olympic athlete Jesse Owens won four gold medals at Berlin games
Plastics first used in manufacturing
Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened
German dirigible Hindenburg exploded and burned while landing in New Jersey
Orson Welles’ The War of the Worlds broadcast caused radio audience hysteria
Television demonstrated at New York World’s Fair
Composer Irving Berlin released “God Bless America”
Mt. Rushmore National Monument completed
Germany attacked US ships; Japan attacked Pearl Harbor; US entered World War II
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical play Oklahoma! first produced
Polio epidemic killed almost 1,200 and crippled thousands
President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized internment of Japanese-Americans
Harry S. Truman, President 1945–53
President Franklin D. Roosevelt died
US dropped two atomic bombs on Japan
Under “GI Bill of Rights,” over 1 million war veterans enrolled in colleges
Religious training in public schools ruled unconstitutional
The X-1 airplane, rocket-powered, made the first supersonic flight
Atomic Energy Commission created
Transistor invented at Bell Telephone Laboratories

132,164,569

Electricity produced using nuclear fuel
Color television first introduced
Lung cancer began to be linked to cigarette smoking
Dwight D. Eisenhower, President 1953–61
Jonas Stalk developed anti-polio vaccine
Supreme Court ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional
Interstate Highway system proposed
Rosa Parks, a black woman, arrested for refusing to sit at the back of a bus
Disneyland opened in Anaheim, California
Dr. Suess published The Cat in the Hat
US and Canada established North American Air Defense Command (NORAD)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) established
Alaska and Hawaii became 49th and 50th states
John F. Kennedy, President 1961–63
Peace Corps established
Alan Shepard became the first American in space
Lyndon Baines Johnson, President 1963–69
Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech
President John F. Kennedy was assassinated
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth
British band “The Beatles” first visited the US

US population: 151,325,798
179,323,175

US entered Vietnam War
Tennessee’s “Monkey Law” repealed, allowing evolution to be taught in public schools
Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
Richard M. Nixon, President 1969–74
Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon
Over 250,000 people gather in Washington, D.C. to protest US involvement in Vietnam
Twenty-sixth Amendment ratified, lowering voting age to eighteen
Two towers of World Trade Center in New York City, tallest buildings in the world, completed
Gerald R. Ford, President 1974–77
President Richard M. Nixon resigned as result of Watergate scandal
James Earl Carter Jr., President 1977–81
First space shuttle flight
Partial meltdown at Three-Mile Island nuclear plant released radioactivity into the air
U.S. bicentennial celebrated
Viking I and II space probes landed on Mars
Author Alex Haley published Roots: The Saga of an American Family

203,302,031

Mount St. Helens, in Washington, erupted, killing 57 people
Voyager 1 photos revealed other moons around Saturn
Ronal W. Reagan, President 1981–89
Equal Rights Amendment defeated
IBM introduced first home or personal computer (PC)
First permanent artificial heart implanted
Sally Ride became first US woman in space
Apple Computer introduced the computer “mouse”
Space shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds after liftoff
George H. W. Bush, President 1989–93
Supreme Court ruled that money given directly to missionaries is not tax deductible
Oil tanker Valdez hit Alaskan reef, causing one of world’s largest oil spills (11 million gallons)
William Jefferson Clinton, President 1993–2001
Floods affecting nine states in the Midwest left 70,000 homeless, $12 billion damage
Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed into law
Militants bombed World Trade Center, New York City, killing 6 people

US population: 226,542,199
248,718,301

Federal building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, bombed, 168 people killed
US troops in Bosnia (to 1996)
Tobacco companies agree to $206 billion settlement for health-related costs of smoking
Impeachment hearings for President William Clinton
Closest presidential election in US history; George W. Bush declared winner
George Walker Bush, President 2001–
After hijacking airplanes, terrorists crashed them into World Trade Center, New York City; the Pentagon, Washington, D.C.; and in a field in Pennsylvania; over 3,000 people killed
Winter Olympics held in Salt Lake City, Utah

281,421,906 (Apr. 2000 Census)

World History

Eli Whitney (US) made muskets with interchangeable parts
William Herschel (Brit.) discovered infrared solar rays
Napoleonic Wars began; they last 12 years
Richard Trevithick (Brit.) built first steam locomotive
Napoleon Bonaparte crowned emperor in Paris, France
Napoleon proclaimed himself King of Italy
Earthquake in Naples, Italy killed nearly 26 thousand people
British Parliament passed act outlawing slave trade
Ludwig van Beethoven (Ger.) debuted his 5th and 6th Symphonies
Argentina, Colombia, and Chile declared their independence from Spain; Mexicans began fight for their independence from Spain
Francois Appert (Fr.) developed method for canning foods
Napoleon began his invasion of Russia
Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (Ger.) published their fairy tales
After various defeats, Napoleon was banished to the island of Elba

Estimated world population: 813 million

Mount Tambora erupted in Indonesia, killing about 10,000; indirectly contributed to worldwide death toll over 80,000 and causing major climate changes
Congress of Vienna (1814–15) generated political and geographical realignments of Europe
Napoleon left Elba to recapture France; defeated at Waterloo
Argentina declared independence from Spain
Chile gained independence from Spain
Franz X. Gruber (Austria) composed the music for “Silent Night”
King George III of Great Britain died; his son George IV became king
Napoleon died on the island of St. Helena
Earthquake in Syria killed 20,000 people
Mexico became a republic
Simon Bolivar completed campaign for independence for Bolivia, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela
First steam locomotive railway in England began operating
John Walker (Eng.) introduced sulfur friction matches

King George IV of Great Britian died; his brother William IV became king
Charles Darwin sailed on surveying expedition on H.M.S. Beagle (to 1836)
Louis Braille (Fr.) perfected his reading system for the blind
Slavery abolished in the British Empire
Halley’s Comet reappeared (76-year cycle)
Hans Christian Anderson (Dan.) published first of his children’s stories
After the death of her uncle, Victoria became Queen of Great Britain
Public announcement of Louis Daguerre’s (Fr.) form of photography
Kirkpatrick Macmillan (Scot.) constructed first bicycle
China ceded Hong Kong to Great Britain
Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol
Friedrich Gottlob Keller (Ger.) invented wood pulp paper

Elias Howe (US) patented first lockstitch sewing machine
Potato crop failure led to famine in Ireland
Communist Manifesto issued by Marx and Engles
Armand Fizeau (Fr.) determined speed of light
Isaac Singer (US) patented first continuous stitch sewing machine
R.W. Bunsen (Ger.) produced a gas burner
Telegraph began operating between London and Paris
Crimean War began (to 1856)
During the Crimean War, Florence Nightingale (Eng.) redefined the field of nursing
Commodore Matthew Perry (US) sailed to Japan (isolated for 150 years) to negotiate trade agreements
First transatlantic telegraph cable between the US and Britain completed
Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species by Natural Selection

Estimated world population: 1.128 billion

Jean Etienne Lenoir (Fr.) demonstrated first practical internal combustion engine
All foreigners expelled from Japan
Victor Hugo (Fr.) published Les Miserables
Founding of the International Committee of the Red Cross
Louis Pasteur (Fr.) developed pasteurization
Lewis Carrol (Eng.) published Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Alfred Nobel (Swed.) invented dynamite
Britain granted four Canadian provinces dominion status
Gustave Dore (Fr.) created his illustrations for the Bible
Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russ.) published Crime and Punishment
Johannes Brahms (Germ.) composed Ein Deutsches Requiem
Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean and Red Seas, opened
Franco-Prussian War (to 1871)
Jules Verne (Fr.) published Around the World in 80 Days
Color photography developed

Count Leo Tolstoy (Russ.) published Anna Karenina
Alexander Graham Bell (US) patented the telephone
Korea became an independent nation
Robert Louis Stevenson (Scot.) published Treasure Island
Eruption of Krakatoa, volcano in Indonesia, killed almost 36,000 on nearby islands
Karl Benz (Ger.) built first practical automobile powered by internal combustion engine
Nikola Tesla (US) built first alternating current (AC) electric motor
Eiffel Tower opened during Paris World Exhibition

Earthquake in Japan killed nearly 10,000 people
Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s (Russ.) The Nutcracker ballet performed for the first time
Rudyard Kipling (Eng.) published The Jungle Book
First modern Olympic games held in Athens, Greece
Wilhelm Rontgen (Ger.) discovered x-rays
Guglielmo Marconi (Ital.) invented radio telegraphy
Jewish Zionist Congress convened in Switzerland
Pierre and Marie Curie (Fr.) discovered radium
Boer War in South Africa began (ended 1902)
Boxer Rebellion against foreigners in China began (ended 1901)
Bayer company (Ger.) patented asprin
First magnetic recording of sound
Queen Victoria of England died; succeeded by her son Edward VII
Mount Pelee erupted killing nearly 29,000 people
Aswan Dam in Egypt opened
First Tour de France (bicycle race) held
Trans-Siberian railroad completed (4,607 miles)

Mohandas Ghandi began non-violent resistance movement in South Africa
A typhoon in Tahiti killed over 10,000 people
Sir Robert Baden-Powell (Eng.) founded Boy Scouts
Robert E. Peary (US) became first person to reach North Pole
Sigmund Freud (Aust.) introduced his theories on psychoanalysis
King Edward VII of England died; succeeded by George V
Roald Amundsen (Nor.) became first person to reach South Pole
SS Titanic sank after hitting iceberg: 1,513 passengers and crew died
Panama Canal opened
Archduke Francis Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary assassinated, triggering World War I
Albert Einstein (Ger.) published his General Theory of Relativity
Battle of Verdun results in over 1 million soldiers being killed
Balfour Declaration declared Palestine as homeland for the Jews
Czar Nicholas II and his family execut
ed; Russian revolution (to 1921)
Influenza epidemic (killed 20 million people by 1920)
Treaty of Versailles officially ended World War I

Estimated world population: 1.75 billion

Earthquake in China killed over 180,000 people
The League of Nations was established
Mussolini established fascist dictatorship in Italy
King Tutankhamen’s tomb was opened in Egypt
Adolph Hitler published Mein Kampf
Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennet (US) made first airplane flight over North Pole
Economic system in Germany collapsed
Chiang Kai-shek overthrew Manchu dynasty; elected president of China
Josef Stalin began his Five-Year Plan in the Soviet Union
Alexander Fleming (Brit.) discovered penicillin
Max Theiler (S. Afr.) developed yellow fever vaccine
Mohandas “Mahatma” Ghandi began a “fast unto death” and urged a boycott of British goods to protest British goods to protest British government’s treatment of India’s lowest cast, the “untouchables”; helped bring reforms
Hitler gained titled of Fuhrer and control of Germany
First concentration camps erected by the Nazis in Germany; by 1945, 8–10 million prisoners were interned, at least half of them (most of them Jews) were killed

Estimate: 1,860 Million
Estimated world population: 2.07 billion

Robert Watson-Watt (Scot.) built radar equipment to detect aircraft
Spanish Civil War began (ended 1939)
King George V of England died and was succeeded by his son Edward VIII; Edward VIII later abdicated and was succeeded by his brother George VI
Frank Whittle (Brit.) built first jet engine
Lajos Biro (Hung.) invented ballpoint pen
Germany invaded Poland; World War II began (ended 1945)
German blitz on London began; nearly one-third of the city destroyed by end of year
C. S. Lewis (Eng.) published The Screwtape Letters
Famine in India killed at least 1.5 million people
Allies launched “D-Day” invasion of Europe
Selman Waksman (US) discovered streptomycin
World War II ended
United Nations held first session
Cold War began (to 1990); British Prime Minister Winston Churchhill coined term “Iron Curtain”
Dead Sea Scrolls discovered
To prove prehistoric immigration, Thor Hyerdahl (Nor.) took raft expedition from Peru to Polynesia
Israel declared an independent state
German Democratic Republic and Federal Republic of Germany created, splitting Germany into East and West Germany
World Council of Churches organized
Independent Republic of Ireland established

Estimated world population: 2.3 billion

Korean War began (ended 1953)
First thermo-nuclear bomb detonated, in the Marshall Islands
The Diary of Anne Frank published
King George VI of England died; succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth II
First hydrogen bomb detonated
Sir Edmund Hillary (N.Z.) and Tenzing Norgay (Nepal) first to reach peak of Mt. Everest, world’s tallest mountain
In South Africa, armed police move 60,000 blacks from an area to be used by whites only
Transatlantic cable telephone service began
Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, first artificial satellite
Nikita Khrushchev became leader of USSR
Fidel Castro took control of Cuban government
Vietnam War (to 1973)
Bay of Pigs Invasion failed in Cuba
Yuri Gagarin (USSR) became the first man in space; he orbited the earth
East Germany built Berlin Wall
Cuban Missile Crisis
Telstar (US), first communications satellite, launched
Leonid Brezhnev became leader of USSR
Valentina Tereshkova (USSR) became the first woman in space

World population: 2.555 billion
3.04 billion

Six-day Israeli-Arab War
First human heart transplant performed in South Africa
First World Conference on Records was held (in Salt Lake City)
Aswan High Dam in Egypt completed
Cyclones and floods in East Pakistan killed 500,000 people
Earthquakes, floods, and landslides killed 30,000 people in Peru
Earthquake in Nicaragua killed over 10,000 people
Vietnam War ended, US troops pulled out
Oil-producing Arab nations ban export of oil to US, western Europe, and Japan (to 1974) because of their support of Israel, resulting in energy crisis
Author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn expelled from Soviet Union after publishing The Gulag Archipelago
Communists took over government of South Vietnam
Earthquakes in Italy, China, Philippines, Turkey, Bali, and Guatemala killed an estimated 780,000 people
US confirmed testing of neutron bomb
Mother Theresa awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
Margaret Thatcher became first woman prime minister of Britain

3.708 billion

Soviet cosmonauts returned to earth after 185 days on a space station
Most severe El Nino (1982–83) to date caused worldwide weather anomalies
Compact disk for pulic use launched
Toxic gas leak in Bhopal, India, killed over 2,000 people
AIDS virus identified
Mikhail Gorbachev became premier of Soviet Union
Nuclear reactor in Chernobyl, Ukraine, exploded; 133,000 evacuated; clouds of fallout affected all of Europe
Earthquake in Armenia killed over 40,000 people
Tiananmen Square Massacre in China; 300–400 prodemocracy students killed
Berlin Wall dismantled
Soviet parliament voted to allow freedom of religious belief
USSR dissolved; became Russian Federation
Persian Gulf War
Cold War formally ended
Nelson Mandela became first black president of South Africa
Public Internet era began
Channel Tunnel (Chunnel) opened, linking England and France

World population: 4.454 billion Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) identified
5.276 billion

Earthquake in Kobe, Japan killed over 5,000 people
Control of Hong Kong returned to China
Panama takes over control of Panama Canal from US
Australians voted to retain British monarchy as head of state rather than elect president

6.79 billion

Nauvoo Temple, rebuilt