Today in New Jersey History
Cities in New Jersey: Jersey City - Newark
Historical Events
Results 1 - 36 of 36
1664-03-12 - New Jersey becomes a British colony
1664-06-24 - The colony of New Jersey is founded.
1673-03-18 - Lord Berkley sells his half of New Jersey to the Quakers
1758-08-29 - New Jersey Legislature forms 1st Indian reservation
1766-11-10 - The last Colonial governor of New Jersey, William Franklin, signs the charter of Queen's College (later renamed Rutgers University).
1772-09-26 - New Jersey passes bill requiring a license to practice medicine
1780-06-23 - American Revolution: Battle of Springfield fought in and around Springfield, New Jersey (including Short Hills, formerly of Springfield, now of Millburn Township.
1781-01-01 - 1,500 soldiers of the 6th Pennsylvania Regiment under General Anthony Wayne's command rebel against the Continental Army's winter camp in Morristown, New Jersey as part of the Pennsylvania (Continentals; Regiment) Mutiny of 1781.
1787-12-18 - New Jersey becomes 3rd state to ratify constitution
1789-11-20 - New Jersey is 1st state to ratify Bill of Rights
1804-02-15 - New Jersey becomes last northern state to abolish slavery
1806-01-30 - The original Lower Trenton Bridge (also called the Trenton Makes the World Takes Bridge), which spans the Delaware River between Morrisville, Pennsylvania and Trenton, New Jersey, is opened.
1831-09-15 - The locomotive John Bull operates for the first time in New Jersey on the Camden and Amboy Railroad.
1871-01-19 - 1st Negro lodge of US Masons approved, New Jersey
1882-08-05 - Standard Oil of New Jersey is established.
1883-01-19 - The first electric lighting system employing overhead wires, built by Thomas Edison, begins service at Roselle, New Jersey.
1904-01-05 - -34°F (-36.7°C), River Vale, New Jersey (state record)
1909-06-09 - Alice Huyler Ramsey, a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, New Jersey, becomes the first woman to drive across the United States. With three female companions, none of whom could drive a car, in fifty-nine days she drove a Maxwell automobile the 3,800 miles from Manhattan, New York, to San Francisco, California.
1921-09-07 - In Atlantic City, New Jersey, the first Miss America Pageant, a two-day event, is held.
1935-06-11 - Inventor Edwin Armstrong gives the first public demonstration of FM broadcasting in the United States, at Alpine, New Jersey.
1935-10-23 - Dutch Schultz, Abe Landau, Otto Berman, and Bernard "Lulu" Rosencrantz are fatally shot at a saloon in Newark, New Jersey in what will become known as The Chophouse Massacre.
1936-07-10 - 110°F (43°C) at Runyon, New Jersey (state record
1942-01-02 - The United States Navy opens a blimp base at Lakehurst, New Jersey.
1946-07-25 - At Club 500 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis stage their first show as a comedy team.
1947-11-20 - 1st permanent TV installed on seagoing vessel (New Jersey)
1955-04-19 - The German automaker Volkswagen, after six years of selling cars in the United States, founds Volkswagen of America in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey to standardize its dealer and service network.
1956-04-26 - First container ship left Port Newark, New Jersey for Houston, Texas
1982-01-31 - 32nd NBA All-Star Game: East beats West 120-118 at New Jersey
1989-01-23 - NBA New Jersey Nets begin a 32+ game road losing streak
1998-05-26 - The United States Supreme Court rules that Ellis Island, the historic gateway for millions of immigrants, is mainly in the state of New Jersey, not New York.
2001-09-18 - First mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
2001-10-09 - Second mailing of anthrax letters from Trenton, New Jersey in the 2001 anthrax attack.
2002-05-31 - The New Jersey Nets defeat the Boston Celtics 96-88 in Game 6 of the NBA's Eastern Conference Championship, winning the series 4 games to 2 to advance to their first NBA Finals appearance.
2002-06-12 - Los Angeles Lakers beat New Jersey Nets 4-0 in NBA finals MVP: Shaquille O'Neal, L.A.
2004-08-12 - New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey comes out publicly as a gay man.
2008-01-08 - New Jersey officially apologizes for slavery, becoming the first Northern state to do so.
Famous Birthdays
Results 1 - 21 of 21
1661-11-28 - Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon, British Governor of New York and New Jersey (d. 1723)
1723-11-30 - William Livingston, revolutionary Governor of New Jersey (d. 1790)
1814-08-23 - James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (d. 1877)
1864-10-10 - T. Frank Appleby, United States Congressman from New Jersey (d. 1924)
1912-06-25 - William T. Cahill, Governor of New Jersey (d. 1996)
1924-04-01 - Brendan Byrne, Governor of New Jersey
1929-09-19 - Margaret S Roukema, (Rep-R-New Jersey, 1981- )
1930-06-24 - Herbert C Klien, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1932-10-17 - William J Hughes, (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1975- )
1934-07-16 - Donald Payne, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1941-06-23 - Richard M. Richie Roberts, former Marine and New Jersey Police Detective, Criminal Defense Attorney
1944-08-16 - Dick Zimmer, (Rep-R-New Jersey)
1951-08-26 - Robert G Torricelli, (Rep-D-New Jersey, 1983- )
1951-10-30 - Frank Pallone Jr, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1957-08-04 - Robert E Andrews, (Rep-D-New Jersey)
1969-04-27 - Cory Booker, Mayor of Newark, New Jersey
1973-08-22 - Jennifer Makris, Miss USA-New Jersey (1997, top 10)
1976-05-23 - Melanie Joyce Bell, Vernon New Jersey, Miss America-New Jersey (1997)
1978-12-02 - Jason Collins, American basketball player for New Jersey Nets
1978-12-19 - Lauren Petty, Miss New Jersey Teen USA (1997)
1981-05-16 - Jessica Ponzo, Miss New Jersey Teen USA (1996)
Famous Deaths
Results 1 - 3 of 3
1779-06-16 - Sir Francis Bernard, Governor of New Jersey and Massachusetts (b. 1712)
1790-07-25 - William Livingston, Governor of New Jersey (b. 1723)
1877-10-03 - James Roosevelt Bayley, first Bishop of Newark, New Jersey, and the eighth Archbishop of Baltimore (b. 1814)
