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South Carolina’s History at a Glance …
| End 15th Century | South Carolina was home to a number of American Indian tribes. Their influence lives on in the local names for rivers and geographical features in the state. |
| 1526 | The Spanish made their first attempt at establishing a settlement in the state on Winyah Bay, near what is now the City of Georgetown. A severe winter, Indian attacks and disease forced them to abandon the project. |
| 1562 | French Huguenots landed at a site near present-day Parris Island Marine Corps Base near Beaufort. Led by Jean Ribaut, the French almost succeeded in establishing a permanent settlement. |
| 1600s | Indentured servants and slaves were brought into the colony to clear the land and work the crops, mostly rice and indigo. |
| 1670 | The English arrived at Albermarle Point, near Charleston, to establish the first permanent settlement at Charles Towne Landing. |
| 1698 | First free library established in Charleston. |
| 1710 | The colony, named after King Charles I, was divided into South Carolina and North Carolina. |
| 1730s | New townships were established inland by the Scots-Irish and Welsh, German, Swiss and French settlers. |
| 1735 | First opera in America was performed in Charleston. |
| 1736 | First building in America to be used solely for theatre, the Dock Street Theatre, opened in Charleston. |
| 1740 | Middleton Place became America's first formal gardens; it took 100 men more than 10 years to complete. |
| Mid 1700s | South Carolinians lead the resistance to the Stamp Act (1765) and took an active part in the American Revolution, with over 200 battles and skirmishes fought here. |
| 1764 | First cotton exported from America to England came from South Carolina. |
| 1773 | First public museum was organized in Charleston, and is still operating today. |
| 1775 | On July 12, Fort Charlotte in McCormick County, South Carolina became the first English property to be seized by force by American Revolutionary soldiers. |
| 1781 | The Battle of Cowpens marked a turning point in the Revolution. |
| 1788 | On May 23, South Carolina became the eighth state to ratify the Constitution. |
| 1789 | First cotton mill in America was built on James Island. |
| 1830 | Best Friend of Charleston was the first steam locomotive built in the United States to be used for regular railroad service that went from Charleston to the Savannah River. |
| 1860 | On December 20, the Ordinance of Secession was passed in Charleston, making South Carolina the first state to secede from the Union. |
| 1861 | First shot fired in Civil War (April 12) on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. |
| 1865 | General William T. Sherman marched Union troops through South Carolina, burning plantations near Charleston and most of Columbia. |
| 1877 | Federal troops were withdrawn allowing South Carolinians, led by Governor Wade Hampton, to regain control of the government. |
| 1899 | First textile school established at Clemson University as South Carolina becomes a national leader in textile manufacturing. |
| 1913 | The Medical University of South Carolina, originally incorporated in 1823 as the Medical College of South Carolina, was transferred to state ownership and incorporated into the state's higher education system. |
| 1941 | The US Army Corps of Engineers linked the Santee and Cooper Rivers to create the 171,000-acre Santee-Cooper Lakes -- Lake Marion and Lake Moultrie. |
| 1945 | James F. Byrnes of South Carolina, nicknamed "Assistant President" during Franklin D. Roosevelt's tenure, presides on behalf of the United States as Secretary of State at the Potsdam Conference bringing World War II to an end. |
| 1954 | The only U.S. Senator ever elected by a write-in vote is Strom Thurmond from South Carolina. |
| 1960s | Civil rights movement provides relatively peaceful end to segregation. |
| 1964 | Dr. Charles Townes of Greenville won a Nobel Prize in Physics for the invention of the laser beam. |
| 1970 | Beaufort County, SC native "Smokin'" Joe Frazier beats Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight boxing title. |
| 1975 | French tire manufacturer Michelin establishes North American headquarters in Greenville. |
| 1977 | The first Spoleto Festival USA is held, and Charleston is designated the permanent American home for this "Festival of Two Worlds." |
| 1986 | Dr. Ronald E. McNair, from Lake City and the second African American in space, died along with six other astronauts in the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion. |
| 1988 | Fuji Photo Film establishes plant in Greenwood, the first plant of its kind for Fuji in North America. |
| 1992 | German auto manufacturer BMW establishes a plant in Greer, the only location where the BMW Roadster is manufactured. |
| 2002 | The South Carolina Education Lottery is launched to increase educational funding across the state. |
| 2003 | Congaree Swamp National Monument designated as the nation’s 57th national park, Congaree National Park. It preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States, and the lush trees growing in this floodplain forest are some of the tallest in the Eastern United States, forming one of the highest natural canopies remaining in the world. |
| 2008 | Located in Greenville, The Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is an advanced-technology research campus that represents the ultimate public/private partnership, directly fueling a knowledge base critical to the automotive industry. |
| 2009 | Airplane manufacturer Boeing announces that North Charleston will be home to its second final assembly site for the 787 Dreamliner program. |
| 2009 | Charles Bolden, retired US Marine major general and former NASA astronaut, was named Administrator of NASA by President Barack Obama. |
For additional information regarding South Carolina's mountain views, as well as new developments, accolades, unique offerings, events and special South Carolina BBQ Trail, including a downloadable/printable map of our nearly 200 barbecue restaurants, please visit DiscoverSouthCarolina.com.