(1521) First recorded Spanish expedition reached Carolina coast
(1524) First French ship explored Carolina coast
(1526) Spanish settlement, San Miguel de Guadalupe near Winvah Bay; failed
within one year
(1562) French attempted settlement of Charlesfort on Parris Island; failed
within one year
(1566) Spanish built coastal forts to discourage French settlements
(1629) King Charles I granted charter to Sir Robert Heath for all territory
between 31° and 36° N
(from Albemarle Sound in North Carolina to Jekyll Island off
Georgia's coast)
(1663) King Charles II granted region of Carolina to eight Lords Proprietors
(1666) Capt. Robert Sanford explored, named Ashley River; took formal possession
of Carolina region for England and Lords Proprietors
(1669) Fundamental Constitution of Carolina approved by Lords Proprietors;
guaranteed religious freedom
(1670) First permanent English settlements and capital city, Charles Town,
(Charleston) founded; City Assembly established tax-supported free library
(1680) First group French Huguenots arrived; Charles Town moved to Oyster
Point, current site
(1700) Hurricane struck Charleston, 98 killed
(1706) French, Spanish attacked Charles Town during Queen Anne's War; colonial
forces captured French vessel and crew
(1712) Territory of Carolina divided into North and South; each had own governor
(1713) Hurricane struck; heavy flooding, 70 killed
(1715 - 1717) Yemassee Indian Wars
(1718) Pirate Blackbeard sailed into Charles Town Harbor; took hostages for
ransom; pirate Stede Bonnet captured, hanged in Charles Town
(1719) Citizens of South Carolina rebel against Lords Proprietors; James
Moore elected governor
(1721) South Carolina became Crown Colony; General Sir Francis Nicholson
appointed governor
(1728) Passenger, shipping service began between Charles Town and New York
(1729) Seven Lord Proprietors surrendered right to King George II
(1730) Nine townships laid out; settlers began move into interior
(1730 - 1739) About 20,000 enslaved Africans brought to South Carolina
(1739) 40 blacks, 21 whites died in Stono slave revolt
(1740) Fire swept through Charles Town
(1742) Spanish prevented from taking Charles Town in Battle of Bloody Marsh
(1747) Treaty signed with Choctaw Indians; treaty established trade with
Choctaws for not attacking French settlements
(1752) Hurricane struck, 103 killed
(1760 - 1761) Cherokee Wars
(1761) Cherokee War ended; Treaty opened land for settlement; Bounty Act
offered public land tax free for 10 year in
Up Country, settlers began to
move in
(1769) Nine judicial district established
(1774) Henry Middleton, John and Edward Rutledge, Thomas Lynch, Christopher
Gadsden named delegates to First Continental Congress; Middleton chosen President
of Continental Congress
(1775) Carolina's First Provincial Congress met
(1776) First major battle of the Revolution; 15 British warships, 1,500 troops
attack Ft. Moultrie, forced away; Declaration of Independence arrived in Charles
Town
(1777) New state government required each male citizen to denounce King,
pledge loyalty to state
(1778) Major fire in Charles Town destroyed many building, arson suspected
(1779) British prepared sea and land expedition against Charles Town; General
Washington ordered 1,400 Continental troops to Charles Town
(1780) British troops landed on Seabrook Island, warships anchored within
broadside range of Charles Town, Army crossed Ashley river and established line
of breastworks; encircled civilian population; siege lasted 40 days; Charles Town
surrendered to British
(1781) Revolutionary leader, Col. Isaac Hayne, hanged by British outside
Charles Town city limits; American forces retake most of South Carolina, advanced
to within 15 miles of Charles Town
(1782) British Army defeated; left Charles Town
(1783) Charles Town renamed Charleston
(1785) General Assembly legislation laid out counties, established county
courts
(1786) Capital moved from Charleston to Columbia
(1788) South Carolina became 8th state
(1792) Law passed - all free African-Americans between 16 - 50 to pay annual
"head tax" of $2.00
(1804) Hurricane struck South Carolina
(1822) Denmark Vesey conspiracy discovered
(Vesey and other slave followers
planned to capture Charleston, kill most of the whites, escape to Caribbean or Africa);
Vesey and 33 others hanged
(1830) First steam locomotive in U.S. began passenger route service between
Charleston and Hamburg, South Carolina
(1838) Fire destroyed most of Ansonborough
(1843) Citadel opened for first class of cadets
(1860) South Carolina first state to secede from the Union prior to Civil
War
(1861) First shots of Civil War fired by Confederate forces upon Ft. Sumter;
Union forces sunk "Stone Fleet" in Charleston harbor channel
(1862) Confederates repulsed Union attack at Battle of Seccessionville on
James Island; Battle of Simmons Bluff occurred, Union victorious
(1863) Federal fleet attacked by Confederate ironclads; Union sent fleet
of warships to attack Ft. Sumter; Union assault on Battery Wagner at Morris Island
led by all black unit; 587 day bombardment of downtown Charleston began
(1864) Confederate submarine sank Union's Housatonic
(1865) Gen. Sherman's troops reached Middleton Place Plantation, left it
in ruins; burned Columbia; Civil War ended
(1868) South Carolina readmitted to Union; new Constitution written; Sen.
B.F. Randolph murdered by radical whites in Abbeville County
(1869) Joseph Rainey first African-American in South Carolina to become U.
S. Representative
(1886) Low Country struck by estimated 7.5 earthquake, 83 killed, $6 million
in damages
(1925) New dance craze in Charleston's pubs, dance halls began, spread across
nation, named "Charleston"
(1934) George Gershwin arrived in Charleston to write Porgy and Bess, first
American opera
(1954) Hurricane Hazel struck Garden City, left two of 275 homes habitable;
severe coastal damage occurred
(1963) Rivers High School in Charleston became first racially integrated
high school in South Carolina
(1964) Civil Rights Act passed; segregation ends
(1968) Orangeburg Massacre at S. C. State campus occurred; three students
killed, 28 wounded
(1970) Angry whites overturned school bus with young black children on way
to integrate local schools in Lamar; state restored order, enforced law
(1986) Lake City native, astronaut and physicist Ron McNair, killed in Space
Shuttle Challenger explosion
(1989) Hurricane Hugo struck; barrier islands lost 80% of homes; Charleston
suffered significant damages; total losses $2.8 billion
(1990) Hurricane Klaus struck; 80 bridges destroyed, 40 more damaged; secondary
roads washed out
(1995) Divers discovered wreck of Confederate submarine H. L. Hunley in waters
off Sullivan's Island
(2000) South Carolina removed last Confederate flag flying above U S Statehouse
(2002) 100 year old Sen. Strom Thurmond retires
(2004) Hurricane Gaston caused major flooding; damaged structures
(2007) Nine fire fighters killed in furniture warehouse fire in Charleston