Timeline
Representatives from seven of the thirteen British colonies meet in Albany to discuss the possibility of a forming a union.
1754
1751
Dr. William Bond and Benjamin Franklin establish the first official hospital in the colonies: Pennsylvania Hospital in Philadelphia.
1765
The first lectures on anatomy are held at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
The Second Continental Congress declares independence from Britain.
1776
The American Revolutionary War ends.
1783
1787
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia is established.
George Washington is elected the first President of the United States. The United States Constitution is ratified.
1789
1799
The first smallpox vaccine is administered in the United States.
President Andrew Jackson signs the Indian Removal Act, ordering the forced relocation of approximately 60,000 Indigenous Americans.
1830
The Trail of Tears
1838
1839
Ethnologist Samuel George Morton publishes Crania Americana, detailing his theories on the physiological differences between races.
1847
The American Medical Association is founded. The Warren Anatomical Museum opens at Harvard University.
The American Civil War begins.
1861
1862
The Army Medical Museum and Library are founded by Surgeon General William Hammond.
President Abraham Lincoln is assassinated by John Wilkes Booth on April 14. The Confederate Army surrenders in May.
1865
1863
The College of Physicians of Philadelphia establishes The Mütter Museum
1877
Illinois passes the first laws restricting who can practice medicine in the state. This is the first permanent legislation regulating medical practice in the United States.
Charles Guiteau fatally shoots President James A. Garfield. The President dies from his wounds eleven weeks later.
1881
The United States Army massacres nearly 300 Lakota people at Wounded Knee. This massacre is often considered the last battle of the "Indian Wars" of the 19th century.
1890
1883
Pennsylvania passes The Anatomy Act of 1883 which dictates that all bodies for medical study must be obtained through the state. Most of these bodies were people who died in workhouses who could not afford a burial.