Timeline of Homeland Security Events and Milestones

Entries on the HSDL Timeline of Homeland Security Events and Milestones are related to homeland security and emergency management. Each entry contains a brief description of the event, its significance, and a selection of related resources.

1921
Tulsa Race Massacre
Tulsa Race Massacre

The Tulsa Race Massacre, also known as the Tusla Race Riots, began with an incident that took place on May 30, 1921, in which Dick Rowland, a young black teenager, entered an elevator at the Drexel office building. The elevator operator, a young white woman named Sarah Page, screamed during…
More about the event

1920
Wall Street Bombing, 1920
Wall Street Bombing, 1920

A man driving a cart pulled by horse, parked in front of the U.S. Assay Office across from the J. P. Morgan building in the heart of Wall Street, before leaving and disappearing into the crowd. Only minutes later, a bomb exploded, devastating the area. A number of people would…
More about the event

1918
Influenza Epidemic of 1918
Influenza Epidemic of 1918

In the spring of 1918, the first wave of the influenza epidemic struck in military camps in Kansas and throughout the U.S., but was generally mild. Those who contracted the flu usually recovered after several days of typical flu-like symptoms. However, when the second wave hit in the autumn of…
More about the event

1906
San Francisco Earthquake
San Francisco Earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.9 struck San Francisco, CA. Violent shocks lasted approximately 40-60 seconds and was felt from southern Oregon to the south of Los Angeles and inland as far as Central Nevada. Fires that resulted from broken gas mains raged for three days, and the pipeline…
More about the event

1900
Great Galveston Hurricane
Great Galveston Hurricane

September 8, 1900: A category 4 hurricane ripped through the port city of Galveston, Texas with winds over 135 miles per hour. Storm surges rose 15 feet and completely devastated the prosperous and, at the time, one of the biggest cities in Texas, with over 40,000 inhabitants. Galveston would go…
More about the event

1871
Peshtigo Fire
Peshtigo Fire

A forest fire that was allegedly started by railroad workers who were clearing land for tracks, swept through northeast Wisconsin. Within an hour of the fire striking, the city of Peshtigo, WI was gone. A number of factors were attributed to the raging fire, including a prolonged drought and a…
More about the event

1868
Hayward Fault Earthquake
Hayward Fault Earthquake

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck the region of San Francisco Bay. It lasted for more than 40 seconds and is considered one of the most destructive earthquakes in California’s history, regardless of the sparse population of the time. Shaking could be felt as far as Nevada, and…
More about the event

1857
Great Fort Tejon Earthquake
Great Fort Tejon Earthquake

A magnitude 7.9 earthquake struck on the San Andreas Fault from near Parkfield to approximately 300 km away near Wrightwood. The quake could be felt from Marysville to San Diego, and east to Las Vegas, with strong shaking lasting from one to three minutes.—(USGS) Date of event: January 9, 1857 Impact:…
More about the event

1811
New Madrid, Missouri Earthquakes
New Madrid, Missouri Earthquakes

The 1811-1812 New Madrid Sequence consisted of three large earthquakes: A Magnitude 7.5 earthquake that struck on December 15, 1811; a magnitude 7.3 that struck on January 23, 1812; and a magnitude 7.5 that struck on February 7, 1812. Following the earthquakes, hundreds of aftershocks were felt in 1813. There…
More about the event

Scroll to Top