User Guides Subject Guides > General & Reference Chronology: Finding the Events of a Given Year or Date

See also Inventions & Inventors User Guide.

HELIN catalog search

This is a list of selected sources on chronologies that are available in the University Libraries. They will provide information whether you need information on a particular year or date (such as your birthday!). Additional information can be identified by doing a subject search in the HELIN Catalog under such entries as CHRONOLOGY HISTORY, UNITED STATES -- HISTORY -- CHRONOLOGY, or HISTORY, MODERN, 1945-CHRONOLOGY. More specific subject chronologies can be identified by combining the subject with chronology, such as SCIENCE -- HISTORY -- CHRONOLOGY or INVENTIONS -- HISTORY -- CHRONOLOGY.  Internet sources are found under either CHRONOLOGY or TIMELINES.

NOTE:  In dealing with specific dates, especially in Europe and the United States, it is important to be familiar with the switch from the Julian to the Gregorian Calendar. The Gregorian Calendar first appears in 1582, although the British Empire (including the colonies which would become the U.S.) did not switch over until September 1752. The Russian Empire never switched to the Gregorian Calendar, hence the occasional confusion over dates during the Russian Revolution of 1917. NASA has an excellent Web site which explains calendars at http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhelp/calendars.html

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General history | United States history | Subject chronologies

General history

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URI Ref AE5 .E364 1938, 1940-71, 1973-2002

Britannica Book of the Year.

Each volume provides a calendar of the previous year, charts on events, people, etc., and essays on topics such as Economic Affairs, Fashion, Law/Crime, and Media/Publications.

Day by Day.

This series provides information in daily tables under 10 categories: World affairs; Europe; Asia & the Middle East; the Americas; Asia & the Pacific; U.S. Politics & Social Issues; U.S. Foreign Policy & Defense; U.S. Economics & Environment; Science, Technology & Nature; and Culture, Leisure & Life Style.

The Forties  URI Ref D427 .L4

The Fifties  URI Ref D842.5 .M47 1979

The Sixties  URI Ref D840 .P27 1983

The Seventies  URI Ref D848 .L4 2v.

The Eighties  URI Ref D848 .M45 1995 2 v.

URI Ref D9 .D5 1986

Everyman’s Dictionary of Dates. 7th Edition Revised. 1986.

URI Ref D11 .G78 1991

Grun, Bernard. The Timetables of History: A Horizontal Linkage of People and Events.  New 3rd Revised Edition. 1991.

This work includes a year-by-year grid for events throughout history, covering all geographic areas and a variety of subject specialties.

http://www.historychannel.com/tdih/tdih.jsp?category=leadstory

The History Channel. This Day in History.

Search by Month/Day or by Automotive; Civil War; Cold War; Crime; Entertainment; General Interest; Literacy; Old West; Vietnam War; Wall Street; World War II.  Includes video clips.

URI Ref D9 .K4

Keller, Helen Rex. Dictionary of Dates. 1934. 2 v.

A record from earliest times through the year 1930, arranged by countries...an outline of events.

URI D11 .P97 1936

Putnam, George Palmer. Dictionary of Events, A Handbook of Universal History; a Series of Chronological Tables Presenting, in Parallel Columns, a Record of the Noteworthy Events of History from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, Together With an Index of Subjects and Genealogical Tables, Compiled by George Palmer Putnam, A.M. and George Haven Putnam.  1936.

http://www.scopesys.com/anyday/

Scope Systems.

A Website made available by Scope Systems, Worldwide Industrial Electronics Repair & Services, which allows you to choose a month and day, and lists people that were born on that date, died on that date, and other notable events of that date.

http://timelines.ws/

Timelines of History.

A website searchable by day in history, country, or selected subjects.

URI Ref D11.T83 1994

Trager, James. The People’s Chronology: A Year-by-Year Record of Human Events from History to the Present. Revised and Updated Edition. 1994.

Arranged by year and then categories such as Political Events; Science; Communications; Social Justice.

URI Ref D11 .W47 1990

Wetterau, Bruce. The New York Public Library Book of Chronologies.  1990.

URI Ref D11 .W635 2005

Williams, Hywel. Caswell's Chronology of World History: Dates, Events, and Ideas That Made History. 2005.

Arranged by year and then categories such as Political Events; Science; Communications; Social Justice.

URI Ref D9 .W73 1982

World Almanac Dictionary of Dates. 1982.

URI Ref E169.12 .A419 1994

American Decades.  1994-2001.10 vols.

Each volume in this series covers one decade of the 20th Century from 1900 to 1999.

URI Ref E169.1 .A471979 1997

American Eras.  1997-1998. 8 vols.

This series covers from early explorations through 1899.

URI Ref E174.5 .A48 1985

American Headlines, Year by Year.  1985.

1492-1984, illustrated chronology arranged day-by-day, then year-by-year, with limited subject indexing.

American Popular Culture Through History.

The Revolutionary War Era URI Ref E163 .H84 2004

The New Nation URI Ref E164 .V53 2002

The Antebellum Period URI Ref E166 .V65 2004

Westward Expansion URI Ref F593 .Q39 2002

The Civil War & Reconstruction URI Ref E167 .B78 2003

The Gilded Age URI Ref E169.1 .S5585 2004

The 1900s URI Ref E169.1 B248 2002

The 1910s URI Ref E169.1 .B634 2002

The 1920s URI Ref E169.1 D796 2004

The 1930s URI Ref E169.1 .Y59 2002

The 1940s URI Ref E169.1 .S559 2004

The 1950s URI Ref E169.12 .Y69 2004

The 1960s URI Ref E169.12 .R53 2003

The 1990s URI Ref E169.12 .O96 2003

URI Ref E174.5 .C3 1993

Carruth, Gorton. Encyclopedia of American Facts and Dates.  9th ed. 1993.

URI Ref E18 .C47 1989

Chronicle of America.  1989.

URI Ref  E98 .C55 F73 1996

Francis, Lee. Native Time: An Historical Timeline of Native Americans.  1996.

200,000 B.C.E. to present.  Discusses history, literature, art, philosophy.

URI Ref E175.4 .G753 2003

Gross, Ernie. The American Years: A Chronology of United States History.  2nd ed. 2003.  2 v.

URI Ref E174.5 .G76 2001

Gross, Ernie. This Day in American History.  Revised ed. 2001

This gives a day by day guide of events in American history, from the earliest colonial times the present.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/archive.html

Library of Congress. Today in History.

Web site from the Library of Congress' American Memory Project.

URI Ref E185 .H64 1998

Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African American History: From 1492 to the Present.  2nd ed. 1987.

"Selective compilation of those events in black American history that have had significant effects, impacts, and influences -- politically, economically, socially, and culturally."

URI Microform Area/Sect. 1 – MFILM

http://www.uri.edu/library/reference_databases/title.html

Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost)

http://www.uri.edu/library/reference_databases/title.html

National Newspapers (ProQuest)

http://www.uri.edu/library/reference_databases/title.html

New York Times Article Archive

http://www.uri.edu/library/reference_databases/title.html

LexisNexis Academic

The New York Times.

The University Library’s Microform holdings cover 1857 to the present day. Current issues are available in the Newspaper Section of the periodicals room and at http://www.nytimes.com/. Indexing is available at Reference (AI21 .N44) for 1852-1994, and  through Academic Search Premier (EBSCOhost) (1989 - present), LexisNexis Academic (1980 - present), National Newspapers (ProQuest) (1851 - 2003), and The New York Times Article Archive (1851-present).

URI Ref E169.1 .W173 1990

Wagman, John. On This Day in America:  An Illustrated Almanac of History, Sports, Science, and Culture.  1990.

CCE Ref AY67 .N5 W7  Latest year only

Pell Ref AY67 N5 W7 Latest year only

URI Ref Desk

World Almanac and Book of Facts.  Annual.  1923 -.

Every Reference Librarian’s best friend, there is a history section with a detailed chronology, as well as an in-depth account of the previous year’s events.

URI Ref PN1992.18 .B68 2003

Brooks, Tim and Earle Marsh. The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network Shows, 1946-Present. 2003.

http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/

Chronology of Personal Computers.

Based on published sources.

URI Ref HQ1121 .C617 1997

Chronology of Women Worldwide: People, Places, and Events That Shaped Women's History.  Edited by Lynne Brakeman. 1987.

URI Ref Q125 .H557 1991

Hellemans, Alexander. The Timetables of Science: A Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Science. New, Updated Edition. 1991.

Covering from 2,400,000 BC to 1988, with predictions for 1989-2000. Charts by year with five categories (General; Astronomy; Life Sciences; Mathematics; Technology) interspersed with overview essays.

URI Ref TX355 .T72 1995

Trager, James. The Food Chronology: A Food Lover's Compendium of Events and Ancedotes From Prehistory to the Present.  1985.

Similar to Trager’s The People’s Chronology, but with added categories such as Nutrition; Seafood/Marine Resources; Food Brands.

For assistance
If you need further assistance, please stop by the Reference Desk or contact the History Reference Specialist, Amanda Izenstark at (401) 874-4582 or amanda@uri.edu.

M.J. Keefe, rev. J. Teliha 5/03, 10/05; rev. MJ Keefe, 7/06.