Cincinnati, Ohio

1850Porkopolis — Meatpacking Capital: Cincinnati became the largest pork-processing center in the world, earning it the nickname 'Porkopolis.' The city's disassembly lines for hog processing pioneered the techniques later used in automobile manufacturing.

1869First Professional Baseball Team: The Cincinnati Red Stockings became the first openly all-professional baseball team, going 57-0 in their first season. They launched the business of professional sports in America.

1841Underground Railroad Hub: Cincinnati's location on the Ohio River, the border between slavery and freedom, made it a crucial station on the Underground Railroad. Abolitionists like Levi Coffin helped thousands of enslaved people escape.

1884Courthouse Riot: Public outrage over a lenient murder verdict sparked three days of rioting that left 56 dead and the Hamilton County Courthouse in flames. Militia were called in to restore order.

2001Timothy Thomas Unrest: The police shooting of unarmed 19-year-old Timothy Thomas sparked three days of civil unrest in Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, the largest urban disturbance in the U.S. since the 1992 LA riots.

1788Cincinnati Founded: The settlement of Losantiville was established across the Ohio River from Kentucky and renamed Cincinnati in honor of the Society of the Cincinnati, a Revolutionary War officers' organization.

1867Roebling Suspension Bridge Opens: John Roebling's suspension bridge over the Ohio River opened as the longest suspension bridge in the world. Its design served as the prototype for Roebling's later Brooklyn Bridge.

1853Harriet Beecher Stowe's Influence: Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived in Cincinnati for 18 years, published Uncle Tom's Cabin based on what she witnessed at the slavery border. The novel helped ignite the abolitionist movement.

1937Great Ohio River Flood: The Ohio River reached a record 80 feet in Cincinnati, flooding downtown and displacing tens of thousands. It was the worst flood in the city's history.

1990Mapplethorpe Obscenity Trial: The Cincinnati Contemporary Arts Center was prosecuted for displaying Robert Mapplethorpe's photographs, making Cincinnati the center of a national debate over art, censorship, and obscenity.