Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke

Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art, literature and design. It ranges from prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art.

Inventions &amp; Science

First SMS text message is sent

1992

First human heart transplant

1967

World War I

Armistice signed in First Balkan War

1912

Art, Literature and Film History

"A Streetcar Named Desire" opens on Broadway

1947

19th Century

Illinois becomes the 21st state

1818

Eleven people killed in a stampede outside Who concert in Cincinnati, Ohio

1979

1980s

Explosion kills thousands at pesticide plant In Bhopal, India

1984

Crime

Five-year-old disappears—abductor is later ID'd by clothing fibers

1989

Cold War

Bush and Gorbachev suggest Cold War is coming to an end

Last AMC Pacer rolls off assembly line

American Revolution

George Washington arrives at the banks of the Delaware

1776

Sports

Lawsuit prompts MLB to allow locker room access to female reporters

Slavery

Supreme Court rules on Amistad slave ship mutiny case

1841

The Barbie doll makes its debut

1959

World War II

Firebombing of Tokyo

1945

Vietnam War

Marines hand over control of I Corps region

1970

U.S. Presidents

Jackson appointee John Eaton sworn in as secretary of war—igniting a scandal

1829

Early 20th Century U.S.

Pancho Villa attacks Columbus, New Mexico

1916

Comedian George Burns dies at age 100

1996

Rapper Notorious B.I.G. is killed in Los Angeles

1997

Civil War

U.S.S. Monitor battles C.S.S. Virginia

1862

First Adopt-a-Highway sign goes up

1985

Spanish siege of Pensacola begins

1781

Germany declares war on Portugal

Dutch surrender on Java

1942

President Eisenhower criticizes Senator Joseph McCarthy

1954

Black History

Fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin refuses to give up her seat on a segregated bus

1955

Texas declares independence

1836

Space Exploration

Pioneer 10 launched to Jupiter

1972

Congress abolishes the African slave trade

1807

Dr. Seuss born

1904

The Battle of the Bismarck Sea begins

1943

Puerto Ricans become U.S. citizens, are recruited for war effort

1917

Bobby Kennedy proposes plan to end the war

Wilt Chamberlain scores 100 points

1962

Reports surface of grave robbers stealing Charlie Chaplin’s body

1978

More than 500 train passengers mysteriously suffocate

1944

U.S. Government and Politics

President Coolidge signs the Jones Act, targeting bootleggers

1929

Soviet Union and Chinese armed forces clash

1969

Texas secedes

1861

Ford celebrates 1 millionth Mustang

1966

Art history encompasses many movements and periods, including prehistoric and ancient art, Renaissance art, impressionist art, modern art and folk art, as well as music and film.

Art, Literature & Film History: Timeline & Movements | HISTORY

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HISTORY

Discover what happened on April 5 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

April 5

<a href="http://history.com/">HISTORY.com</a> works with a wide range of writers and editors to create accurate and informative content. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Articles with the “HISTORY.com Editors” byline have been written or edited by the HISTORY.com editors, including <a href="https://www.history.com/author/amanda-onion">Amanda Onion</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/missy-sullivan">Missy Sullivan</a>, <a href="https://www.history.com/author/matt-mullen">Matt Mullen</a> and Christian Zapata.

History.com Editors

Discover what happened on October 20 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

October 20

Discover what happened on April 7 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

April 7

As the Cold War heated up in 1955, the U.S.S.R. and seven of its European satellite countries formed the Warsaw Pact defense alliance to counter NATO. In the U.S., the first McDonald’s restaurant opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, while Disneyland debuted in Anaheim, California and the Mickey Mouse Club premiered on TV. Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus in Alabama, and the racially inspired murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till sparked national outrage.

1974 was a year of firsts. Richard Nixon, enmeshed in the Watergate scandal, became the first American president to resign from office. Hank Aaron became the first baseball player to top Babe Ruth’s career home run record. Scientists in Ethiopia found the first skeleton of a 3-million-year-old human ancestor that walked upright, while archaeologists in China unearthed an army of more than 8,000 lifesize terracotta warriors. In America, disco fever raged, and Archie Bunker broke TV sitcom ground with his blunt and bigoted take on hot-button social issues. 

1974

Discover what happened on March 30 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

March 30

Discover what happened on October 29 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

October 29

Discover what happened on May 2 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 2

Riots in Detroit… San Francisco's Summer of Love… the Six-Day War in the Middle East… Elvis and Priscilla's Vegas wedding... 1967 was a momentous year around the world. It also a year of firsts: the first successful human heart transplant in South Africa (the recipient lasted 18 days), the confirmation of the first Black Supreme Court Justice in the U.S. (Thurgood Marshall) and the first McDonald’s Big Mac (price: 45 cents).

Discover what happened on June 29 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

June 29

The Cold War heated up in 1949 when the Soviet Union tested its first atomic bomb and Germany split into two separate nations—one aligned with the West, the other with the Soviets. To counteract the threat, the U.S. and European allies signed the NATO charter. In Asia, Communists declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China. George Orwell predicted scarier times ahead with his novel “1984,” and consumers saw the introduction of 45 r.p.m. records, Kraft singles and Lego plastic bricks.

1949

Discover what happened on May 1 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 1

1961

1956

As the Depression era ended, World War II began. Nazi troops goosestepped into Poland, and in response, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. Hitler ally Francisco Franco seized power in Spain, having defeated the democratically elected government in the Spanish Civil War. In the still-neutral U.S., a terrorist bomb exploded at the New York World’s Fair, while in fictional Gotham City, Batman made his comic book debut. College students, meanwhile, battled to see who could gulp the most live goldfish.

1939

2002

1946

Discover what happened on March 24 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

March 24

Discover what happened on May 27 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

May 27

Discover what happened on July 14 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

July 14

Discover what happened on October 3 with HISTORY's summaries of major events, anniversaries, famous births and notable deaths.

October 3

Art, Literature and Film History ‑ This Day In History

“Rebel Without a Cause” released one month after James Dean’s death

“Monster Mash” hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

“The Dick Van Dyke Show” premieres

Dr. Spock publishes “The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care”

Marilyn Monroe weds playwright Arthur Miller

Marilyn Monroe poses for “red velvet” nude photo session

Batman debuts in comics

Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” wins the Pulitzer Prize for drama

Elvis Presley marries Priscilla Beaulieu

Tony‑winning musical “South Pacific” opens on Broadway

Stephen King’s first novel, “Carrie,” is published

Halle Berry becomes first Black woman to win Best Actress Oscar