The following is a timeline of the

history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

of the city of

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is t ...

, United States.

18th-19th centuries

* 1733 - Settlement "called New Carthage, then New Liverpool, then Newton or New Town." (Timeline) * 1739 ** Town incorporated and renamed "Wilmington." ** New Hanover County

seat A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but also headquarters in a wider sense. Types of seat The following are examples of different kinds of seat: * Armchair, a chair ...

moves to Newton from Brunswick. * 1751 - St. James Episcopal Church founded. * 1756 - Fire. * 1760 - John Sampson becomes mayor. * 1764 - Fort Johnston built near Wilmington. * 1776 - February 27:

Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge The Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge was a minor conflict of the American Revolutionary War fought near Wilmington (present-day Pender County), North Carolina, on February 27, 1776. The victory of the North Carolina Provincial Congress' militia ...

fought near Wilmington during the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. * 1781 - Wilmington occupied by British forces under command of

Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805), styled Viscount Brome between 1753 and 1762 and known as the Earl Cornwallis between 1762 and 1792, was a British Army general and official. In the United S ...

. * 1820 -

Population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

: 2,633. * 1830 -

: 3,791. * 1840 -

: 5,335. * 1844 - '' Wilmington Journal''

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, spor ...

begins publication. * 1849 - April 16: Snowfall. * 1850 -

: 7,264. * 1855 - Oakdale Cemetery and Wilmington Library Association (

social library Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives from ...

) organized. * 1860 -

: 9,552. * 1862 -

Yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...

epidemic empties out city, befalling over 1600 and killing 654. * 1864 - December: Wilmington Campaigns by Union forces begin in area during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. * 1865 - February 11–22:

Battle of Wilmington The Battle of Wilmington was fought February 11–22, 1865, during the American Civil War, mostly outside the city of Wilmington, North Carolina, between the opposing Union and Confederate Departments of North Carolina. The Union victory in Ja ...

fought; Union forces win. * 1866 - City of Wilmington incorporated. * 1867 ** ''

Morning Star Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

'' newspaper begins publication. ** Wilmington National Cemetery established. * 1879 - ''Africo-American Presbyterian''

begins publication. * 1892 - New Hanover County Courthouse built. * 1898 - November:

Wilmington insurrection of 1898 The Wilmington insurrection of 1898, also known as the Wilmington massacre of 1898 or the Wilmington coup of 1898, was a coup d'état and massacre carried out by white supremacists in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States, on Thursday, Nove ...

20th century

* 1906 - Public library built. * 1915 - Royal Theatre in business. * 1919 -

Customs House A custom house or customs house was traditionally a building housing the offices for a jurisdictional government whose officials oversaw the functions associated with importing and exporting goods into and out of a country, such as collecting ...

built. * 1935 - WMFD

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a tr ...

begins broadcasting. * 1947 -

University of North Carolina at Wilmington The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW or UNC Wilmington) is a public research university in Wilmington, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina System and enrolls 17,499 undergraduate and graduate students eac ...

established. * 1954 - WECT (

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

) begins broadcasting. * 1955 - Starway Drive-In cinema in business. * 1956 - Lower Cape Fear Historical Society formed. * 1966 - Historic Wilmington

preservation Preservation may refer to: Heritage and conservation * Preservation (library and archival science), activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record while making as few changes as possible * ''Preservation'' (magazine), published by the Nat ...

group founded. * 1971 - February 6: Bombing of grocery store; racial unrest ensues, eventually leading to controversial conviction of "

Wilmington Ten The Wilmington Ten were nine young men and a woman who were wrongfully convicted in 1971 in Wilmington, North Carolina, of arson and conspiracy. Most were sentenced to 29 years in prison, and all ten served nearly a decade in jail before an appea ...

." * 1976 - Emsley A. Laney High School established. * 1980 -

United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit (in case citations, 4th Cir.) is a federal court located in Richmond, Virginia, with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts: * District of Maryland ...

overturns "Wilmington Ten" convictions. * 1981 - Athlete

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

graduates from Laney High Schoo

* 1984 - Italian film producer

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

opens the

De Laurentiis Entertainment Group De Laurentiis Entertainment Group (DEG) was an entertainment production company and distribution studio founded by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis. The company is notable for producing '' Manhunter'', '' Blue Velvet'', the horror films '' ...

studios, now part of

EUE/Screen Gems EUE/Screen Gems Ltd. is an American film and television studio production company that owns and operates facilities in Wilmington, North Carolina; Atlanta, Georgia; and Miami, Florida. The company collaborates with other studios and producers fo ...

. * 1989 - Old New Hanover Genealogical Society formed.
* 1997 -

Mike McIntyre Douglas Carmichael "Mike" McIntyre II (; born August 6, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who was first elected to represent North Carolina's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1996. He served for 18 ...

becomes U.S. representative for

North Carolina's 7th congressional district North Carolina's 7th congressional district stretches from Wilmington and the South Carolina border to the southern suburbs of Raleigh. The district is represented by Rep. David Rouzer, a Republican. He has been in office since 2015. From ...

. * 1998 - City website online (approximate date).

21st century

* 2003 - ''

Star-News ''Star-News'' is an American, English language daily newspaper for Wilmington, North Carolina, and its surrounding area (known as the Lower Cape Fear). It is North Carolina's oldest newspaper in continuous publication. It was owned by Halifax M ...

'' in publication. * 2007 - Bill Saffo becomes mayor. * 2010 - Population: 106,476. * 2015 -

David Rouzer David Cheston Rouzer (; born February 16, 1972) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. Previously he was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, representing ...

becomes U.S. representative for North Carolina's 7th congressional district. * 2018 -

Hurricane Florence Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September 2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. The sixth named storm, third h ...

makes landfall in Wilmington causing major flooding and several deaths

References

Bibliography

* * . (Includes city history, pp. 9–24) * * * * * *
1911 ed.1920 ed.
*
1952 ed.1963 ed.
* * * * 1957- * * * * * *

External links

*
Items related to Wilmington, North Carolina
various dates (via

Digital Public Library of America The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) is a US project aimed at providing public access to digital holdings in order to create a large-scale public digital library. It officially launched on April 18, 2013, after two and a half years of dev ...

) * {{cite web , url=http://libguides.nhclibrary.org/cfhh , title=Cape Fear History & Heritage , publisher=New Hanover County Public Library , location=Wilmington, NC Wilmington