Fought the British for Independence, 1775-1783, had Constitution in 1787 and George Washington was the first President. Fought another war against Britain in 1812.
Slavery was constantly a big issue, of course leading to the Civil War 1861-1865. In the meantime, many thousands of Native Americans from the Eastern US were forced to go to what was later Oklahoma in the "Trail of Tears".
Inventions like steamboats, the telegraph and especially the railroad and others helped communication and transportation, more and more Americans went west.
After the Civil War there were many battles in the West between Native AMericans and soldiers or settlers. By 1900, the telephone, phonograph and automobile were around and the airplane in 1903.
World War I started in Europe in 1914 and we joined in 1917. In 1918 the War ended but there also was the terrible Spanish Influenza outbreak.
During the 1920's, there was great prosperity followed by the Stock Market crash in 1929; and depression. The depression coincided with the "Dust Bowl' probably the worst drought in US history, causing hunger in some cases.
Then Europe got involved in WWII but the US tried to stay out and did until Dec. 7, 1941, Pearl Harbor. Cutting through most of the war, it ended when we dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan in 1945.
The World War was followed by the Cold War, often a non-shooting war between the US and Soviet Union, sometimes with both sides allies used as pawns against each other.
The Cold war ended in the early 90's, and the war on terrorism really was beginning (may have begun as far back as the Munich Olympic Massacre in 1972 or the Iran Hostage Crisis in 1979, the Lockerbie, Scotland PAN Am bombing, etc), but got a big start in 2001 with 9/11. Since then we have been in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The first African American President was elected in 2008.
I know that is probably more than 10 things, pick and choose what you want or combine any answers, but write it yourself. Never totally trust us 'old people' to write history. Some of us lived part of it, but may forget.
