| 1519 |
Alvarez de Pineda discovers mouth of the Mississippi |
| 1541-42 |
Hernando de Soto discovers the Mississippi River |
| 1682 |
Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, erects a cross at the mouth of the Mississippi River after descending the river from the Great Lakes and claims the territory for Louis XIV of France, for whom Louisiana is named. |
| 1715 |
Louis Juchereau de St. Denis establishes Fort St. Jean Baptiste (Natchitoches), first permanent settlement in the Mississippi Valley |
| 1718 |
New Orleans is founded and named for Phillippe Duc D'Orleans |
| 1718 |
The St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans is built, the oldest in the United States |
| 1723 |
New Orleans becomes the capital of Louisiana, superseding Biloxi |
| 1735 |
Jean Louis, a sailor, leaves his savings to establish the first charity hospital in New Orleans |
| 1751 |
Sugar cane is first introduced into Louisiana |
| 1762 |
Louis XV gives the "Island of New Orleann" and all of Louisiana west of the Mississippi to his cousin, Charles III of Spain |
| 1763 |
Treaty of Paris ends Seven Years' War and confirms transfer of Louisiana to Spain. Florida Parishes ceded to England with Baton Rouge becoming New Richmond |
| 1764 |
First four Acadian families arrive in Louisiana from New York |
| 1796 |
Opera is first performed in the United States at New Orleans |
| 1803 |
Louisiana is purchased from Napoleon I by the United States for $15,000,000 |
| 1804 |
Louisiana is divided into the Territory of New Orleans (south of 33 degrees latitude) and the District of Louisiana (north of 33 degrees latitude). W.C. C. Claiborne is appointed governor of the Territory of Orleans. |
| 1808 |
First public school is established in Pointe Coupee Parish |
| 1811 |
First institution of higher learning opens in New Orleans (College of Orleans) |
| 1812 |
Louisiana is admitted to the Union |
| 1812 |
The first steamboat to navigate the Mississippi River, the "The New Orleans," arrives at New Orleans from Pittsburgh on January 10, 1812 |
| 1815 |
Battle of New Orleans is won by General Andrew Jackson |
| 1823 |
First natural gas field is discovered in Louisiana, at a depth of 400 feet |
| 1837 |
Shreveport is founded |
| 1838 |
First Mardi Gras parade is held in New Orleans |
| 1840 |
Antoine's in New Orleans, the state's oldest continuously operating restaurant, is established |
| 1849 |
Baton Rouge becomes capital of Louisiana |
| 1861 |
Louisiana secedes from the Union and after a brief period as a republic, joins the Confederacy |
| 1862 |
The first salt mine is discovered at Avery Island, oldest in the Western Hemisphere |
| 1867 |
Shrimp first canned commercially at Grand Terre Island |
| 1868 |
Louisiana is re-admitted to the Union |
| 1869 |
First sulphur is produced in United States |
| 1872 |
Rex, King of Carnival, parades for the first time on Mardi Gras |
| 1901 |
The first oil is discovered about six miles from Jennings |
| 1915 |
The name "Jazz" is given to music of New Orleans origin |
| 1926 |
Louisiana's first public airport is built in Mansfield |
| 1928 |
Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo is established, the oldest fishing tournament in the United States |
| 1932 |
New capitol is completed in Baton Rouge |
| 1935 |
Senator Huey Long is assassinated in the state capitol |
| 1935 |
First Sugar Bowl game is played -- Tulane 20, Temple 14 |
| 1947 |
Kerr-McGee Corporation, with offshore operations based in Morgan City, drills the first commercial producing oil well out of sight of land |
| 1963 |
Tulane University accepts five black students, the first in its history |
| 1973 |
A team of surgeons performs Louisiana's first heart transplant |
| 1975 |
The Super Dome in New Orleans is completed, with a final cost of $163,313,315 for building and grounds |
| 1977 |
Ernest Morial is elected mayor of New Orleans, becoming the city's first black mayor |
| 1979 |
David Treen is elected governor, the first Republican governor since Reconstruction |
| 1983 |
Edwin W. Edwards becomes the first three-term governor |
| 1984 |
The Louisiana World Exposition greeted millions of visitors to New Orleans |
| 1987 |
Louisiana celebrates the 175th anniversary of its admission into the Union and The Louisiana State Archives Building opened at 3851 Essen Lane in Baton Rouge |
| 1991 |
Renovation of Louisiana's Old State Capitol began in order to provide home for the Louisiana Center for Political and Governmental History |
| 1992 |
Edwin Edwards was inaugurated to an unprecedented fourth term |
| 2005 |
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastate the Gulf Coast region |
