1835Government
Founded in 1835, Aiken was named after William Aiken, the president of the South Carolina Railroad.
1871Culture
It became part of Aiken County when the county was formed in 1871.
1890Government
Between 1890 and the 1920s, many Jewish immigrants settled in Aiken.
1903Crime
In 1903, the Jewish-American peddler Abraham Surasky was the victim of an antisemitic murder that occurred near Aiken.
1905Government
In 1905, a group of Russian-Jewish socialists from New York founded a farming colony in Aiken County that was known as "Happyville".
1921Government
Adath (Adas) Yeshurun (Congregation of Israel) Synagogue was chartered in Aiken in 1921 and the cornerstone was laid in 1925.
1930Civil Rights
== Steeplechase racing ==
The Aiken Steeplechase Association, founded in 1930, hosts the Imperial Cup each March and the Holiday Cup in October, both races sanctioned by the Nat...
1942History
(1942–1946; died during his second term) – Served for 4 years.
1946Military
Aiken was the subject of a series of broadcasts by Orson Welles in July and August 1946 regarding the blinding and severe beating of Sergeant Isaac Woodard, a black World War II...
1950Government
=== Savannah River Plant ===
The United States Atomic Energy Commission's selection of a site near Aiken for a plant to produce fuel for thermonuclear weapons was announced on N...
1977Government
The Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum was established in 1977 as a tribute to the famous flat racing and steeplechase thoroughbred horses trained at the Aiken Tr...
1985History
The coldest recorded temperature was −4 °F or −20 °C on January 21, 1985, and the hottest 109 °F or 42.8 °C on August 21, 1983.
1989Economy
The site was named the Savannah River Plant, and renamed the Savannah River Site in 1989.
1991History
Fred Cavanaugh (1991–2015; retired) – Served for 24 years.
2014History
An historical marker was added to the synagogue in 2014, sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society of South Carolina.
2015Government
Rick Osbon (2015–2023; lost re-election to Teddy Milner) – Served for eight years.
2020History
== Demographics ==
=== 2020 census ===
As of the 2020 census, there were 32,025 people, 14,028 households, and 8,479 families residing in the city.