Buffalo, New York

1901 President McKinley Assassinated: President William McKinley was shot by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition on September 6. McKinley died eight days later, and Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as president.

1825 Erie Canal Opens: The Erie Canal connected Buffalo to the Atlantic Ocean via Albany and New York City. Buffalo became the western terminus and gateway to the Great Lakes, transforming it into a booming commercial city.

2022 Tops Supermarket Shooting: A white supremacist gunman drove 200 miles to a Tops Friendly Markets in a predominantly Black neighborhood and killed 10 people. The racially motivated attack shocked the nation.

1977 Blizzard of '77: A catastrophic blizzard struck Buffalo with sustained winds over 45 mph and wind chills reaching -60°F. The storm killed 29 people, trapped thousands, and paralyzed the city for days.

1964 Buffalo Wings Invented: Teressa Bellissimo at the Anchor Bar deep-fried chicken wings and served them with hot sauce and blue cheese. The accidental invention became one of America's most popular foods.

1901 Pan-American Exposition: Buffalo hosted the Pan-American Exposition, showcasing electric power from nearby Niagara Falls. The fair drew 8 million visitors but is remembered primarily for McKinley's assassination.

1896 Niagara Falls Hydroelectric Power: Buffalo became one of the first cities powered by alternating current electricity transmitted from Niagara Falls, demonstrating the future of electric power.

1900 Grain Milling Capital: Buffalo's position at the terminus of Great Lakes shipping made it the largest grain milling and transfer center in the world, with massive grain elevators lining the waterfront.

1950 Population Peak and Decline: Buffalo's population peaked at 580,000. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, which bypassed Buffalo, began decades of devastating economic decline.

1967 Race Riots: Civil unrest erupted in Buffalo's East Side neighborhoods, part of the wave of racial upheaval sweeping American cities in the late 1960s.