1673Economy
The first Europeans in the area were French fur traders who arrived in 1673.
1795Government
The Northwest Fur Company established a trading post in 1795.
1835History
In 1835, before the transfer of land from the Menominee Nation to the United States, President Andrew Jackson authorized land sales for the region, drawing the interest of land ...
1836Architecture
The Menominee ceded this land to the United States in the 1836 Treaty of the Cedars, following years of negotiations over how to accommodate the Oneida, Stockbridge-Munsee, and ...
1838Government
In 1838, an act of the Territorial Legislature separated Manitowoc County from Brown County, keeping the native name for the region.
1841History
James' Episcopal Church, first met in 1841.
1847Military
In 1847, Joseph Edwards built the first schooner in the area, the Citizen, a modest precursor to the shipbuilding industry that produced schooners and clippers used for fishing ...
1851Civil Rights
Manitowoc was chartered as a village on March 6, 1851 and on March 12, 1870, was incorporated as a city.
1853History
Manitowoc replaced neighboring Manitowoc Rapids as the county seat of Manitowoc County in 1853.
1906Architecture
The current Manitowoc County Courthouse was built in the city in 1906.
1935Education
Formerly, Holy Family College was a private liberal arts college in the city from 1935 to 2020.
1941Culture
Donated by the Rahr family in 1941 for use as a community civic art center, it has been since expanded numerous times.
1960History
It was launched on May 15, 1960.
1962History
On September 5, 1962, a 20-pound (9.1 kg) piece of the seven-ton Sputnik 4 crashed on North 8th Street.
1968Education
In 1968, the policy forced a visiting Gwendolyn Brooks to stay at Holy Family College, just outside of Manitowoc, after a poetry reading.
1970Government
The Wisconsin Maritime Museum was founded in 1970 as the Manitowoc Submarine Memorial Association, and has since grown to be one of the largest nautical museums in the country; ...
1978Infrastructure
== Transportation ==
Public transportation in the city been provided by Maritime Metro Transit since 1978, covering both Manitowoc and Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,053 people, 14,235 households, and 8,811 families residing in the city.
2005History
In 2005, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Green Bay merged several Catholic parishes in the city into one parish, St.
2008Culture
The city held the first Sputnikfest in 2008, which was organized by the head of both museums.
2010History
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, there were 33,736 people, 14,623 households, and 8,600 families residing in the city.
2021Government
The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, established in 2021 and the site of a large number of historically significant shipwrecks, lies in the waters of Lake Mi...
2022Military
In December 2022, Manitowoc was designated Wisconsin's World War II Heritage City by the US National Park Service.
2023Architecture
In early 2023, an 87-unit apartment building south of the Manitowoc River was completed.