TIMELINE
Aug. 20, 1775 Tucson’s official "birth" day.
c. 1797 Present San Xavier del Bac Mission Church, the “White Dove of the Desert,” is completed.
1925 First Tucson Rodeo is followed two years later by a downtown parade staged with a $20 budget.
1936 South Tucson incorporates for the first time. The community disincorporates, then incorporates again in 1939.
1941-1945 World War II brings thousands of airmen, soldiers and some sailors. Strict rationing requirements imposed.
1951 Public school segregation officially ends with the integration of Dunbar School. Legal discrimination in some hotels, motels and restaurants continues for 14 more years.
1955 After decades of discrimination against the Chinese nationally and locally, things begin to change and Esther Tang is named “Tucson Woman of the Year."
1950s Population of metropolitan area almost doubles to about 260,000 and new home construction becomes a major part of the economy. A 1979 forecast predicts 1.5 million people by 2012, but about 1 million live here now.
1966 Pima Community College wins voter approval. Although a downtown site is pushed, west-side property for the initial campus is selected.
1970 El Rio Golf Course takeover seeks to convert the course into a public park. A coalition of Mexican-Americans, including Raúl Grijalva and Salomón Baldenegro, leads the demonstration.
1970 Pioneer Hotel fire kills 29 people, including longtime downtown supporters, Margaret and Harold Steinfeld. Louis Taylor was convicted of starting the fire, but was released in 2013 based on evidence that indicated his innocence.
1971 A “festival of harmony,” or street fair, debuts on Fourth Avenue, sponsored by what media representatives label “young, long-haired businessmen.”
1977 Gay Pride Day picnic is held at Himmel Park. A Marine Corps Reserve unit later refuses to accept 200 Christmas toys for needy children donated by gays.
1978 Pascua Yaqui tribe receives federal recognition 14 years after it obtained 200 acres of land on the southwest side to establish a reservation.
1978 A legal decision in the TUSD desegregation lawsuit concludes the district did not end school segregation in 1951. The district still operates under court order.
1981 Trichloroethylene (TCE), dumped in pits by Hughes Aircraft and others beginning in the 1950s, is discovered in south-side water wells and has a negative impact on the health of many people.
1983 After several days of torrential rain, massive flooding across the region claims five lives locally and does more than $100 million in damage.
1984 First female firefighter, Deanna Lewis, is hired by the Tucson Fire Department about 55 years after Nora Nugent became the first woman with the Tucson Police Department.
1988 IBM lays off half its total local workforce less than a decade after its arrival brought economic optimism and a real estate boom.
1993 Indian gaming compact is approved after work by many, including Tohono O’odham Chair Josiah Moore, and the first casinos soon open.
1997 UA basketball team under coach Lute Olson wins the NCAA championship and an estimated 50,000 people turn out at Arizona Stadium to celebrate.
2000 Drought begins and eventually concerns arise about the amount of Colorado River water available in the future.
2002 Annual desert crossings from Mexico exceed 100 deaths for the first time.
2006 Regional Transportation Authority is approved by voters, bringing street widenings, increased bus service and a modern streetcar.
2007 Economic downturn begins locally, new housing starts decline sharply and almost 15,000 construction jobs are lost.
2008 Phoenix Mars Lander, a project spearheaded by UA scientists, successfully arrives at its destination and transmits incredible pictures.
2011 Jan. 8 shootings kill six people and wound 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
2010-2015 Downtown renaissance is an on-going process while work continues on “The Loop,” a pedestrian/bicycle/equestrian trail to encircle Tucson.
