State of Nevada
Timeline of Events:
- 1859: Nevada Territory created
- 1864: Nevada admitted to the Union as the 36th state
- 1869: Transcontinental Railroad completed at Promontory Summit, Utah
- 1871: University of Nevada, Reno founded
- 1900: Tonopah mining boom begins
- 1917: Nevada Highway Department established
- 1931: Hoover Dam construction begins
- 1941: Nevada Test Site established
- 1951: Atomic Energy Commission testing begins at the Nevada Test Site
- 1959: Statehood Centennial
- 1970s: Gambling industry booms in Las Vegas
- 2008: Great Recession hits Nevada hard
- 2017: Legalization of recreational marijuana
Important Legislation:
- 1865: Nevada Legalizes Gambling
- 1905: Nevada Passes Pure Food and Drug Act
- 1953: Nevada Passes Nevada Test Site Act
- 1974: Nevada Passes Equal Rights Amendment * 1987: Nevada Passes Nevada Gaming Control Act
- 2019: Nevada Passes Nevada Clean Energy Act
Important Court Cases:
- 1893: Ex parte Maier (Nevada Supreme Court rules that a woman cannot be a barber)
- 1954: Brown v. Board of Education (U.S. Supreme Court rules that racial segregation in schools is unconstitutional)
- 1975: Atkins v. Parker (Nevada Supreme Court rules that married women have the right to own property)
- 2003: Lawrence v. Texas (U.S. Supreme Court rules that sodomy laws are unconstitutional)
Major Industry:
- Gambling(aw dang it)
- Tourism
- Circuses
- Magic shows
- Concerts
- Sphere
- Raves
- Las Vegas Grand Prix(most profitable weekend in the States’s history)
Impact on the Rest of the Country:
- Nevada has been a major center of gambling and entertainment since the 1950s.
- The Nevada Test Site was the site of over 1,000 nuclear tests from 1951 to 1992.
- Nevada’s legalization of recreational marijuana in 2017 has made the state a pioneer in the legalization movement.
- Nevada is a swing state in presidential elections and has voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates in recent years.