BROOKLYN
LOCATION
Brooklyn is located in Kings County, across the River from Manhattan and just south of Queens on Long Island, NY.
HISTORY
17th Century
1609: Henry Hudson lands on Coney Island, explores New York Bay and the Hudson River.

1646: The Village of Breuckelen authorized by the Dutch West India Company and becomes the first municipality in what is now New York State.

1654: Brooklyn's first church, Flatbush Dutch Reformed Church, is founded.

1664: English and Dutch complete 'war' over Dutch presence in North America. Dutch cedes control of New Amsterdam to English. Colony renamed New York.

1683: The General Assembly of Freeholders reorganize the governmental structure in all of the province of New York into 12 counties, each of which is sub-divided into towns. Brooklyn is one of the original six towns of Kings County.

1698: The first census of Kings County is taken, listing the population of King's County as 2,017 (1,721 white; 296 of African descent).

18th Century
1776: General William Howe leads British Army in the Battle of Long Island, the first major battle of the Revolutionary War. George Washington retreats across the East River and Brooklyn is occupied by British soldiers.

1790: First U.S. Census is taken. Kings County has a total population of 4,495 (3,017 white, 1,478 of African descent) sixty percent of all Kings County families own slaves. This rate is the highest of any county in New York State.

19th Century
1801: The Brooklyn Navy Yard is established on Wallabout Bay.

1802: A petition to the State Legislature proposes constructing a bridge from Brooklyn to Manhattan.

1814: The steamship Nassau begins ferry service between Brooklyn and New York.

1816: Village of Brooklyn incorporated within Town of Brooklyn.

1834: Town of Brooklyn (including Village of Brooklyn) becomes City of Brooklyn. Kings County now includes 1 city (Brooklyn) and 5 towns (Bushwick, Flatbush, Flatlands, Gravesend and New Utrecht).

1836: Construction of Brooklyn City Hall begins.

1841: The Brooklyn Daily Eagle begins publishing.

1849: Brooklyn City Hall is completed.

1853: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn is established. Brooklyn Collegiate and Polytechnic Institute are established. Horse-railway service is introduced by the Brooklyn City Railroad Company.

1854: The consolidated City of Brooklyn is established, merging the former City of Brooklyn with the City of Williamsburgh and the Town of Bushwick.

1857: A bill is proposed to the New York Legislature to build a suspension bridge over the East River to Brooklyn.

1858: The National Association of Baseball Players is formed. It is baseball's first centralized organization. Brooklyn is represented by 71 teams.

1860: Brooklyn becomes the third largest city in America. Its population is 279,122.

1862: The ironclad Civil War ship, Monitor, is launched at Greenpoint.

1865: John A. Roebling and Wilhelm Hildenbrand draw up plans for the Brooklyn Bridge.

1866: A bill is passed by the New York State Legislature for construction of the Brooklyn Bridge.

1867: The New York Bridge Company is incorporated (April 1867) and makes John A. Roebling engineer.

1869: President Ulysses S. Grant signs a bill approving the plan for the Brooklyn Bridge. In July, John A. Roebling, 66, dies in an accident making observations to determine the exact location of the Brooklyn [Bridge] tower. His son, Washington Roebling, succeeds him.

1870: In January, work begins on the Brooklyn Bridge. Citizen's Gas Company provides first gaslight for the city.

1872: Roebling is stricken by caisson disease, becoming an invalid. He supervises the building of the Brooklyn Bridge from his bedroom, his wife instructing the Bridge engineers.

1874: The Brooklyn Bridge is made public, repaying the subscribers with interest.

1875: The Brooklyn tower [of the Brooklyn Bridge] is completed (May). The New York tower [of the Brooklyn Bridge] is completed (July).

1877: A temporary footbridge between Manhattan and Brooklyn is built.

1878: A scandal develops over the supply of faulty wire for the Brooklyn Bridge.

1883: The Brooklyn Bridge is opened on May 24. The Brooklyn Dodgers is organized as minor league team.

1884: The first roller coaster is built in Coney Island by LaMarcus Adna Thompson.

1885: Brooklyn's first elevated railroad is completed. It runs from the Brooklyn Bridge to Broadway.

1888: A major blizzard hits Brooklyn.

1890: The first electric trolley begins running in Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Dodgers win their first National League pennant.

1895: The Brooklyn trolley strike occurs. Brooklyn City Hall catches fire.

1896: Kings County and City of Brooklyn become coterminous (in other words - there is only Brooklyn and Brooklyn = Kings County).

1898: The City of Brooklyn is consolidated into Greater New York City.

20th Century
1900: U.S. Census shows Brooklyn to have a population of 1,166,582.

1903: The Williamsburg Bridge opens. The American Revolution prison ship Jersey is discovered under 12 feet of mud in the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

1908: The IRT, New York's first subway, connects Manhattan to Brooklyn through the Joralemon Street tunnel.

1909: Manhattan Bridge opens. Coney Island Hospital opens.

1913: Ebbets Field stadium opens. It is the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

SOURCES
Extensive use of information collected at LINKS below

LINKS
Brooklyn Bridge Timeline
Brooklyn Historical Society