It's absolutely mind-boggling to think of how far our species has come throughout the period of our somewhat short existence. The overall knowledge of our population on subjects like outer space, science, and medicine is completely panoramic compared to what it used to be! We've furthered our methods of education and technology to a point that used to seem near impossible!

But, with these advancements in innovation, our minds haven't been left behind. That's right...they've evolved, too! People say we must go with the flow, but that's not exactly what the history of our country tells us.

When one looks at a timeline of our history from a birds-eye view, it is evident that the immense growth happened over a relatively short period of time. People saw a need for change and took action to make it happen!

I've composed a compressed timeline of some major events that showcase our speedy evolution below. Realizing just how young our country is shows how plausible major change is! After all, our country hadn't established its democratic government until 1788 when the Constitution was ratified by the United States!

How Far We've Come

1492 - Columbus "Discovers" America

524 years ago: Christopher Columbus stumbled upon what we now call the United States of America. Even though he thought he was headed for Asia (the Indies) Columbus "founded" America...the home of millions of Native Americans.

1773 - Boston Tea Party

243 years ago: Colonial patriots disguised as Mohawk Indians dumped more than 300 crates of tea into the Boston harbor as a protest against the British tea tax.

1776 - Declaration of Independence

240 years ago: 56 delegates (representing the thirteen self-declared "united states of America,") signed the Declaration of Independence

1789 - First President-Elect

227 years ago: George Washington was elected president of the United States in a unanimous vote by state electors.

1838 - Trail of Tears

178 years ago: More than 15,000 Cherokee Indians were forced to march from Georgia to Indian Territory in what's now Oklahoma. About 4,000 died from starvation and disease while walking the “Trail of Tears.”

1861 - Civil War

155 years ago: The civil war was declared due to conflict between the North and South over the expansion of slavery into western states.

1865 - Abolished Slavery

151 years ago: Slavery in this country didn't officially end until Dec. 6, 1865. On this day, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified.

1877 - First Phone Line

139 years ago: The first telephone line was built. It ran from Boston to Somerville, Mass. A year later the first telephone line was installed in the white house.

1914 - USA Joins WWI

102 years ago: The U.S. entered World War I, declaring war on Germany and Austria-Hungary three years after conflict began in 1914.

1920 - Women's Suffrage

96 years ago: The 19th amendment was ratified, granting all women the right to vote.

1929 - The Great Depression

87 years ago: The Great Depression began after being triggered by a fall in stock prices. It was a severe worldwide economic depression and the longest, deepest, most widespread depression of the 20th century.