History of Ohio in Timeline

Ohio is a Midwestern U.S. state bordering Lake Erie. It ranks 34th in size and 7th in population, with nearly 11.9 million residents. Columbus is its capital and largest city. Other major metropolitan areas include Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron, and Toledo. Known as the "Buckeye State," Ohio boasts a significant population and is a key state in the Midwest region.

1913: Lincoln Highway Designation

In 1913, Main Market Route 3 was chosen to become part of the historic Lincoln Highway.

1919: Reds Win World Series

The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1919.

1920: Indians Win World Series

The Cleveland Indians won the World Series in 1920.

1922: Bulldogs Win NFL Championship

The Canton Bulldogs won the NFL Championship in 1922.

1922: Klondike Bar Origination

The Klondike bar originated in Mansfield, Ohio in 1922.

1923: Bulldogs Win NFL Championship

The Canton Bulldogs won the NFL Championship in 1923.

1924: Dum Dums Lollipops Production

Dum Dums lollipops were originally produced in Bellevue, Ohio in 1924.

1924: Bulldogs Win NFL Championship

The Canton Bulldogs won the NFL Championship in 1924.

1926: U.S. Route 30 Designation

Upon the advent of the federal numbered highway system in 1926, the Lincoln Highway through Ohio became U.S. Route 30.

1940: Population Growth Slowdown

In 1940, Ohio's population growth slowed, marking an exception to the state's consistent growth of over 10% per decade from 1800 until 1970.

1940: Reds Win World Series

The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1940.

1944: Missed General Election

Since 1896, Ohio has had only three misses in the general election (1944, 1960, 2020) and had the longest perfect streak of any state, voting for the winning presidential candidate.

1945: Rams Win NFL Championship

The Cleveland Rams won the NFL Championship in 1945.

1948: Indians Win World Series

The Cleveland Indians won the World Series in 1948.

1950: Browns Win NFL Championship

The Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship in 1950.

1953: Spangler Candy Company Production

Since 1953, Dum Dums lollipops have been made by Spangler Candy Company in Bryan, Ohio.

1954: Browns Win NFL Championship

The Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship in 1954.

1955: Browns Win NFL Championship

The Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship in 1955.

1960: Missed General Election

Since 1896, Ohio has had only three misses in the general election (1944, 1960, 2020) and had the longest perfect streak of any state, voting for the winning presidential candidate.

1963: Pro Football Hall of Fame

Canton was enshrined as the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1963.

1964: Perfect Streak of Elections

Since 1896, Ohio has had only three misses in the general election (1944, 1960, 2020) and had the longest perfect streak of any state, voting for the winning presidential candidate in each election from 1964 to 2016.

1964: Browns Win NFL Championship

The Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship in 1964.

1967: No Super Bowl Appearance for Ohio Teams

Since the Super Bowl's inception in 1967, no Ohio team has won.

1970: Ohio Population Reaches 10.65 Million

In 1970, the United States Census recorded just over 10.65 million Ohioans, after which the state's population growth began to slow.

1974: Start of Lottery Contributions to Education

The Ohio Lottery began contributing to education in 1974, and by 2020, it had contributed more than $26 billion.

1975: Reds Win World Series

The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1975.

1976: Reds Win World Series

The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1976.

1979: End of Passenger Rail Service

Columbus' Union Station was last served in 1979 by the National Limited.

1982: Grand Prix of Cleveland

The Grand Prix of Cleveland hosted CART races from 1982 to 2007.

1983: Winter Guard International Championships

Winter Guard International hosted national championships in performing arts at the University of Dayton 18 times between 1983 and 2003, and has permanently since 2005.

1990: Population Center Shift

In 1990, Ohio's center of population was approximately 6,346 feet south and west of its location in 2000.

1990: Reds Win World Series

The Cincinnati Reds won the World Series in 1990.

1993: NVRA

In 1993 the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) was enacted.

1994: Voter Purging Policy

Since 1994, Ohio has had a policy of purging infrequent voters from its rolls.

2000: Center of Population in Morrow County

As of 2000, Ohio's center of population was located in Morrow County, specifically in the county seat of Mount Gilead.

2002: Help America Vote Act

In 2002, the Help America Vote Act was enacted.

2003: Winter Guard International Championships

Winter Guard International hosted national championships in performing arts at the University of Dayton 18 times between 1983 and 2003, and has permanently since 2005.

2005: Winter Guard International Championships

Since 2005, Winter Guard International has permanently hosted national championships in performing arts at the University of Dayton.

2007: Pre-Recession Job Numbers

Compared to the pre-recession numbers of 2007, Ohio still lacked 45,000 jobs as of February 2018.

2007: Grand Prix of Cleveland

The Grand Prix of Cleveland hosted CART races from 1982 to 2007.

2008: Publicly Traded Companies Headquartered in Ohio

In 2008, fifty-nine of the United States' top 1,000 publicly traded companies (by revenue) were headquartered in Ohio.

2008: Crew Win MLS Cup

The Columbus Crew won the MLS Cup in 2008.

2008: High School Rankings

U.S. News & World Report ranked Ohio No. 8 for best high schools in 2008.

2009: Income Growth Increase

Ohio's overall income grew in Ohio from 2009 to 2012, with an overall 7.1% increase in income growth.

2009: Business Tax Index Ranking

The Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council ranked Ohio No. 10 for best business-friendly tax systems in their Business Tax Index 2009.

May 2010: Unemployment Rate Peak

In May 2010, Ohio's unemployment rate reached 10.7%.

2010: College Rankings

According to U.S. News & World Report's 2010 rankings, Ohio has five of the top 115 colleges in the nation.

2010: Language Diversity

According to the 2010 census, About 6.7% of Ohio's population age 5 years and older reported speaking a language other than English.

2010: Largest Christian Denominations

According to the ARDA, in 2010 the largest Christian denominations by adherents were the Catholic Church with 1,992,567; the United Methodist Church with 496,232; the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America with 223,253, the Southern Baptist Convention with 171,000, the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ with 141,311, the United Church of Christ with 118,000, and the Presbyterian Church (USA) with 110,000.

2010: Business Climate Ranking

In 2010, Ohio was ranked second in the country for best business climate by Site Selection magazine, based on a business-activity database.

2010: Foreign-Born Residents in Ohio

In 2010, there were 469,700 foreign-born residents in Ohio, corresponding to 4.1% of the total population, with Mexico and India having the largest groups.

2010: Ohio Population Increase

In the 2010 United States census, Ohio's population grew, but the state's population growth lags that of the entire United States.

2010: Shift in Voter Demographics

Since the 2010 midterm elections, Ohio's voter demographic has leaned towards the Republican Party.

2011: Minority Children Statistics

As of 2011, 27.6% of Ohio's children under the age of one belonged to minority groups.

2012: Income Growth Increase

Ohio's overall income grew in Ohio from 2009 to 2012, with an overall 7.1% increase in income growth.

2014: Religion Importance in Ohio

According to a Pew Forum poll in 2014, a majority of Ohioans, 56%, felt religion was "very important".

April 2015: Labor Force Participation

As of April 2015, the labor force participation in Ohio was 63%, slightly above the national average.

April 2016: Lawsuit Filed Against Voter Purging

In April 2016, a lawsuit was filed challenging Ohio's policy of purging infrequent voters, alleging violations of the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

November 2016: Preliminary Injunction Upheld

In November 2016, a federal district court ruled for the plaintiffs and entered a preliminary injunction applicable only to the November 2016 election.

2016: Employment Statistics

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the total number of people employed in 2016 was 4,790,178.

2016: Ohio Votes for Trump

In the 2016 presidential election, Ohio voted for Republican Donald Trump at larger margins than the nation as a whole.

2016: Cavaliers Win NBA Championship

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Championship in 2016.

February 2018: Unemployment Rate

As of February 2018, Ohio's unemployment rate stood at 4.5%.

2018: Tax Burden on Lower Income Earners

In 2018, the bottom 20% of earners in Ohio contributed 12.3% of their income towards various taxes.

2019: Mike DeWine as Governor

Mike DeWine became the governor of Ohio in 2019.

2020: Ohio Lottery Contributions to Education

As of 2020, the Ohio Lottery had contributed more than $26 billion to education beginning in 1974.

2020: Ohio's Congressional Seats

Following the 2020 census, Ohio has 15 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

2020: Voting Difficulty Ranking

In a 2020 study, Ohio was ranked as the 17th hardest state for citizens to vote in.

2020: Ohio Population Reaches 11.8 Million

In the 2020 census, the United States Census Bureau counted 11,808,848 Ohioans, a 2.4% increase since 2010.

2020: Ohio Votes for Trump

In the 2020 presidential election, Ohio voted for Republican Donald Trump at larger margins than the nation as a whole.

2020: Non-Denominational Christianity Largest Protestant Cohort

Per the Association of Religion Data Archives's (ARDA) 2020 study, Non-denominational Christianity, numbering 1,411,863, were the largest Protestant cohort, although Catholicism remained the single-largest denomination with 1,820,233 adherents.

2020: Crew Win MLS Cup

The Columbus Crew won the MLS Cup in 2020.

2021: Christian Population in Ohio

According to Public Religion Research Institute's 2021 American Values Survey, 64% of Ohioans identified as Christian.

2021: Religious Self-Identification Survey

Religious self-identification in Ohio, per Public Religion Research Institute's 2021 American Values Survey.

2022: Homeless Population

According to HUD's 2022 Annual Homeless Assessment Report, there were an estimated 10,654 homeless people in Ohio.

2022: Republican Party Majority

As of the 2022 election cycle, the Republican Party is the majority party in both houses of the Ohio General Assembly.

2022: Bearcats in College Football Playoff

In 2022, the Cincinnati Bearcats football team became the first "Group of Five" team to qualify for the College Football Playoff.

2023: Per Capita and Median Household Income

As of 2023, Ohio's per capita income was $60,402 and the state's median household income was $65,720.

2023: Crew Win MLS Cup

The Columbus Crew won the MLS Cup in 2023.

2024: Ohio Voter Demographics

As of 2024, Ohio has more than 8 million registered voters, with over 70% unaffiliated with any political party. The voter base is disproportionately older and leans towards the Republican Party.

2024: Buckeyes Football Team Statistics

As of 2024, the Ohio State Buckeyes football team is second in all-time winning percentage, with a 977–335–53 overall record and a 30–29 bowl record.

2024: Ohio's Federal Representatives

As of the 2024 election cycle, Ohio has ten Republican and five Democratic federal representatives. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted serve as U.S. senators for Ohio.