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: 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: 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.
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.
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.
