On Apr. 3, 1879, John B. Hamilton began service as Supervising Surgeon (later known as U.S. Surgeon General),…
In 1879, following yellow fever outbreaks, the U.S. Congress established the National Board of Health, in part to…
On Apr. 29, 1878, an Act of the U.S. Congress to Prevent the Introduction of Contagious or Infectious…
On Mar. 29, 1871, John Maynard Woodworth was appointed U.S. Surgeon General, and he moved quickly to reform…
On Sept. 12, 1862, Iowa became the first State in the Nation to accept the terms and conditions…
On Jul. 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed into law the Morrill Act, or the Land Grant Colleges…
On May 15, 1862, the Organic Act established the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and directed its commissioner to…
On Apr. 27, 1862, the Tariff Act, also known as the Dallas Tariff, exempted foreign plants and trees…
In 1861, the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO) annual seed distribution exceeded 2.4 million packages of seed…
In 1853, the first marine hospital in San Francisco was completed with special funds appropriated by Congress. The…
On Jan. 24, 1851, the West Florida Seminary (Florida State University) was founded by the Florida General Assembly…
On Jun. 26, 1848, the Drug Importation Act was passed by Congress. The act required imported drugs to…
In 1839, the U.S. Congress puts $1,000 into the Congressional Seed Distribution Program, administered by the U.S. Patent…
On Jun. 1, 1802, the U.S. Secretary of State appointed Dr. William Thornton as first clerk at the…
In 1802, a U.S. marine hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana was authorized by Congress while the port was…
On Jul. 31, 1790, the inventor Samuel Hopkins was awarded the first U.S. patent for a new method…